of wood, only one story high, and with a great deal of rellis-work about the windows and doors. "At the door of the governor's house we were all obliged, the ambassador not excepted, to take off our shoes, that we might not dirty the straw mats, or the finely varnished floors. This is an universal custom, and did not now appear surprising to us, as we had been so long accustomed to see the Banjos and interpreters come into our room at Megasaki without their shoes. "A vast number of officers were in attendance at the governor's house both within and without. We were carried through a long and wide corridor, the floor cf which was highly varnished, into an apartment, which, like our's at Megasaki, was covered with fine straw matting: the walls were ornamented with landscapes extremely well executed, but there was no kind of household furniture, such as tables, chairs, benches, or the like: all the woodwork about the doors and windows was finely polished and varnished. The light came through the adjoining corridors. Glass windows are a thing not to be seen in Japan; thin paper stretched over the window-frames supplies their place. In the midst of the apartment to which we were now conducted were inplements for smoking, consisting of pipes, tobacco- boxes, pans for lighted coal, and spitting vessels. A large porcelain spitting vase stood in one corner of the room. When we had finished smoking, tea was brought us without sugar: the cups were of porcelain, but massive, hea vy, of ugly forms, and ill painted; the tea was, according to the general judgment of our company, by no means good, "After a sbort half-hour the ambassador was introduced into the Hall of Audience, whither he was accompanied by Major Von Friderici and Lieutenant Koscheleff. The representative of the Japanese Emperor, and the governor, were kneeling nearly in the middle of the hall, and behind them were several persons holding their swords crossed, high over their heads. Thus it appeared that an untruth was told to the ambassador, when he was assured that no swords were allowed at the audience. The ambassador and the officers saluted the Great Men according to the European fashion, after which they retreated about six paces, and the interpreters knelt on each side of them. All round the hall were ranged some of the most distinguished persons of the country. "The first questions asked by the governor of the ambassador were, Why, and for what purpose, he had come to Japan? Why the Emperor of Russia had written to the Emperor of Japan, since Lieutenant Laxamana had been explicitly informed that this was forbidden, as contrary to the customs and laws of the country, and as absolutely inconsistent with propriety? Whether Lieutenant Laxmann had failed in making this known, and whether he was still alive? The governor then remarked, that though in the permission that had been produced leave was given for a trading vessel from Russia to come to Nangasaki for mercantile purposes, no mention whatever was made of an embassy. He concluded with asking the reason why no use had been made of this permission till after such a lapse of years? and why, having been so long neglected, it was at last brought forwards? The audience broke broke up about one o'clock, when we returned to Megasaki in the same order that we had come. "In the evening some interpreters came to tell the ambassador that he might have a second andience the following day, if he wished it. The proposal was accepted; but at half-past seven in the morning it rained so hard that we all thought the audience must be postponed. About nine, however, the weather began to clear, and some Opperbanjos, with the interpreters, came to escort us to the governor's. We were ready to accompany them; but the ambassador thought it right to remark, that his officers could not go on foot, as the day before, since the streets would, in consequence of the heavy rain, be extremely dirty, and the governor's house was quite at the other end of the town. To this the Opperbanjos at first made many objections, but at length they dispatched some persons to the governor, to lay the matter before him, and to desire that Norimons might be prepared for the cavaliers of the embassy, while we were going by water from Megasaki to Ochatto. At the latter place, however, we were obliged to wait two hours on board the barge before we were informed that the five Norimons were ready for the officers. A very heavy shower had fallen in the mean time, accompanied by thunder; but the barge was so well sheltered that we felt no inconvenience from it: we very tranquilly partook of the tea and pipes which had been prepared for us. "The captain of the barge was extremely polite and courteous. He wrote down the name of his guests, to keep them, he said, as a lasting memorial in his family of the ho-. We were nour he had received. not less observant of every thing around than the Japanese were of us, and remarked, among other things, a man who concealed himself behind some of his countrymen, and seemed occupied in drawing. We endeavoured to inspire him with confidence, and entreated him to shew us, without fear or diffidence, the interesting objects on which he was employed. He ventured upon this to exhibit his works, and we were not a little surprised at the talents displayed in them. He had. in, a short time taken a sketch