288] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1790. 
junétion with other Britifh mer- 
chants, purchafed two cther veffels, 
named the Felice and Iphigenia. 
"The former he commanded himfelf; 
the latter he put under the direc- 
tion of captain Douglas. With the 
Felice he reached Nootka Sound 
in May; and in June the Iphigenia 
arrived in Cook’s viver. His firft 
bufinefs at Nootka Sound was to 
purchafe from Maquila, the chief of 
the difri@, a fpot of ground, on 
which he BuILT A HOUSE, and on 
it hoifted a Britifh fag, furrounding 
it with a breaft-work, and fortifying 
‘# with a three-pounder. This be- 
ing compleated, he proceeded to 
trade; the Felice taking her route 
to the fouthward, and the Iphigenia 
to the northward, both fhips con- 
fining themfelves within the lati. 
tudes of 66 and 45 deg. 30 min. 
north. 
In September tie Felice returned 
tp Nootka Sound, where the people 
the memorizlift had left behind had 
wa compleated a veffel, which 
wa; foon after launched, and called 
the North-Weft America, meafuring 
abort forty tous, which was equip- 
“ped With all expedition, to affift him 
in his enterprizes. 
During his abfence from Nootka 
Sound, he had, by prefents, obtain- 
ed. from Wickananifh, the chief of 
the difttict furrounding Port Cox 
and Port Exingham, im lat. 45 and 
49 deg. the pfomife of a free and 
exclufive trade, with leave to build 
whatever he fhould find neceflary 
.for his convenience; and alfo the 
fame privilegesfrom Tatouchiee, chief 
of the country bordering on the 
‘ftraits of Juan de Fuca. Befides 
thefe, he had purchafed from Ta- 
touche a tratt of land within thofe 
“ftraits, of which one of his officers 
had taken po€effion in the king’s 
‘Felice; where, having 
name, calling the fame Tatouche, 
in honour of the chief. ’ . 
The Iphigenia, in her progrefs to 
the fouthward, had been no lefs fuc- 
cefsful than the Felice in obtaining 
grants of the native chiefs, no Eu- 
ropean veffel having ever been there 
before. 
Matters being thus fettled with 
the natives, and having collected a 
cargo of furs, on Sept. 23, the me- 
morialift proceeded to China in the 
fold both 
fhip and cargo, he entered into part- 
nerfhip with Mefirs. John and Cad- 
man Etches, and Co. owners of the 
Prince of Wales and Princefs Royal, 
from London, trading under licences 
and from the Eaft-India South-Sea 
companies, which would not expire 
till 1790, making a joint ftock of 
all the veffels and property employ- 
ed in that trade; and under that 
Firm they purchafed a fhip, built 
at Calcutta, called the Argonaut. 
The Prince of Wales, being char- 
tered to load teas for the Eatt-India 
company, returned to England; and 
the Princefs Royal and Argonaut 
were ordered by the memorialift to 
fail for America, under the com. 
mand of Mir. J. Colnette, to whom 
the charge of ail the company’s con- 
cerns on that coalt had been com- 
mitted. 
Mr. Colnette was directed to e- 
rect 2 iubftantial houfe on the fpot . 
purchafed by the memorialift in the 
preceding year; and the two fhips 
he carried out with him were load- 
ed with articles eftimated fufficient 
for the trade-of three years, befides 
a veffel in frame of about thirty 
tons. 7 : 
With thefe he fet fail from China 
in the months of April and May, 
1789; having, over and above the 
crews, feveral artificers of different 
profeffions, 
