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Show 374 IN COMMUNICATION WITH ZUNI. journey to be prolonged, a new relay of beasts and a stock of presents for those same Indians, in all of which was I lacking; and moreover, the need of some escort would arise on certain portions of the route. As all these things would have to be procured in New Mexico, I took into consideration many contingencies, especially that of finding the senor governador with perhaps the same notions as the senor coman-dante of Monte- Rey, 15 holding this entrada to be pernicious, and by no means performed in the service of the king, as it had not been expressly ordered by his excellency ( the viceroy). For these reasons I determined to write to the padre ministro of Zuni, even though I did not know his name, 16 telling him that I u Garces did not know Governor Mendinueta, and was afraid of getting into official hot water with him, after his experience at San Gabriel with Rivera y Moncada: note *, p. 252. " His name was Fray Mariano Rosate. He was officially as padre at Zuni in July, 1776, during the absence of Padre Silves-tre Velez de Escalante, who happened just then to be away on his well- known exploration. Escalante's whole incumbency at Zufii seems to have been 1774- 78, with several temporary absences. It appears from the title- page ( obligingly furnished to me by Mr. Frank H. Cushing, May 4, 1899) of " El Libro 20 de las Partidas Baptizadas en esta Mission y Pueblo de N. S8* [ Nuestra Santisima] Senora de Guadalupe de Zuni," for such was the full title of the Zufii mission, that Escalante was the ministro doctrinero or resident missionary " de dicha Mission en el Afio de 1775, dia 8 de Henero." From this date on, the baptismal entries show that he was continuously there until at least the 28th of November of that year; and again other |