He Desired Permission To Make
Another Voyage, And As The Late Expedition Had Exhausted His Own
Resources, Asked That He Be Granted Thirty-Five Thousand Dollars From
The Royal Treasury And Outfitting For His Ships.
These advances he
agreed to repay from the first gain received by him during the voyage.
He also asked,
On behalf of those who accompanied him, that the
countries brought by him into subjection to the crown be given to them
encomienda for five lives[3]; that they be made gentlemen and granted
all the favors, exemptions, and liberties that other gentlemen enjoy,
not only in the provinces of the Indies but also in Spain. For these and
for other favors asked, Vizcaino agreed to sail with five ships,
equipped with proper artillery, one hundred and fifty men, arms and
ammunition, provisions, etc. - all things necessary for the voyage. He
would pay the king one-fifth part of all gold, precious stones and
valuable mineral substances obtained, one-tenth part of the fish taken,
and one-twentieth part of the salt obtained. He also agreed to make
discovery of the whole ensenada and gulf of the Californias, take
possession of the land in the name of his majesty, make settlements,
build forts, and explore the country inland for a distance of one
hundred leagues.
Vizcaino's rose-colored report did not deceive the authorities, but as
he had the necessary outfit and had had some experience, the Council
decided that he was the best man to head the expedition, though Zuniga
favored Don Gabriel Maldonado, of Saville, for commander. The Council
ordered that Vizcaino be supplied from the royal treasury with all
necessary funds; it granted the boon of encomienda for three lives, and
that the discoverers should have all the privileges of gentlemen
throughout the Indies. It also granted other minor privileges and boons
asked for. Vizcaino was made captain-general of the expedition, and
sailed from Acapulco May 5, 1602, with orders to explore the coasts of
the Californias from Cape San Lucas to Cape Mendocino, or as far north
as latitude forty-two. His ships were the San Diego, flagship, the Santo
Tomas, under Toribio Gomez de Corvan, the Tres Reyes, a small fragata or
tender, under Alferez Martin Aguilar, and a barcolongo for exploring
rivers and bays[4]. The chief pilot of the expedition was Francisco
Bolanos who had been one of the pilots with Cermenon on the lost San
Agustin. Three barefooted Carmelites looked after the spiritual needs of
the adventurers. The story of this second voyage of Vizcaino is well
known. On the 10th of November, they were in the Bay of San Diego, which
Vizcaino named for San Diego de Alcala, whose day, November 14th, they
spent in the bay, ignoring the name, San Miguel, given it by Cabrillo
sixty years before. Later in the month he entered and named San Pedro
bay, for Saint Peter, bishop of Alexandria, whose day, November 26th, it
was. He also named the islands still known as Santa Catalina and San
Clemente. He next sailed through and named the Canal de Santa Barbara,
which saint's day, December 4th, was observed while in the channel, and
also named Isla de Santa Barbara and Isla de San Nicolas. Passing Punta
de la Concepcion, which he named[5], Vizcaino sailed up the coast in a
thick fog, which lifting on December 14th, revealed to the voyagers the
lofty coast range usually sighted by the ships coming from the
Philippines. Four leagues beyond they saw a river flowing from high
hills through a beautiful valley to the sea. To the mountains he gave
the name of Sierra de la Santa Lucia, in honor of the Saint whose day
(December 13th) they had just celebrated, and the stream he named Rio
del Carmelo, in honor of the Carmelite friars. Rounding a high wooded
point, which he named Punta de los Pinos, he dropped anchor in Monterey
bay, December 16th, 1602. Here Vizcaino found the much desired harbor of
refuge, and he named it for his patron, the Conde de Monterey. Vizcaino
made the most of his discovery, and in a letter to the king, written in
Monterey Bay, December 28, 1602[6], he gives a most glowing description
of the bay, which is, at best, but an open roadstead. The Indians, as
usual, told him of large cities in the interior, which they invited him
to visit, but Vizcaino could not tarry. His provisions were almost gone,
his men were sick with scurvy, of which many had died, and putting the
most helpless on board the Santo Tomas, he sent her to Acapulco for aid,
and sailed, January 3, 1603, with the flagship and fragata, for the
north. A storm soon separated the vessels and they did not see each
other again until they met in the harbor of Acapulco. Vizcaino was told
by the pilot, Bolanos, that Cermenon had left in Drake's Bay a large
quantity of wax and several chests of silk, and he entered the bay on
January 8th to see if any vestiges remained of ship or cargo. He did not
land, but awaited the arrival of the fragata. As she did not appear, he
became uneasy, and sailed the next morning in search of her. On the
13th, a violent gale from the southeast drove him northward. This was
followed by a dense fog, and when it lifted, he found himself in
latitude forty-two - the limit of his instructions - with Cape Blanco in
sight, "and the trend of the coast line onward," he writes, "towards
Japan and Great China, which are but a short run away." Only six of his
men were now able to keep the deck, and he bore away for Acapulco, where
he arrived March 21, 1603. Of the company that sailed with him,
forty-two had died.
In 1606, Philip III, King of Spain, ordered that Monterey be occupied
and provision made there to succor and refit the Philippine ships.
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