CALIFORNIA. 



cf the miffionnnes, allet^ing;, tlint they love tlic open air, and 

 that th -y can ealily ict fire to tlicir htmres wlicii they arc 

 too miu-h a'Mioyed l>y Il,-as, to which vermin tlicy arc liib- 

 jeft, and then rebuild them in an hour or two. Bclider, 

 thefe habiiations arc molt fuitable to thole indtpenJcnt In- 

 dians who are perpetually chaniring their abode. Tlie co- 

 lonr of ihefe Indians, the houle of the monks, their ma- 

 gazines built of brick and plailleted, the threlhing floor on 

 whieli they tread out thtir corn, the cattle, the liorfts, and, 

 in fliort, eveiy thing prefented the appearance of a planta- 

 tion in St. Domingo, or any other colony. The men and 

 women are alfimbled by tile found of a bell, and a monk 

 leadsthem to work, to church, and to all their employments. 

 The monks are the temporal, as well as fpiritual Inperior.-s, 

 and the whole produce of the eanh is committed to their 

 mnna'^ement. The day is divided into feven hours of work, 

 ' and two of pi'ayer ; but four or five on Sundays and feail- 

 days, which are wholly devoted to reft and religion.^ wor- 

 fliip. Corporal punilhments are inflifted on the Indians of 

 both fexes, who negleft their pious exercifes ; and many 

 crimes, which in Europe are referred to divine jullice, are 

 puniflied with chains or the ftocks. As foon as a new con- 

 vert is baptized, he is under the obligation of a perpetual 

 vow; and if he defert the religious fociety, and return to 

 his relations, he is lummoned three times to come back ; 

 and if he refufe, a party of foldiers is fent by the authority 

 of the governor, to force him away from his family, and 

 eondutt him to the niiffions, where he is condemned to re- 

 ceive a certain number of lafhes. The Indians, like the mif- 

 fionaries, rife with the fun, and then go to prayer and to mafs. 

 During this time, barley-meal is boiled in a cauldron, and 

 the mefs, which the Indians call " atole," and which they 

 much like, is feafoned neither with butter nor fait. This 

 r^'pail; occupies about three-quarters of an hour, after which, 

 all goto their refpciflive occupations, under the iupeiintend- 

 :ince of one or two monks. The employnient ol the v/o- 

 men, bclldes that of conducting their honlehoid affairs, is 

 the management of their children, and the mailing and grind- 

 ing of their grain ; they alio fpin tlitir wool, and manufac- 

 ture fome coarfe ftulTs. At noon the bells ring for dinner, 

 and the Indians partake of a mefs fimilar to that ot their 

 breakfaft, called " poufTole," except that it is thicker, and 

 contains, befides the corn and mai/,e, peas and beans. From 

 two o'clock they return to work till four or five, and clofe 

 the dav with prayers, and with another mefs of atole. The 

 di'.lributio I of thefe mefies is faithfully made ; and the Icaft 

 dilhoneiy is pimilh-d by the lalh, which is ordered by In- 

 dian mao;iIirates, called " Cacieiues." The pumfliment in- 

 fiifted on the vvomea is private ; but that of the men is 

 public, that it may ferve as an example. Tlieir rewards 

 confift in fmall dillributions of grain ; and on fealldays, 

 their m.efs is beef, which many eat raw. 



Such is their honelly, that no example occurs of their 

 robbing one another, though they have no other door than 

 a trnfs of ftraw laid acrofs the en'rauce wlieii the whole fa- 

 mily is ablent. The men in thele miffions have facriiiced 

 mo e to Chriftiaiiity than the women; tor to them poly- 

 gamy was allowed, and it was even the en Horn to marry all 

 the fillers of a fani'ly. The inoidts make thcmlelves the 

 Tuardia'.'.s of female virtue ; for, about an hour after iiippcr, 

 they lock up all thofe wh< fe hufbanda are abfent, as Well as 

 all girls above nine years old, and place them utider the cart 

 of matr ins durin ; the day ; but all thefe pfcautions arc in 

 fome cafes infuffieint. The conv. rted Indians retain all 

 tlieir ancient culloms, that are not forbidden by their new 

 religion ; the fame Iiuls, the fame games, and the fame 

 drcircs. The richeft wear a cloak of ottcr-Iliui, coveiiug 



tlie I:iiiis, and rencliing below the middle : others wear only 

 a p'ece of cloth to co^er their n.ikediicfs, aiul a lillle cloak 

 of rabbit fkin, covering the (houltlcrs, airj uacliing lo the 

 loins, and tied with a pack-thread under t.'ie chin. The 

 women's drefi* conlills of a cl- ak of Hag's- Jkin badly tanned. 

