66 THE SERI INDIANS [ktii. ann. 17 



great depth by Kino's "Pto. de Sta. Sabiua" and " Hahia de Sn. Juan 

 Bajitista", iu such wise as to define a decided peninsula, while the 

 "Seris" are located 2^ farther southward and below Kio Sonera, and 

 the "Guainias" still farther down the coast.' Another illustration of 

 the chaotic notions of the time is afforded by the Baegert maj), pub- 

 lished in 1773, and credited largely to Gonsag.- The sheet locates the 

 author's routes of arrival (1751) and departure (17()8), the former over- 

 land from far down the coast to the mouth of "Torrens Hiaqui," and 

 thence directly across " Mare daliforniae", via "Tiburon " (lying just off 

 the mouth of the river, in latitude 28°), with the usual congeries of 

 islands, headed by "I. S. Ang. Gart" (Angel de la Guarda), in lati- 

 tude 30O-.'Uo, and the usual shore configuration above the debouchure 

 of Rio Sonora; "Los Seris" are located in the interior between Rio 

 Sonora and "Torrens Hiaijui", while Just above the mouth of the latter 

 lies " Guaymas M.[ission] destr. per Ajiostatas Seris". The I'ownall 

 map of 17.S(i incorporates I'adre Gonsag's results on reduced scale, but 

 omits the islands toward the eastern shore of the gulf.' 



On the whole the cartography of a century indicates that the strik- 

 ing explorations of Ulloa, Alarcon, and Diaz were utterly neglected; 

 it indicates, too, tliat Kino's observations were prom})tly adopted, but 

 that his erroneous identification of the island seen from Nazareuo 

 occasioned confusion ; yet there is nothing to indicate definite knowl- 

 edge of Escalante's discoveries. Ai)i)arently the cartogra])hic tangle 

 began with tlie failure to discover the narrow strait traversing Seriland, 

 coupled with hearsay notions of an insular Seri stronghold; it was 

 complicated by Kino's erroneous identification of the hearsay island; 

 and it grew into the mapping of a traditional islet about the position 

 of Tiburon, and the extension of the mainland into a peninsula 

 embracing the actual land mass of that island^ — the islet lying about 

 the site of the modern Isla Tassne, and often appearing under the 

 name San Agustin.'' Accordingly, so far as maps are concerned, Esca- 

 lante's discoveries were no less completely lost than those of TTUoa. 



The recorded history of the Seri Indians during the earlier two thirds 

 of the eighteenth century is largely one of zealous effort at conversion 

 on the part of the .Icsuit missionaries, who repeatedly ai])proached the 

 territory by both land and sea; yet the records touch also on events 

 of exi)loration and on the characteristics of the tribe. 



One of the earliest chroniclers was Padre .luan Maria de Sonora, who 

 in 1()99-17()1 inspected nuiny of the missions of Lower California and 



1 1Toticia do In California, tomo i, p. 1. 



■'Ciilii'oruijt, piT P. Fonliuaudiun Cunsak, S. I., et alius, in Nachricliti'n von dor ameril^aniattlicn 

 Halljiiiscl Calitornien. . . . Ge8(;hrifl)eu von finoni Priosfcr dcrUesellscIiaf't Jesii (iileutified aa .Jacob 

 Baegert by Ran, Sinitlisonian lioport, ]80:f, p. 352) ; Mannheim, 1773. 



' A New Man of tlio Wliole Continent of AiU(?rioa, Loudon. (American maps, loe. cit., 4.) 



^ Tliis oarl,oy:rapliy reii]ii)eared oi-easionally up to about tlie middle of tbo nineteenth century, as 

 illustrated by the (Ireenhow map aceomiianying tile edition of lii.-i liistory issued in 1845. 



"^Tliis conditi(Hi is revealed in Miihlenpfordt, Versuch eiuer getreuen Schilderuu^ der Kepublic 

 Mejiuo, etc.; Hannover, 1844. 



