Complex sentence: General Juan Almonte described it as the deepest port on the Texas coast during an 1834 inspection for Antonio López de Santa Anna, and had been described as the "safest" on the coast, due to its protection by Copano Reef.
Split into simpler sentences: General Juan Almonte described it as the deepest port on the Texas coast during an 1834 inspection for Antonio López de Santa Anna. It was considered the "safest" on the coast, due to its protection by Copano Reef.