on to the
maritime department of San Blas and better regulations for California.
It was also ordered that a settlement should be made at San Francisco;
that better means of communication be established between San Diego
and Monterey, and that an expedition should be sent to ascertain if the
Russians had made settlements on the coast of California.

THE LOG OF THE SAN CARLOS

Alias Toison De Oro (Golden Fleece)

Under Command of Lieutenant of Frigate of the Royal Navy Don Juan Manuel
de Ayala

From the Port of San Blas to the Port of San Francisco

The First Ship to Enter the Port of San Francisco. Transcript of a
Certified Copy of the Original, now in the Archives of the Indies, at
Seville, Spain[42].

On the 19th of March, 1775, Lieutenant of Frigate, Don Juan Manuel de
Ayala had the schooner under his command anchored near the white rock in
the harbor of San Blas, waiting the sailing of the frigate Santiago to
the west coast of California, when the commander of the expedition, Don
Bruno de Ezeta, ordered him to deliver to Lieutenant of Frigate, Don
Juan de la Bodega y Cuadra, the command of his schooner and take command
of the packet boat, San Carlos, as her captain, Don Miguel Manrique, was
sick and unable to make the voyage. Ayala obeyed the order and waited
until the morning of the 21st, for the return of the launch which
carried his predecessor to San Blas. He made everything ready on board
to follow the frigate and schooner and he asked the commander of the
expedition, Don Bruno de Ezeta, to take in his frigate some brown sugar
and provisions which he could not accommodate in his boat except on deck
where they were liable to be damaged.

At 3 p. m. of the 21st he sailed from the anchorage of San Blas with the
wind east-northeast and on the following day came in sight of Isabela
Island, lying about five miles to the west. On the 23rd he came in
sight of the Maria Islands and saw the frigate and schooner going to the
southeast of the islands, where he lost sight of them. Contrary winds
and calm weather prevented the San Carlos from making any considerable
progress. On the 26th, Ayala sent his pilot to see if he could obtain
some water to replace that which had been consumed[43]. The pilot could
not make a landing and consequently did not obtain any water. On April
2d, he saw Mazatlan and the packetboat Concepcion. The following day he
came near the Concepcion, and the captain informed him that h