SOURCE: San Diego Mission by Fr. Zephyrin Engelhardt, O.F.M. Published by the James H
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SOURCE: San Diego Mission by Fr. Zephyrin Engelhardt, O.F.M. published by The James H. Barry Company, San Francisco, CAL., 1920. Table of Contents - Chapters 1-8 CHAPTER I - Pages 3-22 CHAPTER II - Pages 23-41 CHAPTER III - Pages 42-58 CHAPTER IV - Pages 59-82 CHAPTER V - Pages 83-100 CHAPTER VI - Pages 101-123 CHAPTER VII - Pages 124-144 CHAPTER VIII - pages 145-170 CHAPTER IX - pages 171-187 footnotes for chapters 1-8 CHAPTER I. Discovery of Harbor by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.-The Indians.- Pilot Ferrelo.-Spanish Intrepidity.-Harbor Rediscovered by Sebastian Vizcaino.-Harbor Named.-Don .lose de Galvez's Expeditions.-The San Antonio and the San Carlos Arrive.-Their Disastrous Voyage.-Many Succumb to Hardships.-Captain Vila's Narrative.-Arrival of First Land Expedition.-Fr. Juan Crespi's Interesting Letter.-The Second Land Expedition Arrives.-Fr. Junipero Serra 's Letter The far-famed harbor of San Diego was first discovered by Juan Rodriguez Cab- rillo, a Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain, only fifty years after Christopher Columbus had planted the Cross on the Island of San Salvador. Cabrillo with the two ships San Salvador and Victoria entered the bay on Thursday evening, September 28, 1542. It was the eve of the feast of St. Michael, the Archangel, wherefore the com- mander christened the port San Miguel. "Having cast anchor in it!" the Diary of the voyage relates, "the men went ashore where there were people (Indians). Three of these waited, but all the rest fled. To these three they gave some presents, and they said by signs that in the interior men like the Spaniards had passed! They gave signs of great fear. On the night of this day, they (the sailors) went ashore from the ships to fish with a net; and it appears that here there were some Indians, and that they began to shoot at them with arrows and wounded three men. "Next day, in the morning, they went with the boat farther into the port, which is large, and brought two boys, who understood nothing by signs. They gave shirts to both and sent them away immediately. "Next day, in the morning, three adult Indians came to [page 4] the ships and said by signs that in the interior men like us were traveling about, bearded, clothed, and armed like those of the ships. They made signs that they carried crossbows and swords; and they made gestures with the right arm as if they were throwing lances, and ran around as if they were on horseback. They made signs that they were killing many native Indians, and that for this reason they were afraid. These people are comely and large. They go about covered with skins of animals. "While they were in this port a heavy storm occurred; but since the port is good, they did not feel it at all. It was a violent storm from the west-southwest and south- southwest. This is the first storm which they have experienced. They remained in this port until the following Thursday. The people here called the Christians Guacamal. On the following Tuesday, October 3, they departed from this Port of San Miguel." Once more the San Salvador ran into the harbor of San Diego, this time in charge of Pilot Bartolome Ferrelo, since its heroic commander Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo had died on the Island of San Miguel in the Channel of Santa Barbara. Accordingly, the Diary relates: "On Sunday, the 11th of the said month of March, they reached the Port of San Miguel (San Diego) but did not find the consort [page 5] there, or any news of her. Here they waited six days; and here they secured two boys to take to New Spain (Mexico ) as interpreters, and left certain signals, in case the other ship should come here. On Saturday, the seventeenth of the said month, they left the said port of San Miguel." (2) Of the ships in which Cabrillo ventured into these unknown waters, Professor George Davidson, as quoted by Professor Herbert E. Bolton, writes: "These vessels were smaller than any of our coasting schooners. They were poorly built and very badly outfitted. Their anchors and ironwork were carried by men from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific; they were manned by conscripts and natives; were badly provisioned, and the crews subject to that deadly scourge of the sea, scurvy." (3) "Regarding Cabrillo's voyage as a feat of navigation under distressing difficul- ties," says Bolton, "the following quotation from Navarrete is apt: 'Those who know the coast which Cabrillo discovered and explored, the kind of vessels in which he undertook the expedition, the rigorous season during which he