must anchor far enough out to be able to slip her cable and go to sea upon the first appearance of a southeaster. Several vessels have been driven ashore here.

An extensive saw-mill is located on the north side of the river, some distance up; formerly (1853) it was on the north head, and a stationary engine was placed near the mouth of the river to draw loaded cars up the inclined plane, whence they were drawn to the mill. The lumber was slid down chutes into large scows, and carried to the anchorage.

cino.

The place is sometimes called Meiggsville, but generally it is known as Mendo

The secondary astronomical station of the Coast Survey is on the north head, and its geographical positition

Latitude..

Longitude

Or, in time..

39 18 06.1 north. 123 47 25.6 west.

h. m. 8.
8 15 09.7.

The computed magnetic variation, 160 35" east, July 1857; increasing about 1' yearly.

From the point just north of Mendocino Bay, (the first one made from Arena,) the shore runs nearly straight for twenty-eight miles north by west half west, being low and bounded by rocks for twelve miles, when the back hills reach the water and present an almost vertical front two thousand feet in height.

From the deepest part of the bight the general trend of the coast to Cape Mendocino is northwest three-quarters west, and distant forty-five miles, and for part of this distance it is particularly bold and forbidding, the range of hills running parallel to the shore and rising directly from it. At a distance of one mile from shore the general depth of water is twenty fathoms. About twenty-six miles north of Mendocino Bay and twenty miles south of Shelter Cove is an indentation in the coast line, locally known as Summer Harbor, whence a limited shipment of agricultural produce is made in summer.

For January 1859, the line of equal magnetic variation of 17° east crosses the coast-line in latitude 39° 58′, and in latitude 39° 48′ crosses the 125th degree of longitude. This line moves southward about a mile and a half annually.

SHELTER COVE.

From the compact shore above described a plateau, destitute of wood, and from sixty to three hundred feet in height, makes square out just above latitude 40° north for a distance of half a mile, affording an anchorage from northwest winds, and may, perhaps, be regarded as a harbor of refuge for small coasters which have experienced heavy weather off Cape Mendocino, and are short of wood and water, both of which may be obtained here from one or two gulches opening upon the sea. From Point Arena it bears northwest by north, one-third north, distant sixtyfive miles. The whole sea-face of the bluff is bounded by thousands of rocks above and below water, and vessels coming from the north for shelter must give it a wide

berth, rounding it within one-third of a mile, and anchoring in five fathoms, hard bottom, about one-third of a mile from shore. In this position fresh water comes down a ravine bearing about north, and an Indian village existed in 1853 at the bottom of the wooded ravine, a little further to the eastward. There is always a swell here, and boat-landing may not be very easy.

The secondary astronomical station of the Coast Survey was on the southeast part of the bluff, about sixty feet above the sea. Its geographical position is

The computed magnetic variation, 17° 22′ east, in July 1857; increasing about 1' yearly.

Upon old Spanish charts a point in this vicinity is designated Point Delgado, perhaps referring to it. La Pérouse, 1787, calls it Punta del Gada.

Tebenkoff's chart designates it as Point Vizcaino, but locates it in latitude 39° 48', longitude 123° 53'.

A hydrographic sketch of Shelter Cove accompanied the Coast Survey report for 1854.

About six miles northwestward of Shelter Cove, under a jutting point, a small stream enters, called Marone River on the Russinn chart of Tebenkoff. Thence to Punta Gorda the coast is bordered by a good sand beach, while the hills, rising behind it, are rounding, covered with grass and herbage and sparsely timbered. This characteristic of the hills exists from Shelter Cove to Cape Mendocino, and the valleys are dotted with settlers' houses, &c. The tops of the mountains are covered with chapparal. One noticeable peak, about three miles inland and rising above the Coast range, just north of Shelter Cove, attains an elevation of four thousand eight hundred and eighteen feet, and another prominent peak lies seven and a half miles southeast of the former.

In 1867 the light-house steamer Shubrick was wrecked about six miles northward of Shelter Cove.

PUNTA GORDA.

This headland is seventeen miles northwest by west one-half west from Shelter Cove, and, as its name implies, is a large, bold, rounding point. Half a mile from it lies a large rocky islet, with rocks close in shore, north of the point. From Point Arena it bears northwest three-quarters north, distant eighty-one miles, and the line passing tangent to Punta Gorda runs one mile outside of Cape Mendocino.

Cape Fortunas is called Punta Gorda by La Pérouse.

Tebenkoff designates Punta Gorda as Point Delgado.

CAPE MENDOCINO.

This mountainous headland, forming the western limit of the northwest trend of the coast hence from Point Reyes, is ninety-three miles northwest three-quarters north from Punta de Arena, and from the cape to the Straight of Fuca the general trend of the coast is north-northwest.

Here the range of bold coast hills from the southward appears to meet a range from the eastward, forming ridges of fourteen hundred feet elevation within a mile of the coast, with peaks of twenty-five hundred to three thousand feet within ten miles of the sea.

The face of the cape is steep and rocky near the water-line; above that the general appearance is rolling and grass-covered, except in the deep valleys and upon some of the steep hill-sides.

The well marked and regularly-shaped pyramidal rock immediately off the pitch of the cape, and known as the Sugar-loaf or Haystack, is a readily distinguished feature in approaching it from the north or south, and from seaward. It is three hundred and twenty-eight feet above the sea, and bears west 180 south one-third of a mile from the light.

The large rocky islet off the face of Cape Fortunas is not so regularly shaped. Cape Mendocino is noted for having a small dangerous ledge, bare at all tides, lying three miles broad off it, and known as Blunt's Reef. The larger breaker of this reef bears west 100 south from the light, and distant three miles; the smaller breaker is a short distance to the northeastward of the former. This reef was noticed by Vancouver as being about one league off shore. (Vol. I, p. 198.)

The passage between the reef and the cape has been generally used by the coasting steamers and lumber vessels, but a recent preliminary examination shows it to be a dangerous locality that should be avoided. At low tides, with a large swell from the westward, and smooth surface, several heavy breakers are occasionally seen.

A great break bears west 2140 south from the light, and apparently the same distance therefrom as Blunt's Reef. This does not break at half-tide and very seldom at low-water, but it is very heavy when it does occur.

Between that great break and Blunt's Reef, but probably three-quarters of a mile nearer the cape, are three breaks, bearing respectively west 151° south, west 161° south, and west 1830 south from the light. They do not occur frequently.

Nearer the cape than to Blunt's Reef are three sunken rocks, showing breaks at low water, and one rock awash at half tide. From the light-keeper's dwelling the northernmost one bears west 1930 south, distant three-quarters of a mile from the Haystack; the second bears south 300 west from the dwelling, and is about threequarters of a mile from the Haystack; the third bears south 83° west from the dwelling, and is about one mile from the Haystack. The fourth, awash at halftide, is on the same bearing as the last, but nearer the Haystack.

There may be a clear passage of one mile in width between these dangers, and