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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning In the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as rsqulrad. The following diagrams Illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent *tre fllm*s * des taux da r*ductlon diff*rants. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour *tra reproduit en un seul clich*. il est film* * partir da Tangle sup*rieur gauche, de gauche * droita. at de haut en bas. en prenant la nombra d'images n*cassaire. Les diagrammes suivants lliustrant la m*thoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 A N AN S W E R T O Mr. GEORGE DIXON, Late COMMANDER of the QUEEN CHARLOTTE. [Price TWO SHILLINGS.] .*V'»?r A N A N S W E R r o Mr. GEORGE DIXON, Late COMMANDER of the QUEEN CHARLOTTE, N THE SERVICE OF MESSRS. ETCHES AND COMPANY; BY JOHN MEARES, Esq.. IN WHICH THE REMARKS OF MR. DIXON ON THE VOYAGES TO THE NORTH WEST COAST OF AMKRICA, fcc. LATELY PUBLISHED, ARE FULLY CONSIDERED AND REFUTED. LONDON: PRINTED AT THE ITooinffrapW Pwft ; AND SOLD BY 1. WALTER, N" .69, PICCADILLY, OPPOSITB OLD BOND »T»EET. M.DCC.XCI. 7 131^4^ ■ r" A N N W E R T O Mr. G E O R G E DIXON, Late COMMANDER of the QUEEN CHARLOTTE, ^ci Si : I Sir, YOU liave thought proper to publlfli a Letter to me, containing remarks on the Voyages which 1 have lately off^-red to my country. It becomes me, therefore, to return an anfvver to them, that my filence may not be interpreted as an acquiefcence in the folly of your obfervations, and the falfehood of your aflcitions.— It is a duty I owe to the public,— and I fulfil it. Tn a work, entitled, A Voyage round the World, by vCaptain George Dixon,— ^ and which is dedicated to fuch a refpedtable charader as Sir Jofeph Banks, by the fame George Dixon ; who, in the dedication of the Volume, reprefents himfelf as the Author,— in this publication, it is aflerted, that the diforders with which my crew were afflicled in Prince,William's Sound, arofe, in a great meafure, from an unconLrouled ufeof fpirituous liquors; I had, therefore, an undoubted right to B pre- prefumc the fallchood was of ted in print, when 1 wa, whence I might never have r ( « > •our fabrication. The calumny which was propaga- from as a attentive : cngaeed In a diftant and hazardous navigatioi: cturnedtocontradiift: it, ftruck at my charafl Hiilor and as a man. It implied that I was ignorant of my profefilon,— in to the ohjeas of the voyage,— care Icfs of the lives of my crew, — and even regardlefs of my o\\ ii. You owovcr, fcem to be very glad to fhift the charge from yourfelf, and leave Mr. Bcr-sford, who was fupercargo of thcQiitxMi Char- lotte, and who now appears a;s tlic author of the book, toanfwcr for the falfc- hoods of it. The paflage is as follows: Page 157 of DixGUs I'oyage. « It was Captain ^Tearcs's intention to have completed his voyage in twelve " months; but the froft fetting in fooner than they expeded, had unavoidably " detained them in the Sound during the winter. The great lofs they iuftained « by fiLknefs has already been related: unfoitunately, when the remaining part " of Captain Meares's crew were weak and enfeebled to the lall d.gree, they <* were greatly diftrelTed for fu J ; and, for fome time, k was with the grcateft " difficulty that they got wood on board for their daily ufe. « Ononr enquiry whether the fcurvy, unattended with any other complaint, " had made fuch fatal havoc amongrt the people belon --..g to the Nootka, we *' were informed, that a free, unreftralned ufe of fpirits had been indlfcriminatcly «♦ allowed them durhig the extreme cold weather, which they had drank to fueh *« exccfs about Chriftmas, that numbers of them kept tlieli hanuiiocks for a fort- •' night together: add to this, their liquor was of a v.ry pernicious kind; fo - that ther^'e is rcafon to fnppofe its efFefts, when drank to fuch an extreme, * were not lefs fatal than the fcurvy itfclf. Adr uti.g this to be the cafe, it c was furely ill-judged in Capta-.. Meares to fuffer fuch hurtful excefles amongft ' his people -, and I am afraid that a fcanty fupply of tlic various antifcorbutics .' .blolutely neceffr:y for thefe voyages, put it out of their power to check this *« cruel dlforder, fo often fatal to fea-farlng people." Without ( 7 ) Without maling any ol.f.rvnlu),. upm the artf ,!. i.,ru!lous aiKl mi. known to prevaUwith great feverity, where every .id o. medicine ami res;u,ren ^ to he eafilv ohtained. That we, therefore, ,l,o„d fufter the mod dlftrelfing atfl.ebons of this diieafe, who were deAitute of f,e(h provifions, vegetable pru.lucUons, and every other meaus of alleviating application, is fo natural a confcquence ot our fituation, that the mod eager nralevolence alone, could Men to and adopt any other. So far from allowing a prom.fcuous and indifcriminate ule ot fpir.ts, I do affirm, that no more than half a pint a day per man was allowed, whteh was diaributed by the pnrfer, half in its raw ftate, and the other half in water ; and, as the people fell fick, this allowance was inftantly dileontinued. 1 am ready to acknowledge, that the fpirits on board the Nootka were of Bengal manu afture. ■and very inferior to thofe of the Weft Indies; but this circnmftance re ates to the impcrf.a .ature of our equipment from an Oriental port, and has nothrng to do with the fiifc and malignant charge that you made, or, which rs the fame thing, permllud to be made againft me. " REMARK THE SECOND. AN -rccidental inaccuracy of expreflion, which arofe from the haile w.th which my Voyages were prepared to meet the circumftances of the moment, has enabled you to make out a quibble that, to fuperficial readers may wear the appearance of an argument. The note, page 20., of my book, wh.ch \ . C 8 ) flings you fo deeply, moH ccrtnlnly Implies that you had already been to China ; but the error is of no .onrcqucnce to the charge I made, and 0111 make, agalnll you : for the qucflion is not, whether you were going to Ciiina for the firll: or the fecond time ;— but whether you did not poflefs fudi an abundance of ftorcs, as to afford a much more cffc(51 ual nfiiftaiice than you gave to the diftreired crew of a (hip in the fcrvicc of tlic fame owners with yourfelf !