But a description of the town would be incomplete without adding that it is dotted about in these hollows, and in the sand-holes in the rocks, with patches of thorn, brush, and cacti, forming a singular yet refreshing contrast with the general barrenness of the region itself, the whole being surrounded by a bleak mountainous range, which increases in elevation until it blends with the clear sky, far in the distance. The principal, indeed the only regular street in the town, is wide and long, the houses being constructed of _adobés_ and cane, thatched with palm leaves. It is blocked up at the remoter end by the fort, which stands upon a wide foundation of rock of considerable elevation; various portions of the _adobé_ walls connecting the crags having been pierced, so as to allow artillery to be trained through the embrasures, whilst, in other parts, there are numerous loop-holes for musketry. There are some very awkward cavities amongst these rocks, produced by digging for clay for the _adobé_ work. The fort is flat-roofed and parapetted, having portholes for cannon; and below, in the very centre of the building, occupying about a third of its entire length, runs a thick wall, forming a crescent, well mounted with heavy guns. At the end of this crescent, between it and the front wall, is the entrance to the fort--a mere aperture, barely wide enough to allow of one man's passing in. These defences proved to be of great advantage to a small party of Americans that landed at San José, during the war between the United States and Mexico, and were compelled to take shelter in the old quartel, or barracks. There they were surrounded by the Californians, and stood a siege of several weeks', suffering incredible hardships. The population of San José numbers about three thousand, the majority being semi-Indians, or the pure descendants of the Mexicans. There is little promise of any considerable increase in the size of the town, owing to the natural disadvantages of situation.