of every thing remarkable which he saw about him; as, for instance, the three-cornered hat with feathers, worn by the ambassador, his star, and the ribband of his order, with the different insignia about the uniforms of the officers; their sabres, their swords, and the scabbards; their buttons, scarfs, and keys of office as chamberlains, their watchstrings and seals. The celerity and address with which he sketched, almost at a glance, so many objects entirely new to him, was beyond the talents of most European artists; for they were done with. Indian ink, on the fine Chinese silk-paper, as it is called; and what steadiness in the strokes, what lightness of pencil must be required, to give the proper expression in drawing with such materials! The time that we were detained here must have been of the greatest value to this man. "About twelve o'clock we wereinformed that the Norimons were all ready; the procession, therefore, immediately began to move forwards, precisely in the same order as the day before, with the exception of the officers being in these vehicles instead of going on foot. The place, the houses, the streets. were were also all in a like manner hung with tapestries and matting. "Scarcely had we arrived at the governor's house before the ambassador was invited to the audience, whither he went, accompanied by Counsellor Fosse and Captain Foederoff. He soon returned to us, bringing in his hand a large roll of paper, which had been given him with great ceremony, and with a request that he would have it explained by the interpreters. These latter held up the roll to their foreheads, bowing their heads with profound respect, and then opening it with a sort of awe, said: This is an extraordinary instance of favour shewn by the Emperor of Japan to the Russian ambassador: the paper contains nothing but friendship; but since it is written in the Japanese language, we are commissioned to explain, orally, the principal articles of its contents. In the sequel all will be faithfully translated, and committed to writing, that it may be understood with the utmost accuracy. This will be no trifling or easy task; for the paper is full of deep thought, and written with much attention and profound learning.' "They then proceeded to make known to us the principal articles, which were as follows. In former times, ships of all nations were allowed to come freely to Japan, and the Japanese were in the habit of visiting foreign countries with equal freedom. A hundred and fifty years ago, however, an emperor had strictly enjoined his successors never to let the Japanese quit the country, and only to permit the Chinese, the Dutch, and the inhabitants of the Island Riukiu, with the Coreans, to come to Japan. For many years the trade with the latter had been broken off, and only that with the Chinese and Dutch had been kept up. Since that epoch several foreign nations had, at various times, endeavoured to establish an intercourse of friendship and commerce with Japan; they were always, however, repulsed, in consequence of the long established prohibition, and because it was held dangerous to form ties of friendship with an unknown foreign power, which could not be founded on any basis of equality.' "The interpreters here made a pause, and then proceeded. Friendship,' they said, is like a chain, which, when destined to some particular end, must consist of a determined number of links. If one member, however, be particularly strong, and the others disproportionally weak, the latter must of necessity, by use, be soon broken. The chain of friendship can never, therefore, be otherwise than disadvantageous to the weak members included in it. "Thirteen years before,' they continued, a Russian ship, with Lieutenant Laxmann, came to Japan, and a second was now arrived with an ambassador from the great Russian Emperor. That the one should be received with forbearance, and the other with friendship, could be permitted, and the Emperor of Japan would gladly do whatever was in his power, consistently with adhering to the laws; he could and would, therefore, consider the arrival of the second Russian ship as a proof of the great friendship borne him by the Emperor of Russia. "This powerful monarch had sent him an ambassador with a number of costly presents. If they were accepted, the Emperor of Ja pan pan must, according to the customs of the country, which are considered as laws, send an ambassador with presents of equal value to the Emperor of Russia. But as there is a strict prohibition against either the inhabitants or the ships quitting the country, and Japan is besides so poor, that it is impossible to return presents to any thing like an equivalent, it is wholly out of the emperor's power to receive either the ambassador or the presents. "Japan has no great wants, and has therefore little occasion for foreign productions: her few real wants, as well as those that she has contracted by custom, are richly supplied by the Dutch and Chinese, and luxuries are things she does not wish to see introduced. It would besides be very difficult to establish an extensive trade, since that must, almost of necessity, occasion frequent intercourse between the common people and the foreign sailors; and this is a thing strictly prohibited." "The ambassador now made many protestations that he did not come with any idea of