498 



HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 



six miles from the town, affords an excellent anchor 

 age for vessels of any size ; but the inner bay can be 

 reached only by small merchant vessels. The bar, 

 however, between the two is only a few yards in ex- 

 'tent ; and if the importance of the place should ever 

 justify it, the channel might be made deeper without 

 difficulty or great expense. The adjacent country 

 being barren and mountainous, and the roads to the 

 interior exceedingly difficult, this place can never be 

 the outlet of much agricultural produce. But as the 

 island of Carmen, nearly opposite the entrance to 

 this bay, contains an almost inexhaustible supply of 

 salt, very easy of access, it is possible that the trade 

 in this article may eventually give considerable im 

 portance to the port of Escondido. 



The bay of Mulige contains several places of an 

 chorage, but none of them are deemed safe for large 

 vessels, or even from small vessels, at all seasons of 

 the year. There are also several other parts in the 

 gulf farther north which are occasionally visited by- 

 coasting vessels, but it is not known that any of them 

 are likely to be of much commercial importance. 



II. Proposed system of defence. It is not sup 

 posed that, under existing circumstances, any military 

 post will be necessary on the western coast of the 

 peninsula ; nor is it probable that, for many years, 

 any place there will become of sufficient importance 

 to justify the construction of military works for its 

 defence. It is true that the whale fishery on this 

 coast has become-, from the amount of shipping en 

 gaged in it, an object of the highest consideration ; 

 but our having ports of refuge at San Francisco or 

 San Diego, and at La Paz, strong enough to resist a 

 naval coup de main, will, it is believed, afford sufficient 



