84 RETURN FROM SAN FRANCISCO 
“These five thousand Indians constituted a large 
family, of which the Padres were the social, religious, 
and we might almost say political, heads. 
‘‘ Living thus, this vile and degraded race began to 
learn some of the fundamental principles of civilized 
life. The institution of marriage began to be re- 
spected, and, blessed by the rites of religion, grew to 
be so much considered that deviations.from its duties 
were somewhat unfrequent occurrences, The girls, on 
their arrival at the age of puberty, were separated 
from the rest of the population, and taught the useful 
arts of sewing, weaving, carding, etc., and were only 
permitted to mingle with the population when they 
had assumed the characters of wives. 
“ When at present we look around and behold the 
state of the Indians of this country—when we see 
their women degraded into a scale of life too menial 
to be even domestics—when we behold their men 
brutalized by drink, incapable of work, and following 
a system of petty thievery for a living, humanity can- 
not refrain from wishing that the dilapidated Mission 
of San Gabriel should be renovated, its broken walls 
be rebuilt, its roofless houses be covered, and its desert- 
ed halls be again filled with its ancient industrious, 
happy, and contented original population.” 
I noticed here quantities of craw-fish, weighing 
from two to ten pounds, which are taken in this bay. 
We ate of them, and bought a quantity to take to 
our friends in San Diego. Their flavor resembles that 
of the lobster, but is so much inferior that they would 
hardly be tolerated on the tables of the Atlantic coast. 
We went on board our vessel before dark, and im- 
* 
