n
November <^0’ w^° t^en’ as on our firft vifit to this place, in the abfence of the
’---- <-— > governor of the province, officiated in that capacity. From this gentleman
we were likely to meet very different treatment to that which we
had received from Sen'- Arrillago, whofe reftriclive arrangements on our
laft vifit to Monterrey, had obliged us to feek that hofpitality and pro-
teftion from the untutored inhabitants of the Sandwich iflands, which we
defpaired of obtaining in any of the ports under his jurifdiftion. Sen'-
Arrillago having been ordered to fome inferior eftabliffiment, had re-
figned his authority at this place, and had departed about two months
previoufly to our arrival, and a lieutenant in the Spaniffi army, Don
Diego de Borica, had been appointed fome time fince, to the government
of this province, and was now daily expended at Monterrey.
As foon as the ffiip was fecured, an officer was fent to the Prefidio with
the ufual ceremonious compliments, and with an apology for our not
having faluted. On landing I was received'by Sen'-Arguello, to whofe
kind and benevolent offices we had before been greatly indebted, with
marks of the greateft friendffiip and refpeft. He expreffed the fatisfac-
tion he ffiould receive by having it now in his power to fupiply us
with the various neceffary refreffiments the country afforded ; and being
without the deal! reftraint, he IhoUld endeavour to adminifter to our
amufement and recreation. Whatever means he poffeffed that were likely
in any way to contribute to the happinefs or comfort of the prefemt
time, or to our future welfare, he was now impowcred, hv the orders
that had been tranfmitted to this government from the viceroy of New
Spain, feduloufly to afford, and prompted by the intereft he felt in
our accommodation, he ffiould with great pleafure -carry thofe. orJas
into effcft.
The people who, on our firft vifit to this Prefidio, had deferted from
the Daedalus and Chatham, we found here, with direftions for their being
delivered up to me ; but as the governor of the province was fo foon
expected, I deferred taking any Heps in this bufinefs until he ffiould arrive
; nor did bereft our tents or obfervatory on ffiore for the fame rea-
fon, -as I confidered it would be more refpeftful to fubmit thefe matters
to the approbation of Governor Borica hirnfelf than to Sen'- Arguello,
euello, from whom I only folicited permiffion to recruit our wood and . , '794- o - ' j. November.
water, and to obtain fome neceffary refreffiments. t__,—
On friday morning I received from Sen'- Arguello the only letter that Friday
had arrived at this place for me; this letter was from the Conde Revilla
Gigedo, the late viceroy of New Spain, in reply to one I had written
to his excellency on the 22d of may, 1793. In the moll polite and
friendly terms the count informed me of Mr. Broughton’s fafe arrival at
Madrid, and expreffed the higheft approbation of the conduft of Sen'-
Fidalgo, whofe fervices I had reprefented to him we had been greatly
indebted to, on heaving the Chatham down at Nootka. Thofe very
obliging offers he had before made, in wiffiing to contribute to our health
and welfare, by whatever means of affiftance this country could bellow, were
in this letter repeated. It was dated on the 20th of oftober, 1793, about
the time when we firft felt the influence of Sen'- Arrillago’s difinclina-
tion towards our little fquadron. It was addreffed to me at Monterrey,
with direftions there to remain for my reception, until it ffiould be un-
derftood I had taken my leave of thefe regions, and in the event of my
fo doing, without repairing to this place again, the letter was then
to be tranfmitted to me in England. From thefe circumftances it would
appear, that the cor-refpondence I had been thus honored with, was not
intirely of that complimentary nature that Sen'- Arrillago had thought
proper to confider i t ; and that the viceroy did cxpeQ that I ffiould make,
at leajt., a fecond vifit to Monterrey, was evidently proved by the defer-
ters having been fent hither, inftead of being forwarded to Nootka, as
he had formerly intended to do, but which determination, Sen'- Arguello
informed me, he had been induced to alter, under the perfuafion of this
being the molt likely place of our meeting with them.
Not having received official intelligence at this port from England,
and there being here no difpatches waiting the arrival of Sen'- Alava,
through which channel I might poffibly have obtained fome fort of information,
by which my future proceedings might, in fome degree, have
been regulated, I could not help feeling very great difappointment, anxiety,
and concern. I- was not, however, totally deftitute of hope, that
fome letters might have arrived at St. Diego. To afcertain this faft
notwith