covered with snow, from the deposit upon them of bird-manure. Tens of
thousands of wild geese, ducks, gulls, and other water-fowls, were
perched upon them, or sporting in the waters of the bay, making a
prodigious cackling and clatter with their voices and wings. By the aid
of oars and sails we reached the mouth of Sonoma creek about 9 o'clock
at night, where we landed and encamped on the low marsh which borders
the bay on this side. The marshes contiguous to the Bay of San
Francisco are extensive, and with little trouble I believe they could
be reclaimed and transformed into valuable and productive rice
plantations. Having made our supper on raw salt pork and bread
generously furnished by the sailors, as soon as we landed, we spread
our blankets on the damp and rank vegetation and slept soundly until
morning.

_October 14_.--Wind and tide being favourable, at daylight we proceeded
up the serpentine creek, which winds through a flat and fertile plain,
sometimes marshy, at others more elevated and dry, to the
_embarcadero_, ten or twelve miles from the bay. We landed here between
nine and ten o'clock, A.M. All the passengers, except ourselves,
proceeded immediately to the town. By them we sent for a cart to
transport our saddles, bridles, blankets, and other baggage, which we
had brought with us. While some of the sailors were preparing
breakfast, others, with their muskets, shot wild geese, with which the
plain was covered. An excellent breakfast was prepared in a short time
by our sailor companions, of which we partook with them. No benevolent
old gentleman provides more bountifully for his servants than "Uncle
Sam." These sailors, from the regular rations served out to them from
their ship, gave an excellent breakfast, of bread, butter, coffee, tea,
fresh beefsteaks, fried salt pork, cheese, pickles, and a variety of
other delicacies, to which we had been unaccustomed for several months,