May.] BAY AND PORT OF MONTEREY. 207 



fair weather, our port of destination being Monterey, about one hundred 

 leagues farther up the coast. While crossing the great Bay of St. 

 Barbara, we examined many islands for fur-seals, but without much 

 success. We saw a few sea-elephants, and a considerable number of 

 sea-leopards, which were very wild. 



Among the islands examined by us in the bay just named are St. 

 Clement, St. Catalina, St. Barbara, St. Rosa, and St. Miguel. The 

 last-named island is in lat. 33° 58' N., long. 119° 43' W. The coast 

 between Cape Conception and Cenizas Island is clear of dangers half 

 a mile from the shore ; and there is a good and safe passage inside of 

 the islands which lie off the Bay of St. Barbara, and good anchorage 

 round most of them. From the majority of these islands a shoal runs 

 off to some distance ; but every danger is marked by the kelp or rock- 

 weed, which often grows to twenty fathoms in length. 



To the north of Conception Point are several sunken rocks, lying 

 about a mile and a half to the west of Point Arguello. There are 

 also rocks and breakers lying one mile off-shore from Point Buchon ; 

 but the shores from this point, all the way to Point Pinos, which is the 

 south point of Monterey Bay, are bold and clear from dangers one- 

 fourth of a mile from the land. 



In entering the Bay of Monterey from the south, it is necessary to 

 give the western part of Point Pinos a good berth of about a mile and 

 a half ; as there are several sunken rocks lying more than a mile from 

 the shore, with shallow water on them. After bringing the northern 

 extremity of Point Pinos to bear south-south-east, you may haul into 

 the bay to the south-east, and from that to south-west, and anchor in 

 six fathoms, with the fort on the west side of the bay bearing west 

 half-south, distant about one mile. 



May 5th. — Having examined the coast and islands from St. Diego, 

 to the north, as far as Point Pinos, in lat. 36° 39' N., long. 121° 30' 

 W., we arrived at the port of Monterey on Thursday, the 5th of May 

 at nine A. M., and anchored in six fathoms of water, clay bottom ; 

 the flag-staff on the fort at the west side of the bay bearing west-half- 

 south, distant one mile. 



The Bay of Monterey is formed by Point Pinos on the south, and 

 Point New-year on the north. It is a spacious, sandy, open roadstead, 

 about twenty miles across, with anchorage near the shore in almost 

 every part of it. Although it is exposed to a heavy swell which rolls 

 in from the westward, no accidents have ever occurred to vessels 

 properly provided with cables and anchors. The landing is rough at 

 times, but not dangerously so ; and the best anchorage is in its south 

 angle, south-east of Point Pinos, close in with the shore, so as to 

 enjoy the protection of that point. 



The village and presidio of Monterey are situated upon a plain, 

 which is terminated by a range of wood-crowned heights. This place 

 was plundered and burnt, in the year 1819, by a piratical vessel under 

 the Buenos Ayrean flag, the crew having first taken possession of the 

 fort, and destroyed the greater part of its guns. The town is about 

 one mile from the landing ; being, as is usual with the Californian 



