After a long search, Ernest J. Burrus located the diary of Wenceslaus Linck, who was also a member of the Society of Jesus, giving his account of his expedition of 1766. The editor has made available to those interested in colonial Mexican frontier history a useful document in faithful translation meticulously annotated. The format and appearance of the small volume are superior.
Linck, who made ten expeditions in Lower California, spent five months (February 17 to April 18, 1766) on this account, his most significant contribution to the history and geography of the peninsula and the longest and most detailed of his writings. He undertook to obtain for civil and ecclesiastical authorities information concerning Indians and physical conditions of the region he traversed. In general he fulfilled his task, but to his disappointment, he was unable to reach his final objective, the mouth of the Colorado River. He reported his observations factually in sufficient detail for the editor to trace his route and locate his stopping places on a modern map. Linck’s concern with his missionary duties on that far frontier of New Spain is evident throughout.
