104 HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 



stantly increasing commerce. In its streets and 

 squares, erected where, just before, was a desert 

 plain, people of almost every nation were seen busily 

 engaged in traffic, or preparing for departure to the 

 gold region. It seemed the work of the enchanter. 



Although, like San Francisco, Monterey was almost 

 deserted by its inhabitants upon the receipt of informa- 

 tion of the gold discovery, it soon began to give signs 

 of improvement. The bay, upon the shore of which 

 the town is located, is more exposed to the swell of 

 the sea, and to the north-west storms, than the Bay of 

 San Francisco, and therefore the harbor is inferior. 

 Yet Monterey received a considerable share of the tide 

 of emigration. Those who stopped there were gener- 

 ally persons who intended to make a permanent 

 settlement, and engage in mercantile pursuits ; and, 

 therefore, though the increase of the town was not so 

 rapid as that of San Francisco, it carried with it more 

 denotements of stability. 



The town is situated on a short bend near the en- 

 trance of the bay, upon its southern side. The point 

 of land which partly protects its harbor from the sea 

 is called Point Pinos. A very neat and pretty appear- 

 ance is presented by the houses of the native Califor- 

 nians, which are generally constructed of adobes and 

 white-plastered. Those of the Americans are easily 

 distinguished by their being built of logs and planks, 

 and presenting a more substantial, but rougher appear- 

 ance. The town is surrounded by hills, covered with 

 lofty pine trees. Upon a height which overlooks the 

 town and harbor, a fort was built by the Americans 

 during the war with Mexico, and a military force con- 

 tinued there till after the treaty of peace. 



The country in the neighborhood of Monterey is 



