iet
country on earth," and under whose orders Padre Lasuen had established
the five Missions of 1796-1797, had himself made explorations in the
scenic mountainous regions of the coast, and recommended the location
afterwards determined upon, called by the Indians _Alajulapu_, meaning
_rincon_, or corner.

The native population was reported to number over a thousand, and the
fact that they were frequently engaged in petty hostilities among
themselves rendered it necessary to employ unusual care in initiating
the new enterprise. Presidente Tapis therefore asked the governor for a
larger guard than was generally assigned for protecting the Missions,
and a sergeant and nine men were ordered for that purpose.

The distance from Santa Barbara was about thirty-five miles, over a
rough road, hardly more than a trail, winding in and out among the
foothills, and gradually climbing up into the mountains in the midst of
most charming and romantic scenery. The quaint procession, consisting of
Padre Presidente Tapis and three other priests, Commandant Carrillo, and
the soldiers, and a large number of neophytes from Santa Barbara, slowly
marched over this mountainous road, into the woody recesses where
nestled the future home of the Mission of Santa Ines, and where the
usual ceremonies of foundation took place September 17, 1804. Padres
Calzada, Gutierrez, and Cipres assisted Presidente Tapis, and the two
former remained as the missionaries in charge.

The first result of the founding of this Mission was the immediate
baptism of twenty-seven children, a scene worthy of the canvas of a
genius, could any modern painter conceive of the real picture,--the
group of dusky little ones with somber, wondering eyes, and the
long-gowned priests, with the soldiers on guard and the watchful Indians
in native costume in the background,--all in the temple of
nature's creating.

The first church erected was not elaborate, but it was roofed with
tiles, and was ample in size for all needful purposes. In 1812 an
earthquake caused a partial collapse of this structure. The corner of
the church fell, roofs were ruined, walls cracked, and many buildings
near the Mission were destroyed. This was a serious calamity, but the
padres never seemed daunted by adverse circumstances. They held the
usual services in a granary, temporarily, and in 1817 completed the
building of a new church constructed of brick and adobe, which still
remains. In 1829 the Mission