390 A VOYAGE TO Book VI, 



king of 'Spain, as he owed to his bounty the inesti- 

 mable feHcity of his conversion. 



Thus the missions and the number of towns in- 

 creased together, and the propagation of the Christian 

 religion in those remote countries, and the aggrandise- 

 ment of tliC Spanish monarchy, went hand in hand. 

 But the most distinguished aera of these progressions 

 was the year i 68í), by the zeal and activity of Father 

 Fritz, whom we have had occasion before to mention 

 ■\vith honour: he went directly among the nation of 

 the Omao-uas, who hivinu* bv the Cocamas luílians 

 been informed of the mildness and wisdom with 

 ■which the missionaries taught them to live under just 

 and wholesome laws, and a police hitherto unknown 

 among them ; together with the many happy effects 

 it had produced in tliose nations which had conformed 

 to their instructions ; animated with these pleasing 

 relations, they sent, in J681, a deputation to the town 

 of Laguna, belonging to Cocamas, where Father Lo- 

 renzo Lucero, superior of the missions, resided, en- 

 treating him to send among them persons for their 

 instruction : but the father at that time was not in a 

 capacitjMif complying with their request, all the mis- 

 sionaries being employed elsewhere. He therefore 

 dismissed them, with connirendiug their good inten- 

 tions ; promising them, that he would send to Quito 

 for a proper person to instruct them in those salutary 

 doctrines embraced by the other nations. 



The Omaguas, full of anxiety, did not give Fa- 

 ther Lorenzo Lucero time to neglect his promise ; for, 

 on hearing that new missionaries, and among them 

 Father Samuel Fritz, were just arrived at Laguna 

 from Quito, the same deputation returned to request 

 the immediate performance of the promise ; and ha- 

 ving the greatest reason to expect it would be com- 

 plied with, great part of the people came in canoes 

 to the town of Laguna, as a testimony of respect to 

 Father PVitz, in order to conduct him to their country, 



where 