— I have aflertod you did not ; and I continue to aflert it.— I fliall ftate tlu offenfivc note in the form I am very willing to allow it ought tu have appeared, and in which it Ihalt appear hereafter. *' On enquiring of Captain Duncan concerning his diflirefled condition, lie " told me tliat he had met Captain Dixon in the Qticcn ClmrJuttc ; and' •* though that fliip w^s proccerlwg to China, and. abundantly ftock.d with every ** thing ;— antl even though flie I elonged to. the fame owners wii.: tl.e Princcfs •« Royal, the provident commander thought it much better to amy all his " ftores to Chi.'hi, thru to fpare any of them to the latter veflcl, tiiough they ** would have been fo great an alleviation to die hardfliips- of her voyage*." That you fuppllcd the Captains Duncan and Colnett, in their diftrefs, with one puncheon of molafles, fome Sandwich Ifland pork, articles of trade, a copy of your charts, and piirt of your log-book, may be very true.— But will you take upon you to %, that this fupply was equal to their difh-efled condi- tion, or to your power of alleviating it ?— If the latter, — from what idle vanity did you make a boall:, on your arrival nt Canton, that, although you had been out twenty-three months, you bid ncoccnfion to purchafc any article offtores or provifions for your homeward- bound voyage to EiigLmd. At the time therefore, you met Captain Duncan, you mufl, according to your own account, have liad near a twelvemonth's florcs, 8:c. on board : and v. ere, befides, on your voyage to China, where every kind of fupply was to be obtained ;— neverthelefs^, one ♦ It may he proper to oblhrve, tint the diflreCs of Captain nuncan arofc from accidental ciicum- flances, as both his fhip and the Pnncc of \\'alcs were oi igir.aily equipped with the fame commercial fpiiit as dillinguilhed the outfits of the King George and Qn.en Charlotte. ' li^ ■ BiujLi..ujjnM ( ^ > one puncheon of molafles, and an hogOiead and harnefs ca(k of Sandwich Ifland pork, was all your cautious fympathy and provldcut humanity could fparc to relieve the dlftrefles of your fellow-creatures and countrymen, employed in the fcrvice of your common owners. — The Captains Duncan and Colnctt hoth de- clared tome, that, in every part of their fubfequent voyage, they fenfibly felt and lamented, to ufe no harflier cxpreflion, the unfeeling parfimony of your condudi You appear, Mr. Dixon, to infer, from the account you give of the fupplies which the Captains Duncan and Colnett received from Captain Barclay, that tluy fupcrfc'dv.d the neceflity of your further aniftance ; but thofc gentlemen, while they acknowledged their obligations to Captain Barclay, always rcprefciited his fupplies as by no means fufficient to be of any lafling fervice. Nor do I fear to hazard an opinion, that the return of the Princefs Royal to China vvaj owing to your avarice! Had flie received from you. Sir, what you could fo well have fpared, and, fetting afide the common di£lates of humanity, you ought to have be (lowed, for the intercft: of your owners, that veffel might have re- mauied another feafon on the C jaft of America. Captain Duncan is now in London,. — and- I air. moll willing to reft my credit with the public, on his teftimony refpcifling all I have faid concerning the tranHidlons between that worthy man and yourfelf, " If you do not recoiled the precifc quantity of thofe fplrits, ftores, Sec. which, after a three years voyage, you brought back to the Thames, the IMefl'. Etches, perhaps, will trouble themfelves tore-inform you. As for the porter to wliich I allud.:d in pages 28, 2(j and 30, of my Introdu^lory Voyage, that charge refts wholly with your commander. He, indeed, promifed to fell me a certain portion of it, at a time when it would have proved a nutritious, cordial and healing me- dicine to the afflicted crew of the Nootka; but, as may be fecn in the paoes to which I have juft referred, he thought proper to break his word on the fubjea:, and brought a quantity of it back with him. In order to regale his friends in London with fuch a curious and long travelled article of convivial luxury. REMARK ( «o ) REMARK THE THIRD. WITH refpe(a to the equipment of the King George and Queen CharU)ttc, I reprefented it, as it was, of a very fuperiorkind,— fuch as the port of London could alone afford, and fuitablc to the commercial fpirit and ability of their owners. It may, indeed, be prcfumption in me to appear to know more of the objeds of your own voyage than yourfclf: but, notwUhJlajid'mg your aj^crt'wn to the contrary^ I am ftill of opinion that one of them was to form lottlemcnrs and faftories on the Coaft of America ; and that, for this very puipofe, Mr. W'il- by was put on board the King George, to undertake the diredion of an in- fant colony, with proportionable men and artificers. Befides, I have now before me a copy of the orders given to Mr. Portlock, who had tiic honour of com- manding you, which were drawn up by the Mefl'. Etches, &c. in the true fpirit of commercial underflanding and honour. Thefe inftruftions particularly recom- mend their commanders to fix an eftabHfliment in Nootka Sound ; and as it was not the incapacity, at leaft, of your equipments, or a deficiency in your in- ftrudions, which prevented you from performing that part of your duty, you would have done well not to have mentioned the fubjeil at all, if you had no better means of juftification than evafion and falfehood. Extract from the Instructions of Richard Cadman Etches, to Captain Nathaniel Portlock, Cammaiu'er of ihe Ship King George, cf vjhkh Captain Dixon's Inflrucii-jm arc an exaSt Copy, Bated London, September 3, 1785. c( ******** and for the future fccuring the trade of the continent and iflands adjacent, you are to eflablifli fuch fautories as yon fliaJl fee necef- " fliry and confident with the Icifety of fuch fettlcrs and your Ihip's company. *' King a ( " ) «♦ King George's Sound, we (hould prefume, not only from being centrical, but ** in every refpeft confiftent with the intent of forming fuch eftabliftiment ;— *' but in this refpeft we muft leave you entirely difcretional. " Mr. William Wilhy we have deemed perfeaiy qualified for fuch an «* u.Klertaking, and he accompanies you entirely with that intent -.