98 CALIFORNIA FLSII AND GAME. 



''Several American trading craft made their appearance on the Cali- 

 fornia coast this year (1798), creating not a little excitement in some 

 instances by attempts at smnggling, in the success of which the people 

 were often hardly lass interested than the Yankee captains. The Lelia 

 Byrd was fitted out at Hamburg by Captain Richard J. Cleveland of 

 Salem, Massachusetts, who had just made a fortune by a four years' 

 voyage or series of commercial adventures in the Pacific, during which 

 he had touched the northern coast of America, but not of California, in 

 partnership with William Shaler, and sailed in November, 1801. Shaler 

 was master and Cleveland second in command. The vessel was loaded 

 with a great quantity of merchandise, which it was hoped to sell 

 profitably on the west coast of America, no matter how, when, or 

 where. * * * They succeeded (1802) not only in selling goods to 

 the amount of $10,000, and obtaining what supplies they needed, but 

 also bought 1,600 otter sidns just arrived from California at prices 

 which assured the success of the trip. 



"Sailing from San Bias, January 25, 1803, after careening and 'boot- 

 topping' the vessel at the Tres jMarias, our adventurers sailed in Febru- 

 ary for San Diego, where they Avere given to understand there was a 

 lot of otter skins that might be obtained advantageously. * * * On 

 the evening of March 17th, the Lclia Byrd passed the fort at Point 

 (Tuijarros wdthout being hailed, and anchored in San Diego harbor. 

 Next day Commandante Rodriguez with an escort of twelve men came 

 on board to comply with the formalities required by superior instruc- 

 tions. * * * He took a memorandum of the provisions which the 

 visitors pretended to need and promised to supply them the next day. 

 At the same time he indicated the necessity under law of an immediate 

 departure, and returned to shore, leaving Sergeant Joaquin Arce with 

 five men as a guard, and giving the Americans permission to land with- 

 out visiting the presidio. * * * From Arce it was learned that 

 Rodriguez had about a thousand skins, several hundred of which he 

 had confiscated recently from the AUxander, Captain Brown. Shaler 

 made every effort to buy the ^kins, but in vain, because, as Cleveland 

 puts it, 'Rodriguez dared not indulge his desire of selling them to us.' 

 A visit was made to the shore, including an inspection of the battery 

 at the point. 



"On March 21st Rodriguez came on board, received his pay for 

 supplies, and took his leave after wishing the visitors a pleasant voyage. 

 Preparations were completed for departure in great disappointment, 

 ])ut it was determined to nuike a final attempt to obtain the skins. It 

 was known that the soldiers had small quantities which they would 

 gladly dispose of if they could do so without detection. Two boats 

 were accordingly sent under cover of the night to different parts of the 

 bay shore. One returned with a few otter skins, but the other was 

 seized by the watchful commandante, the mate and two men being 

 bound and left on the beach under a guard of three men. Next morn- 

 ing Cleveland went ashore with four men, each armed with a brace of 

 pistols, rescued the captives and brought them off. Sails were set at once 

 and the somewhat hazardous attcm])t was made of running out i)ast the 

 guns of the fort. The hoisting of a flag and the firing of a blank 

 cartridge from the battery had no effect, and when a nine-pound ball 

 came across her bow the Lclia still kept on her course, with the Spanish 



