After giving his men a rest, the governor
sent ten soldiers, under command of Rivera, with six of the Indian
pioneers, who undertook to guide them by the coast trails, with
instructions to thoroughly explore the coast to the south and see if the
Port of Monterey was concealed in some "rincon" of the Sierra de Santa
Lucia.
The exploring party returned on Monday, December 4th, at night. They
were tired out with their travels over the rough mountain trails, and
they reported that no port of Monterey existed south of their camp; that
the mountains belonged to the Sierra de Santa Lucia, and that there was
no passage along the shore.
Vizcaino had said that Monterey was just north of the Sierra de Santa
Lucia. "It is all that can be desired for commodiousness and as a
station for ships making the voyage to the Philippines, sailing whence
they make a landfall on this coast. This port is sheltered from all
winds * * * and is thickly settled with people, whom I found to be of
gentle disposition, peaceable, and docile; * * * they have flax like
that of Castile, and hemp, and cotton,"[36] etc.
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