46 VOYAGE TO THE 



ill comparative comfort the remainder of the journey, 

 and reached the mission of Santa Clara at eight 

 o'clock. 



Santa Clara, distant by the road about forty miles 

 from San Francisco, is situated in the extensive plain 

 before described, v;hich here, however, becomes more 

 marshy than that part of the ground over which they 

 had just travelled. It nevertheless continues to be 

 occupied by herds of cattle, horses, sheep, and flocks 

 of geese. Here, also, troops of jackals prowl about 

 in the most daring manner, making the plain resound 

 with their melancholy bowlings ; and indeed both 

 wild and domesticated animals seem to lose their fear 

 and become familiar with their tvrant man. The 

 buildings of the establishment, which was founded in 

 1768, consists of a church, the dwelling-house of the 

 priests, and five rows of buildings for the accommoda- 

 tion of 1,400 Indians, who since Vancouver's visit, have 

 been thus provided with comparatively comfortable 

 dwellings, instead of occupying straw huts, which 

 were always wet and miserable. Attached to these 

 are some excellent orchards, producing an abundance 

 of apples and pears. Olives and grapes are also plen- 

 tiful, and the padres are enabled to make from the 

 latter about twenty barrels of wine annually. They 

 besides grow a great quantity of wheat, beans, peas, 

 and other vegetables. On the whole this is one of 

 the best regulated and most cleanly missions in the 

 country. Its herds of cattle amount to 10,000 in 

 number, and of horses there are about 300. 



When our travellers visited the mission it was 

 governed by padres Jose and Machin, two priests of 

 the mendicant order of San Francisco, to which class 

 belong all the priests in Upper California. They ap- 



