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Show THE GREAT BASIN OF UTAH. \\ as early as 1777, and most probably as early as 1773 ( the date, according to Humboldt, of Garces' journey to Graybe), there was a communication all the way from Santa Fe, and, without doubt, from Taos, via Moqui, to San Gabriel; and, as Father Font's map shows, even all the way to Monterey and the Bay of San Francisco. Greenhow, in his " Oregon and California,"* repre-sents that " in 1775 Friars Font and Garces traveled from Mexico, through Sonora and the country of the Colorado River, to the mission of San Gabriel in Cali-fornia, making observations on their way with a view to the increase of intercourse between Mexico and the establishments in the latter region. They were, how-ever, coldly received by their brethren, who informed them that they had no desire to have such communi-cations opened; and their journal was never made public." Their map, which Mr. Greenhow seems, however, not to have seen, shows that Father Font traveled from the Presidio of San Miguel, situated in about lat. 29 30' and long. 110 30' ( probably on the Rabasaqui), as far as the port of San Francisco; and that Garces traveled only from San Gabriel to Moqui. It also shows that the " Rio de San Philipe," on some old maps, was, in all probability, Kern River. Greenhow remarks that the journals of the expedi-tions of Friars Escalante, Garces, and Font are still preserved in manuscript in Mexico; but, " from all accounts, are of no value." Humboldt, on the con-trary, f speaks highly of the information imparted by * 2d edition, p. 114. f " New Spain," vol. ii. p. 253. |