events that had taken place by Resanov and Chwostoff. The governor handed him a letter from the remaining officers of the Diana; they explained why they could not save them in the Kurils and that they would work towards their release. Golovnin was also provided with another letter that had been written in 1806 by Chwostoff and stated that he had annexed the island of Sakhalin in the name of the tsar. The Japanese had also annexed Sakhalin in 1807 in fear of growing Russian interference. The letter convinced many of the Japanese that Golovnin was a Russian spy. The Japanese continued pressing questions to Golovnin, and he and the crew were moved to a new prison in Matsumae. After in depth interrogations for weeks, the governor of Hokkaido contacted the central government in Edo to ask whether the Russians could be released. In response, the Japanese government sent a scholar called Teske (a Dutch-speaker) to try to learn Russian, to question the Russians, and finally to raw their portraits. The government also sent renowned the explorer Mamiya Rinzō, who had been wounded in the skirmish with Chwostoff on Etrop, to discover more about Russia's presence in the north-west of the Pacific. Escape attempt Golovnin and his crew began plotting to escape (despite a great improvement of their treatment by the Japanese). However, one of the officers of German origin, Moor, had resolved to stay and pursue a life in Japan and had made significant progress in learning the Japanese language. In March 1812, the Governor received a letter stating new orders from Edo to burn any Russian ships and to imprison their crews. Golovnin and the crew, without Moor, decide to make their escape into the mountains. The crew went through the mountains to the shore to find a boat to commandeer but were arrested after eight days by soldiers and brought back into imprisonment. The new governor Oga-Sawara-Isseno-Kami, presented another letter from Chwostoff stating that his attack had been motivated by Japan's refusal to open trade with Russia. They were forgiven for their escape attempt and moved back to more comfortable lodging. Release After Golovnin's capture, Rikord returned to Kamchatka to gain permission to attempt to rescue. That was granted by the governor of Kamchatka, and he had a document condemning Chwostoff's raid given to him. He then attempted contact with the Japanese on Kunashir and was met