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® th® garrison, and the inconvenience felt by the governor, in
having to wait for a report of arrivals, until the masters of the vessels
could send their boats on shore.
The port of San Francisco does not show itself to advantage, until
after the fort is passed, when it breaks upon the view, and forcibly impresses
the spectator with the magnificence of the harbour. He then
beholds a broad sheet of water, sufficiently extensive to contain all the
British navy, with convenient coves, anchorage in every part, and, around,
a country diversified with hill and dale, partly wooded, and partly
disposed in pasture lands of the richest kind, abounding in herds of
cattle. In short, the only objects wanting to complete the interest of
the scene are some useful establishments and comfortable residences
on the grassy borders of the harbour, the absence of which creates an involuntary
regret, that so fine a country, abounding in all that is essential
to man, should be allow-ed to remain in such a state of neglect. So
poorly did the place appear to be peopled that a sickly column of smoke
rising from within some dilapidated walls, misnamed the presidio or
protection, w’as the only indication we had of the country being inhabited.
The harbour stretches to the S. E. to the distance of thirty miles,
and affords a water communication between the missions of San José,
Santa Clara, and the presidio, which is built upon a peninsula about
five miles in width. On the north the harbour is contracted to a strait,
which communicates with a basin ten miles wide, with a channel across
it sufficiently deep for frigates, though they cannot come near the land,
on account of the mud. A creek on the N . W. side of this basin leads
up to the new mission of San Francisco Solano ; and a strait to the eastward,
named Estréche de Karquines, communicates with another basin
into which three rivers discharge themselves, and bring down so large
a body of water that the estrécho is from ten to eleven fathoms deep.
These rivers are named Jesus Maria, El Sacraménto, and San Joachin :
the first, I was informed, takes a northerly direction, passes at the
back of Bodega, and extends beyond Cape Mendocino. El Sacraménto
trends to the N. E., and is said to have its rise in the rocky mountains
near the source of the Columbia. The other, San Joachin,
Nov.
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stretches to the southward, through the country of the Bolbones, and is
divided from the S. E. arm of the harbour by a range of mountains.
AA"hen Fangsdorff was at this port, an expedition was undertaken
by Don Louis Arguello and Padre Uria to make converts, and to inquire
into the nature of the country in the vicinity of the Sierra
nevada; and I learned from Don Louis, 1 believe a son of the commander,
that they traced the Sacramento seventy or eighty leagues
up, and that it was there very wide and deep, but that he had no boat
to ascertain its depth. The padre had it in contemplation to form a
settlement in that direction, which he thought would become very rich
in a short time by the number of Indians who would flock to i t ; but
as it was never done, I presume he found material obstacles to his
design.
As we opened out the several islands and stopping places in the
harbour, we noticed seven American whalers at anchor at Sausalito, not
one of which showed their colours; we passed them and anchored off
a small bay named Yerba Buena, from the luxuriance of its vegetation,
about a league distant from both the presidio and the mission of San
Francisco. I immediately went on shore to pay my respects to Don
Ignacio Martinez, a lieutenant in the Mexican army, acting governor
in the absence of Don Louis, and to the priest, whose name was Tomaso,
both of whom gave me a very hospitable and friendly reception, and
offered their services in any way they might be required. Our first
inquiries naturally related to supplies, which we were disappointed to
find not at all equal to what had been reported; in short, it seemed
that with the exception of flour, fresh beef, vegetables, and salt, which
might be procured through the missions, we should have to depend
upon the American vessels for whatever else we might want, or upon
what might chance to be in store at Monterey, a port of more importance
than San Francisco, and from being the residence of a branch of a
respectable firm in Lima, better supplied with the means of refitting
vessels after a long sea voyage.
It was evident from this report that the supplies were likely to be
very inadequate to our wants, but that no opportunity of obtaining
them might be lost, I despatched Mr. Collie the surgeon, and Mr.
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