Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 22.djvu/336



324 JOHN BOIT

saluted with 7 Guns, which was return'd. Towards evening came to, in Friendly Cove (Nootka Sound). Found riding here the Store Ship, a Spanish Sloop of War, and the Brig Venus. The Spaniards treated us nobly, and offer'd freely every assistance in their power. We lay in this place till the 23d August. Shall give the Minutes of our transactions during that period.

25. N. Latt. 49 30' ; W. Long. 126 30' Discharg'd the Ship's Cargo and stores, and stored them in a house on shore which the Spaniards had lent us for that purpose. 163 Strip'd the Ship to a Outline, and got the riging all on shore to repair. The Spanish governor seem'd highly pleas'd with the dispatch that took place ; indeed ev'ry man in the Columbia was anxious to get the Ship in readiness to pursue her Voyage, well know- ing that the time drew nigh when we shou'd again be sailing towards our friends in America, and our sweet anticipation of the joys that await us there made us use ev'ry effort. This Spanish settlement at Nootka, contained about 50 Houses, 164 indifferently built (except the Governor's, which was rather grand than otherways). There was about 200 Inhabitants, con- sisting of Spaniards and Peru Indians, but no females. Their fort was no great thing, mounted with 6 twenty four and thirty six pounders the platforms would not bear the weight of metal. There was two Botanists resided with the Governour. 165 Capt. Gray took up his lodgings at the governor's request, at his house.

163 Hoskins in his letter, referred to in note 155 ante, writes: "We arrived the 23rd of July, and reported our situation to the Spanish Governor, who very politely offer'd us every assistance. He has lent us store houses for our Goods, granted the second best house in his small Town for Capt. Gray and myself to lodge & do our business in; and insists on our eating & drinking with him, at his house, where we live most sumptuously."

1 64 This seems an exaggeration. Ingraham says "the villaere consists of 16 houses." This corresponds reasonably closely with the pictures still extant; furthermore it agrees fairly well with the diagram of that most interesting village which is appended to Elisa's map of the Strait of Fuca. A copy of this map will be found, numbered K, in the Berlin Arbitration Papers, Washington 1872.

165 This is the only reference to the presence of botanists in this unique set- tlement. Much research is still necessary before any adequate conception of the Spanish village at Nootka Sound can be obtained, or any knowledge gathered of the incidents in its short existence (1790-1795). In the New Vancouver Journal (Washington Historical Quarterly, vol. 5, p. 306) it is noted that the Aransasu on her return to Nootka in September, 1792, ' had a Botanist on board her."