It was not necessary in those days that a country should be discovered in order to be mapped; even now we dogmatize most about what we know least. It is a lonely sea indeed that cannot sport mermaids and monsters; it were a pity to have so broad an extent of land without a good wide sheet of water in it; so the Conibas Regio cum Vicinis Gentibvs shows a large lake, called Conibas, connecting by a very wide

river apparently with a northern sea. I give herewith another map showing a lake large enough to swallow

ities, though comparatively few of them make mention of the adventures of Captain Cárdenas on the Colorado: Ramusio, Viaggi, iii. 359-63; Hakluyt's Voy., iii. 373-9; Mota-Padilla, Cong. N. Gal., iii. 14, 158-69; Torquemada, i. 609-10; Herrera, dec. vi. lib. ix. cap. xi.-xii.; Beaumont, Hist. Mich., MS., 407-22, 482-546, 624-5; Oviedo, iv. 19; Villagrá, Hist. N. Mex., 19 et seq.; Gomara, Hist. Ind., 272-4; Bernal Diaz, Hist. Verdad., 235; Benzoni, Hist. Mundo Nuovo, 107; Ribas, Hist. Triumphos, 26-7; Venegas, Not. Cal., i. 167-9; Clavigero, Storia Cal., 153; Alegre, Hist. Comp. Jesus, i. 233-8; Salmeron, in Doc. Hist. Mex., 3d ser. pt. iv. 7-9; Noticias, in Id., 671-2; Cavo, Tres Siglos, i. 127-9; Lorenzana, in Cortés, Hist. Mex., 325. These might be followed by a long list of modern writers, for which I will refer the reader to Hist. North Mexican States, this series.

FANCIFUL MAP-MAKING.

Utah and Idaho combined, and discharging its waters by two great rivers into the Pacific. This species of geography was doubtless entirely satisfactory to the wise men of this world until they came to know better about it. If the reader will look over the chapters on the Northern Mystery in my History of the

Northwest Coast he may learn further of absurdities in map-making.

A more extended and pronounced exploration was that of two Franciscan friars, one the visitador comi

sario of New Mexico, Francisco Atanasio Dominguez, and the other ministro doctrinero of Zuñi, Silvestre Velez de Escalante, who set out from Santa Fé July 29, 1776, for the purpose of discovering a direct route to Monterey, on the seaboard of Alta California. New Mexico had now been known nearly two and a half centuries; the city of Santa Fé had been founded over a century and a half, Monterey had been occupied since 1770, and yet there had been opened no direct route westward with the sea, communication between Mexico and Santa Fé being by land, the road following the Rio Grande. In his memorial of March 1773, while in Mexico, Father Junípero Serra had urged that two expeditions be made, one from Sonora to California, which was carried out the following year by Captain Anza, and one from New Mexico to the sea, which Dominguez and Escalante now proposed to undertake. Again in 1775 Anza made a similar journey, this time leaving at the junction of the Colorado and Gila Father Garcés who ascended the former stream to the Mojave country, whence crossing to Mission San Gabriel he proceeded to the Tulare Valley. There he heard from the natives of a great river coming in from the east or northeast. Indeed it was long the prevailing opinion that there existed such a stream in that vicinity. From the Tulare country Garcés returned to San Gabriel and Mojave, and thence proceeded to the villages of the Moquis. From this place he probably wrote to Santa Fé concerning the rumor of this river; for all through the journey of Dominguez and Escalante they were in search of it.3

2 On Father Font's map, 1777, are laid down two rivers entering the region of the Tulare lakes from the north-east, one the Rio de San Phelipe, and the other called the Rio de que se Viene Noticia por el P. Garces. See Font's Journal, MS.; Serra, Memorial, March 1773, MS.; Garcés, Diario, 246–348; Forbes' Hist. Cal., 157-62; Arch. Cal., Prov. Rec., MS., i. 47-8, vi. 59; Palou, Not., ii. 281-2; Hist. Cal.; Hist. New Mex.; Hist. North Mex. States, this series.

