Second Voyage of the Columbia 147 him I had no authority to accept his offer or to demand any payment from him, nor did think any person in the Ship had. Cap* Ingraham informs me that he left him at the point of Death in Macao about two months since. We shall sail I hope tomorrow as our Ship is now re- pair^ & reloaded; though I must confess with not as much expedition as I expected. My best respects to your amiable Lady & family, not forgetting Miss Webb and the good Doctor Bulfinch. & Sir will you be pleas'd to accept the same yourself from him who is in gratitude & duty bound to serve you & who hopes in twelve months to meet you in perfect health & happiness. Your h ble St John Hoskins Joseph Barrell Esq. Ship Columbia, Straits of de Fuca 28 September 1792 Sir The foregoing [i. e. presumably the short letter dated August 21, 1792, ante p. 140] is what we wrote at the time, since which we have been to port Montgomery where we found the Sloop, & in our passage of the Coast we stopt at this place, where yesterday arrived our good friend the Spanish Gov r of Nootka ; to whom we have sold the Sloop for 75 prime Sea Otter Skins, and she is now discharg- ing; as she sails very dull, 20 is so small & we want the men, we thought it the best we could with her. On account of our misfortune in the Ship, the season is so far advanc'd, that we remain undetermined at present about going to Japan; should the winds prove favorable we shall go, but if averse we shall make the best of our way to China ; for to loose our season would ruin 20 Boit's Journal says 72 sea otter skins. Though now stated to be a dull sailer, Haswell told Boit that she was an excellent sea boat and sailed very well; Haswell also makes two references in his second log to the good sailing qualities of the Adventure.
