had lost its fascination, and the roads to the mission and presidio were grown tedious and insipid. There was no society to enliven the hours, no incidents to vary one day from the other, and, to use the expression of Donna Gonzalez, California appeared to be as much out of the world as Kamchatka." The Englishmen sailed on December 28th for Monterey. Here they remained five days, cutting spars, and obtaining supplies from missions and from vessels in port, largely by the aid of Hartnell.[1] The supplies obtainable in California were, however, inadequate to the needs of the expedition, and on the 5th of January the Blossom sailed for the Sandwich Islands. After another trip to the Arctic, unsuccessful like the first, so far as meeting the ill-fated Franklin was concerned, Beechey returned to Monterey October 29, 1827,[2] remaining until December 17th, when he went again to San Francisco for water, finally sailing on January 3d for San Blas, and thence home via Cape Horn and Brazil, reaching England in October 1828.
It is thus seen that Beechey's visit was in itself an event of slight importance; but the observations published in the voyager's narrative were perhaps more evenly accurate and satisfactory than those of any preceding navigator. Beechey and his companions confined their remarks closely to actual observations. They were less ambitious than some of their predecessors to talk of things they did not understand, and thus avoided ridiculous blunders. It is not, however, necessary to notice their remarks at length here, for the following reasons: A large part is naturally devoted to local and personal matters, or to other topics treated in other chapters; notes of the scientific corps
- ↑ Jan. 4, 1827, Beechey writes from Monterey to the British consul in Mexico, recommending the appointment of Hartnell as vice-consul in Cal., in consequence of the increasing importance of English trade on the Pacific coast. Vallejo, Doc., MS., xxix. 102.
- ↑ Notice of presence of the Blossom and 3 whalers on the coast in November. Vallejo, Doc., MS., xxix. 168. Called the Blondes, at Monterey Nov. 8th. Dept. St. Pap., MS., ii. 47. Mention of visit in Soule's Annals of S. F., 163-4.
