o 1 s CALIFORNIA. 



whole with her own hands, and prided herself on her admirable 

 management and cookery. Few certainly could equal her in the 

 preparation of stews and delicate high-flavoured dishes ; but of each 

 there was but a mouthful, and the deputy took good care to have 

 more than his fair proportion. After breakfast, I strolled around the 

 premises, and saw our good hostess busily engaged in directing her 

 domestic concerns. The rear of the mission forms a quadrangle 

 of low sheds, in which the domestic manufacture of candles, pre- 

 serves, baking, and a variety of other duties, are performed. In 

 these were some ten or fifteen Indians busily employed, and although 

 clean, they did not excel so much in this respect as the interior 

 of the main building, which appeared to be entirely under her own 

 keeping. 



Don Miguel proposed to us to make a visit to Padre Mercador, and 

 that he might not be taken by surprise, a messenger was sent to ask 

 at what hour he would be ready to receive us. This ceremony is 

 deemed necessary, for the duties of the padre are considered here to 

 be of such a nature as to preclude intrusion. Our messenger speedily 

 returned with an intimation that he would be glad to have us pay 

 him our visit at once. We were soon ushered into the small study 

 of Padre Mercador, who received us with much courtesy. He is of 

 the Franciscan order, good-looking, portly, and possesses a cheerful 

 and intelligent countenance. Having Don Miguel to interpret in 

 Spanish, and the padre speaking a little French, we made out to 

 converse very well. His study is small, but contains many works of 

 the old fathers, with several French authors, and comprises some six 

 or seven hundred volumes. He showed us the different returns from 

 the missions prior to 1828, but no attention had been paid since that 

 date to the preservation of statistics. In Appendix VII., I have in- 

 serted one, in which the state of all the missions throughout Upper 

 California is given, and which embraces not only their population but 

 also the quantity of produce raised. This table will give an idea also 

 of the management of the directors of the missions before the revolu- 

 tion. Since 1828, as already stated, the missions have been on 

 the decline, and no returns have been given in, as was formerly 

 required. 



The padre spoke with resignation in relation to the manner in 

 which the missions had been despoiled, and did not express any sur- 

 prise that such things should have happened under their present 

 rulers. 



