TRAVELS IN THE CALIFORNIAS. 
233 
of the Marquis de Yiile Puente. This individual also offers 
to endow a third, in the neighborhood of Cape San Lucas. 
About this time, Padre Josef de Echeveria, the Mexican agent 
for California, is appointed by the papal court, Visitor General 
of the Jesuit missions; and he resolves to commence his visi¬ 
tation in California. Purchasing in Cinaloa, therefore, a bark 
to supply the place of one that, with a year’s provisions, a few 
weeks before has been lost, he embarks at Ahome, and on the 
twenty-seventh day of October, arrives safely in Loretto bay, 
where he is received with great respect and affection by the 
Padres, and their Indians. Soon after his arrival, he is attack¬ 
ed with a most malignant fever. For many days his life is 
despaired of, but he recovers ; and while yet very feeble, leaves 
the garrison for the northern missions, with only the ensign, 
one soldier, and a few Indians. 
The Visitor finds great cause of rejoicing in the con¬ 
dition of the missions. The economy, neatness and order of 
everything connected with them, the quiet and regular con¬ 
duct of the Indian converts, and their progress in knowledge 
of temporal things, the patience, kindness and industry of the 
Padres, the good understanding between them and their peo¬ 
ple, and most of all, the progress Christianity has made in the 
bosom of the wilderness, touch the Padre’s heart with the 
liveliest joy. In a letter dated the tenth of February, he says, 
“ I was well rewarded for the fatigue and cold, were it only 
in seeino- the fervor of these new Christian establishments. 
o 
And the least I could do was to shed tears of joy at so fre¬ 
quently hearing God praised from the mouths of poor crea¬ 
tures, who very lately did not so much as know whether there 
was such a being.” 
After examining the missions of the north, Padre Echeveria 
prepares to visit those of the south, and establish the two mis¬ 
sions which have been endowed at Palmas bay and Cape San 
Lucas. But death and ill-health among the Padres render it 
impossible to carry both these plans into execution. Padre 
Segismund Taraval has been appointed to the charge of the 
