At the outset of the u. S. War with mexico, u. S. Forces on sea and land moved quickly to capture harbors and ports on mexico's upper california coast. U. S. Leaders had long feared that the british would beat them to the most strategic of these, the grand harbor of san francisco. Already in 1826 and 1827, royal navy captain frederick beechey had charted the harbor. At that time mexican government authorities, short on their own resources for conducting such a survey, had granted beechey unprecedented access. From 1833, when the british admiralty published beechey's charts, until sometime after the u. S. -mexico war, beechey's survey map remained the most scientific work on the harbor. U. S. Navy lieutenant joseph warren revere, a grandson of the famed paul revere and participant in the u. S. Campaign to seize california, included this map based upon beechey's survey in his own account of this effort. See "'the world rushed in':the california gold rush" dorothy sloan books auction 16, (hollywood, california, february 13-15, 2006) cat. No. 119. Date: between 1846 and 1849. Collection: University of Texas at Arlington. Revere & Beechey Harbour of San Francisco California 1846-1849 UTA
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