JESUIT MISSIONARIES. 9 



women, whether Creole Spaniards or half-caste, 

 cannot be prevailed upon to eat with the men : a 

 prejudice which must be regarded as of native 

 or Indian origin, and one which coincides in 

 a remarkable manner with the primitive custom 

 of the Polynesian tribes. We noticed here also, 

 an interesting Indian boy, about seven years 

 old, whose only clothing was a girdle of cloth, 

 whilst his features, complexion, and figure, ac- 

 corded so closely with the Polynesian charac- 

 teristics, that it would have been impossible to 

 have detected him as an alien amidst an as- 

 semblage of Society Island youth of the same 

 age. 



The Spanish language is universally em- 

 ployed by this people. They profess the Roman 

 Catholic religion ; and receive occasional pas- 

 toral visits from the padre of the neighbouring 

 town of St. Jose ; but of any literary acquire- 

 ments they are ignorant to the extent of perfect 

 bliss. At a very early period after its discovery, 

 a Spanish Jesuit mission was established on 

 the peninsula of California, and supported by 

 supplies from the parent society at Manilla: 

 the richly-freighted galleons, passing annually 

 between the latter country and Acapulco, being 

 instructed to touch at Cape St. Lucas on their 

 way, to learn from the residents if their further 



