Ex. Doc. No. 41. 107 



ff i^" 



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like those we captured at the mouth of the Gila, were mostly un- 

 broken, and not of much service. 



My observations give for the latitude of our camp of this date, 

 ^v■hich was on the meadow to the south of the rancheria, 33° 16' 57''. 



We remained in camp on the 3d to rest. 



December 4,-^The morning was murky, and we did not start till* 

 9 o'clock, about which time it commenced to rain heavilyj and the 

 rain lasted all day. Our route was chiefly through narrow valleys 

 overtopped by high hills of some fertility, covered with oaks. We 

 were now in the region of rains, and the vegetation, though not 

 luxuriant, was very much changed, but it was too late in the fall to 

 get the flowers or fruits to determine the plants. 



Our camp was pitched, after marching 13^ miles, in the valley of 

 the Rio Isabel, near the rancheria of Mr. Stokes, formerly the mis- 

 sion of Saint Isabel. 



r* S. had gone, but he left his keys with^a man whom the Span- 

 iards called Signor Beel, with directions to entertain us. The Sig- 

 ner was a deserter from an English merchant-man, and had lived 

 in the neighboring mountains some ten years; during this time he 

 tad acquired a little property, and some knowledge of Spanish, but 

 the sailor was visible in all his acts. Before night Mr. Beel had 

 ^ade good use of his keys, and shone in his true colors as sailor 



Bill. -^ ' ' • V 



e were drenched to the skin, and looked forward with some 

 pleasure to the idea of once more entering a house, with a blazing 

 ^I'e and plenty to eat and drink. In the last two items we were 

 entirely satisfied, but sadly disappointed[ in finding no fire, the only 

 chimney about the rancheria being in the kitchen. 



Ine dragoons took the dinner intended for the officers, and we 

 ^ere obliged to stand, cracking our heels in the cold damp chapel, 

 ^ow converted into a hall, for two hours, before the Signor, or 

 rather Sailor Bill, could cook another dinner. 



ihe appearance of desolation which the rancheria presents is 

 Hjle calculated to impress us with favorable notions of the agri- 

 <:ultural resources of this part of California. The land in the nar- 

 row valleys is good, but surrounded every where by high barren 

 fountains, and where the land is good, the seasons are too dry for 

 ^^n to attempt cultivation without facilities for irrigation. 



December 5. — A cold rainy day, and the naked Indians of the 

 ''ancheria gathered around our fires. We marched from the ran- 

 ^neria of San Isabel to that of Santa Maria. On the way we met 

 vfl!* ^'^^^^^P^^j Lieut. Beale, and Midshipman Duncan of the navy, 

 sn t K ^"*^ ^^ thirty-five men, sent from San Diego with a de- 

 ^^tch te Gen. Kearny. We arrived at the rancheria after dark, 

 tot^fi^ T'^ ^eard that the enemy was in force nine miles distant, and 

 <iam .1 '^^ ^ny grass about the rancheria, we pushed on and en- 

 ^ h ] ^^^ c^fioG two miles below. It was long after night when 

 co^ IH ^^^ though there may have been plenty of grass, we 



sca^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^' Besides the rain, a heavy fog obscured the land- 



P^) and little could be seen of the country during the day's jour- 