-Therefore, " wherever it is neceflary to eftabhOi a Jaaory, you are to purchafe of the - natives fuch a track of land as you H.all think beft fuited for the purpofe of - trading, and for fecurity, paying them in the moil friendly and hberal - manner for the fame.-You are then to appoint as many men as you (hall «• deem ncccflary, and who fhall turn out as volunteers, to be companions to - Mr.Wilbv: you are to give them every poffiblc affiftance to ered a log- - houfe, or^uch other building as fliall appear to be neceflhry for their rcii- - dencc, and for tlie carrying on traffic with the natives, &c. You are to give *' them every aiiift.uice to make inch place tenable againft the natives, and pro- " vide them with f.ch arms, ammunition, &c. as you (hall deem neceflary for ^^ their defence and proteclion. You are to leave them fuch quant:ties of provi- '' fions and other articles for convenience, and the purpofe of trade," &c. &c. More cleur and explicit inftruaions were perhaps never given, than thofe , delivered by your owner to Capt.iln Portiock and yourfclf ; and never were or- ders more Urangely perverted, or more niamehiUy difobcyed. Your dcftination was King George's Sound, where you were to cdabllfli a faaoiy ; and v/hieh, ilrange to tell, you n.ver ventured to enter.— The King George and Queen Charlotte anived rj the Sound from Owhyluc, one ot the Sandv.lch Illes, with their crews in full he.ilth ;aul high fpirits ;— rhere you re- mained upwar.h of a fortnight, without pufnlng into the Sound : by day, in- deed, you ncar.d the land, and Ibmctimes even made the opening of the SoutL/; but no looncr did the favouring night approach than you retreated, and took care to run further out to fca than you could make the following d,.y — Tliough, Though, if I am not very much mifinformed, your fhip was often tacked, and her head pointed to the land, without your knowledge, and without the defired fuccefs. You really write, Sir, in fo defultory a manner, that, on the fubjed of your great geographical difcoveries, which are fo proud a boaft to you, or my pla- giarifms from them, which you wifli to infer I have filently committed, 1 muft either fkip from page to page of your remarks, or comprefs the whole of them into one article of refutation. It will, I believe, be for the eafe of my readers, as well as my own, to perform the latter. Indeed, I am much obliged to Mr. Dixon for giving me an opportunity to ftate a few circumftances to the public, in addition to thofe ah'eady communicated by me, on the fubjcd of the North Weft Coaft, &c. : I T moft frankly confefs that, when I failed on my fecond voyage, I furnifhed myfclf with your ciiart, and every chart that promifed to be of the leaft fervice to me. And I proteft. Sir, that it would not have been an intentional negled, if, in difcriminntiiig what each navigator had done to complete the furvey of the American Coaft, which is comprized in the chart prefixed to my publica- tion, I had omitted what I am indebted to you. The additions you made to the geography of that part of the coaft are recorded in my chart. I have at- tributed to you tlic difcovcry of the Hippah Ifland, and almoft all the Charlotte Ifles, with many an interefting nook and corner, which your penetrating genius and nautical f.igaclty have added to the map of tlie world. In ftiort. Sir, you are crammed with difcoveries which you cannot digeft, — and are, neverthelefs, voracioufly gaping for more. If Captain Cook had lived to finilh his work, you, Sir, would probably have been fparcd the trouble of your difcoveries,— and the public would not have fufFered any attempt tc intrude on its patience from fuch inconfiderable people as ourfclves. Yet, to feveral of the officers of that great man, the nation con- tinues ( 13 )^ tinues to be indebted. To Captain Roberts/in particular, the navigation of this country has very confiderable obligations : it is his general chart of the world which ought to form the ground-work of us all; as ourbeft dilcoveries confifl: of little more than the filling up its chafms on the American Coaft.— I made it thefoundationof my chart, as muft be evident to every one acquainted with the late difcoveries, without any information from me.—To the abilities of Mr. Arrowfmith I owe much, and I never ditTered from hira but when I was convinced that I had better authority before me. Nor do I even bluOi to acknowledge, that I adopted fome parts of Captain Portlock's and Captain Dixon's rliarts, while I rcjeaed others. I alfo called in the aid of the Cap- tains Duncan, Barclay and Colnett : all which various afliftance, added to the obfcrvations and furveys made by Captain Douglas and myfelf, has enabled me to offer to the public thofe charts which accompany the Voyages I have publifhed. They are, I truft, as accurate as the nature of mercantile furveys will admit, and have received the f:^n£tion of thofe opinions, againfl: which, any petty objedions from you would weigh but as fo many grains of duft in the balance.