her also went by land the troops, muleteers, and vaqueros, with the
herd of every sort. Finding insufficient pasturage for the cattle at
Santa Maria, they advanced to Velicata, some thirty miles distant, and
here was assembled the land expedition. In addition to the officers
named, Don Miguel Costanso, ensign of royal engineers, was ordered to
join the expedition as cosmographer and diarist, and Don Pedro Prat was
appointed physician. To minister to the soldiers and take charge of the
missions to be established in the new land, the following missionary
priests, all of the college of San Fernando in Mexico, were named to
accompany the expedition. Fray Junipero Serra, appointed president of
the missions of Alta California, Fray Juan Crespi, Fray Fernando Parron,
Fray Juan Vizcaino, and Fray Francisco Gomez.

On the 6th of January, 1769, at the port of La Paz, the San Carlos was
loaded and ready for sea. The venerable Father Junipero Serra sang mass
aboard her, and with other devotional exercises blessed the ship and
the standards. The visitador named the Senor San Jose patron of the
expedition, and in a fervent exhortation, kindled the spirits of those
about to sail. These were Don Pedro Fages, with his twenty-five Catalans
of the 1st batallion 2d regiment, Voluntarios de Cataluna, Alferez
Miguel Costanso, Surgeon Don Pedro Prat, and Padre Fernando Parron. The
ship was commanded by Don Vicente Vila, lieutenant of the royal navy;
the mate was Don Jorge Estorace, and twenty-three sailors, two
boys, four cooks, and two blacksmiths made up the rest of the ship's
company--sixty-two in all. They embarked on the night of January 9th and
sailed on the 10th. Galvez appointed Fages gefe de las armas--chief of
the military expedition at sea, and instructed him to retain command of
the soldiers on land until the arrival of the governor at Monterey[9].
On the 15th of February, Father Junipero performed like offices for
the San Antonio, and she sailed the same day under command of Don Juan
Perez, "of the navigation of the Philippines," carrying Frays Vizcaino
and Gomez, some carpenters, blacksmiths, and cooks, that, with the
sailors, made some ninety persons, all told, on both ships. The
rendezvous was San Diego bay, where all were to meet.

The land expedition was divided into two parts. The first division,
under Rivera, started from Velicata March 24th, and the second, under
command of the governor, started May 15th. With Rivera were