The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-09-25


San Diego's Celebration.
Three centuries and a half have passet
since JUAN RODRIGUEZ CABRrLLo. a Portu
guese navigator In the service Of Spain
sailed from Acapulco above the parable
that now divides California from Mexico
and discovered the harbor OF San Diego.
CABRlLLo hoped to enter the Strait o.
America" MS the waterway believed tc
exist between the Pacific and the Atlantic
had been called. in anticipation OF Its OK
pectcd discovery. Two years earlier. In
1910. FRANCISCO ALARCoN had been sent In
quest OF 1t by the Viceroy OF Mexico. but
his voyage led him up the Gulf OF California
In 1542 CABRtLLo renewed the search
with two vessels. tho San Salvador and
Vitoria. and although he did not find the
waterway. he made other explorations
which have immortalized his name.
1t was on the 2sth Of September, 1542,
that. coasting northward. he found n har.
Dor which he called San Miguel. The latl-
tudes In CABRIL1o's description Of his voy
age are wrong. so that there Is great diff
Guilty in Identifying the places named.
Some writer's. like HENsHAw and TAYLOR.
hold that tho San Miguel OF CADR1LLo was
what is now known rs San Pedro Bay: but
NAvARRErE concluded that 1t was San
Diego. and this opinion has been sustained
by the very high authority Of Mr.. II. II.
BANCROFT. and Is tho ono taken In the
coming celebration at San Diego.
The ships OF CABR1LIo remained six days
at San Miguel. and during thnt time "a
very great gale blew from the west
southwest and south-southwcst. but the
port being good they felt nothing" The
natives were suspicious Of the strangers,
whom they called Guacamal; and they
wounded with arrows three Of a party that
had landed to fish. Thence CABRILLo sailed
for three days along the coast. noting its
contour and the high mountain range. until
he reached two islands. to which he gave
the names of his vessels. The island now
called San Catalina and the bay Of San
Pedro were duly found. and six leagues
further brought them. on the 9th Of Octo-
Der. to the blight OF Santa Monica. Eight
leagues further on they reached an Indian
town. whose people visited them in canoes.
and which they named Pueblo de las Ca
noas. although the natives called 1t Xucu.
and their visitors Taquemine.
Further v%oyaging brought CABRILIo to
q beautiful valley. no doubt Santa Barbara.
where the natives were friendly. and to the
island Of San Lucas, now Santa Rosa. and
to Cape Galera. now Point Conception. The
good anchorage at this last place he
named Todos Santos. Thence they went
up to Cape Pinos. which Is perhaps the
point still so called at the southern end
OF Monterey Bay. But on the night
Of Nov. II. when six leagues of shore.
a great storm separated the ships.
and after trying a long time to weather
it the flagship put In nearer the coast.
where she found her consort OH the 18th.
They seem to ave gone afterward a little
further northwest. and sighted q point in
about 400. But the weather being still
against them. they turned southwark. and
at length cast anchor in their old harbor OF
La Possession Island. in San Miguel Bay. This
was soon named Juan Rodriguez. after
their commander. for there. on the Sd OF
January. 1913. the gallant explorer died. He
had broken his arm in a fall q few months
before. but had persistedin going on. aid e1-
posure proved fatal. His last injunction was
to push IN again. and accordingly his chief
pilot. BARToLoME FERRELo. went north
with the vessels. reaching. as he thought,
the latitude OF 40. being driven by a gale
about sixty miles above a reckoned latitude
OF 43o. But the usual deductions would
make his highest north 400 or 400 80. or Just
above the southern boundary of Oregon:
and BANCROFT does not think he went be-
yond Cape Mendocino in 400 26.
This Is the exploit whose 85Oth a~nniver-
sary San Diego Is now to celebrate. Our
navy will BIO represented at the ceremonies
by the flagship Baltimore. the San Fran
cisco. and the Charleston, under Rear
Admiral GHERARDI. while President D1Az
will send troops from Mexico to take part
In them. Other names are famous in the
exploration OF the Pacific coast. but the
honor Of discovering the part Of it that now
belongs to the United States is CABRILLo's.
He did not, indeed. give to California its
name. That had been applied several years
earlier to the peninsula. which was then
supposed to be an island. Who hit upon the
name is not now certainly known; but In
1862 the Rev. E. F. HALE traced Its probable
origin to an old romance. the "Sergas of
Esplandian." by MoNTALvo. In which an
island called California Is spoken OF. This
island was OF 1.-THE right hand Of the In
dies" and was a country full OF gold. and
peopled by black Amazons: but it Is the
further description OF the place as Every
near the Terrestrial Paradise that will sat-
isfy southern C%alifornians OF the happy
stroke achieved in borrowing the name for
their favored region.