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    066 THE LEADER. .['No, 491. Atxg. 20, 18...

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    A CRUISE m JAPANESE WATEKS. By Capt. She...

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    And China To British Commerce Makes All ...

    a . body of policemen as escorts . They found it unpleasant to have their steps thus dogged : — . " Ascending some broad flights of stone steps , we followed our guides through narrow streets , o bridges , up more steps , and through more streets , narrow , but clean , till we arrived at the entrance to a large temple . Here we stopped to admire . an immense arch , whose pillars were incased in copper , with raised characters on either side telling of the emperor iri whose reign it was erected , and of the temple before which it was placed . Passing through the arch , we came to the foot of three flights of steps , to

    very broad , and so steep that we paused gain breath ere we attempted the ascent . On either side were rows of fine old trees , and the temple in the distance stood out in relief from a dark wood or grove . On ourascent we met with devotees on their return from prayers ; coolies carry ing heavy burdens ; and horses , descending the steps with as much ease and gravity as the old owners who followed them . A pleasant shrubbery stood in the shade of the temple ; the camphor tree , cedar , cypress , yew , and camelia , and orange , growing in perfection . I measured one of the fine old trees , which was 25 feet in girth , and covered -with rich foliage . "

    Tie manner in which the worshipper treated his idol was certainly peculiar . The latter exhibited merely the face and head ; the face being hideous , with a large nasal organ , and spotted over with paper pellets . It seems that the devotee chews paper and throws a pellet , aiming at the nose . Should he strike that organ , he deems his request granted , if not , it is rejected . An air of business prevailed in the streets of the city _ ; our officers were objects of curiosity to the inhabitants , particularly the "women , who appeared to have the greatest liberty of action . They bi'ought them tea , water , or li ^ htSj as they required them . Owing to the usual custom of blackening their teeth , the married women are much changed as to their

    personal appearance ; but most of the young girls were pretty and graceful , curtseying slightly as they passed their friends in the street . Concerning the Japanese government , this volume adds nothing to our knowledge . It contradicts , however , the custom of irequent suicide , and denies that tb . e Governor of Nagasaki committed it after the visit of the Phaeton frigate in 1808 . The nobles and officials treat with contempt the merchants , who , notwithstanding , acquire great wealth , purchase lands , build commodious houses , and live luxuriously . Yet there is small hope of much commerce ^ fbr years to come . Wants rnust be created ere * it will be profitable to export articles to Japan . The work is illustrated with coloured engravings , and is concisely written .

    066 The Leader. .['No, 491. Atxg. 20, 18...

    066 THE LEADER . . [ 'No , 491 . Atxg . 20 , 1859

    A Cruise M Japanese Wateks. By Capt. She...

    A CRUISE m JAPANESE WATEKS . By Capt . Sherard Geboro , C . B ., Royal Navy . —Win . Blackwood and Sons . Tins is another voyage-book to Japan , in which China is taken as the starting-point . China had been open by the treaty of peace to British enterprise . Missionary , traveller * , merchant , had all free way . The ships of England might not only visit the seaboard 01 China , and enter her harbours , but wore at liberty to penetrate to her farthest borders , Yang-tsi-Keaiig , the Son of the Ocean , might bear on his flowing stream our vessels by ana through her richest ana hitherto most secluded provinces . . „ .. . Of the progress in commerco already made Captain Osborn gives as proof the scene of bustle witnessed by him at Shanghai—eighty odd sail of splendid clippers , fleet-footed racers of the deep sea , from London , Liverpool , Aberdeen , and New York , were riding at ; anchor off the quays ; flags and pennons , as varied in colour as . then * owners and consignees wore numerous , flaunted gaily in the fervid zephyra that wafted anything but

    ambrosial smells froiri the fields and gardens of a Seople who are far too jpraotical to care for the lthy moans whereby thou- vegetables are brought to market in such marvellous perfection On the morrow of their leaving Shanghai our vovagors , to their great delight , found themselves on the ocean ; and they wore venturing upon a const imperfectly surveyed , which lonfc novelty and the onarm of danger to their occupation . They wore going to Yetto , the oapital of Jftpan : though , it was said they should not approach it , booause one clause of AcUniral Stirling ' s treaty of 1854 etipulutod that British shi ps should only , go to Nangasoki , at one extreme ot tho empire , ftna Hakodadi at the other . Uw Ambassador was to present a yaoht from our

