Monday 1.
Tuefday 2.
might have occurred in our former furvey; but this we were unable to
accomplilh, on account of the thick hazy or foggy weather which for the
moll part obfcured the land from our view, and when vifible, it was feen
but indiftinftiy. This weather was attended by calms, or light variable
winds, fo adverfe to our purfuit, that it was not until the il l o f feptember
that we gained light of the wefternmofl of Scot’s illands. At noon this
illand bore by compafs n . 8 e ., and our obferved latitude being 50° 21',
lhewed the longitude to be 230“ 35'; but by the chronometers allowing the
rate as before ftated, Kendall’s chronometer gave 230° 46' 45" ; Arnold’s
No. 14,. 230° 45’ 45"; and No. 176, 231° o' 15”. Now, although we
were not pofitively certain as to the identical part of the illand to which
thefe calculations applied, (it being butjull vifible in the horizon) yet,
concluding the longitude as had been afcertained by its bearings, and the
obferved latitude of the ftiip to be moll correft; the former opinion, that
the chronometers had varied fince our laft obfervations by them in port
Conclufion, was now very much ftrengthened, as we were thoroughly convinced
that no error, either in making the prefent or any of the former
obfervations, had taken place; the moll particular care and attention
having ever been obferved throughout the whole- voyage on all fuch
occafions.
The wind at N. w . gradually increafed to a gentle gale, accompanied
by clear and pleafant weather, which brought us by fix in the evening of
the following day to an anchor in Friendly cove, Nootka found ; here
we found His Catholic Majefty’s armed veffels the Princifla, Aranfafu,
and the St. Carlos, belonging to the eftablilhment at St. Bias, with the
Phoenix bark, commanded by Mr. Hugh Moor, from Bengal; the Hoop
Prince le Boo, one of Mr. Brown’s fquadron, commanded by Mr.
Gordon from China, who had been employed in collecting furs during the
fummer upon this coaft, moftly to the northward of Nootka; befide thefe
Englilh traders, was the Walhington, J. Kendrick, commander, ofBofton
in America; who had been employed in the fame purfuit, but whofe
velfel was now under repair.
The Princifla commanded by Senr- Fidalgo had arrived from St. Bias
only the day before, and had brought hither Brigadier General Don
Jofe
Jofe Manuel Alava, colonel of the regiment of Puebla, and governor of Sep‘t™4^r_
Nootka. ’
The appointment of this gentleman as governor of Nootka, had
taken place in confequence of the death of our highly valuable and much
efteemed friend Sen'- Quadra, who in the month of march had died
at St. Bias, univerfally lamented. Having endeavoured, on a former oc-
cafion, to point out the degree of admiration and refpecl with which the
conduft of Sen'- Quadra towards our little community had imprefled
us during his hfè ; I cannot refrain, now that he is no more, from rendering
that juftice to his memory to which it is fo amply intitled, by
Hating, that the unexpected melancholy event of his deceafe operated
on the minds of us all, in a way more eafily to be imagined than, de-
fcribed ; and whilft it excited our moll grateful acknowledgments, it
produced the deepeft regret for the lofs of a charafter fo amiable, and
fo truly ornamental to civil fociety.
The Difcovèry having in the courfe of the day greatly outfailed the
Chatham, the latter did not arrive until after dark ; for this reafon, our formal
vifit to the governor was deferred until the day following. Mr. Puget
had come down the coall from lYoody point, much nearer to the fhore
than we had done; and from him I learned, that between the entrance o f
the found, and the breakers which are about 7 or 8 miles to the weftward
of it, he had met with much fea-wêéd; growing about 2 miles from the
fhore in very irregular depths of water, from g to 10 fathoms, rocky
bottom, until within about 2 miles of Friendly cove, when the Tea-weed
difappeared, and the depth o f water greatly increafed.
On wednefday morning we waited upon the governor, who flill re- Wednef. 3.
fried on board the Princifla, where we were received by him and Sen'-
Fidalgo with marks o f the moll polite and friendly attention. I was
foon given to underftand by Senr-Alava, that his appointment to this
government had taken place as above ftated for the particular purpofe of
finilhing the pending négociation, refpefling thé ceflion of thefe territories
; which, in confequence of the different conftruöion put on the firft
article of the Spanilh convention, o f the 28th of o&ober 1790, by the.
late Sen'- Quadra and myfelf, had, fince the month of feptember
1792,