4 VOYAGE TO THE 



holds a broad sheet of water, sufficiently extensive to 

 contain all the British navy, with convenient coves, 

 anchorage in every part, and, around, a country diver- 

 sified with hill and dale, jiartly wooded, and partly dis- 

 posed 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 use- 

 ful 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 

 allowed 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, was 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 be- 

 tween the missions of San Jose, Santa Clara, and the 

 presidio, which is built upon a peninsula about five 

 miles in width. On the north the harbour is con- 

 tracted 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 

 Estrecho de Karquines, communicates with another 

 basin into which three rivers discharge themselves, 

 and bring down so large a body of water that the 

 estrecho is from ten to eleven fathoms deep. These 

 rivers are named Jesus Maria, El Sacramento, and 

 San Joachin : the first, I was informed, takes a north- 

 erly direction, passes at the back of Bodega, and ex- 



