88 HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 



diately formed, and emigrants soon crowded every 

 route to the " Land of Promise." Then San Francisco 

 began to be the great receptacle of the emigrants and 

 the merchandise of various kinds necessary for their 

 maintenance. The following is a very complete pic- 

 ture of the city after the spreading of the gold news, 

 and the flood of emigration had commenced. 



" Numberless vessels, mostly from the United States, 

 filled the bay, in front of San Francisco, many of them 

 being deserted by their crews, and unable to procure 

 others to take their places. On landing, I had to 

 clamber up a steep hill, on the top of which, and 

 opposite to where I stood, was a large wooden house, 

 two stories high, and scarcely half finished. In the 

 rear of this, rose another and a steeper hill, whose 

 slopes were covered with a multiplicity of tents. To 

 my right, ran a sort of steep, or precipice, defended 

 by sundry pieces of cannon, which commanded the 

 entrance to the harbor. I next came to the ' Point,* 

 and, crossing it, found myself within the town. 



" The first objects that attracted my notice were 

 several canvas houses, measuring from ten to forty 

 feet square, some being grog-shops, others eating 

 establishments, and the larger set apart as warehouses, 

 or places of storage. The proprietors of the latter 

 were making enormous sums by the accommodation 

 their tents afforded to the hundreds of travellers who 

 were arriving every day from different parts, and who, 

 being extremely embarrassed as to what they should 

 do with their luggage, were heartily glad to find any 

 safe place to store it in, and content to pay for the 

 convenience. 



" The spectacle which the beach presented from a 

 convenient opening, whence I could comprise the 



