November next morning we had a ff rong gale from the s . and s'.w. with heavy
i___—-i fquals and much rain. Having no time to fpare, and the pilot fen*
] nday 16. fcy Serf- Sal being arrived, we proceeded under double-reefed tdpfails to
the general place o f anchorage, which we reached by noon, and took,
our Ration about a quarter o f a mile from the Store in 5 fathoms water;
the outer anchor was in 13 fathoms foft muddy bottom. In this: fitoa-
tkw the' s.e . and n.w . points, o f the palfage into this port, in, a line, bore
by compafs s. 80 w . diftant about half a mile. The flag Raff at the
Prefidio bore s. 42 e .
The little we had feen of port St. Francifco enabled us to decide: that
it was very extenfive in two directions; one fpacious branch took its
eottrfe eaR and louth-eaflward to a great diflance from the Ration we-
had quitted in the morning, the other apparently of equal magnitude-
led to the northward. In this were feveral iflands. Although- I had
been informed by Sen" Quadra that the boundaries o f this inlet had been
defined, yet I was anxious to be more particularly acquainted with its.
extent, having fince been given to underltand that Serf- Quadra’s information
Was by no means corrccr.
Near the branch leading to the eaR and fouth-eaRward above-mentioned,
is fituated the miffion of S“ Clara. Thefe gentlemen informed
me, that this branch had been thoroughly examined; but- that the-
branch leading to the north never bad. I was, however, obliged to remain
contented under the uncertainty of Rich contradictory information;
for the port having been eflablifhed by Spain, I did not confider it prudent
tö profecute its examination without lufficient authority for fo doing
: nor was the weather favorable for fuch an undertaking, though it did
not prevent the exercife of thofe friendly difpofitions in the Spanitii commandant,
which he had before profeffêd. He had been feme time on,
thé beach in the rain before we anchored, for the purpofe o f inRantly
affording us any afliflance in his power to fupply. A meflage to, this
effeft was brought by three of the native Indians who fpoke Spaijilh,
and who came on board in a canoe of the country; which with another,
(though perhaps the fame) feen eroding the harbour the evening we
entered it, were the only Indian vedels we had met with, and were
without exception the moR rude and forry contrivarifces for embarkation
I had
I had ever beheld. The length of them was about ten feet, the breadth „ *79»;
about-three or four; they were eonRrofifed of rufhes and dried grafs of i_— ,— 1
a long broad: leaf, made up into rolls the length of the canoe, the thick-
eR in thé middle, and regularly tapering to a point at each end. Thefe
are fo difpofed, that on their ends being feeured and lathed together the
vedel is formed, which being broadeR in the middle, and coming to a
point at each extremity, goes with either end foremoR. Thefe rolls are
bid-and faflened fo cfofe to each other, that in calm weather and fmooth
water I believe them to be tolerably dry, but they appeared to be'
very ill calculated to contend with wind and waves. The wind now
blew Rrong with heavy fqualts from the s.w. and in the middle of this
fpacious' inlet the fea broke with much force; notwithfianding-which, as
fbon as thefe people had delivered their melbge, they eroded the inlet
for the purpofe o f catching filh, without feeming to entertain the lead
apprehenfion for their fa'fety. They conduced their canoe or vedel
by long double-bladed paddles, like thole ufed by the Efquimaux.
The s.w. wind attended by much rain, blew very hard until the
morning of the 17th, when the weather becoming more moderate I Saturday 17.
vifited the Ihorë. I . was greatly mortified to find, that neither wood
nor water could be procured with fuch convenience, nor o f fo good
a quality, as at the Ration we had quitted a league and a half within
the entrance of the port on the fouthern (hore; but as our - Spanilh
friends had informed us that the water here was far fuperior in its
quality to that at Monterrey, there- was now no. alternative but that of
taking what the country afforded. A tent was immediately pitched on
the ffliore, wells were dug for obtaining water, and a party was employed
in procuring fuel from final! bufhy holly-leaved oaks, the only
trees fit for our purpofe. A lagoon of fea water was between the beach
and the foot on which thefe trees grew, which rendered the conveying the
wood when cut a very laborious operation.
WhilR engaged in allotting to the people their different employments,
fame faddled horfes arrived from the commandant with a very cordial
invitation to his habitation; which was accepted by myfelf and fome
of the officers. We rode up to the Prefidio, an appellation given to
their military eRablilhments in. this country, and fignifying a fa fe guard.
2 The