The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-11-09

savage tribes. 1t is a hopeful augury for the e.
| Enlistment and permanency of more friendl
| feeling among all that since Parknan gave u
his "Jeusits in North America" the hostility t
the great order among English speaking races il
like an unpleasant odor, gradually evaporating.
After reading Otondo's Report" of the failur
of the California colony, the horrible degradation
of the tribes and the pitful steriity of the land
the Spanish viceroy to Mexico advised the hom
government to have nothing to do with tn
accursed country. The King of Spain followed tn
recommendation of his representative, and Lowe
California abandoned to its sagebrush, scor
pions, tarantulas and naked savages. Dsparinc
of obtaining any help or even encouragement from
the Spanish or Mexican officials Father Salvaterra
now appealed to the zeal and Christian charity OF
the Spaniards in Mexico to assist him in his eff
fort to reopen the mission to the Digger Indians
Father Eusibio Kino, who with the Otondo
expedition and Father Juan Ugarte flung them
selves into the good work and with speech and pen
pleaded for the California tribes. 1t impos-
sible to resist the call of these men; the plety of
their daily lives, the sincerity of their motives,
their scholarship, eloquence and heroism awoke en-
thusiasm and touched generous, though until now,
Indifferent hearts. Subscriptions began to move.
From far away Quesetaro Padre Cabellero, priest
who inherited parental wealth. sent $4,000 The
Congregation of Our Lady of Sorrows con
fraternity of holy women, promised yearly sum
of $500; Count de Miravaes subscribed $1,000;
Pedro Sierrepe of Acapulco gave the fathers
lancha or long boat and offered the loan of his
ship for transport and from Mexico City and
towns in the vice royal provinces came liberal con-
tributions.
ORIGIN OF THE "PIOUS FUND"
These generous donations Father Salvatierra
formed into a fund or as we would say today, cap
Iazed for the evangelization of the California In
dams and the support of the California missions.
Thus began the famous "Fondo Piadoso de Cali
fornia" of which we have heard so much and which
involved in its distribution and partial settlement
two religious orders and three civilized nations, and
for which, to quiet claim against it, the govern
ment of the United States lately paid the archbisl
op of San Francisco three hundred and eighty-fve
thousand dollars.
SAILING OF THE EXPEDITION.
On the 18th of July, 1897, the ship of Pedro
Sierrepe loaded with supplies for the infant mission
sailed out of the harbor of Acapulco, on the Pa
cific coast, and passing through the straits of
Magellan, finally, after two months of travel
rounded Cape San Lucas and anchored in the
Yaqui bay, Gulf of Cortes now the Gulf of Cali
fornia Father Salvatierra, who had come over
land to Sonora was, with the illusrious Kino, Civ
en- mission to the Yaquis when he was informed
of the arrival of the ship. Kino made prepara-
lions to accompany him to Lower California when
the Governor of Sonora interviewed. The provinces
of Sinoloa and Sonora were at this particular time
threatened with an Indian uprising, the governor
refused to let Kino leave him contending that the
influence Of the priest in controlling the restless
Yaquis and Mayos was greater than the presence
of thousand soldiers. So Salvatierra sailed alone
out of the Yaqui bay and in October landed IN
Lower California, twenty miles north of the site
chosen by Otondo for this unfortunate colony.
Like that heroic Canadian missionary Breboeuf,
Salvatierra, when he landed knelt upon the beach
and placing the country under the protection of
the Blessed Virgin, invoked the help of God in the
work he was about to undertake. Then rising he
exclaimed aloud chic requescam, quoniam elegi
eam"-I will remain here, for myself have chosen
it. After the landing of the baggage, the proyi-
sions and few domestic animals the party rested
for the night. Here is the roster of the first set
tlement ana practically the hfst Chfstlan MISSION
which led to the civilization of the tribes and the
exploration of all California. A Portuguese pick
and shovel man called Lorenzo, three Christianized
Mexican Indians, Peruvian mulatto, Mexican
half-caste from Guadalajara, one Sicilian and
Maltese, sailors who had served in a Philippine
galeon and Jesuit priest, Father Salvatierra.
In the history of early colonization, in any part of
the world there is no page recording anything like
this or any enterprise composed Of such seemingly
hopeless material. And yet under the masterful
mind of the missionary, with faith, piety and tact
these human fragments were welded into com
pact body that conquered stubborn soil and con-
ciliated tribal opposition.
The Maltese sailor was also an exgunner and
to him fell the honor of mounting the miserable
LITTLE nnnnn brobt from, cannlco to nrntent the