Notwithftanding the great diftiriftio'n with which it had been repre-
Tented to Sen'- Quadra, and urged by him to me, Captain Colnett had
been received on his arrival at this port, and which he does not deny,
in p.oint of treatment, was infinitely better than he had experienced
during the time he was under the power and dire&ions of Martinez ;
,yet the remainder of his cargo, flores and provifions, was taken from
out of his veffel at St. Bias, and a part only of the former'was afterwards
reftored, whilft the wages of the Spanilh navy that .were paid to
him, for himfelf, officers, and crew, were nearly counterbalanced by the
heavy expences brought againft his {hip’s company during the time of
their captivity, for their maintenance, medical and. other affiftance.
The hardthips which were endured, according to Captain Colnett’s
repreféntation, by himfelf, his officers, and the fixteen Britiffi feamen,
during'a paffage of thirty-two days to St. Bias, are not to be defcribed ;
but as a detail of thefe circumftances would lead me into extraneous matter,
unconnected with the objeft (the ceffion of the territories at Noot-
ka) which made a ftatement of Captain Colnett’s tranfaftions in Friendly
cove neceffary in the former part of my journal, I lhall forbear to mention
any thing on that head, and only infert a paffage, tranflated from
the Spanilh paflport, granted by the viceroy of Mexico to Captain
Colnett, at the time of the reftoration of his veffel, and his liberation
from the Spanilh territories in America ; by which it will appear, that
although Don Eftevan Martinez had no efpecial directions to capture
either the Argonaut, Princefs Royal, or any other Britilh Ihip, yet all
veffels not, belonging to His Catholic Majefty, might have been retained
at Nootka as good and lawful prizes : this will neceffarily leave the
reader in fome doubt as to the means that were purfued by the American
traders then at Nootka, to preferve the privileges which they feem
to have enjoyed ; and I lhall conclude this relation of the bufinefs from
the teftimony of Captain Colnett, by briefly Rating how he conduced
himfelf, on receiving a fubfequent paflport from the viceroy of Mexico.
“ The conduft of this officer ” (Don Eftevan Jofe Martinez) “ was
founded on laws and royal orders, which not only do abfolutely prohibit
the négociation, eftablilhment, and commerce, of aliens on our
j coafts
eoafts of the fouth Teas of both Americas ; but ordain alfo, that they the
laid aliens, lhall be looked upon and treated as declared enemies, without
its being, underftood to be a breach of the good faith, or contrary
to the treaties of peace; for in that concluded in the year 1760, and
.confirmed in the fecond article of that in 1763, the arrival of all alien
veffels, or their introduftion, paffage, or commerce on the faid coafts,
are completely prohibited.
“ Under thefe circumftances, agreed to by the treating parties, and
pofitive declarations- of the court of Spain, the veffels Argonaut and
Princefs Royal might have been retained as good and- lawful prizes ; but,
being defirous to preferve that harmony which at prefent exifts between
eur court and that of London, and confidering. alfo that the fovereigns
©f both kingdoms will, Upon realbnable andjuft terms, amicably agree
to the reftoration of the faid veffels, I grant a. free and fafe paflport to
their captains James Colnett and Thomas Hudfon, that they may proceed
to Macao, Or fail to any other place they may choofe,- with the ex-
prefs prohibition, that they lhall not put into any port or bay o f our
coafts without fome very preffing neceffity, or eftablifh themfelves
there, or trade in them with the Indians, becaufe they may do this in
other places or iftands not the dominions of His Catholic Majefty.”
After Captain Colnett had received this paflport, he petitioned the
viceroy that he might-be permitted to difpofe of the remaining part of
his cargo on the coaft of North Weft America, but this was po-
fitively refilled-by the.viceroy, who ftated that he was bound to give-
that preference to the fubjects of His Catholic Majefty. Notwithftanding
that he did not grant Captain Colnett this indulgence, he tranfmitted to
him another paflport,'in which Captain Colnett was directed to proceed
to Nootka,. with orders to the commanding officer there, to
deliver up thé Princefs Royal, which..veffel had been directed to repair
to that port, after having been fome months employed in the Spanilh
fervice. On Captain Colnett’s return to Nootka he did not find the
Princefs Royal there, nor could he learn any tidings of her deftination,
and therefore he made the beft of his way from Nootka.to Macao, agree-
V ol. III. 3 S - ably