Probably it was the San Joaquin, or the Sacramento, of which they heard. Concerning a route from New Mexico to California Humboldt says: En considérant les voyages hardis des premiers conquerans espagnols au

DOMINGUEZ AND ESCALANTE.

The party consisted in all of nine persons. Besides the two priests there were Juan Pedro Cisneros, alcalde mayor of Zuñi, Bernardo Miera y Pacheco, capitan miliciano of Santa Fé, and five soldiers. Having implored divine protection, on the day before named they took the road to Abiquiú, passed on to the Rio Chama, and on the 5th of August reached a point called Nieves, on the San Juan River, three leagues below the junction of the Navajo. Thence they passed down the north bank of the San Juan, crossing the several branches, until on the 10th they found themselves on a branch of the Mancos, some distance from the San Juan, and beyond the line of the present state of Colorado." The 12th they camped on the north bank of the Rio Dolores, in latitude 38° 13', and were there joined by two natives from Abiquiú, who had deserted their homes to follow the expedition."

They now followed the general course of the Dolores until the 23d, when they left the San Pedro, which flows into the Dolores near La Sal, and crossed

Mexique, au Pérou, et sur la rivière des Amazones, on est étonné de voir que depuis deux siècles cette même nation n'a pas su trouver un chemin de terre dans la Nouvelle-Espagne, depuis Taos au port de Monterey.' Essai Pol., i. 317.

46

'Don Joaquin Lain, vecino de la misma villa, Lorenzo Olivares de la villa del Paso, Lucrecio Muñiz, Andrés Muñiz, Juan de Aguilar y Simon Lucero.' Diario, in Doc. Hist. Mex., ser. ii. tom. i. 378.

5 At the beginning of the journey their route was identical with what was later known as the old Spanish trail from Santa Fé to Los Angeles. Their course was at first north-west, but shortly after passing Abiquiú it pointed due north into Colorado, then west, and again north-west into Utah, being about the same as was later called the old Spanish trail from Santa Fé to Great Salt Lake. Captain J. N. Macomb of the topographical engineers has surveyed and mapped essentially the same trail.

Probably not so far north by some 40'.

7'Esta tarde nos alcanzaron un coyote y un genízaro de Abiquiú, nombrados el primero Felipe y el segundo Juan Domingo; por vagar entre los gentiles, se huyeron sin permiso de sus superiores del dicho pueblo, pretestando querer acompañarnos. No necesitábamos de ellos; mas por evitar las culpas, que ó por su ignorancia ó por su malicia podian cometer andando mas tiempo solos entre los yutas, si intentábamos que regresasen, los admitimos por compañeros.' Diario, Doc. Hist. Mex., ser. ii. tom. i. 392.

These streams are doubtless those emptying into the Colorado not far from its junction with the Bunkara. Latitude 39° 13' is here given, but that must be too high. Philip Harry, in Simpson's Explor., 490, says that up to the point first touched on the Dolores the priests' path and Macomb's survey are identical, but that they here diverge.

over north-east to Rio San Francisco," and again to the Rio San Javier 10 on the 28th, their course being for some distance east of north.

Not far from their path was a ranchería of Yutas, which the Spaniards visited, endeavoring to obtain guides to the land of the Timpanogos, Timpangotzis, or Lagunas, where they had been told to look for

Pueblo towns.

A Laguna guide was there, but the Yutas did all in their power to dissuade the explorers

9 An affluent of the San Javier, or Grand River.

10 Called by the Yutas Tomiche; to-day Grand River. It may here be observed that the route toward this region had been visited by Spaniards before, notably by Juan María de Ribera in 1761, and Spanish names had been given to places, though the present Utah was probably not entered by him. Escalante states that the San Javier is formed by four sınall streams coming in above the point at which he crossed, and these, says Harry, Simpson's Explor., 490, correspond 'remarkably with the Uncompagre River, Grand River, Smith's Fork, and another large fork. . .It seems evident that after crossing the San Xavier he follows up stream a different fork from what we call Grand River, but which fork he calls the main river, or San Xavier.' Gunnison maps his explorations, showing the mouth of this last named stream. In Simpson's Explor., 489, is given a map of the present expedition, but it does not conform in every particular to Escalante's text.