compliment, we lost no farther time in attiring ourselves, but made all the
haste in our power to join him at the entrance of the town. I observed my
companions to be as awkward as I felt myself in making our first
salutations; bowing and scraping being marks of good breeding, that we had
now, for two years and a half, been totally unaccustomed to. The manner in
which we were received by the commander, was the most engaging that could
be conceived, and increased my mortification at finding that he had almost
entirely forgot the French language; so that the satisfaction of conversing
with him was wholly confined to Mr Webber, who spoke the German, his native
tongue.

In company with Major Behm was Captain Shmaleff, the second in command, and
another officer, with the whole body of the merchants of the place. They
conducted us to the commander's house, where we were received by his lady
with great civility, and found tea and other refreshments prepared for us.
After the first compliments were over, Mr Webber was desired to acquaint
the major with the object of our journey, with our want of naval stores,
flour, and fresh provisions, and other necessaries for the ship's crews,
and at the same time to assure him, that we were sensible, from what we had
already seen of the condition of the country about Awatska Bay, we could
not expect much assistance from him in that quarter; that the impossibility
of sending heavy stores across the peninsula during the present season of
the year, was but too apparent, from the difficulties we had met with in
our journey; and that, long before any material change could take place, we
should be under the necessity of proceeding on our voyage. We were here
interrupted by the commander, who observed, that we did not yet know what
they were capable of doing; that, at least, it was not his business to
think of the difficulties of supplying our wants, but only to learn what
were the articles we stood in need of, and the longest time we could allow
him for procuring them. After expressing our sense of his obliging