SAN DIEGO—POINT CONCEPTION—MONTEREY. 
3 
we left the anchorage. We passed several small but high islands in the bay, all of them with 
steep, rocky shores, much obscured by vegetation. One of these islands was distinctly basaltic; 
the rock presenting a columnar structure. We subsequently passed one which appeared to 
consist of horizontal strata, capped with a thick layer of basalt, with columnar sides. The bold 
relief and bluff character of this western coast of the Isthmus contrasts strongly with the broad 
and low region on the east, and we have, in fact, a miniature representation of the conditions 
which obtain on the broadest part of the continent. 
June 30.—Crossed the Gulf of California, and came in sight of the Cordilleras of the Penin¬ 
sula of Lower California. The end of the Peninsula is very broad, and presents a bold front to 
the south. Cape St. Lucas is formed of a succession of precipitous, rocky islands, appearing as 
if they had been split apart, and from the main land. The mountains form an unbroken and 
lofty chain throughout the whole length of the Peninsula. 
San Diego , July 4.—We entered the harbor of San Diego on the south side of some compara¬ 
tively low and rounded hills, free from trees. They are of stratified sand and gravel, and have 
a modern appearance. The sea has worn away a large part of the outer point, and exposed the 
loose, earthy character of the strata to view. 
In passing up the coast through Santa Barbara channel a fine view of the islands was obtained. 
They are rocky and barren, and apparently formed of stratified rocks. An interesting example 
of the wearing power of the sea was presented at the eastern end of the island of Anacapa, a 
perfect archway having been formed in a thin wall-like mass of rock. 
Point Conception .—Point Conception is a prominent feature of the California coast, and holds 
nearly the same relation to it that Cape Hatteras does to the Atlantic. It is formed of low hills, 
with smooth, rounded outlines, projecting out into the sea several miles beyond the high ranges 
which form the coast further east. The rocks, seen from a distance, appear light-colored and 
stratified, but, at the water’s edge, are dark, and appear to resist the furiously-breaking surf 
very well. On nearing the point and passing it, the stratification was distinctly visible, with a 
dip varying from five to fifteen degrees by the clinometer. The end of the point is a vertical 
cliff, probably less than 100 feet high. The smooth, rounded surface of the point supports a 
growth of wild oats and weeds, and a herd of cattle were feeding on them. 
On rounding this cape the temperature suddenly changed, and overcoats and gloves were 
necessary for protection against a cold northwest wind. 
Numerous broad and black sheets of bitumen were seen floating on the waves, and I was in¬ 
formed that it floated down a stream from a short distance in shore, where there are springs of 
this material. 
Point Pinos , Monterey , July 6.—We came in sight of Point Pinos, the headland of the bay of 
Monterey. It is formed of hard rocks, which project into the sea towards the northwest and 
thus form a cove, sheltered from the southwest winds. We here, for the first time on the Cali¬ 
fornia coast, found the surface covered by trees. The point is thickly wooded with pines. A 
strange and striking contrast is presented by the whole coast up to this point with the green 
and wooded shore of the Atlantic seaboard. At this season the California shore presents one 
uniform shade of yellow or brown ; the grasses and wild oats being parched and withered by the 
drought. The absence of trees and forests is peculiarly favorable to geological investigation, 
permitting the outline and surface of every hill and mountain to be seen. 
The rocks of the point are of white or light-grey granite, and are considerably rounded and 
worn by atmospheric action and the wash of the sea. The city is built on a beautiful slope, and 
