e royal treasury with all
necessary funds; it granted the boon of encomienda for three lives,
and that the discoverers should have all the privileges of gentlemen
throughout the Indies. It also granted other minor privileges and boons
asked for. Vizcaino was made captain-general of the expedition, and
sailed from Acapulco May 5, 1602, with orders to explore the coasts of
the Californias from Cape San Lucas to Cape Mendocino, or as far north
as latitude forty-two. His ships were the San Diego, flagship, the Santo
Tomas, under Toribio Gomez de Corvan, the Tres Reyes, a small fragata
or tender, under Alferez Martin Aguilar, and a barcolongo for exploring
rivers and bays[4]. The chief pilot of the expedition was Francisco
Bolanos who had been one of the pilots with Cermenon on the lost San
Agustin. Three barefooted Carmelites looked after the spiritual needs
of the adventurers. The story of this second voyage of Vizcaino is well
known. On the 10th of November, they were in the Bay of San Diego, which
Vizcaino named for San Diego de Alcala, whose day, November 14th, they
spent in the bay, ignoring the name, San Miguel, given it by Cabrillo
sixty years before. Later in the month he entered and named San Pedro
bay, for Saint Peter, bishop of Alexandria, whose day, November 26th,
it was. He also named the islands still known as Santa Catalina and San
Clemente. He next sailed through and named the Canal de Santa Barbara,
which saint's day, December 4th, was observed while in the channel, and
also named Isla de Santa Barbara and Isla de San Nicolas. Passing Punta
de la Concepcion, which he named[5], Vizcaino sailed up the coast in a
thick fog, which lifting on December 14th, revealed to the voyagers
the lofty coast range usually sighted by the ships coming from the
Philippines. Four leagues beyond they saw a river flowing from high
hills through a beautiful valley to the sea. To the mountains he gave
the name of Sierra de la Santa Lucia, in honor of the Saint whose day
(December 13th) they had just celebrated, and the stream he named Rio
del Carmelo, in honor of the Carmelite friars. Rounding a high wooded
point, which he named Punta de los Pinos, he dropped anchor in Monterey
bay, December 16th, 1602. Here Vizcaino found the much desired harbor of
refuge, and he named it for his patron, the Conde de Monterey. Vizcaino
made the most of his discovery, and in a letter to the king, written in
Monterey Bay, December 28, 1602[6], he giv