Viceroy Bucareli, then in command of the colony, made the orders he
considered necessary for California, but his orders would have had but
little effect or would have followed the slow process of all official
business, had not an outside incident given them force.
Count de Lacy, then Minister Plenipotentiary of Spain to St. Petersburg,
communicated to the court in Madrid, that the Russians were exploring
the coast of America. He corroborated his statement with copies of the
newspapers of the Russian capital[41]. This news with the corroborating
proofs was sent to Bucareli with the Royal edicts of April 11th and
September 23, 1773.
The result of this information was to give a better organization to the
maritime department of San Blas and better regulations for California.
It was also ordered that a settlement should be made at San Francisco;
that better means of communication be established between San Diego and
Monterey, and that an expedition should be sent to ascertain if the
Russians had made settlements on the coast of California.
[41] Manuel Orozco y Berra, Apuntes Airs.
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