174 ME ARES ARRIVES AT NOOTKA. [1788. 



officers and crew, to China, that they may be condemned as legal 

 prizes, and the crews punished as pirates." 



The latter part of these instructions, independently of numerous 

 other circumstances connected with the expedition, is sufficient, 

 alone, to show that the owners of the Felice and Iphigenia meant 

 to represent them as Portuguese vessels. As British vessels, they 

 could not legally navigate the North Pacific Ocean, being unpro- 

 vided with licenses or authority from the South Sea or the East 

 India Company : if found so doing, they would be subject to 

 seizure, and their officers and crew to punishment; and it was, 

 doubtless, in order to evade such penalties, to which they might 

 have been subjected by coming in contact with the vessels of the 

 King George's Sound Company, that their commanders were 

 directed to take, and bring to a Portuguese port, for trial before 

 Portuguese courts, any English vessels which should attempt to 

 arrest them in their voyages. 



From Macao the Iphigenia went to Cook's River, at which place, 

 and others farther south-east, she passed the summer in trading. 

 The Felice sailed direct to Nootka Sound, where her crew imme- 

 diately began the construction of a small vessel, on the shore of 

 Friendly Cove, near which was situated the village of Maquinna, 

 the king of the surrounding country. Meares, being desirous, whilst 

 this work was in progress, to take a voyage along the coast to the 

 south, made arrangements with Maquinna, who, as related in the 

 narrative of the expedition, " most readily consented to grant us a 

 spot of ground in his territory, whereon an house might be built, 

 for the accommodation of the people we intended to leave behind, 

 and also promised us his assistance and protection for the party who 

 were destined to remain at Nootka during our absence. In return 

 for this kindness, and to insure the continuance of it, the chief was 

 presented with a pair of pistols, which he had regarded with an eye 

 of solicitation ever since our arrival. Upon this spot a house, suf- 

 ficiently capacious to contain all the party intended to be left at 

 the sound, was erected ; a strong breastwork was thrown up around 

 it, enclosing a considerable area of ground, which, with one piece 

 of cannon, placed in such a manner as to command the cove and 

 village of Nootka, formed a fortification sufficient to secure the 

 party from any intrusion." 



That this spot of ground was granted by Maquinna, and was to 

 be occupied by Meares, only for temporary purposes, is clear from 



