Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PART I. GENERAL HISTORY. Tnn First Missionaries -- Variocs Enpeditions -- Enpclsion Op The Jesc- Its -- Fbanciscans Ie Charob Of The Loweb California Missions -- Missions And Thrib Missionaries -mission Tempoealities -- Don Joss Galvez -- Dishonesty Op The Comisionados -- Proclamation Of Don Galvez -- Plans Fob Missions In Uppee California -- Departcre Or The Vessels -- The Land Enpeditions -- Fb. Jcnipero Serba -- San Fernando De'velicata. The sons of St. Francis for the first time set foot on California soil in 1598, just three hundred years ago. In the year before, Viceroy Monterey of Mexico ordered an expedition to set out for the purpose of exploring the northwestern coast, and he requested a number of Franciscans to accompany the fleet, in order to spread the light of the Gospel in the regions that might be discovered. Five religious of the Order were accordingly chosen for this work. These seraphic pioneers were Fr. Franc'sco de Ealda, as commissary, Fathers Diego do Prdomo, Bernardino de Zamudio, Antonio Tello, of the province of Xalis- co, NicolSs de Arabia, or Sarabia, and the lay- brother Crist6bnl Lopez, (1) '(1) Z. irate Salmeron, 'Relaciones,' Do 12. Salmoron dees not mention Fa- ther . Yitonio Tollo; but t'. ie nimas a; given abovi are fonnd in tho 'Intro- duccion Bibliosrn