NovemL'c a Sun was firei anfl in a little time afterwards feveral people were feen-
'---- ,---- 1 on horfeback coming from behind the hills down to the beach, who*
waved their hats, and made other lignais for a boat, which was immediately
fent to the Ihore, and on its return I was favored with the good
company of a prieft of the order of St. Francifeo, and a -fergeant in the-
Spanilh army to breakfaft. The reverend father . exprelfed, and feem-
ingly with great lincerity, the pleafure he felt at our arrival, and af~
fured me that every refrelhment and fervice in the power of himfelf or
miffion to bellow, I might unrelervedly command ; fince it would be
conferring on them all a peculiar obligation to allow them to be fer-
viceable. The fergeant exprelfed himfelf in the moll friendly manner,
and informed me, that in the abfence of the commandant, he was di-
refted on our arrival to render us every accommodation the feulement
could alford.
We attended them on Ihore after breakfall, where they embraced the
earlieft opportunity o f proving, that their frifendly expreflións were not
empty profeflions, by prefenting me with a very line ox, a- Iheep, and
fome excellent vegetables. The good friar, after pointing out the
moll convenient fpot for procuring wood and water, and repeating the-
hofpitable offers he had befórè made in the name of the fathers o f the
Francifcan order, returned to the miffion of St. Francifeo, which, we-
underllood was at nó great diftance, and ta which he gave us the molt
preffing invitation.
From thefe gentlemen we learned, that the dation we had taken was;
far within the general anchoring placé ó f the Spanilh veffels, which they
. laid was off that part of the Ihore where the light was (hewn and guns
fired, the preceding night on the beach, near the entrance into the port..
Qur fituation was however perfeftly commodious and fuitafile to all our
purpofes, and with permiffion of the fergeant, I direfted a tent to be
pitched for the accommodation o f the party employed in procuring
wood and water; whilll the reft of the crew were engaged on board in
.repairing, the damages fuftained in our fails, rigging, &c. during the
tempeftuous weather, with which we had lately contended.
We amufed ourfelves with Ihooting a few quails on the adjacent hills,
and in the afternoon returned on. board to partake of the excellent repart
pall which had been. fupplied by our hofpitable friends. ■ Whilll we No’v7e^ ei.
were thus pleafantly engaged,:' .our. boat brought off father Antonio '------— '
Danti, the principal of the miffion of St. Francifeo, and Sen1, Don
Heamegildp Sal, an enfign in the Spanilh army, and commandant of
the port.' This gentleman, like thole who vifited us in the morning,
met us with fuch warm expreffions of friendlhip and goodwill, as were
not lefs .deferving our higheft commendations, than our moll grateful
acknowledgments.
The happinefs they feemed to anticipate did not appear to arife fo
much from any pleafure they might derive in our fociety, as from the
comforts and affiftance which it was in their power to adminifter; this
was manifelled by all their aftions, and by their expreffing that our arrival
had empowered them to execute a talk the moll accordant to their
own wifhes, as well as to the direfilions of their fovereign, which had
been communicated to them and to the neighbouring fettlements and
miffions.-
From Sen'- Sal I was made acquainted, that although the fituation we
had taken might anfwer. our purpofes .in a certain degree, yet there was
one which we had parted by the preceding evening, that we ffiould find
infinitely more commodious, as we ffiould then be more immediately in
his neighbourhood, and more frequent opportunities would be afforded
him of rendering us fervice. In addition to the motive of his politenefs,
I was induced to comply with his.willies by the falling tide difeovering to
us a very great obftaeleito our communication with that part of the
Ihore from whence, the wood: and water were to be. procured. A large
bank of foft mud was found at low water to extend nearly half way between
the ffiip and the Ihore.
I underllood from thefe gentlemen that Sen' Quadra Hill waited our
arrival at Monterrey; I therefore intruded to them a letter informing
him of our arrival in this port, to which Sen'-Sal faid an anfwer would
moll likely be procured in the courfe. of three or four . days. Having
joined with us in drinking the healths of our royal mailers, they took
their leave and returned to the Ihore.
In the afternoon a frelh breeze from the s. e . fprang up, attended
with raipy difagreeable weather, which continued during, the night; the
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