442 HARBORS AND TOWNS. [1841. 



boundary, California has no other considerable streams ex- 

 cept it be the Rio de San Buenaventura. This last stream 

 has a north-westerly course of upwards of one huudred 

 miles, and discharges its waters into the bay of Monterey. 



The bay of San Francisco is not only the best harbor in 

 California, but it is one of the finest in the world. It lie? 

 parallel to the ocean, at a distance of from five to six miles, and 

 is connected with it by a narrow strait from two to four 

 miles in width. The bay is about forty-five miles long, and 

 varies in width from four to ten miles. It affords abundant 

 anchorage for vessels of the largest class, and is capable of 

 sheltering the navies of the world from the waves and tem- 

 pests of the neighboring ocean. At its northern extremity 

 it is connected by a small strait with the bay of San Pablo, 

 which is circular, and about ten miles in diameter. The 

 latter is, in turn, connected witli Suisun Bay, into which the 

 San Joaquin and the Sacramento debouch, by the Straits 

 of Karquinez. Vessels of light draught can ascend the 

 Sacramento as high as Sacramento city. The San Joaquin 

 is also navigable, in like manner, for some distance, varying 

 with the different stages of the water. 



Monterey has a bay, or roadstead, which is sufficiently 

 capacious, and affords pretty secure anchorage in the south- 

 east corner of the bight, inside of a line drawn from Point 

 Aiio Nuevo through Point Pinos, but elsewhere it is not 

 protected against the north-westerly winds. The harbor of 

 San Diego is a semi-circular indentation of the coast ; it is 

 protected on the north and east by high bluffs, and is con- 

 sidered perfectly safe. 



Since the discovery of gold in California, towns and cities 

 have sprung up like mushrooms, and it would be useless 

 and unwise to attempt to describe them, as the changes con- 

 stantly taking place are so great, and of such a character, 

 that a description, however faithful at the moment, could 

 scarcely be written ere it would prove to be erroneous. At 

 the time of the cession to the United States, the only places 

 of any importance in the territory, were Yerba Buena, or 