— I very fincerely lament that Captain Colnett's charts were feized by the Spaniards. In point of accuracy, they are, I believe, fuperior to any of the preceding ones ; and when they are delivered up, will, Icoubt not, throw new light on the geography of the American Coaftr The following nautical remarks will not be very Interefting to the generality of readers;— but it is neccffary for me to prove the futility of Mr. Dixon's reafonings, and to correct, by the ftatemcnts of truth, the falfehoods of his publication. You obferve. Sir, in fomething like a tone of triumph, that I was in poffeflion, of Mr. Barclay's chnrt, which, you fay, includes the utmoft extent of my pro- grefstothe fouthward. ' The former part of theaflcrtionis true ;— but the latter iifnlfe:— Nay, fortunately for mc, I have Mr. Barclay's chart in my poflTeffion, C which / ■-■- I '1- ( »4 ) which proves that he did not go further to the fouthward than 47°, or thereabouts ; and 45° 30' is the point where my couilc was completed. Between Maurelle's chart and mine there is no fimilitude ; — and for any information I received from the Captains Hannah, Lowiie and Guile, — the two latter Gentlemen, for the former is dead, will not come forward to calumniate or accufc me. 1:1 iH In anfwer to your remark which alludes to a longitudinal miftake on my part, in page 38 of my Introduftoiy Voyage, — 1 nioft readily acknowledge, that when I was on that part of the coafl: there defcribed to be in lat. 56° 38', and long. 223" 00' 25", I had my doubts as to the perfedl accuracy of the latter obferva- tion. Accordingly, in conftru£ling my general chart, 1 adopted the concurring, though diftindl, obfervations of Mr. Arrowfmith and Captain Douglas, and ftated the longitude at 224° 30', inftead of 223° 00' 25". ^ ^"^ You defire me to Inform the public, on what authority I have Introduced the track of the Wafhington in my chart; — and, from that refpe from his diftreffed fituation, he quitted thofe parts without knowing there was fuch a channel as that through wliich Captain Douglas, made his way. You liad no fuch excufe ; — and when I mention Captain Barclay as infinitely your fupcrior both in navigation and commerce, I aflert that which he himfelf has proved. — He performed the voyage from Europe to America, and from thence to China, •in twelve months; and 1 maintain, that inftead of employing two years to reach Canton, you and your confort ought to have manifcfted the fame expedition as that gentleman. " ' Your charge againft me that, in the only place where I acknowkdgc Mr. Arrowfmith's affiftance, I have made fuch an extraordinary deviation from him as 19" 45', would be of a very ftrlous nature indeed, if it were true ; — but tlic accufation, from its flagrant falfehood, proves nothing more than the mad malice of the man who makes it. You here allude, I prefume, to the fea feen by Mr. Hcarne. — Now, Sir, to prove the captious ignorance of your obje£tion, I mufl: intorm you, that in Captain Cook's chart we find this fea in latitude 72° North, and longitude 240" Eaft of Green wicli. — In that of Mr. Arrowfmith, it appears in latitude 68° 15' North, and longitude 248'' 30' Eaft, agreeable to Mr. Turner, as I have fince been informed, making the difference of 3° 43' in latitude, and 8° 30' in longitude ; neverthelefs I have adhered to the pofition of Captain Cook. On the chart of the latter, vvc find no fca laid down in latitude of 68° 15', and longituae 228° Eafl; but in that of Arrowfmith a fca is placed pr.ecifely in thofe degrees, agreeable to the account of the Canadian traders, given to him. — And fo much for your idle and ill-founded queflions con- cerning your fuppofed difference of 19° 45' of longitude between Mr. Arrow- fmith and me. — But to proceed in fettling the reft of them, fuch as tliey are :«— I muft inform you, that the reafon why 1 differ from ths laft named gen- I C 19 ; gentleman, or rather from Captain Duncan, who was his authority, in the pofitlon of the land to Eaftward, at Ncpean's Sound, Prlncefs Royal lOand, &c. proceeds from a preference I have given to the corre^ions of Captain Douglas, who has fixed thcfe parts of the coaft by numerous lunar obfervations. He has placed them i" 30' to the Eaft of Captain Duncan ; and 1 believe myfelf tobejufllfied in following his example.-I am not confcious of any improper bias in felc-aing the authoilties which have governed me. You are at a lofs, it fcems, to account for my motives in mentioning the Capes Mauhnm and iJc Mcmh-Jm, in my delineation of the American Coaft ;— becaufe, in your opinion, there is only one Cape Mendocino ; the other, you fay, is Cape Blanco, which you accuk me, in your ufual way, of removing 1° 30' to the Northward of its real fitiiatlon. 1 aufwer,— Captain Cook does not mention any Cape Mendocino in latitude 40°, which Mr. Arrowfmith does : — 1 have therefore, as I conceive, very juftlfiably mentioned both the Cape Men- docino of Mr. Arrowfmith, la hititude 40°, and the Cape de Mendozlno of Captain Cook, in latitude 4^" 30', or thereabouts, which he places in his chart 42° 30'.— As for Cape Blanco, I have placed it in latitude 43° 3°'. agreeable to Captaia Cook, by whofe chart 1 have arranged all that part of the coaft. f*: ' You ftate my pofitlon of Port Sir Francis Drake, as an example of the happy method 1 poflefs of removing land at pleafure. Captain Cook places it in lati- tude 38° 45', or thereabouts.—Mr. Arrowfmith in latitude 37° 30', and 1 have adopted the pofitlon of the former, latitude 38° 45'; while you infill upon its being in 47° 30'; forming a diiTercnce of ten degrees from Mr. Arrowfmith, and of eight degrees fifteen minutes from Captain Cook. This, Mr. Dixon, is removing land with a vengeance.~The interior parts of America, as lalddown in my chart, come in alfo for their Ihare of dlfapprobation. I fliall only add, with refpeft to theuij that tiuy were arranged from the beft authorities. Hav Ing ( JO ) 1 » Having, I truft, very completely fixed the la'iltuJe aiul longifulc of your chaia£lci ns a navigator, T fhall proceed to Inydovvn, as I liopc with tolcriblc accuracy, the exa£t pofition of your commercial excellence. In making my obfervations on this lubjc6V, I niuft prcvloufly remark, that your mallpMiity is fo predominant, as to annihilate in you the leading, and, as I fhould thii.k, the inherent principles of a man of trade. You fecm tu rejoice t'aar your voyage round the world, as you cnll it, for the purpofcs of commcicc, was not attended with the advantage expelled to be derived from it. — You appear to be proud of the inade- quate and difproportioned falc of your cargo at China ; and are, I doubt not, grateful to the Houang merchants of Canton, for hiivln? furchafcd all your sk'ius at lefs than half their value, in order that you mij^^iit be furniflied with aplauiible, but fallacious argument, againft a new branch of commerce ; in which, having failed your felf, you would be glad, as far a3 your wretched teftirrony would go, to prevent former adventurers from obtaining the remuneration of their risks and labours; or to difcourage the enterprizcs of others, whofe knowledge, a(Sli- vity and perfeverance, by enfuring fuccefs, would fling added difgrace on thofe who have failed from the want of fuch eflential qualifications. ^ You ftate, with an infiituatcd kind of triumph, that your 2552 fea-otter =klns, &c. fetched no more than 545857 Spanifh dollars at the Chinefe market; and 3'our ftatement is made in fuch a manner, as to infer that it was the common mnket price of that valuable commodity ; and that, of courfe, what has been fald by myfelf and others on the advantages of tliat' commerce, is a deception on the public. At the moment you were writing that curious piece of infor- mation, or inftruding others to write it, you knew that it was founded in falfehood. Nor dare you deny that the low prices given for the articles in queftion, arofe from the contract of your owners with the Eaft India Comppny, to leave the difpofition of your American cargo to tlie difpofal of their fervants at Canton, which neceffarily gave an additional power to the Houang merchants, thofe ( 21 ) thofe pi-Wllcgod oppi--floi'S of European commerce*. I ropcaC, thofc ckinsdld not find any thing like half the price for which otter skins have been fold in China, both at the time, and fincc the period of their fale. ' "- y^ You are pleafcd to add, if I wi(h to he informed why thefe skins fold for fo fmalla fum,Imav enquire of Mr. Richard Cadman Etches, who, you doubt not, can give me every fatisfaftion on that fubjea. I perfeftly agree with you', that the gentleman to whom you refer me, is fully qualified to anfwer me upon the matter immediately before us ;-and I defire no better judge than him, between you and mc.-Nor have 1 the Icaft doubt but he will be ready to confirm the explanations I am about to give, to ufe your own phrafc, of the ill fucccfs cf your commerce ; which arofe, among other caufcs, from the mifconftrudion your commander and yourfclf thought proper to put on the licence granted to your owners by the Honourable the Eaft India Company, for thedifpofalofyour American cargoes, and the confequcnt controul alVumed by the fupercargocs over the fale of them. I have alfo good reafon to think, Mr. Dixon, that a confiderable part of your furs were of a very, if not the moft, inferior nature, confining of worn out garments of the Indians, pieces bedaubed with paint, and fewed together, fo as greatly to leflen the fuppofed aggregate value of your cargo. / '' But let me ask you. Sir, whether you did not encourage, as f;\r as you had any power to do it, the firft opportunity of felling the furs, however difadvantageous to your owners, in order to fecure, from all future risk, a certain little advantage you were to receive upon the fUe ? " ■'' * The hiftory of the Houang merchants, and the manner in which they are allowed by the Chi- ncfe government to opprcfs the commerce of the Europeans, is ftated at large in the Account of the Trade between the North Weft qoaft of America and China, prefixed to my Voyages. D In ( 22 ) In pajje 13, your pamplilet ftates an account of furs brought by tlie feveral rtilps you nu'iirion, amounting to 5,033 fklns : — they fold, it Icems, for 146,842 Spanifli dollars in China; which, at a medium, makes no more than about 29J, dollars per Ikin : — but of thole furs which were brought to Canton in the years 1786, 1787, and 1788, 1 am authorifcd to fay, that fcarcc three thou- fand of them were faleablc articles. And I do aflcrt, that In thofe very years, the prime Ikins fold in China from ninety^ to one hundred and twenty dollars per fkin. ' In the firft voyages to the North Weft Coaft of America, the adventurers purchafed whatever Ikins the natives brought them ; and the latter fold only fuch as they had procured for themfelves, — many of whicii muft haveneceflarily been old, worn out and rotten, — having been employed as cloa,thing, and for other purpofes of perfonal or domeftic convenience. But as the inhabitants of the coaft are become more informed as to the nature and advantages of com- merce, their attention is proportionably encreafed to the due preparation of the objeAs of it. — They no longer dye or paint, or even wear the otter fklns which they take, but confider them merely as articles of trade, for which they can get commodities more fulted to their neceffities and comforts. The Nootkan people have already given a very decided preference to the woollens of England. J • The following ftatement will, I believe, fettle at once the prefent difFerence, Mr. Dixon, between you and me. Your 2,552 (kins, fold for 54*877 dollars, which is fomewhat more than twenty-one dollars per (kin. ^ ' My cargo, (carried to Canton when you were there, confifting of 370 flclns, 1 20 of which were of the river otter, worth only from eight to nine dollars I each)— A. 23 ) each) — was folJ for 14,000 dollars; and the mcrcliaiit who bought them, ii.»t being able to make good his piirchafc, forf-'ited iiis d^ poflt of 1000 dolhii:,.— Many of thcfc ikins were of an indifferent qv.ality, but the prime parchni.iif Ikins fold from 100 to 130 dollars per Ikiii. In the year 1788, which is the period when your extraordinary fale took place, I beg- leave to bring to your remembrance, and Mr. Etches will coufiim the aflertion, that the prime fea-otter skins fold at Canton, at an average price, from tJi'nefy to one hundred Mexican dollars per skin. In page 13 of your letter, you addrefs me in the following manner : *' I *' ftiould have been happy to have included in the above ftatement, the furs *« brought to the China market by yourfelf, your fecond voyage ; and alio tliofe *' belonging to the Prince of Wales and Prlncefs Royal : — Thefe accounta vou " had it in your power to have laid before the Public ; but, for reafons bell " known to yourfelf, you have thought proper to keep them fecret." To the Public I moft readily give the account both of the one