THE CALIFORNIAN PENINSULA. 359 



would find ill all more than fifteen or twenty millions? The many hundred 

 languages which are spoken in South America alone are a sure evidence of a 

 scanty population, although the contrary might be inferred at first sight; for, if 

 there were more people, there would he more communiiy among them, the tribes 

 would live closer together, and, as a result, there would be fewer languages. 

 The Ikas in my district speak a language different from that of the other people 

 in my mission ; but I am pretty sure that the whole nation of these Ikas never 

 amimntcd to five hundred persons. 



It is easy to comprehend why America is so thinly populated, the manner of 

 living of the inhabitants and tiieir continual wars among themselves being the 

 causes of this deficiency ; but how it comes that, since the discovery of ihe fourth 

 part of the woHd, its population is constantly melting down, even m those prov- 

 inces where the inhabitants are not subjected to the Europeans, but retain their 

 full, unrestrained liberty, as, for instance, according to Father Charlevoix, in 

 Louisiana, (that is, in the countries situated on both sides of the Mississippi,) la 

 a question, the solution of which I leave to others, contenting myself with what 

 is written in the Psalms, namely, that the increase or diminution of the human 

 race in difterent countries is a mystery which man cannot penetrate. 



However small the number of Califoruians is, they are, nevertheless, divided 

 into a great many nations, tribes, and tongues.* If a mission contains only one 

 thousand Si)uls, it may easily embrace as many little nations among its parish- 

 ioners as Switzerland counts cantons and allies. My mission consisted of 

 Paurus, Atshemes, Mitshirikutamais, Mitshirikuteurus, Mitshirikutaruanajeres, 

 Teackwas, Teeuguabebes, Utsliis, Ikas, Aujukwares, Utshipujes ; all being 

 different tribes, but hardly amounting in all to five hundred souls. 



It might be asked, in this place, why there existed fifteen missions on the 

 peninsula, since it appears that 12,000, and even more, Indians could be con- 

 veniently superintended and taken care of by three or four priests. The answer 

 is, that this might be feasible in Germany as Avell as in a hundred places out of 

 Europe, but is utterly impracticable in California; foi", if 3 or 4,000 Califor- 

 uians were to live together in a small district, the scanty means of subsistence 

 afforded by that sterile country would soon prove iusutficieut to maintain tliem. 

 Besides, all of these jietty nations or tribes have their own countries, of which 

 they are as much, and sometimes even more, enamored than other people of theirs, 

 80 that they would not consent to be transplanted fifty or more leagues from 

 the place they consider as their home. And, further, the different tribes who 

 live at some distance from each other are always in a mutual state of enmity, 

 which would prevent them from living peaceably together, and offer a genoue 

 obstacle to their being enclosed in the same fold. In time of general contagiouis 

 diseases, lastly, which are of no unfVeq[uent occurrence, a singk; priest could no\ 

 perform his duties to their full extent in visiting all his widely scattered patients, 

 and administering to their spiritual and temporal Avants. My parish countec 

 far less than a tliousand members, yet their encampments were often more thar< 

 thirty leagues distant from each otlier. Of the languages and dialects in this 

 country there are also not a few, and a missionary ia glad if he has mastered 

 one of them. 



It remains now to state my opinion conccrnin^T' the phvce where the Califor- 

 niaus came from, and in what manner they effected their migration to the country 

 they now occupy. They may have come from different localities, and either 

 voluntarily or by some accident, or compelled by necessity ; but that people 



*.Tbe autlior probably fell into tbe very common piTor of confounding dialects witb lan- 

 guages. Dr. Waitz, relying on Busclmi;iun's linguistic rescarcbes, mentions only tlireo prin' 

 cipal languages spoken by tlie uatives of Lower California, viz., tbe I'erieu, Monqiii, and 

 Cocbimi languages.— Jn^Aro/joio^te dcr NaturtOlker von Dr. Theodor IVaitz. Leipzig, 1864 ; 

 vol iv, p. 2Ati. 



