1793- The enjoyment of the fociety of this worthy character was o f Ihort
■ / duration; it however afforded me the fatisfaClion of perfonally acknowledging
the obligations we were under for the friendly fervices that had
been conferred upon us, by the miffionaries under his immediate direftion
and government; being perfe&ly affured, that however Well difpofed the
feveral individuals might have been to have fliewn us the kind attention
we had received, the cordial intereft with which the father prefident had,
on all occafions, fo warmly efpoufed our interefts, mult have been o f no
fmall importance to our comfort. This confideration, in addition to the
efteem I had conceived for his charaCler, induced me to folicit his acceptance
of a handlbme barrelled organ, which, notwithftanding the vicilfi-
tudes o f climate, was Hill in complete order and repair. This was received
with great pleafure and abundant thanks» and was to be appropriated
to the ufe and ornament of the new church, at the prefidency of the
millions at St. Carlos.
A continuation of foutherly winds caufed us to be detained, contrary
Monday 9. to my expectations, untilthe gth, when we quitted the port of St. Diego.
I felt myfelf greatly indebted for the hofpitabl'e attentions fhewn us by
our friends at the million, as well as by thofe at the Prefidio of St. Diego,
for which, after making them the moll grateful acknowledgments I
could exprefs, I requefted they would accept a few ufeful and neceffary
articles that they were not very likely to procure through any other
channel; and I had the gratification of feeing they were thankfully received.
Although we did not make any furvey of the port ©f St. Diego, it may
not be improper to Hate a few particulars relative to it, that came un
der our obfervation during the time we were there ftationary. The
million of St. Diego is not within fight of the fea, nor o f the p o r t; it is
fituated in a valley within the view of, and about two miles diftant from,
the Prefidio to the north-eall; which was the only building feen from
our anchorage.
The {harp ridge of land, mentioned on the 27th o f the preceding month,
is connefted with the other mountains by an illhmus, or traCl of very low
land, which in the rainy feafon is flooded, and at high fpring tides makes
the
the lharp- land, forming the weft and north-weft fide o f the port, an
ifland. The Prefidio is on the continental fide of this low fandy ifthmus.
The peninfula bears a very different appearance when feen from the
port, from that before defcribed as obferved from the ocean. It de-
fcends with an uneven furface, and fome bullies grow on it, but no trees
of a large fize.
From the Prefidio, fouth-eaftward, the eaftern fide of the port is bounded
by high land as far as its head, from whence a narrow traft of low land
projefts, covered with bulhes, and forming the inner or upper harbour
o f the p o r t; its north-weft extremity was the eaftern Chore under
which we anchored, and to which ftation we had been principally directed
by a. plan o f the port publilhed by Mr. Dalrymple in the year
1782, This plan in point of correftnefs is juftly intitled to much
praife, but was yet capable, as far as came under my obfervation, of
the following little improvements. The fcale reprefenting five nautical
miles Ihould only fubtend three miles and an half; the (hoals
o f Barros de Zooniga, though well placed, inftead o f being two dif-
tinCl Ihoals ought to have been one intire Ihoal, ftretching fomething
further to the n . w, and s. e . than is therein reprefented; and the foundings
between Barros de Zooniga and the land o f ponta de la Loma
(which is omitted) are in no part, from the fouth extremity o f the former
diredly acrofs to the latter, more than 4 fathoms at high water, and
form a narrow bar from the Ihore to the Ihoal, gradually deepening as
well on the infide as on the outfide of the bar, with a regular increafe
in mid-channel, from 5 clofe to the Ihore, to 10 fathoms between the
two low points that form the entrance o f the port. This channel between
the point de la Loma and the flioal is the only navigable paffage
for Ihipping ; that to the north-eaftward o f the Ihoal does not any where
exceed half a mile in width, which, with its lhallow depth o f water,
render it ineligible excepting for boats, or veffels of very fmall draught.
The port however affords excellent anchorage, and is capable o f containing
a great number o f veffels ; but the difficulty, nay almoft impof-
fibility, of procuring wood and water under its prefent circumftances,
reduces its value as a port o f accommodation.
V o l . f l . 3 P At
1793‘
December.