TITLES OF WORKS. 



I? 5? Noticia de la California, y de su conquista temporal y espiritual hast a el 

 tiempo presente. Sacada de la historia manuscripta, formada en Mexico 

 ano de 1739. por el Padre Miguel Venegas, de la Couipania de Jesus ; y de 

 otras Noticias, y Eelaciones antiguas, y modernas. Afiadida de algunos mapas 

 particulares, y uno general de la America Septentrional, Asia Oriental, y 

 Mar del Sur intermedio, formados sobre las Mernorias mas recientes, y exactas, 

 que se publican juutamente. Dedicada al Key N. tso Senor por la Provincia 

 de Nueva-Espana, de la Compania de Jesus. Tomo primero [ Tomo ter- 

 cero]. Con licencia. En Madrid : En la Imprenta de la Viuda de Manuel 

 Fernandez, y del Supremo Consejo de la Inquisicion. Ano de M.D.CCLVII. 

 [8, 3 vols.] 



[Translated as follows : ] 



A Natural and Civil History of California: containing an accurate descrip- 

 tion of that country, its soil, mountains, harbours, lakes, rivers, and seas 5 

 its animals, vegetables, minerals, and famous fishery for pearls. The cus- 

 toms of the inhabitants, their religion, government, and manner of living, 

 before their conversion to the Christian religion by the missionary Jesu- 

 its. Together with accounts of the several voyages and attempts made for 

 settling California, and taking actual surveys of that country, its gulf, and 

 coast of the South-Sea. Illustrated with copperplates, and an accurate 

 map of the country and adjacent seas. Translated from the original Span- 

 ish of Miguel Venegas, a Mexican Jesuit, published at Madrid 175. In 

 two volumes'. Vol. I[ II]. = London : printed for James Rivington and 

 James Fletcher, at the Oxford Theatre, in Pater-Noster-Row. 1759. [8, 

 vol. i, 10 1., 455 pp., 1 pi. ; vol. ii.] 



[The only references to fishes are as follows (v. i, pp. 47-48) : " But if the soil of Cali- 

 fornia be in general barren, the scarcity of provisions is supplied by the adjacent sea; for 

 both in the Pacifick ocean and the Gulf of California, the multitude and variety of fishes 

 are incredible. Father Antonio de la Ascencion, speaking of the bay of San Lucas 

 [Lower California], says, ' With the nets which every ship carried, they caught a great 

 quantity of fish of different kinds, and all wholesome and palatable : particularly holy- 

 buss, salmon, turbots, skates, pilchards, large oysters, thornbacks, mackerel, barbels, 

 bouetos, soals, lobsters, and pearl oysters.' And, speaking of the bay of San Francisco, 

 on the western coast, he adds : ' Here are such multitudes of fish, that with a net, which 

 the commodore had on board, more was caught every day than the ship's company could 

 make use of: and of these a great variety, as crabs, oysters, breams, mackerel, cod, bar- 

 bels, thornbacks, &c.' And in other parts he makes mention of the infinite number of 

 sardines, which are left on the sand at the ebb; and so exquisite that those of Laredo in 

 Spain, then famous for this fish, do not exceed them. Nor are fish less plentiful along the 

 gulf [of California], where to the above mentioned species Father Picolo adds, tunnies, 

 anchovies, and others. Even in the rivulets of this peninsula are found barbels and cray- 

 fish : but the most distinguished fish of both seas are the whales ; which induced the 

 ancient cosmographers to call California, Punta de Balenas, or Cape Whale : and these fish 

 being found in multitudes along both coasts, give name to a channel in the gulf, and a 

 bay in the South sea" (v. i, pp. 47-48).] 



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