and the other; and my charadler fliall ftand pledged for the accuracy of them. — You are conti- nually giving me opportunities, Mr. Dixon, of clearing away any and every im- preffion that may be made by your infidious, malignant, and falfe depreciation of the North Weft American commerce, I arrived at Canton, in the Felice, in the month of December, 17S8; my cargo confifted of about 750 Ikins. — 1 had not to encounter the controul of the Honourable Eaft India Compaiiy's fupercargccs, but poflefled a free, independent power over my cargo, which I fold for 38,000 dollaro, being fomething better than 50 dollars per Ikin. ~ D2 It ( 24 ) It may not alfo be improper to obferve, that the Chmefe furriers forted thefb ikius into the following clafles : Of the firft quahty the fecond the third the fourth tlie fifth the fixth 100 200 200 90 120 40 Total 750 The tails of the fea-otter, which were promifcuoufly attached to thefe fkins, averaged about fix dollars per tail*. J ;! I fhall alfo add another circumftance relative to this cargo, as it is in point to the general queftion. The Chinefc furrier, who had bought the whole of it for 38,000 dollars, being apprehenfive that theHoppo, or Comptroller of the Cuftcms, would ex- ercife his arbitrary power, in taking fuch of the Ikins as he might chufe, at his own price, if he knew of the fale, requefted that it might not be immediately divulged ; in confequence of which the Hoppo came on board the Felice, and feledted eight of the beft ikins, and twenty of the fineft tails : for the former he paid me 250 dollars each, and for the latter 15 dollars each; which !, of courfe, allowed tlie Chinefe merchant, on completing the contrail between us. ^ The Prince of Wales and Princefs Royal arrived off Macao the fame month, with a cargo, wliich was acknowledged by the Chinefe merchants to be in the bcH: condition of any brought to the Canton market ; and many applications * The leafon of tlic final] comparative number cf tnils r.rifcs from their being confidcrcd as the exclufivc right of the American women, w!io employ them in their cirefs. were ( 25 ) were made to Mr. J. Etches, the fupercargo of thofe Hiips, for tlie dlfpofal of his cargo, before he went up to Canton. He exnofcd, however, only thofe Ikiiis which were of the fccond quality to falc, for which he was offered feventy-Jivc ^o/A?ri per Ikin ; and he and Captain Colnett wrote an account of the offer to their owners, and acquainted them that if they could not procure an higher price, thty fhould clofe with the offer, and pay the proceeds into the Company's trcafury at Canton. He was offered fo high a price as one hundred a}id fifty duUan for fome of the beft (kins. — A few days after this offer, they received a peremptory order from the Eaft India Company's Council, for the Prince of Wales topiocecd to Canton with the joint cargoes, which was accompanied with a prohibition to difpofc of any part of their furs. On their arrival they found the fatal precedent, eft ".bliHicd by Captain Dixon's commander, of leaving the fale of his cargo to the controul of the Company's Supercargoes, in full force againft them. So that, exclufive of a large quantity of pieces of fcii otter fkins and other furs, which were left at tliLir own dlfpofal, they delivered to tlie Supercargoes ig^<^ tvholc fea-otler skitis, and Jixty-fve cloaks made up of the furs of the f mi: aniinal, for which they granted Ah-. Etches bills on the Eaft India Cova^'xwy for fifty fx thoufand d-Jlars, amounting to no more than about iwenty-fevcn dollars and an haf per ski?i. — The difference between '•he price offered by the Chinefe merchanr, and that which was paid by the Company's fupercargoes, renders all further obfervation fuperfluous. — And now, Mr. Dixon, I have laid thefe accounts before the Public, which, with your ufual liberality, you fuggeft that I withheld from fonic finin:cr and dit"- honourable motive. — Your ignorance, to (ixy no worfc, has called forth thefe incontrovertible proofs of the falfliood which pervades your flatement of the North Weft American fur trade. ^ ' 1 have one more item for your fatlsfadlon on this kibjcifl. Tiic Spanlt'h commanders, in their tender kindncfs, thought proper lo return (;6 ikiiis bc-- longing to the cargo of the North Weft America, which tlicy iiad flizcd, as ftated in the memorial prefented to the Pluufc of Commons. Thefo, with the raaftcr ( 26 ) maftcr and crew of thut little vcfTel, were taken to Canton on board the Ame- rican (hip Columbia, .who took 24 of the g6 skins for freight. The account of their fale, from Canton, is thus ftatcd in a letter to me, by the ChcJlcrJtcld'E.TiSk. Indlamnn, dated Canton, February 12, 1790. " 1 have received from the Americans 72 .ikins, (cf the vudJUng, fecondy and *' third quality) ; they dedu(ft 25 per cent, for the freight; and thefe 72 I have *' fold for 4000 dollars." \\\ I * Thus, at fo late a period as in the commencement of the laft year, fea- ottcr Jhins, which are flated to be of the middUng^ fccond, and third qualities ^ averaged at the Canton market -xt fifty -jive dollars and an half ^tx skin. Having employed fuch reafons as my own experience and information fug- gefled, to detedl the fallacy of the ftatement in your pamphlet, which is calcu- lated to give the mofl: erroneous ideas concerning the fur trade between the North Weil: Coaft of America and China,— I (liall proceed to ftate a few corro- borating arguments in favour of my opinions concerning that trade: And the firft will be taken, Captain Dixon, from your own voyage, p. 300, 301. The account there given, dithers fo much from your opinions in your letter to me, that as you acknowledge you did not write it, I am difpofed to think alfo that you have never read it. The paffage I allude to proves, as I have already afferted^ that the low fale of your furs arofe from accident.il circumftances, and by no means from t!ie ftate of the market for that article when you arrived at Canton. The paffage is as follows : " In regard to the fiile of our furs I fhould obferve, that there is at Canton a «' company of wealthy