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WEST COAST OK MEXICO.
<trep reT ri't" ' ’ ®" """ '“'fF » '“" '1».
■ '. to " to " " ''" ''- “'"I""!-' '» >fo- oari'vard will, I..,,,/ s„,„ ly o f f
r Z . Ir™* .0 ,1
itnSr'r "V: 7'' ° '
¡ s t o ^ ^ . „ o r o l v e 7 r z % : r .W i p t i o . . ;
T h e re a re p a e s a g « w ,„ - ,e n each „ f .h e to i s la a * . T h e „„,-rt.e..„ d ,„ .,„ e l re n airc s ,u,
b a t ra re must be t o e u o f a re e t ly in g one th ird o f a mile off its S. W . point, and o f a sl.oal
ex te n d in g a mile an d a halt oft its sonth-eastern extremity, i did n o t stand close to tl.e
r i n e ^ r r i ^ 7 ” r " « . v e tliat there were breakers ex te n d in g full th ree qu arte rs of
a mrle off its S. E . e x trem m-i and Iw a s informed a t &m Bias th a t some reefs also extended
two to o u r miles off its sondi-westeri. point. T h e re is an isle t off the n o rth -w est p a rt
p lo T r ie d boW on all sides; but I ean.iot say how closely it may be ap-
F rom * e south channel P ied ro de M e r bears N. 76° E .. tru e, abont forty-five miles.
b h'° ■J-'i"« ‘he
T d iV o r i l d l t d ' ‘he ehip may be
T h e P iedro de M e r is a white rock, abont a h undred and th irty fe e t high, and a liundred
7 7 S T v ; 7 t “m S ‘' ’ f‘° “ M o u n t S t j t l
is d d l ™ ° “ > “■“> e e 'e e e th e weatlier
S ie rra , for which yon should
u7 W V n J ' “ f '•“ " " a between tlie two, as there
S 79 ; 7 7 ” “ “ ‘" 'a n d . T h is course will be
7 , ■b “h e ‘‘‘«‘an e e betwe en th e two rooks is v e ry n ea rly ten miles
T o b n ^ n p m th e road o f .San Bias, ronnd th e P ied ro de T ie rra , a t a cable's lengtli
d i s ^ c e , an d anchor m five fathoms, witli the low rocky point of ti.e 1,arbour bea rin g N . X E
^ d th e two Predros m one. T h is road i , very much exposed to winds from S. S. W ,1
ships should a lw a y .b e prepared for sea, unless it he in the mo.iti.s iu wliieh
»am^s a re settled. .Should tlie wind veer to th e westward, and a gale from that
q ^ r b e ap p reh en d e d , no time should be lost in slipping and endeavouring to g e t an
o g, X, a v e « l a t anchor i , deeply embayed, and tlic holding ground is very had in case
' t i Z T Z v i Z 7 ' between the I'icd re de T ie rra and
th e F r r t B l n i m order to roake a taek to th e westward o f the roek, afte r wi.icli it will not
W n e ^ ag-ain to stand to the northward o f a line connecting tl.c two Piedro,
The road o f .Son Bias should n o t he frequented hetween the moiftli, nf May nnd
D c c e ro te r. as d n n n g t t o , peroxi th e crrast 1. visited hy storms from the so u tliw a ri and
woHtwanl, fitUinflcfl hy Iicavy rain«, arifl fJiiinder arifi lis'ht.riini'. I t w h.-^irlen th e »ickly
Hcasori, arul tlic ¡filialiíUnts liavlng all migrated 'J'cpic, no hu.%if!e<w wha tever w transacted
a t tlu; port.
i t is lilgli water a t San B la a a t i)h. 4J in., full and change ; ñae between six an d seven
fe et spring tide.
MAZATLAN.
'J’lie ancliorage a t Mazatlan, a t th e mouth o f th e G n ifo f California, in Úte e v e n t o f a
gale from the south-westward, is more unsafe than th a t a t .San Bias, as it is necesaar^* to
anchor so close to the shore, th a t there is not room to cast and make a tack- Merch an t vesseis
moor here with tlie determination o f rid in g out the w e ath er, and for tiiis purpose go well
into th e bay. Ve ry few accidents, however, have occurred, eith e r h ere o r a t San Bias,
as it scarcely ever blows from th e q u a rte r to which these roads are open betwe en M a v an d
December.
T h e re is no dan g e r whatever on th e coast betwe en P ie d ro de M e r and M a z a tla n : the
lead is a sure guide. T h e island o f Isabella is steep, an d has no d an g e r a t th e distance o f a
q u arte r of a mile. I t is a small island, about a mile in len g th , with two remarkable ne ^ i e
rocks ly in g n ea r the shore to th e eastward of it.
B eatin g up along the coast of Sonora, some low hills, o f which two o r th re e are shaped
like cones, will be seen upon th e sea-shore. T b e first o f these is ab o u t nino leagues south c«
Mazatlan, and within view of th e Island o f Crestón, which forms th e p o rt o f Mazatlan- A
cu rren t sets to th e southward along tbis coast, a t th e ra te o f eig h tee n or tw en ty a
Having approached the coast about tbe latitu d e o f 23" 11 X - Crestón and some other
steep rocky islands will be seen. Crestón is th e highest o fth e se , an d mav be fu rth e r known h r
two small islands to th e northward o f it, having a white chalkv appearance. S te e r for C re s te s ,
and pass between it an d a small rock to th e southward, an d wheu inside th e bltn£ la ffn u - and
anchor immediately in about seven and a h a lf fathoms, th e small rock ab o u t S. IT" í L and
the bluff A \ . by S. Both th is bluff and tb e rock mav b e passed with in a q u an e x c f a
cable’s le n g th ; the rock has from twelve to fifteen fathoms, within th irty yards o f it in e v é rr
direction. I t is, however, advisable to keep a t a little distance from th e bloffl to
tbe eddy winds. Afte r having passed it be careful not to shoot much to th e Dorthwani .«
the before-mentioned bea rin g (IV. by S . \ as th e w a te r shoals suddenly, o r to reaa.'i so ¿ r
to the eastward as to open th e zcest ta n g e n t o f the jx'ntns’uhi with th e p o in t o f a
low rocky island S. V*. o f it. as th a t will be n ea r a dimgerous rock, n e a rlv in th e ce n tre o fth e
anchorage, with only eleven fe et Muter upon it a t low spring-tides. an d with deep w a ra:
a ll round it. I moored a buoy upon i t ; b u t should this b e washed awav, its sivAikc-
may be knoM ii by the eastern extreme o f th e before-menrioneil low rocky 2shin.i. r e tween
wliioh and B attery P eak th ere is a chauuel ixw small vessels, bcirg- in one w : ¿ a
Kx'clgc-shaju'd protttbt'raniY on th e iccsfern hillock o f th e northerK s.<7j/c;} ^^ahout th re e nv_es
north o f Crestón), aud the N. V '. ex trem ity o f the high rocfcv isl.md tv' th e o f the
ancliorage b e in g a Httle open with a iw k mouth ot'tJk^ rs r e r iu th e N. T. T h e soc^ i
tan g en t of this island will also bo open a little ). with a kiark r-xW-í ii.V ou th e secer^i
range o f mountains in the oast. Those direetious will, I think, be quite ir.te-'.iri.hh- —.
tho spot.