receiving presents in return for what he had brought; and added, that if the emperor would not accept any presents, he must insist upon paying for the provisions, and materials for repairing the ship, with which we had been furnished. To this the Japanese answered, that these were not presents the provisions were necessary for the support of life, and the other was only assistance imparted in a case of need: to give both freely was a duty of the govern ment. At the same time they informed us, that the emperor had issued a particular order to supply the ship with provisions for two months of every sort that we deemed expedient or desired. He had ordered besides, two thousand sacks of salt of thirty pounds each, and a hundred sacks of rice of a hundred and fifty pounds each, with two thousand bundles of the finest Japanese raw silk, to be given us; the two former were for the crew, the latter for the officers. These the ambassador refused, saying, that if the emperor declined accepting his presents, he could not possibly accept the articles offered. "While these discussions were going on, pipes had been brought us, and tea without sugar, with some sugared things as refreshments. The latter were upon separate sheets of paper for each person, and consisted of a variety of articles bound together with a sugar-work, which had all the appearance of a very pretty striped ribband. "After the interpreters had explained the emperor's pleasure, they brought a small roll of paper, which was addressed by the governor to the ambassador. Its principal contents were, to recommend that our ship, immediately on leaving the harbour, should stand out to sea to a considerable distance, as the coast, upon account of the rocks and frequent storms, .was extremely dangerous; and to request, that if in future any Japanese should be trown upon the Russian coasts, they might be consigned to the Dutch, who would transport them to Batavia, whence they might easily return to Japan. "Our audience being now at au end, about four in the afternoon we were carried back in the Norimons to Ochatto, but without any train, and thence proceeded by water to Megasaki. The whole day was very cloudy, with some heavy show ers ers of rain, which only contributed to increase the gloom in our minds created by our disappointment. As it was doubtful whether our au dience might not be protracted to a late hour in the evening, preparations had been made for illuminating all the streets through which we were to pass at every four or five paces a post of about two feet high was stuck into the ground, to which was fastened a paper lan tern. "On the sixth, the interpreters came to talk once more with the ambassador, in the name of the governor, about the provisions and the silk. They assured us that the governor could not do any thing in the affair from his own judgment; he must obey the emperor's orders; and if the ambassador persisted in refusing the things offered, he must send a courier to Jedo to signify as much, which would prolong our stay at least two months. In order, therefore, to obtain our liberty, his excellency was obliged to accept the silk and provisions. The interpreters then asked whether it would be agreeable to him to have his audience for taking leave the next day, or whether he would defer it for some days. The ambassador chose the first, that he might quit Japan as soon as possible. "Towards noon, therefore, on the 7th of April, we passed again through the streets of Naugasaki; they were ornamented as before with hangings, and beset with guards. As it rained very hard, we were cach provided with a new umbrella when we arrived at Ochatto, and were carried in our Nori mons. "The audience consisted in a reciprocal exchange of compliments and friendly adieus. We were then conducted into, an adjoining apartment, where were the two thousand bundles of silk sent by the emperor. The interpreters assured us that it would have been an extraor dinary piece of ill fortune to them if the ambassador had not permitted the officers to accept this present, since they would have been sup posed to have ili interpreted the emperor's orders, and this is a very heavy crime; they were therefore eloquent in their acknowledgments for the ambassador's condescension. "Thus ended our extraordinary embassy to Japan. Nothing now remained for us but to repack the presents destined for the emperor as soon as possible, and return them on board the ship, and to proceed with the utmost dispatch in all other preparations for our departure. While we were proceeding in them, we once more made an attempt to gain permission for visiting the Dutch at Desima, and one of the temples in or about Nangasaki, but we could not succeed in either. "After very urgent and repeated solicitations, the ambassador did at length obtain leave to make seven of the principal interpreters a trifling present in acknowledgment of the trouble we had given them; and the governor at length consented to accept, as remembrances, the little pocket globe, with some maps and sketches of the different nations that compose the Russian empire. "The utmost exertions were now made to get the ship ready for sailing with all possible dispatch; and it was evident that the Japanese were not a little astonished, when on the sixteenth we announced that every thing was ready for our departure. DESCRIPTION |