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William Henry Hudson - The Famous Missions of California
occupied ninety-nine days, though of these, fifteen were spent at Porto Rico, where Father Junipero
improved the time by establishing a mission. Hardships were not lacking; for water and food ran short,
and the vessel encountered terrific storms. But "remembering the end for which they had come," the
father "felt no fear, and his own buoyancy did much to keep up the flagging spirits of those about him.
Even when Vera Cruz was reached, the terrible journey was by no means over, for a hundred Spanish
leagues lay between that port and the City of Mexico. Too impatient to wait for the animals and wagons
which had been promised for transportation, but which, through some oversight or blunder, had not yet
arrived in Vera Cruz, Junipero set out to cover the distance on foot. The strain brought on an ulcer in one
of his legs, from which he suffered all the rest of his life; and it is highly probable that he would have
died on the road but for the quite unexpected succor which came to him more than once in the critical
hour. This, according to his wont, he did not fail to refer directly to the special favour of the Virgin and
St. Joseph.
For nearly nineteen years after his arrival in Mexico, Junipero was engaged in active missionary work,
mainly among the Indians of the Sierra Gorda, whom he successfully instructed in the first principles of
the Catholic faith and in the simpler arts of peace. Then came his selection as general head, or president,
of the Missions of California, the charge of which, on the expulsion of the Jesuits, in 1768, had passed
over to the Franciscans. These, thirteen in number, were all in Lower California, for no attempt had as
yet been made to evangelize the upper province. This, however, the indefatigable apostle was now to
undertake by co-operating with Jose de Galvez in his proposed northwest expedition[1]. Junipero was
now fifty-five years of age, and could look back upon a career of effort and accomplishment which to
any less active man might well seem to have earned repose for body and mind. Yet great as his services
to church and civilization had been in the past, by far the most important part of his life-work still lay
before him.
[1] In the sequel, it may here be noted, the Franciscans ceded Baja California to the Dominicans, keeping
Alta California to themselves.
II.
As a result of the conference between Galvez and Father Junipero, it was decided that their joint
expedition should be sent out in two portions - one by sea and one by land; the land portion being again
sub-divided into two, in imitation, Palou informs us, of the policy of the patriarch Joseph, "so that if one
came to misfortune, the other might still be saved." It was arranged that four missionaries should go into
the ships, and one with the advance-detachment of the land-force, the second part of which was to
include the president himself. So far as the work of the missionaries was concerned their immediate
purpose was to establish three settlements - one at San Diego, a second at Monterey, and a third on a site
to be selected, about midway between the two, which was to be called San Buenaventura. The two
divisions of the land-force were under the leadership of Captain Fernando Rivera y Moncada and
Governor Portolà respectively. The ships were to carry all the heavier portions of the camp equipage,
provisions, household goods, vestments and sacred vessels; the land-parties were to take with them herds
and flocks from Loreto. The understanding was that whichever party first reached San Diego was to wait
there twenty days for the rest, and in the event of their failure to arrive within that time, to push on to
Monterey.
The sea-detachment of the general expedition - the "Seraphic and Apostolic Squadron," as Palou calls it,
was composed of three ships - the San Carlos, the San Antonio, and the San Joseph. A list, fortunately
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