22 HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 



on to the bay of San Francisco, and could not retrace 

 their steps before the cold weather set in, and they 

 then returned to San Diego. The people left at San 

 Diego had been several times attacked by the natives, 

 and after the return of Portola's party they almost 

 perished for want of food. But a supply arrived on 

 the very day upon which they had agreed to abandon 

 the place and return to Mexico. Portola again set 

 out for Monterey, and there effected a settlement. 

 Parties of emigrants from Mexico came to the western 

 shore of California during the year 1770, and establish- 

 ments were made on the coast between San Diego and 

 Monterey. The multiplication of their cattle, inde- 

 pendent of the fruits of agricultural labor, before 1775, 

 made the settlers of Upper California able to resist 

 the perils to which their situation exposed them. 



In order to give efficiency to the operations on the 

 western coast of North America, the Spanish govern- 

 ment selected the port of San Bias, in Mexico, at the 

 entrance of the Gulf of California, for the establish- 

 ment of arsenals, ship-yards and warehouses, and 

 made it the centre of all operations undertaken in that 

 quarter. A marine department was created for the 

 special purpose of advancing the interests of the 

 Spaniards in the settlement of the western shore of 

 California. By the energy displayed in managing 

 this department the Spaniards succeeded in making 

 eight establishments on the Pacific coast between the 

 California peninsula and Cape Mendocino, before 

 1779. The most southern post was San Diego, and 

 the most northern, San Francisco, on the great bay 

 of the same name. The establishments were almost 

 entirely military and missionary, the object of the 

 Spaniards being solely the occupation of the country. 



