f California,
the charge of which, on the expulsion of the Jesuits, in 1768, had
passed over to the Franciscans. These, thirteen in number, were all in
Lower California, for no attempt had as yet been made to evangelize
the upper province. This, however, the indefatigable apostle was now to
undertake by co-operating with Jose de Galvez in his proposed northwest
expedition [1]. Junipero was now fifty-five years of age, and could look
back upon a career of effort and accomplishment which to any less active
man might well seem to have earned repose for body and mind. Yet great
as his services to church and civilization had been in the past, by far
the most important part of his life-work still lay before him.

II.

As a result of the conference between Galvez and Father Junipero, it
was decided that their joint expedition should be sent out in two
portions--one by sea and one by land; the land portion being again
sub-divided into two, in imitation, Palou informs us, of the policy
of the patriarch Joseph, "so that if one came to misfortune, the other
might still be saved." It was arranged that four missionaries should go
into the ships, and one with the advance-detachment of the land-force,
the second part of which was to include the president himself. So far as
the work of the missionaries was concerned their immediate purpose was
to establish three settlements--one at San Diego, a second at Monterey,
and a third on a site to be selected, about midway between the two,
which was to be called San Buenaventura. The two divisions of the
land-force were under the leadership of Captain Fernando Rivera y
Moncada and Governor Portola respectively. The ships were to carry all
the heavier portions of the camp equipage, provisions, household goods,
vestments and sacred vessels; the land-parties were to take with them
herds and flocks from Loreto. The understanding was that whichever party
first reached San Diego was to wait there twenty days for the rest, and
in the event of their failure to arrive within that time, to push on to
Monterey.

The sea-detachment of the general expedition--the "Seraphic and
Apostolic Squadron," as Palou calls it, was composed of three ships--the
San Carlos, the San Antonio, and the San Joseph. A list, fortunately
preserved, gives all the persons on board the San Carlos, a vessel of
about 200 tons only, and the flagship of Don Vicente Vila, the commander
of the marine division. They were as fol