re-delivered to him through the Philippine Company. On her arrival in a damaged condition as Macao she was tendered to her owners; but, as Lord St. Helens explains, "though tendered at Macao she was not actually restored, and the tender itself, considering the circumstances in which she then was, was little better than illusory."[1]
After the tender was refused the Spanish authorities decided, as Professor Kuykendall states, to sell the sloop, but he is uncertain whether the sale actually occurred. The letters in the Archives of British Columbia fill up this small gap; they show that the Governor of the Philippine Company reported that the Princess Royal had been sold for $2,000.[2] This was probably a very fair price in view of her alleged poor condition; she had been bought by her owners for $3,600, some three years before.
Colnett appears to have been in correspondence with the Spanish officials and, as usual, making complaints: an occupation which he seems almost to have enjoyed. The following extracts from a letter from the Viceroy of Mexico to him may prove of interest.
"The moment that you preferred to me in your complaint of having been robbed of your effects I ordered a speedy and formal judicial enquiry to be made and from it we learnt that the gold watch had been returned to Kendrick, the octant and the musquets—it had been understood that they had been given as presents—have been returned to their owners. ***** Bad weather occasioned the Princess Royal to go ashore at San Bias and this unfortunate accident prevented her being sent to you at Nootka; by the dispositions that were immediately made she will be carried to Canton in order to be redelivered to you by the means of our Philippine Company. Of this I informed you in my letter of the 18th of January of this year which you will have received at Canton."[3]
- ↑ See letter appended hereto; from the Archives of British Columbia.
- ↑ Letter 4th December, 1792, from Francis James Jackson, British Ambassador at Madrid, to Lord Grenville. Copy in the British Columbian Archives.
- ↑ Letter to Captain Colnett dated 2nd September, 1791; copy in the Archives of British Columbia.