    had elapsed- ^ a mere flea-bite in the record s of such countries as Japan and China- —it seemed natural we should still adhere to the privileges secured bybold Captain Saris , of the good sliip Clove , of London , belonging unto the Honourable and Worshipful Company : ot Merchants trading to the East Indies—and ignore the folly of those who , in later years , had lost the birthright their ancestors had won for them . In happy ignorance of any treaties made by Admiral Starling and others , H M . ships steamed on , pretending perfect unconsciousness of the existence of guard boats and officials . However , it was soon very evident that if they could it much their

    not stop us , was quite as as lives were worth not to be able to report correctly upon who and what we were . Just as we had put the helm hard down to escape one pair of boats , two others skilfully . tumbled into the wash of our paddle wheels , and the most expeditious short-hand writers at home could not have made their quills fly faster than did these Japanelfe in noting down facts that one of their party , who stood on tiptoe to peer into the ports , shouted out for their information . Next day we learnt that the spies had given a very excellent account of H . M . S .. Furious , and had only missed one gun in the list of her armament . " , Our penman of the cruise writes finely , and many a tempting passage lies in this book which would quote beautifully . But we must condense so that our readers , in default of' much- detail , perhaps , may at all events have an outline sufficiently ample . We might recall tlic Papcnberg , and its Japanese Hcbc , with tho brilliant red flowers in . her jetty liair , her glittering set of white teeth , and her arch smile ; us our voyagers ,

    turning ' sharply .-into' the fine channel of water , approached Wangasaki . That city faced them , spread round the base of a hill at the farther . , end of the harbour , and having . imincdiatoly in front of it a rude collection of hybrid European houses , with a flagstaff on--the artificial island of Decinia , whereon the Japanese had held the Dutchmen voluntary prisoners ever since the expulsion of the Portuguese in 1613 . Nature lias spread loveliness over the harbour of Nancrasaki .

    " A long fiord of blue water stretches two miles inland between sloping hills which spring from the sea with a bold , rocky escarpment , and then roll gently back , rising to an altitude of a thousand feet or so ; and these are overlooked by still more lofty giants- —every mountain side covered with all that can gladden a landscape , and down every ravine gladsome streams rushing on to the sea . Here a village , there a quaint bark anchored in a . sandy cove ; now an official abode with squai * c-cut terrace and upright fence , so properly stiif , starched , and queer , you felt sure you had only to knock and that

    Queen to an Emperor who , they lieard , was , by the rules of the empire , never allowed to go beyona the walls of his palace ; and then he was , by moral force , to be induced to make a fresh treaty , in the face of a clause in that same Stirling Treaty which tuns as . follows .: " 7 th Art . IVhen this convention shall have been ratified , no high officer coming to Japan shall alter it . " Well , might the Captain exclaim that " there Were as many unknown rocks and quicksands ahead of the diplomatic portion of the expedition as there were in the track of the executive . "

    They were very bare of information befitting the seaman ' s need . They Were as much wanting , in 1858 , as Marco Paulo in 1295 , when all he could do was to point to the eastern margin of the Yellow Sea , and say —•" ¦ There was a great island there named Zipangu , peopled by a highly-civilised and wealthy race , who had bravely rolled back the tide of . . Tartar conquest in the days of Kublai Khan . " On" the af ternoon of 2 nd August , 1858 , however , they reached a group of rocky but picturesque islets , the outposts of the Japanese empire ; called Miaco-Sima , or the Ass ' Ears , because their

    peaks run up in a manner not unlike the ears of that animal . The scenery was very different from that of China . The sight of it , peering on our seamen out of a sea mist , was glorious—" mountain and plain , valley and islet , clothed with vegetation , or waving with trees , and studded with villages— ' - blue sea for a foreground , crisped with the breeze , and calm spots with sandy bays in amongst islands dotted with fishing boats and native junks . " Such is the picture presented by the graphic penman of the cruise ;

