10 SAN DIEGO TO 
it be to make a railroad to the Atlantic, to swallow up 
Mexico, or invade the empire of Japan. New York is 
now the first city on the American continent, and San 
Francisco is destined ere long to be second. 
San Francisco is said to have obtained its name in 
the following manner: ‘‘ When Father Juniper Serra 
received his orders from the Visitant-general respecting 
the names which he was to give to the new missions in 
California, he observed that the name of the founder 
of their order was not among them, and called the at- 
tention of his superior to the fact, exclaiming, ‘‘Is 
not our Father San Francisco to have a mission?” to 
which the Visitant-general replied, ‘‘If San Francisco 
desires a mission, let him show you a port, and he shall 
have it.” In the year 1769 an expedition was dis- 
patched from San Diego, for the purpose of settling 
Monterey. The expedition missed the port, but dis- 
covered a much larger and finer bay further to the 
north, which had been till then unknown. The com- 
mander of the expedition and his religious associates 
decided that this discovery must be the work of St. 
Francis, and accordingly they gave his name to the 
place, setting up a cross, and taking possession after the 
usual manner.* 
To show the striking contrast between the wants 
of the zealous priests who colonized California in the 
year 1770 and the Americans of. 1850, I give another 
quotation from a letter written by the same excellent 
man to Father Palou. ‘‘ As May made a year since I 
received a letter from any Christian country, your Re- 
* Palou. Vida del Padre Fray Junipero Serra, Mexico, 1787, p. 88. 
