390 ' A VOYAGE TO Book Vf. 

 king of Spain, as he owed to his bounty the ineftima- 

 ble felicity of his converfion. 



Thus the miffions and the number of towns in- 

 creaied together, and the propagation of the Chriflian 

 religion in thole remote countries, and the aggrandife- 

 ment of the Spanifli monarchy, went hand in hand. 

 But the molt diftinguiOied ^era of thefe progreflions 

 was the year 1686, by the zeal and activity of Father 

 Frit^^ whom we have had occafion before to mention 

 with honour : he went diredly among the nation of 

 the Oraaguas, who having by the Cocamas Indians 

 been informed of the miidnefs and v/ifdom with 

 which the miffionaries taught them to live under juft 

 and wholefome laws, and a pohce hitherto unknown 

 among them ; together with the many happy effedls it 

 had produced in, thpfe nations which had conformed to 

 their inftru^^lions ; animated with thefe pleafmg rela- 

 tions, they fent, 1681, a deputation to the town of 

 Laguna, belonging to Cocamas, where Father Loren- 

 zo Lucero, fuperior of the miffions, refided, entreat- 

 ing him to fend among them perfons for their in- 

 ftrudlion : but the father at that time was not in a 

 .capacity of complying with their requeft, all the mif- 

 fionaries being employed elfevv^here. He therefore 

 difmifTed them, with commendinp- their good intentions; 

 promifing them, that he would fend to Quito for a 

 proper perfon to inftrudl them in thofe falutary doc- 

 trines embraced by the other nations. 



The Omaguas^ full of anxiety, did not give Father 

 Lorenzo Lucero time to negjed his promife; for 

 on hearing that new mifrionaries, and among them 

 Father Samuel Fritz, were jufi arrived at Lagun^ 

 from Qgito, the fame deputation returned to requeft 

 the immediate performance of the promife-, and hav- 

 ing the greateft reafon to expert it would be com- 

 plied with, great part of the people came in canoes 

 to the town of Laguna, as a teftimony of refpedt tq 

 father Fritz, in ordc^r to conduct hirn to their country^ 



■where 



