CHAPTER XX. 
Los Presidios.—Los Missiones.—Los Pueblos.—Harbors.—Inhabit¬ 
ants.—Meztizos.—Whites. 
The Presidios of the Californias art; fortresses occupied by 
a few troops under the command of a military prefect. These 
posts were originally established for several purposes; one 
was, the national occupancy of the country; another, the pro¬ 
tection of the Missions against the insurrections of the Indians 
gathered in them, and the incursions of the wild tribes on 
their borders; and still another was, to serve as receptacles 
for the royal revenue which was expected to arise from the 
Mission plantations, and the pearl fisheries. In early times, 
the commandants of these Presidios were under the absolute 
control of the Padres. The Padre President, or bishop of 
each of these provinces, was the civil, military, and religious 
prefect, the supreme governor of the people in his bishopric. 
The commandant of each Presidio was therefore uncondition¬ 
ally subject to his orders; and the Padres of each Mission 
constituted a council of Government, subordinate to the Padre 
President, over the Indians and other persons connected with 
the particular station to which they belonged, whether they 
resided at the Mission or in towns, within its assigned juris¬ 
diction. In the progress of time, four of these posts were 
established in Upper California ; El Presidio San Diego, situ¬ 
ate on the coast in Latitude 32° N., having under its protec¬ 
tion the Missions of San Diego, San Louis Rey, San Juan 
Capistrano, and San Gabriel; and the Presidio Santa Bar¬ 
bara, situate on the Canal de Santa Barbara, Latitude 36° 35 
N., having within its jurisdiction the Missions Santa Barbara, 
San Fernando, San Buenaventura, Santa Inez, and La Puris- 
sima, and the town of El Puebla de los Angelos; the Presidio 
