other regions of Spanish South America, offers, doubtless, a vast field to the zeal of a large number of our Fathers. The distance from Panama to San Francisco is more than 3,000 miles. The steamer brought to in the superb bayof Acapulco to receive the mails, and to coal and water: this is a little port of Mexico. On the evening of the 16th of October, I arrived at San Francisco, happy to find myself in a house of the Society, and in the company of many of my brethren in Jesus Christ, who loaded me with kindness, and all the attention of the most cordial charity. The "quam bonum et jucundum habitare fratres in unum" is especially appreciated, when one leaves a California steamer in which one has been imprisoned, sometimes with fourteen or fifteen hundred individuals, all laboring under the gold fever, and who think and speak of nothing but mines of gold, and all the terrestrial delights which this gold is shortly to procure them. However, the " shortly " is long enough to allow of the destruction or disappearance of many an illusion. "All that glitters is not gold."
We left San Francisco on the loth, and in four days made more than i,ooo miles to Fort Vancouver, on the Columbia river. The news of the cessation of hostilities and of the submission of the tribes had been received at Vancouver. The task remained of removing the Indian prejudices, soothing their inquietude and alarm, and correcting, or rather refuting, the false rumors which are generally spread after a war, and which otherwise might be the cause of its renewal.
Under the orders of the general commanding in chief, I left Fort Vancouver on the 29th of October to go among the tribes of the mountains, at a distance of about Boo miles. I visited the Catholic soldiers of Forts Dalle City and Walla Walla on my way. At the last-named fort, I had the consolation of meeting Reverend Father Congiato, on his return from his visit to the missions, and of receiving very cheering news from him as to the disposition of the Indians. At my request, the excellent commandant of the fort had the very