SE AS BP a Pr Ss 
that veffel at the'time of her cap- 
y ture, or from. the Iphigenia. The 
_ value of fuch furs cannot be efti- 
_ mated at lefs than 7,500 dollars, all 
which Don Martinez applied to his 
~ own ufe, 
About the 3d of July, 1789, the 
old appeared in the offing, 
~ when Don Martinez boarded her 
in his launch, and, with expreflions 
of civility, invited Mr. Colnette 
into the Sound; but next day (not- 
withitanding the moft folemn af- 
_furances) {ent his firft lieutenant 
with a military force, to take pof- 
- feffion ofthe Argonaut; and that 
fhip was accordingly, in like man- 
ner, feized in the name of his Ca- 
tholic majeity, the Britifh flag haul- 
_ ed down, and the Spanifh flag hoift- 
__ ed in its ftead, her officers and men 
_ made prifoners, and Mr. Colnette 
' threatened to be hanged at. the 
_ yard-arm in cafe of non-compli- 
ance with the orders that fhould be 
given him. 
_. On the 13th of July, the Princefs 
Royal again appeared (as is ftated 
_ in her journal) off the port of Noot- 
ka; but her commander approach- 
ing the Sound in his boat, in ex- 
pectation of finding there the com- 
- mander of the expedition, was feiz- 
ed and made prifoner, under the 
_ threats of immediate execution if 
he refufed to deliver up his fhip 
without conteit. A Spanith officer 
Was accordingly fent to take pof- 
-feffion of her, who brought her into 
_ port, made prifoners of her men, 
_and prize of her cargo, confifting of 
473 ‘kins (including thofe put on 
board her from the North-weft Ame- 
fica), as appears by the receipt in 
| poffefon of the proper officer. From 
this circumflance Mr. Colnette be- 
came fo deranged in his mind, that 
he had frequently attempted to de- 
[29% 
ftroy himfelf; that, notwithftanding 
this melancholy misfortune, Don 
Martinez endeavoured to avail him- 
feif of the copper (being the prin- 
cipal part of the cargo of which the 
Princefs Royal was compofed) ; in 
which attempt he would have fuc- 
ceeded, had not the other officers 
prevented it. 
The memorialift farther repre- 
fents, that the American fhip,Co- 
lumba intending to fail for China 
(the principal part of her crew and 
provilions being previoufly put on 
board the Wathington, to enable 
that {hip to continue to trade upon 
the coaft), the crew of the North- 
weft America was ordered by Don 
Martinez on board the Columba, 
and her fupplies (reduced by fur- 
nifhing her confort) to be made up 
from the Argonaut; that, previous 
to the departure of the Columba, 
ninety-fix fkins were alfo put on 
board her, to defray the wages of 
the officers and crew of the North- 
weft America, under a fuppofition 
that their late employers would be 
unable to liquidate their demands ; 
firft deducting, however,’ 30 fer 
cent. from the: fales,, which Don 
Martinez had agreed fhould be paid, 
for the freight of the faid fkins, to 
the American commanders. 
The Columba, being thus amply 
provided, left Nootka Sound, and a 
few days after entered Port Cox, 
where fhe joined her confort, from 
whom fhe received a confiderable 
number of fkins, conceived to be 
the whole (excepting the ninety-fix 
before mentioned) which had been 
collected by the Americans and 
Spaniards, befides thofe takea from 
the Britifh; with which fhe pro- 
ceeded to China, where fhe arrived 
November 2d, and landed the crew 
of the North-welt America, wha, 
{ Ts ] pret 1008 
