Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1846-12-12
ran sAY OF. .An rRAxc1.oo.

The sutjoined description Of the bsy and hs ?
Dor Of San Francisco 10 from Fsrnham's Ira
pels IN CslOor'sia. The testimony Of al navi
gators who have visited this magnificent hsrSol
concurs in pfououncing il one ofths most noble
receptacles cf ships and shipping anywhere te
be found on The globe.
The harbors on the Pacific coast are % lew
towards the North that San Francisco, even Il
ito natural advantages were but ordinary, would
become an important poin. in tho future deve.
iopement Of the commerce Of the Pacific.
With its very extraordinary advantages 70 ad.
nirsbly adapting il 10 the uses Of vas, trade
with ks special facilities of access and defence.
rendering il 90 happily suited fdr naval depo,
such ss might be required by the FIRST maritime
power in tho world. the importance Of such q
harbor can scarcely be estimated BY any known
standards of vsfue applicable to sach thine..
The natural faciiities for communication be-.
tween San Francisco and the valley ofthe Mis-.
souri, are such that the hand OF art, in perfecing
them, will seem to be cooperating with Na,arc
s~s"Os tusu ovCtSOtuuIS uCT
"The bay Of San Francisco is the glory Of the
western world. lts mouth lies in latitude 81
degrees So minutes. The water on the bar is
eight fathoms at low water. The mountains
on either hand rise several hundred fee: above
the sea, and form the land marks in foggy wea.
ther to point out the bar, and the chansel into
the harbor. The cspes at the oceans edge are
about two miles apart, always verdsnt and re.
freshing to the eye; and. as you 60 up the pas.
sage, the little streams ,umbling from the rocks
among the greenwood, and the wild game ont
on the clifs. or frolicking among the brush. and
the seal basking in the water. give promise Of
pleasure and rest from the tolls Of the sea.
This passage is about five miles in length.
Four and half miles from the capes i. narrows
considerably, and presents bold point North
and South. The fort on which this mighty har.
Dor condescends TO depend for protection is in
ruins A dozen old rusty guns. in the care of
thirty or forty half.clad, hslfbreed soldiers, u.
suslIy forsgiug in squads Of FIVE or ten among
the neieh6ormg Missionsi one side OF its walls
tumbied down, and another strongly disposed 10
pluhg into The sea, and not The tenth of true
soldiers heart beating for q hundred mi 90 4.
round, isa true summing up of its present
strength. lsu
Six miles from the capes at the mouth and
at the point whero il begins to open into the
Bay, are two small islands on which forts might
be conveniently built. that would command the
narrows, and also the entrance into both the
north and south part of the bay. Indeed. The
whole bay is so studded with islands easily
fortified, and so overhung by headlands, which
OF themselves are forlresses, that party in pos.
session Of them could hold the Bay agains, vast
cdds, and in comparative security. From the
to the northern point Of the bay 10 ,wen.
,y-four miles. and to the south eastern point
thirty five miles.
The sonthnrn hsliof the Bay varies from four.
teen to fifteen, the northern half from four to
twenty miles in width. In every part OF this
large tract of water is good holding ground. and
Oh all its shores are coves in which vessels of
any tonnage may lie snug and secure from
storms. within cables length from the land
In the N. w. corner Of the Bay is the nIet Of
the Rio Sacramento.
Tho surpassng beauty and msgniGcence OF
this harbor Of San Francisco can never be pro.
perly estimated by being viewed from the land
One must approach il from the sea: have a
full view Of the LOFTY shores north and south, ri
sing at intervals into ..fy peaks girded a, their
basis with pri'neval forests Of evergreen cedars
and pines mo.tled with the boughs Of the oak.
the ash. and the plane. The bar which springs
from the northern headlsnds Of jts entrance, and
running beneath the blue waters of the Pacific
from Ave To nine fa.hoins. causing belt Of surf
to roll scross the mouth, must be passed. A
breeze must hear your bark over and along the
dangerous rocks three-qusrlers Of mile inside
on the right, qusrrelling with the surges, and
onwsrd four miles between the projecting clifis.
overhanging peaks and vcrdaus woodlands filed
with starting deer and other game, to the hsr-
bore st the naFrows beneath the fort thence
outward still past the fort and the Bay 10 seep,
broad sheet Of water stretching Oh. north and
south, the largest end best harbor Of the earth,
surrounded by country, partly wooded, and
partly disposed In open giades snd ptaifiesu OF
the richest kind, covered with the taocks and
herds u the missions. and dsss. end elh. ana
bssrs And enid the besusitoi Aills Of the sou,h
and sssl Of ssnta Clsss. Fl Pueblo Can jos,.
and xissios San Jose :snd on ths southern
penin shla. nvs miles wide, b Ban Frsueisco,
'Yerba Bueno. the trading house OF the Hudop