 Young girls, under nine years old, have only a girdle round 

 the loi'is, and the boys are wholly naked. The hair of both 

 men and women is cut four or live inches from the roots. 

 The Indians of the " Rancherias," or villages of indepen- 

 dent Indinns, having no iron iittnfils, perform this opera- 

 tion witl) fire-brands, and jiaint iheir bod'c; red, which 

 tlicy change into black when in mourning. They retain an 

 affctlionate remetnbrance of their deccafed friends, and are 

 cafily melted into tears by the mention of tlicm : ncvcrthc- 

 lefs, children fcarcely know their own father, bccanfc they 

 defert his hut as foon as they are able to provide for tliem- 

 felves ; but they are more durably attachetl to their mother, 

 who brines them up with care and tendcrnef>. The old 

 men of the Ranchtrias, who are no longer able to hunt, 

 live at the joint expence of the whole village, and are 

 treated with general lefpeft. Their arms are the bow and 

 arrow, pointed curioufly with a flint. Tlitfe Indians neither 

 eat their prifoiieri, nor their enemies killed in war ; al- 

 though when they have conquered, and put to death fome 

 chiefs, and very brave men in the field of battle, they eat 

 fome morfels of their bodies, thus doing homage to their 

 valour, and apprehending that futh food would increafc 

 their courage. They are accullomed, like the Canadians, 

 to take oft the fcalp of the vanquillied, and to tear out 

 their eyes, wliich they have the art of preferving from cor- 

 ruption ; and it is their piaAice to burn their dead, and to 

 depolit their aflies in a moral. The mixed government ex- 

 ercifed in the millions of California is, with regard to the 

 Indians, a real theocracy ; for they are taught to believe 

 that their fuperiors hold an immediate and conllant inter- 

 courfe with God, and that they bring him down each day 

 upon the altar. Und.r favour of this opinion, the fathers 

 live in the midft of the villages in perfcft fecurity, nor 

 do they Ihut their doors during the night. Murder is very 

 uncommon even among the independent tribes, and is pu- 

 nilhed only by general contempt ; but if a man falls under 

 the united attack of feveral aifailants, he is fuppofed to 

 have dcfervcd his fate, as he had drawn upon him fo many 

 enemies. M- la Peroufe obfervcs, that the fenfe of talle 

 is that which thefe people moll delight in gratifying ; and 

 the word " Miilich," which in their language fignifies a 

 good man, likewife denotes favoury food. Among other 

 peculiarities of thefe people is their gaming ; Ufs remark- 

 able for the ingenuity of their games than for the nature of 

 the flakes. Among the Indians of the iniflinn.s, the com- 

 mon ftake is beads ; but among the independent Indians, 

 the favours cf their women are the prizes. New Califor- 

 nia, we are to'.d, cannot yet reckon a fingle lettler, not- 

 W'thlianding its fertility; except a few foldiers who arc 

 married to Indian womeir. La Peroufe obfervcs, that the 

 admiuillration of the villages converted to Chriflianity 

 would be more favourable to population, if property and a 

 certain degree of liberty fornied its bafis. However, fince 

 the ellabhfli:vent of the ten dilTeient miffions of North 

 Caiifon ia. the holy fathcishave baptized 7,01 Indians of 

 both I' :< s, and have buried only .i.jSS. Almoll all the 

 Francilean minionarien are Europeans, and they have a col- 

 lege and monallerv at Mexico, whofe guardian is, in Ame- 

 rica, ihe general ul his order; and this houle has its fuperior 

 in Europe. 



The fea-ottcr fl<ins are as common in the northern parts 

 of California, as in any other part of America ; they are to 



be 



