THE ROMANCE OF MONTEREY
that June day in 1770. These ceremonies are described by Richman:
On the beach, near Vizcaino’s oak—a large oak under which mass had been said by Father Ascension, and under which Vizcaino had proclaimed Spanish sovereignty in 1602—there had been erected an altar, equipped with bells, and surmounted by an image of Our Lady. Before this altar, President Serra in alb and stole, representing the church, the assembled company chanted in unison, upon their knees, the beautiful Veni Creator Spiritus. The President then, amid din of exploding arms on land and sea, blessed a great cross and the royal standards of Castile and Leon. He next sprinkled with holy water the beach and adjoining fields, ‘to put to flight all infernal enemies,’ recited the mass and preached. With a salve to the image of Our Lady, and with the singing by the company of the Te Deum Laudamus, the religious ceremony was brought to a close. It was followed by a ceremony on the part of the state. Here, as representative, the Governor, Gaspar de Portola, officiated. In his presence, the royal standards were again unfurled, grass and stones were wrenched from the earth and scattered to the four winds, and the various proceedings of the day were made a matter of record.
Portola’s first and most difficult task had been brought to a joyous and successful completion. Spain’s Pacific frontier had been moved northward to a point from which her Pacific possessions could be more effectively
