TO SAN DIEGO. 83 
April 3d. Up at daylight, to reach the Mission of 
San Gabriel by breakfast-time; but the horses were 
not ready, as promised. After waiting three hours, 
we concluded to breakfast here. The horses at last 
were brought, the only excuse for the delay being that 
they could not be caught before. It now began to rain; 
but hoping that it would not continue, we set off, 
Mr. Rand accompanying me. But after we had got 
about three miles, the prospect for fair weather grew 
less encouraging ; and as we were already pretty wet, 
we thought it best to give up the jaunt and return, 
much to my regret. Being thus disappointed in seeing 
the Mission, I was kindly furnished by the editors of 
the “Los Angeles Star” with the following brief 
account of it, smisials had appeared in their paper a few 
days before: 
‘Situated in the midst of a fertile valley, surround- 
ed with abundant timber, and supplied by a thousand 
springs, with an inexhaustible flow of water, the 
Mission of San Gabriel flourished and became exceed- 
ingly rich. Authentic records are said to exist which 
show that at one time the mission branded fifty thousand 
calves, manufactured three thousand barrels of wine, 
and harvested one hundred thousand fanegas (two hun- 
dred and sixty-two thousand bushels) of grain a year. 
The timber for a brigantine was cut, sawed, and fitted 
at the mission, and then transported toand launched at 
San Pedro. Five thousand Indians were at one time col- 
lected and attached to the mission. They are repre- 
sented to have been sober and industrious, well clothed 
and fed; and seem to have experienced as high a state 
of happiness as they are adapted by nature to receive. 
* 
