Our reception at the million could not fail to convince us of tlie jo y
and fatisfaflion we communicated to the worthy and reverend fathers»
who in return made the moft hofpitable offers o f every refrefhment
their homely abode afforded. On our arrival at the entrance of the
million the bells were rung, and the Rev. Fermin, Francifco de Lafuen»
father prefident of the miffionaries of the order o f St. Francifco in
New Albion, together with the fathers of this million, earns out to meet
us, and conduft us to the principal refidence of the father prefident. This,
perfonage was about feventy-two years o f age, whofe gentle manners,
united to a moft venerable and placid countenance, indicated that tranquillized
ftate of mind, that fittedr him in an. eminent degree for prefiding
over fo benevolent an inftitution.
The ufual ceremonies on introduftiorr being over, our time was.
pleafantly engaged in the fociety o f the father prefident and his two
companions, the priefts regularly belonging to the million o f St,
Carlos, who attended us over their premifes. Thefe feemed to differ
but little from thofe at St. Francifco, or Su Clara ; excepting that the
buildings were fmaller,. the plan, architecture, and. materials, exactly
eorrelponding.
In their granaries- were depofited a pretty large quantity o f the different
kinds of grain before noticed at the other eftablilhments, to which,
was. added feme barley, but the whole was. of an, inferior quality, and the
return from the foil by no means equal to that produced at S'1 Clara.
Here alfawas a fmall garden on-the fame confined fcale, and cultivated
in the fame manner as obferved at the other Rations,.
An Indian village is alfo in the neighbourhood; it appeared tri us but
fmall, yet the numher of its inhabitants under the immediate dire&ion of
this million was faid to amount to eight hundred, governed by the fame
charitable principles as thofe we had before vifrted. Netwithftanding
thefe people are taught and employed from time to time in many o f the
occupations moft ufeful to civil fociety, they had, not made themfelves-
any more comfortable habitations than thofe of their forefathers ; nor did.
they feem in any refpeft to, have benefited by the inftruftion they had
received. Some of them were at this time engaged under the direction
o f
•of the fathers, in building a church with ftone and mortar. 0 _ The former Dec‘e7m9*b-er.
material appeared to be o f a very tender friable nature, fcarcely more v—
hard than indurated clay; but I was told, that on its being expofed to
the air, it foon becomes hardened, and is an excellent ftone for the pur-
pofe o f building. It is o f a light ftraw colour, and prefents a rich and
elegant appearance, in proportion to the labour that is bellowed upon,
it. It is found in abundance at no great depth from the furface of
the earth; the quarries are ealily worked, and it is I believe the only
ftone the-Spaniards have hitherto made ufe of in building. A t S“ Clara
I was Ihewn a ponderous black ftone, that father Thomas faid was intended
to be fo appropriated as foon as perfons capable o f working it
could be procured. The lime they ufe is made from fea Ihells, principally
from the ear Ihell, which is of a large fize and in great numbers
on the fhores ; not having as yet found any calcareous earth that would
anfwer this elfential purpofe. The heavy black ftone is fuppofed to be
applicable to grinding, and Ihould it be found fo to anfwer, it will be a
matter of great importance to their comfort, fince their only method of
reducing their corn to flour is by two fmall (tones placed in an inclined
pofition on the ground ; on the lower one the corn is laid, and ground
by hand by rubbing the other ftone nearly o f the fame furface over it.
The flour produced by this rude and laborious procefs makes very white
and well tailed, though heavy bread, but this deleft is faid by the Spaniards
to be greatly remedied when mixed with an equal proportion of
flour properly ground.
After we had fatisfied our curiofity in thefe particulars we rode round
the neighbourhood of the million. It was plealantly fituated, and the
country, agreeably broken by hills and vallies, had a verdant appearance,
and was adorned like that in the vicinity of Monterrey, with many
clumps and Angle trees, moftly o f the pine tribe, holly-leaved oak, and.
willows; with a few trees of the poplar and maple, and fome variety, of
Ihrubs, that rather incommoded our travelling, which was chiefly confined
to one o f the vallies, and within fight of the buildings. Through,
this valley a fmall brook of water about knee-deep, called by the Spa-,
niards Rio Carmelo, takes its courfe, paffes the buildings of the million,
and immediately empties itfelf into the fea.
F 2 In