1769.] SPANISH COLONIES IN NEW CALIFORNIA. 109 



through the peninsula towards San Diego, the nearest of the places 

 selected for the first establishments, in two parties, commanded 

 respectively by Gaspar de Portola, the governor of the newly-formed 

 province, and Fernando de Rivera, a captain in the army. Each 

 party carried a drove of cattle ; the materials and supplies for the 

 colonies being sent in three vessels directly to San Diego. 



The first party of emigrants under Rivera, after a long and 

 painful march, reached San Diego on the 14th of May, 1769, and 

 found there two of the vessels, which, after disastrous voyages and 

 the loss of many of their crews by scurvy, had arrived a few days 

 previous. The other body, under Portola, marched by a still more 

 difficult route, and did not join their companions on the Pacific 

 shore until nearly two months later. A spot having been chosen 

 for the settlement near the entrance of the Bay of San Diego, 

 a portion of the men were employed in erecting the necessary 

 buildings ; with the remainder Portola set off for Monterey, where 

 he was anxious also to establish a colony immediately, leaving 

 directions that the third vessel, which was expected from Mexico, 

 should be ordered to proceed with her cargo to that place. This 

 expedition, however, was not successful ; for the Spaniards, march- 

 ing along the eastern side of the range of mountains which 

 border the coast northward of San Diego, passed by Monterey, 

 and found themselves, at the end of October, on the shore of a great 

 bay, which they supposed to be the same called Port San Francisco 

 in the accounts of the old navigators. When they discovered the 

 place of which they were in search, the cold weather had begun ; 

 and, the vessel not appearing, with the supplies, as expected, they 

 were obliged to retrace their steps to San Diego. Of this third 

 vessel nothing was ever heard after her departure from the Gulf of 

 California. 



In the mean time, the people left at San Diego had experienced 

 great difficulties from the hostility of the natives, by whom they 

 were several times attacked ; and, after the return of the governor's 

 party, they were all in danger of perishing from want of food : so 

 that they unanimously agreed to abandon the country and return 

 to Mexico, unless they should be relieved, before St. Joseph's day, 

 the 10th of March, 1770, by the return of one of the vessels, which 

 had been sent for supplies. On that day, one of the vessels 

 did arrive, and, the supplies being found sufficient, Portola again set 

 off for Monterey, where a settlement was effected. During the 

 same year, other parties of emigrants came from Mexico, and new 



