TO CALIFORXIA. "28/ 



who, not suspecting any evil, had ventured on 

 shore, were seized by the soldiers, and dragged to 

 prison. By the express orders of the Viceroy of 

 Mexico, the Governor was not permitted to de- 

 liver them up to M. Kuskof j but he would give 

 them up to me, if I would take them away. Un- 

 fortunately I was unable to accept this offer, on 

 account of the smallness of the ship ; I could only 

 take three men, and therefore chose three Russians, 

 who had suffered for another's fault, and had long 

 been in the service of the American Company. 

 Besides these, I also took Mr. Elliot on board, to 

 leave him, according to his request, at the Sandwich 

 Islands, from whence he might easily get to M. 

 Baranof, at Sitka, by a North American ship. 

 John Elliot de Castro, a native of Portugal, had 

 come to Sitka, on board an American ship, and 

 was there engaged by M. Baranof, to go as super- 

 cargo with the trading ship, bound for California, 

 where he was made prisoner with the rest of the 

 crew. 



October 23d. To-day, the Governor had pre- 

 pared us an interesting spectacle, in a fight between 

 a bull and a bear ; the latter are here so numerous, 

 that you have only to go a mile from the habit- 

 ations into the woods, to meet them in great num- 

 hers. The species is distinguished from ours, by 

 its pointed head, and its ash-grey colour ; they are 

 likewise bolder and more lively than ours. Not- 

 withstanding this, the dragoons here are so active, 



