Rezanov | Page 7

piratical excursion in
pursuit of otter, inspired the Spanish Government with a profound
disapproval and mistrust, but a rumor had run up the coast that made
every sea-gull look like the herald of a hostile fleet. This was young
Arguello's first taste of command, and life was dull on the northern
peninsula; he would have wel- comed a declaration of war.
Davidov and Langsdorff had come to shore in one of the JUNO'S
canoes. The conversation was held in Latin between the two men of
learning.
"Who are you and whence come you?" asked the priest.
Langsdorff, who had been severely drilled by the plenipotentiary as to
text, replied with a profound bow: "We are Russians engaged in
completing the circumnavigation of the globe. It was our inten- tion to
go directly to Monterey and present our offi- cial documents, as well as
our respects, to your illus- trious Governor, but owing to contrary
winds and a resultant scarcity of provisions, we were under the
necessity of putting into the nearest harbor. The Juno is navigated by
Lieutenant Davidov and Lieutenant Khovstov, of the Imperial Navy of
Rus- sia; by gracious permission associated with the Ma- rine of the
Russo-American Company." He paused a moment, and then swept out
his trump card with a magnificent flourish: "Our expedition is in com-
mand of His Excellency, Privy Counsellor and Grand Chamberlain
Baron Rezanov, late Ambas- sador to the Court of Japan,
Plenipotentiary of the Russo-American Company, Imperial Inspector of

the extreme eastern and northwestern American dominions of His
Imperial Majesty, Alexander the First, Emperor of all the Russias,
whose representa- tives in these waters he is."
The Spaniards were properly impressed as the priest translated with the
glibness of the original; but Arguello, who announced himself as Com-
mandante ad interim of the Presidio of San Fran- cisco during the
absence of his father at Monterey, nodded sagely several times, and
then held a short conference in Spanish with the interpreter. The priest
turned to the Russians with a smile as diplo- matic as that which
Rezanov had drilled upon the ugly ingenuous countenance of his
medicine man.
"Our illustrious Governor, Don Jose Arrillaga, received word from the
court of Spain, now quite two years ago, of the sailing in 1803 from
Kron- stadt of the ships Nadeshda and Neva, in command of Captain
Krusenstern and Captain Lisiansky, the former having on board the
illustrious Ambassador to Japan, the Privy Counsellor and Chamberlain
de Rezanov. It was expected that these ships would touch at more than
one of His Most Holy Catholic Majesty's vast dominions, and all
viceroys and gobernador proprietarios were alike instructed to re- ceive
the exalted representatives of the mighty Em- peror of Russia with
hospitality and respect. But we cannot understand why his excellency
comes to us so late and in so small a ship, rather than in the state with
which he sailed from Europe."
"The explanation is simple, my father. The original ships, from a
variety of circumstances, were, upon our arrival at Kamchatka, at the
con- clusion of the embassy to Japan, under the neces- sity of returning
at once to Europe. His Imperial Majesty, Alexander the First, ordered
the Cham- berlain and plenipotentiary, the representative of imperial
power in the Russo-American possessions, to remove to the Juno for
the purpose of visiting the Kurile and Aleutian Islands, Kadiak and the
northwestern coast of America." The Tsar had never heard of the Juno,
but as Rezanov was prac- tically his august self in these far-away
waters, there was enough of truth in this statement to ap- pease the
conscience of a subordinate.

The Spaniards were satisfied. Lieutenant Ar- guello begged that the
emissaries would return to the ship and invite the Chamberlain and his
party to come at once to the Presidio and do it the honor to partake of
the poor hospitality it afforded. An officer galloped furiously for
horses.
A few moments later they were still more deeply impressed by the
appearance of their distinguished visitor as he stood erect in the boat
that brought him to shore. In full uniform of dark green and gold lace,
with cocked hat and the splendid order of St. Ann on his breast,
Rezanov was by far the finest specimen of a man the Californians,
themselves of ampler build than their European ancestors, had ever
beheld. Of commanding stature and physique, with an air of highest
breeding and repose, he looked both a man of the great world and an
intol- erant leader of men. His long oval face was thin and somewhat
lined, the mouth heavily moulded and closely set, suggestive of
sarcasm and humor; the nose long, with arching and flexible nostrils.
His eyes, seldom widely opened, were light blue, very keen, usually
cold. Like