merchants, called the Houng Merchants, with whom our " Eaft India Company traiifaa: all their bufinefs, and purchaie from them the " whole of the tea and China-ware fent to Great Britain. To thefe people our " furs ( 27 ) * furs were offered, with an expeiflatiou of their lirimecliatcly taking them off * our hands at an advantageous price: but here we were woefully dii'appolutcc ; * and we found, to our coft, the fad miftake of our owners, in appointing the ' iupercargoes to have the fole difpofal of their propcity, for t!ie moment ' thele Houng Merchants had looked the s-kins over, and fixed a value on ' them, no other merchant dares hiterfere in the purchafe. Indeed, as the ' quantity above-mentioned was not fuffered to be divided, there wcrj not * many people, except thefe Houng merchants, who had it in tlieir po.ver to * buy fo large a parcel and advance the money immediately. Add to this, tlie * the duty on merchandize in the port of Canton, feems not to be regulated by ' any fixed rule, but refts, in a great meafure, in the breafts of thofe appointed * by theHoppo to lay it on, and who fix it higher or lower at nleafure. With * thefe people the Houng merchants have a great influence; — lo tliat had any * indifferent perfon been at liberty to purchafe our skins, and difpofed to give us * an advantageous price for them, the fear of having an enormous duty to pay, * would at once deter him from any attempt of the kind: In t\\\s poor Jit tiatiofi ' were we with refpeft to the fale of our cargo, during the month of December ' and the greateft part of January: either we muft clofe with the /)j//rv offers * which the Houng merchants had made to the fupcrcargoes, or be under the * neceflity of leaving our furs in their hands undifpofed of. This both paities * knew we wiihed to avoid, if poffible ; meanwhile fome of the refuje, which ihcy * had left for us to Sfpofe of fold for coifiderabh advantage.''''* Another argument in favour of they«r trade^ and which corroborates Captain Dixon's foregoing refutation of his own fallacious ftatement and infinuations to the prejudice of that trade, as given in his letter, — is taken from the voyage of Captain Portlock, his affociate and commander. The latter gentleman con- cludes the account of his voyages in the following manner : * Whether they were confidered as among the refufc, I know not, but a fmall lot of thofe ikins were fold by your commander to a China merchant at loo dollars per Ikin, ' "^ " The ( 28 ) * The grand object Oi the voyage, of which an account is given m the pre- *' ceding (hcets, being to trade for furs, with an expeclation, no doubt, of gain- '■ing more tlum common profits, by an undertaking which, at once, was new, hazardous and uncertain, the v. orM will naturally enquire whether fuch ex- *' pcctation Ik'.;-- bctu auAvcred; and, more particularly, ci\ reports have bcefi in- *' Ju/Irioiffiy propii^citcd to the ccjitrary.''* " That the King George's Sound Company (the proprietors of the (hips "* commanded by MefTrs. Portlock and Dixon) have not accumulated immenfc '* fortunes, mny, perhaps, be true; but it is no lefs certain, that they ^re gainers " to an amount offevcral thouland pounds; and that the voyage did not aiifwer " to the utmofl extent of their withes, undoubtedly was owing to their own inex- *' perience; — for when the King George and Queen Charlotte arrived at Canton, *' and even a month after that period prime fea-ottcr skins fold from eighty to *' ninety dollars each. Of this quality die (hips had at leafl: two thouliuid on " board, befides a large quantity of furs of inferior value; bat though we could " have fold our cargo with eafc, we were not at liberty to difpofeof one mate- " rial article,'- the folc management of it being veftedin the hands of the Eaft " India Company's fupercargoes; and, at length, the skins jufl: mentioned fold ♦' for lefs thaii t .vcnty dollars each." " From this plain flatemcntof fa«5ls, the public may at once perceive, that " //vj" branch 'j' C'.;;ii!!crcc, fo far from being a lofmg one ^ is, perhaps, the mofl prO' " f table and .ucrative that the entcrprifnig merchant canpojfihly engage in.^* - I liave only one additional obfervation to make upon the fubjed'. In page u of your pamphlet, you are pleafed very facetioufly to remark, that though, ac- cording to my probable arithmetic, your cargo ought to have fold for 200,000 dol- lars, it fetched no more than 54,857. To this I have only to anfwer, that the probable arithmetic oi yoxw commander, Captain Portlock, goes /o the fame cal- culation, L ■ Having ( 29 ) Having, Sir, as ! truft, fully, incoiitrovcrt-ibly, .7,v.V /r.;/^ the hft aulhorlth^, eftablinKTd the fallacy of the ftatemcnt in your letter, -and thereby, as 1 hope, baffled the malice ^vhich excited you to make it, 1 fliall, for the prcfuU, quit t!^.c eaufe of the North Weft American commerce, aiftl take un my own. You fuggeft that 1 divided part of the skins I carried to China, on board ti.c Nootka, among my own people, and fold them on my own account ;-and with the moft entire fluisfaaion linform you, that I did both the one and the other. I fmcerely thank you. Sir, for forcing me to relate circuiv, (lances whicn I feel to be fo honourable to myfelf, and to ftate my conduct in them, of which . no liberal or humane mind will think I have any reafon to be afliamc J. The commercial expedition to the North Weft Coaft of America, from Ben- gal, in . 