Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/290

 272 T. C. ELLIOTT the breeze on October 6th, 1818; an event of more than local interest. The ceremonies of that day in 1818 were of a friendly, even cordial nature, and are related in so many his- tories of easy reference that repetition is not necessary here. Mr. Prevost was, as far as the record discloses, the only American present. He arrived in a British naval vessel as the guest of the British officer appointed to represent that government, and during their stay of a week was given every facility and assistance in gathering information. When he sailed away no American was left to see that our flag con- tinued to wave over the establishment then known as Fort George, and tradition tells us that it did not continue to wave long; hardly until the llth of November following when Mr. Prevost was writing his report at Monterey. A few years later the only flag to be seen on that pole was that of the Hudson's Bay Company, a blue field with the motto Pro Pelle Cutem. The selection of John Bartow Prevost as one of the com- missioners on this mission was by President Monroe person- ally and his appointment was primarily for government service on the South American coast. There is a suggestion that he was a political or social favorite of President Monroe; John Quincy Adams in his diary entries intimates as much. Mr. Prevost's first set of instructions covered only his duties as "Agent for Commerce and Seamen" in Chile or Peru, with which this discussion is not concerned. His later instructions were the following : "MEMORANDUM OF INSTRUCTIONS FOR MR. PREVOST. 1 "The following were the views communicated to me by the President on the evening before his departure, in relation to Mr. Prevost; in conformity with which he requested me to make known to Mr. Adams his wish that he would be so good as to prepare instructions forthwith, or as soon as may be. "Mr. P. to embark as soon as practicable, in the Ontario, i State Department, Washington, Bureau of Rolls and Library, Mss. Vol. not numbered and lettered on the back "Letters of J. B. Prevost, 1817-1825."