Clearing the Faranolles
Making the entrance to the Bay of San
Francisco
The passage through the Strait
Appearance of the Bay
Town of San Francisco
The anchor is let go
The Author goes on shore
His bad luck
Sweeting’s Hotel
The Author and Mr. Malcolm propose visiting
the American settlements
They become acquainted with Captain Fulsom
and Mr. Bradley
Object of the Author’s visit to
California
Mr. McPhail leaves for Sonoma
The Houses of San Francisco, and their
inhabitants
Native California
Senoritas and cigarettos.
... I felt heartily glad to hear that we were
then clearing the Faranolles, and soon hurried up
on deck, but we continued beating about for several
hours before we made the entrance to the Bay of San
Francisco. At length, however, we worked our way
in between the two high bluffs, and along a strait
a couple of miles wide and nearly five miles long,
flanked on either side with bold broken hills—passing
on our right hand the ricketty-looking fortifications
erected by the Spaniards for the defence of the passage,
but over which the Yankee stars and stripes were now
floating. On leaving the strait we found ourselves
on a broad sheet of rippling water looking like a great
inland lake, hemmed in on all sides by lofty hills
on which innumerable herds of cattle and horses were
grazing, with green islands and clusters of rock rising
up here and there, and a little fleet of ships riding
at anchor. On our right was the town of San Francisco.
I had suffered so much from the voyage, that when
the anchor was let go I felt no inclination to hurry
on shore. McPhail and Malcolm, however, went
off, but promised to return to the ship that night.
I soon after turned into my hammock, and, thanks to
the stillness of the water in which we rode, slept
soundly till morning.
April 29th.—This morning we all
rose early, and went on shore. The little baggage
we had we took in the boat. Malcolm told me that
he had heard the war was over between the United States
and Mexico, and I bitterly congratulated myself on
experiencing my usual run of bad luck. We made
our way to Sweeting’s hotel, which Malcolm and
McPhail had visited yesterday, and stated to be the
best of the three hotels which have sprung up here
since the Americans became masters of the place.
Malcolm intends making an excursion to the interior.
He proposes to visit the American settlements, and
to satisfy himself as to the reputed advantages which
California presents as an agricultural country.
I have agreed to accompany him. We have fallen
in with two very pleasant American gentlemen at our
hotel to-day—one, a Captain Fulsom, holding
some appointment under Government here; the other,
a young friend of his named Bradley. We had some
conversation together on the subject of the Mexican