786, and which was fitted out by many of the moft refpcaable charaaers in that fettlement, proceeded not from a view of private gain, but the fp.nt of public advantage: // 'was a patriotic experiment in favour of Brili/h commerce, and the proprietors configned it to my unlimited and independent command ;- their partial and animating friendfliip fl.ackled it with noconditions,-but maac me as much mafter of the whole equipment, as if I had prepared it at my own coft and expence. The misfortunes of the voyage I have related to the world; but they have not been heightened by a fingle reproach from thofe who enabled me to make if: on the contrary, my dilappointments have almoft been done away by the continuance of their friendlhip and proteaion. The fufferings of myfelf and people in this voyage, ailbrd a very painful ex- ample of thofe hardlhips to which maritime life is fubjea. When, therefore, I returned to China, I felt it to be my firft duty to remunerate, in the heft manner I was able, thofe of my crew which the winter of Prince William's Sound had fpared me. I did, accordingly, divide a certain quantity of skins among them ; I was Invefted with the power of doing it :-And this aa of jufticc, which was E. ^y fr ( 3^ ) my chief confolntion at the time when I performed it, is a fourcc of hoiieft pride to me at this moment, when I am compelled to record it. V) ^- T have now, as I flatter myfclf, fettled the opinion which every impnitial reader will entertain of your pamphlet, in the principal ohjeds of it. As 1 feel a wifh, howcvcf, that the confutation fhould be complete, I fliall condefcend to remark upon the petty obfervations and fubordinatc charges which form the remaining part of that publication. I mentioned, but without any aggravating expreflions, the circumftance of your having fupplied Taheo, the King of Atooi, one of the Sandwich Iflands, with arms, ammunition, &c. on very improper conditions, from the autho- rity of Captain Douglas. — It is the language of his journal, and I am difpofed to believe it. — ^Nor can you, with any juftice, exercife your feverity on me, for having given credit to fuch an authority ; when you refleft, with what readincfs you admitted an invidious as well as falfe account into your book, of the caufes that augmented the ficknefs of my crew in Prince William's Sound, on an evi- dence of very inferior credibility. But it was not the matter of trading away mufquets, piflols, or other wea- pons, — which, indeed, was confiftent enough with your former occupation — but the manner or motive of your conduvJl in fo doing. — I am willing to acknow- ledge that 1 alfo furnifhcd certain of the chiefs of the Sandwich Iflands with arms and amnumition, in order to defend themfclves againft their enemies, and thereby to fee u re their friendfliip to the future interefls of Britifli commerce. The recoUeaion of my condudl at the different vifits I made to the Sandwich Ifles, docs not prefeut to my mind a Angle caufe of reproach. On my return to Clr.na from Prince William's Sound, we remained there a month ; and, in conkqucnce of frequent attempts, during the r.ight, upon the anchor of the Nootka, V ( 3' ) Nootka, by fome of the natives, I did difcharge a four-pound fhot on fhorc, though not among the people, as you falfcly affcrt, but over an hill, where it Gould have no other but its intended efFed, to terrify the inhabitants from their defigns on the moft material implement of the fl)ip : this deHrable effecl was produced without the leafl interruption to that harmony which fubfifted between us and the natives, from the time of our arrival, till we quitted them to proceed on our voyage to China. I agree with you that a time-piece is not of tlie leaft utility at fea, unlcfi a fight can be obtained both of the horizon and the fun — Nor do I retrad the? declaration, which feems to alarm your nautical experience, " that during a fea- " fon of continual fog, my time-piece had proved of real fervice to me." For, I believe it is known to every feaman, that, in weather which may be properly called a continual fog, thofe momentary gleams of the fun appear, and tranfient views of the horizon are obtained, to which the inftrument in queftion may be applied with the greateft utility. As to your having anchored in Karakakoa Bay, in the Ifland of Owhyhee, previous to the Iphigenia, if I had recoUefted that circumftance to have been related in your voyage, I fliould have acknowledged it in mine. I really do not wifh to deprive you of any merit, however trifling, that you or your voyages may poflefs. i/ Whether skin or wooden canoes are in ufe from the ftraits of the tvvo con- tinents along the coaft, as far as Cape Edgecumbe, is a matter of too little con- fequence to merit an in ve {ligation. When I am convinced, from fome better authority than your's, that I am miftaken in my account, in flivour of the former, I will corretSt the error. '~ ' Whether you or I, or, according to your opinion, the Spaniards, firfl faw the extraordinary people with the disfiguring cut in their under-lips, in the latitude c 32 ) iatitude of 56° 38' North, and longitude of 223' o' 25", fliall not be made a fuhjcdl of contention by mc. I fliall only repeat the opinion of mv Intro- dinftory Voyage, p. 38, where fomc account of thefe people may be found, — that, from the circumAnnccs ofrlieir conduct and behaviour, there was every reafon to believe that we w^ere tiie only navigators they had ever beheld. One word more, Mr. Dixon, and 1 have done. — You arc plcafed, Sir, to declare, that it was from a fenfe of the duty you owe to the public and youifelf, that you have undertaken, with what fuccefs that pub- lic will determine, to point out fome of the numerous abfurditles, &c. which, in your opinion, fill my volume : but, leaving yourfelf out of thequeftion, it really became your boafted zeal for the right information of the public, to have added a few more of my inconfiftencics, and your own obfervations on them, in order to have narrowed the enormous margins of your pamphlet, as well as to have occupied the four laft pages of it, w'hich you have now left to inftrudl the reader with an interefling catalogue of your bookfeller's publications. Jan. t, 179 1. JOHN MEARES. P. S. It is with particular fatisfaSing the mifmformation of Mr. Duffin, relative to Captain Colnett's illnefs, in his letter to me, from Nootka Sound, publiflied in my Memorial to the Houfe of Commons, N° 9 ; — and, in the Appendix to my Voyages, N° 13. Mr. Duffin there mentions, but 1 am furc very innocently, that Mr. Colnett's ^' infanity is fuppofed to be a family diforder. — It, therefore, becomes my duty to declare, from the bcft authority, that fuch a report is deftitute of any foundation whatever. X M V