CHAPTER XII. 
Padre Bravo in Mexico—Return to California—First ship built in North¬ 
west America—Expedition to the Guaycuros—Nuestra Sennora del 
Pilar de la Paz—Founding Nuestra Sennora de Gaudalupe—Burning 
of Idols—A Famine—Locusts—A Pestilence—The Dying—Explo¬ 
rations by Land and Sea—Indian Country—Dreadful Sufferings— 
Tempests—Water-Spouts—Return of the Explorers. 
Thus stands the condition of the Californian missions in 1711. 
More than five hundred thousand dollars of private benefac¬ 
tions have been expended upon them; and the twenty-five 
thousand more lately granted by the government, have been 
invested, and chiefly lost in disasters by sea and land. Now 
the crops are destroyed, and the utter annihilation of these es¬ 
tablishments is anticipated in the course of the year. 
But Jayme Bravo is in Mexico. He collects a few provi¬ 
sions and goods, and accompanied by Padre Sebastian de 
Sistiaga in a Peruvian vessel presented to the missions by the 
Viceroy, arrives at Loretto in July, 1718, and gives new 
energy to the missions. The founding of the San Miguel by 
Padre Tamaral, in 29° and odd minutes N. among the moun¬ 
tains near the Gulf, is one of the features of returning hope. 
Soon after this Padre’s arrival at his station, two neighboring 
settlements of Indians are baptised. After this he, with innu¬ 
merable hardships, crosses the mountains to the settlement of 
the Cadigomo tribe. Here he meets with the Indians from 
the settlements of La Purissima Concepcion, and accompanies 
them home. He finds the soil of their fields washed away by 
the late tempest, but determines to establish the mission La 
Purissima among them. And after years of toil, the zealous 
man builds a parsonage and church, brings several maize 
fields under cultivation, opens a mule track over the rnoun- 
