240 G. Davidson — Northwestern Coast of America. 



After crossing the gulf of California Cabrillo says : " On Sun- 

 day, the second of July, they found themselves in twenty-four 

 degrees and more, and recognized the Puerto del Marquez del 

 Valle, which they called la Cruz, which is the coast of Califor- 

 nia." Ferrelo says : " They anchored the following Monday, on 

 the third of tiie same month, off the point of California," etc. 



The easternmost land of the peninsula of Lower California is 

 cape Pulmo, under which there is a goocj anchorage and fresh 

 water. The eastern point of the land, which is a cliff 410 feet 

 high and rises rapidly inland, is in latitude 23°. 23', and if 

 Cabrillo observed for latitude, as we may feel assured he did 

 when he made this landfall, the correction to his determination 

 is— 0° 37'^' and more." 



At cape San Lucas, the southwesternmost point of the penin- 

 sula, the ships anchored in the comfortable bay and took in 

 water. The anchorage is in latitude 22° 52' and its position was 

 already known. Cabrillo does not mention this harbor, and 

 Ferrelo evidently did not observe for latitude, for his narrative 

 states, " they say that this port is in twenty-three degrees." 

 This indicates a correction of — 0° .08' to the assumed position. 



From cape San Lucas the navigators followed the coast, which 

 Ulloa had discovered three years earlier. If they had copies of 

 his chart or of his report they never refer to them or to him or 

 use his names of capes and bays, except the island of Cedros. 

 Northward of cape San Lucas we begin to find the large errors 

 of latitude which began at the " Point of California." As they 

 were reconnoitering the coast during the summer months, the 

 weather was generally fair for observation, the winds adverse 

 and sometimes quite strong, the swell heavy, and the fogs in- 

 creasing as they advanced. Until well to the northward the 

 fogs would rarely prevent a noon observation for latitude. 



The two narratives refer to seventy-one positions that are sub- 

 ject to identification ; yet it is somewhat singular that the Cabrillo 

 narrative has only two independent observations for latitude, 

 while the Ferrelo narrative has twentj^-two. Whenever the 

 latitude of a place is given by both narratives, which occurs 

 eight times, the two statements are identical, except in the case 

 of point Conception, where the correction to Cabrillo's determi- 

 nation is — 2° 3' and to Ferrelo's — 1° 33' " and more." 



The corrections, with a gradual increase as the latitude in- 

 creases, are fairly uniform for certain stretches, when we consider 



