The Old Franciscan Missions Of CaliforniaJames, George Wharton
Religion
The Old Franciscan Missions Of California
James, George Wharton
Franciscans -- California; Spanish mission buildings -- California
There is a small collection of objects of interest connected with the
old Mission preserved in one room of the monastery. Among other things
are two of the chorals; pieces of rawhide used for tying the beams,
etc., in the original construction; the head of a bass-viol that used to
be played by one of the Indians; a small mortar; and quite a number of
books. Perhaps the strangest thing in the whole collection is an old
barrel-organ made by Benjamin Dobson, The Minories, London. It has
several barrels and on one of them is the following list of its tunes:
Go to the Devil; Spanish Waltz; College Hornpipe; Lady Campbell's Reel.
One can imagine with what feelings one of the sainted padres, after a
peculiarly trying day with his aboriginal children, would put in this
barrel, and while his lips said holy things, his hand instinctively
ground out with vigor the first piece on the list.
CHAPTER XXV
SAN MIGUEL, ARCÁNGEL
Lasuen's third Mission, of 1797, was San Miguel, located near a large
ranchería named _Sagshpileel_, and on the site called _Vahiá_. One
reason for the selection of the location is given in the fact that there
was plenty of water at Santa Isabel and San Marcos for the irrigation of
three hundred fanegas of seed. To this day the springs of Santa Isabel
are a joy and delight to all who know them, and the remains of the old
irrigating canals and dams, dug and built by the padres, are still to
be seen.
On the day of the founding, Lasuen's heart was made glad by the
presentation of fifteen children for baptism. At the end of 1800 there
were 362 neophytes, 372 horses and cattle, and 1582 smaller animals. The
crop of 1800 was 1900 bushels.
Padre Antonio de la Concepción Horra, who was shortly after deported as
insane, and who gave Presidente Lasuen considerable trouble by
preferring serious charges against the Missions, was one of the first
ministers.
In February of 1801 the two padres were attacked with violent pains in
the stomach and they feared the neophytes had poisoned them, but they
soon recovered. Padre Pujol, who came from Monterey to aid them, did not
fare so well for he was taken sick in a similar manner and died. Three
Indians were arrested, but it was never decided whether poison had been
used or not. The Indians escaped when being taken north to the presidio,
and eventually the padres pleaded for their release, asking however that
they be flogged in the presence of their families for having boasted
that they had poisoned the padres.
In August, 1806, a disastrous fire occurred, destroying all the
manufacturing part of the establishment as well as a large quantity of
wool, hides, cloth, and 6000 bushels of wheat. The roof of the church
was also partially burned. At the end of the decade San Miguel had a
population of 973, and in the number of its sheep it was excelled only
by San Juan Capistrano.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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