192 THE IPHIGENIA RELEASED BY MARTINEZ. [1789. 



Iphigenia, and send or carry their crews to Macao, there to be tried 

 for their lives as pirates. I told him they had not interpreted the 

 papers right ; that, though I did not understand the Portuguese, I 

 had seen a copy of them in English, at Macao, which mentioned, if 

 I was attacked by any one of those nations, to defend myself, and, 

 if I had the superiority, to send the captains and crews to Macao, 

 to answer for the insult they had offered." Martinez, however, 

 was not, or did not choose to be, content with this explanation, 

 which certainly did not place the Iphigenia and her owners in a 

 position conformable with the usages of civilized nations ; and, in 

 obedience to his orders, that brig was boarded by the Spaniards, her 

 men, with her charts, papers, and instruments, were transferred to 

 the ships of war, and preparations were begun for sending her, as a 

 prize, to San Bias. 



Whilst these preparations were in progress, the Spanish com- 

 mandant altered his intentions, and proposed to release the Iphigenia 

 and her crew, on condition that her officers would sign a declaration 

 to the effect that she had not been interrupted, but had been kindly 

 treated and supplied by him during her stay at Nootka. This 

 proposition was at first refused ; an arrangement was, however, 

 afterwards made between the parties, in consequence of which the 

 declaration was signed by the officers of the Iphigenia, and she and 

 her crew were liberated on the 26th of May. Messrs. Viana and 

 Douglas at the same time engaged for themselves, as " captain and 

 supercargo respectively, and for Juan Cavallo, of Macao, as owner 

 of the said vessel," to pay her value, on demand, to the order of the 

 viceroy of Mexico, in case he should pronounce her capture legal. 



This seizure of the Iphigenia by Martinez can scarcely be con- 

 sidered unjust or unmerited, when it is recollected that, if, in 

 attempting to enforce, with regard to her, the orders of his govern- 

 ment, — which were perfectly conformable with the principles of 

 national law as then recognized, and with treaties between Spain 

 and the other powers, — he had been resisted and overcome, he, 

 with his officers and men, would have been carried to Macao as 

 prisoners, to be tried in Portuguese courts for piracy. Moreover, 

 he had been informed that Meares was daily expected to arrive at 

 Nootka, with other vessels belonging to the same concern ; and it 

 was his duty to provide against the probability of being overpowered 

 or insulted, by lessening the forces of those from whom he had 

 every reason to apprehend an attack. He was, indeed, specially 

 enjoined, by the viceroy of Mexico, to treat English and Russian 



