The day after arriving some of the officers of "Columbia" visited Kendrick's Fort Washington, which Hoskins described as a rough log outpost with living quarters and a warehouse, with a American flag flying. "Lady Washington" had been hauled on shore and was being graved in preparation for sailing to Hawaii and China. Kendrick was given a letter from Joseph Barrell, from which he learned that "Columbia" was no longer under his command. In a reply letter Kendrick pointed out how unfortunate this was, since he could have added over 1,000 sea otter skins to the 500–600 Gray had gathered. Seeking some way to make this work, Kendrick offered Hoskins 1,000 furs in exchange for payment for his men and his Macau debts, which were about $4,000. Hoskins said he did not have the authority. Thus, lacking further instructions from Barrell, Kendrick found himself on his own with "Washington". He decided to continue on as he had been. Matters with Barrell could be resolved later.