HISTORY OP CALIFORNIA. 



APPENDIX M. 



In the early part of 1848, Lieut. H. W. Halleck, 

 of the Engineers, was ordered to make a reconnoi- 

 sance of the coast of Lower California, with reference 

 to the location of works of military defence. In his 

 report to Colonel Mason, after giving a general de 

 scription of the coast and harbors, and proposing a 

 system of military defence, he submits some remarks 

 upon the commercial and military importance of the 

 peninsula. The whole report is interesting, and fur 

 nishes the most correct information upon the subject 

 of the reconnoisance. It will form an interesting 

 conclusion to a work which has been principally 

 devoted to a description and history of Upper Cali 

 fornia. 



LA PAZ, April 12, 1848. 



Sm : In compliance with the instructions of the 

 commanding general of the department to make *a 

 " reconnoisance of the coast of California, with refer 

 ence to the location of works of military defence," I 

 reported in my last upon so much as relates to the 

 upper province, and I now submit a few remarks on 

 the military defence of the peninsula of Lower Cali 

 fornia. 



I. General description of the coast and harbors. 

 The principal ports of the coast of Lower California, 

 visited by whaling and merchant vessels, are San 

 Quintin, Magdalena, San Jose, La Paz, Escondido, near 

 Loreto,) and Mulige. There are some other points 

 which vessels occasionally touch for supplies and at 

 trade, but they are comparatively of little commercial 



