dua, twenty-five leagues
distant, with Padre President, Fr. Miguel Pieras and Fr. Buenaventura
Sitjar; that of San Luis Obispo, twenty-five leagues farther away,
where I placed two religious members of the Province of Catalonia,
Padre Juncosa and Padre Cavallier, that of San Gabriel, seventy
leagues farther away towards California [Lower California], for which I
appointed one father from the Province of Los Angeles and another from
that of Andalucia; and finally that of San Diego, which is the nearest
to California [Lower California] though over one hundred leagues
distant, and I appointed as ministers Padre Fr. Francisco Dumetz and
Padre Fr. Luis Jaume. They are all working with earnestness and abundant
fruit in their respective fields of labor.

"When in 1769 I left California [Lower California], I appointed Padre
Palou President of the Missions there and I have not seen him since; but
now these missions, formerly in charge of the Fathers of the Society
of Jesus, are being turned over to the Dominican Fathers. So said Padre
Palou with others, will come to us in order to found the Missions of San
Buenaventura, Santa Clara and San Francisco for which missions I have
already there the ornaments, the sacred vessels, utensils and other
necessary things.

"The number of Christians in those places, where the name of Jesus had
never been spoken, though there are some in all the Missions, still up
to the present, is not very great; because while we have been very busy
building our poor houses, little churches, teaching some children to be
interpreters, and providing other necessary things, our efforts could
not equal our ardent desires.

"Now that things are going, and His Excellency has given, upon my
request, various things of which we stood in the greatest need, I hope
in God, we shall reap abundant fruits from our humble work. And I say
that our work is so-so, such as it is, because, if I told you all we are
doing, it might seem a great thing, when in reality, upon a closer view,
it would seem very insignificant.

"In spite of the cold, which is very intense in California, the lack
of victuals, the poverty of our houses, I have been enjoying very good
health, thanks be to God! But this trip to Mexico has been very hard
on me. From the hardships of the journey, I arrived in the City of
Guadalajara burning with fever. I was so sick and in such danger that
the last Sacraments were administered to me a few days after.

"