496 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. 



Sir: 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^iefence 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 



