MR. HARTWEG'S JOURNAL OF A MISSION TO CALIFORNIA. 189 



procure horses, and return thence by land to Monterey. On the 

 following day we anchored off Santa Cruz, where the ship was 

 to remain a day or two. I took advantage of this delay, and 

 made an excursion to the mountains, in a different direction 

 from that visited before. Passing through a copse wood, com- 

 posed chiefly of Pavia californica, Quercus californica, Ceanothus 

 thyrsiflorus, Corylus No. 85, Rhus viride, called 1 Yedra,' and 

 justly dreaded by the inhabitants for its poisonous properties, I 

 entered a beautiful pine-wood. The leaves of this species of 

 pine stand in threes ; are longer than the cones, usually 1 1 inches 

 in length ; cones 5 inches long by 2j at the broadest part, of a 

 reddish brown, the centre of the scales terminating in a small 

 sharp point, bent downwards. The trees rise to the height of 

 100 feet, with a stem 3 to 4 feet in diameter, producing the 

 cones in clusters of three or four, which ripen towards Septem- 

 ber, or in about eight months from the time of flowering. This 

 handsome species of pine, which appears to be new, 1 have named, 

 in compliment to the late Secretary of the Society, George Ben- 

 tham, Esq., Pinus Benthamiana. 



Another kind of pine that I found within a few hundred yards 

 of the foregoing species, is, probably, the doubtful and little 

 known Pinus californica : the trees seem to be of slow growth, 

 and do not attain any great height, seldom more than 25 feet by 

 8 inches in diameter. The leaves are in bundles of three, 4J 

 inches long ; cones, 5 to 5 J inches long by 2 broad, the outer 

 surface curved, the inner straight, scales on the outer surface 

 more developed, enclosing two small, flat, winged seeds. The 

 cones are only produced on the main stem ; when ripe, they are 

 of a light-brown colour, and stand off at nearly a right angle ; 

 when old, of a silvery grey, pressing firmly upon the stem, and 

 remain on the trees for a series of years without opening or 

 shedding their seeds. ' 



On August the 28th, the bark got under weigh for Yerba 

 Buena. On the afternoon of the same day we encountered a 

 strong north-west gale, which tore some sails and obliged us to 

 put back to repair damages. On the 30th we sailed again, and 

 having to contend against headwinds and a strong current, kept 

 close in shore. The whole of the coast is destitute of trees or 

 shrubs, with the exception of Point Ano Kuevo, where some 

 pines or cypresses seem to grow. 



On September the 2nd, we were opposite the narrow but safe 

 entrance to the bay of San Francisco ; a large inland sea, divided 

 into several branches, forming not only the principal port in 

 California, but the largest and safest on the whole western coast 

 of America. About noon we anchored off Yerba Buena, a small 

 town, rising rapidly in importance. 