pursued his voyage in those intem- perate climes, and the state of the science of navigation at that period, cannot help ad- miring a courage and intrepidity which, though common among sea-faring Spaniards of that time, cannot be appreciated in our day, when the navigator is fairly dazzled by the assistance furnished him through the wonderful progress of the arts and sciences ren- dering his operations easier and supplying him with advantages which, as they were lacking to the early discoverers. make their courage and perseverance as portentous as their discoveries. Perhaps it is failure to realize these considerations, added to igno- rance of our history, which has led some foreign writers to belittle the merit of Cabrillo.'" (4) After Cabrillo's eventful expedition, the port of San Diego [page 6] remained unknown to the world until Sunday, November 10, 1602, the eve of St. Mar- tin's Day, when about seven o'clock in the evening the three ships San Diego, Santo Tomas, and Tres Reyes, in command of Sebastian Vizcaino, dropped their anchors in its placid waters. The commander in his Diary, declares that the port is "the best to be found in the whole South Sea; for, besides being protected on all sides and having good anchorage, it is in latitude 33 1/2 degrees. (5) It has very good water, many fish of all kinds, of which we caught many with seine and hooks. On land, there is much game. such as rabbits, hares, deer, very large quail, royal ducks, thrushes, and many other birds." "On the morning after the day of the glorious St. Martin," (6) Torquemada writes, "the general ordered some men to go and examine a mountain which protects this har- bor from the northwest wind; these men were Ensign Gaspar de Alarcon, Captain Alonso Peguero, Fr. Antonio de la Ascension, and eight archers. They found much live oak timber and other trees, such as the rock-rose and others resembling rosemary, be- sides some very odoriferous and wholesome plants. From the top of the mountain the port appeared to be very fine, spacious, and convenient, because it was sheltered against all storms. The mountain, which protects the port on the northwest side, may be three leagues in length and half a league in width. On the other side to the northwest of the mountain is another good port. "When they had returned with this report, the general commanded that a suitable tent be pitched on the land to serve as a church, where the religious might celebrate holy Mass; that the ships be cleaned and tarred; that some men procure firewood and others stand guard. This was done on a sandbank. or island of sand, (7) where they dug [page 7] wells. When the sea was high, the pools contained sweet and good water; but when the tide went out the water u as brackish. One day, a sentinel gave notice that many Indians were coming along the beach, all armed with bows and arrows, but naked and be- smeared with black and white paint. The general requested Fr. Antonio to go and re- ceive them in a peaceful manner. Ensign Juan Francisco and six archers went with him. When they had come up to the Indians and had made signs of peace with a strip of white cloth and by throwing up earth with their hands, the first thing the Indians did was to turn the bows and arrows over to the soldiers. Fr. Antonio embraced the savages and gave them some strings of beads, which they put on their necks for display. Thereupon they went to the place where the general was; but when they saw the multitude of Span- iards, they did not dare approach, and so withdrew to a hill, whence they sent two wrin- kled old women. When these arrived at the tent, the general, the religious, and some of the soldiers gave them strings of glass beads and some biscuits and with these sent them to tell what treatment they had received at the hands of the people who had re- cently arrived in their country. The women related their impressions, whereupon all im- mediately came to see the Spaniards. Most of them came painted black and white, and wearing many feathers on their heads. Vizcaino and the others received them with much pleasure and, besides many other things, gave them fish which had been caught in their presence with a net. The color of the paint was a bluish black and very glossy. When the Indians were asked by means of signs what it was, they showed some pieces of metallic stone, from which they made it; and they said by means of signs that from these stones a people in the interior, who wore beards and were clothed like the Span- iards, extracted it and made fine ribbons, that were like the laces the soldiers had on their leather jackets and like the kind the general wore on his hose of violet velvet; and that those men wore just such fine uniforms as our Spaniards.