shop and sail-room. Almost everything involving the labor of the arti¬ 
san was prepared on the ground, and all the iron and brass works, to¬ 
gether with the composition bolts, were gotten up at the foundry con¬ 
nected with the firm’s Port Madison mill.” 
Harbors. The northwest coast is very destitute of safe 
harbors ; we know of no coast so barren of secure anchorages. 
The bay of Monterey is a broad sheet of water and acceptable in 
all winds; this roadstead was the rendezvous of the Spanish 
and Mexican fleets; considerable commerce congregates there 
since the transfer of the territory and the advent of live people ; 
little trade or exchange takes place. This broad, expansive 
bay opens to the northwest and north winds, and the swells of 
the Pacific ocean come in with such force as to prevent the 
building of wharves or docks on the margin of the bay. The 
bay of San Francisco is a large sheet of water running about 
sixty miles S.E. and N.W., and from ten to twenty miles in 
width. The fierce gales from the southeast prevailing in those 
regions in the winter months, have a clear sweep of sixty miles, 
create a cross sea, and make much havoc among the shipping. 
The north winds have a range of over twenty miles ; the westerly 
gales rushing “ through the gate of tears ” from the Indies, stirs 
up the waters into fury and renders the anchorage unsafe. Any 
part of Barnstaple bay affords as safe protection to vessels as 
the bay of San Francisco. In 1841, Lieut. Wilkes, command¬ 
ing the United States exploring expedition, visited the north¬ 
west coast, and has recorded his experience in the principal 
harbors, from which we quote extensively. Of San Francisco 
he remarks: 44 On the first of November we had a wind that 
enabled us to make sail, although it was late in the day before 
it was sufficiently strong, and by that time the ebb-tide was 
spent. To avoid any further delay I determined to make the 
attempt; signal was accordingly made, and the vessels were in 
a few minutes underweigh, standing out of the harbor. It may 
indeed be said that it is practicable to enter and depart from 
this port whenever the tide is favorable. We continued beating 
out to gain an offing until toward sunset, when it fell calm and 
the tide failed us. The 4 Vincennes ’ was, therefore, compelled 
to anchor in six and three-quarters fathoms of water, three miles 
from the land, and signal was made to the two brigs, which 
were about three miles outside of our position, to do the same. 
On coming to anchor there was scarcely any swell, and the ship 
lay almost as still as if she had been within tho harbor; the sun* 