    " Early in the forenoon H . M . S . Furious was entering the charming series of channels leading through islands to Nangasaki . Cape Nonio was now hidden from view , whilst on either hand lay the lovely spots known b ' y . the native names of Fwosima and Kamino-sima , " Simur" being Japanese for island . They looked like pieces of land detached from the best parts of the south coast of England , and it is impossible , we believe , to pay them a greater compliment . Their outline was marked and picturesque , clothed , wherever a tree could hang or find holdingground , with . the handsome pine peculiar to the country . Villages and richly cultivated gardens nestled in every , nook , and flowers , as well as fruittrees , were plentiful . To our eyes , the multitude of guns and extraordinary number of batteries which covered every landing-place , or surmounted every

    height , on these islands , did not enhance their beauty ; and we regretted to see the men entering the batteries as we approached . We suspected then , what afterwards proved to be the case , that our Transatlantic friends had taken great care to work upon the fears of the Japanese , by spreading some marvellous tales of what we Britishers had done in China , and intended to do to them . The garrisons of the batteries , however , appeared desirous only of showing how prepared they were ; and having gone to their guns , q uietly sat down to smoke their pipes , while the officers , seated on the parapets , gracefully fanned , themselves . Yet it will bo well for all the world that the Japanese are jealous of their liberty ; and that its people will , if needs should arise , gallantly defend the beautiful land God has given them .

    one ot the Barnacles of society would appear ; then , nestling in the midst of green trees and flowery gardens , were the prettiest chalets scon out of Switzerland ; children , with ' no clothes at all , rolling ' on the grass , or tumbling in and out' of the water ; whilst their respected parents , with but lew habiliments to incommode them , gravely wavo their fans , or sat gazing upon the nowly nrrived vessels . Oh ! it was a goodly sight ; but wo , "were- " U in the mood to be pleased ; and had tho sky boon Ices clear , the air less bracing , and tho climate as bad as that of China , wo should assuredly . still have

    " It would be hazardous to say how many guns arc mounted on the islands and points commanding the approach to Nangasaki ; some of them may be of wood—merely quafars : but wo saw hundreds that decidedly were not . The majority were of brass , some of iron , all mounted on wheoled carnages , and scorned , from the gun-gear about them , wqII found in stores , and efficient . Tho batteries woro very solid , and there was a queer mixture of European and Japanese ideas in their construction—the result being , that although the lower portions would have stood a great deal of hammering from an enomy , the unfortunate gunners would have been too much exposed to have stood long to their guns . " Our attention was now called from the land to a

    admired it . " The wonted chain of guard-boats no longer stopped the way . Nevertheless , an ofliecr stood in the boat of which they came abreast , and mildly gesticulated with his fan ; but a spy-g lass was Drought steadily to bear on him ; und tho action ot the fan became less violent , then irregular , then spasmodic , then paused . Another flutter and tho holder shut up bis fan , and retired . "An hour passed—no officials ennic near us . xhc native boats , before alluded to , had followed tno ship , and now hung listlessly about her . lllC officers in them woro evidently very inquisitive { but as wo did not invito th ' oir approach , tiiey still kept aloof . Tho Dutohmon on shoro Boemeu enirts

    number of government boats , winch wore dotted about the water ahead of us : they were always in pairs , one , doubtless , scion lea regies , watching 1 the other . It was desirable to have no communication with these guard-boats—for suoh wo oaeily recognised them to bo—lost they should hand us tho copy of some British Treaty , or Convention , by which some one had pledged her Most Gracious Majesty ' s subjects not to do this , or not to do that . Wo happoned to havo found in an old book—the only old thing , except old port , wo over liked—a Treaty of Poace and Amity between the Emperor of Japan and James the iFirat , of Great Britain , dated as far baok as tho year of grace 1613 . By It , right of intercourse , commerce , and euch like , was scoured to us for over j and as only two centuries and a half

    equally shy . Somo half dozon sailors , in rod , lolled about tho landing place of Docima i buc Docima showed no othor sign of vitality , uml wnoKo rose as steadily from ' tho Dutch skipper ' s pipo as no leant over tho rail of his argosy und poorod . at us , as it would have done in tho slooplost hmdscnpo in watery Holland . It sutldunly flt'uck us tnai Deoima had gone to bod , and that hero , us in Batavia , the community dlno about noon , and mtor dinner all . the Mynheers , Fruufl , nnd * «»» oj" 5 retire to rost , rising from tholr fiocond sloop aDow four or five o ' clock in tho aftovnoon . Wo wore , wo soon ascertained , right in our suspicions ; » uc n » ofllcor was eont on ehoro , romorsolosaly to stir up t "" slooplng burghors of Deolxnn with tho Information of tho arrival of hie Exoollonay tho British Aaiwtfeador .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 20, 1859, page 18, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_20081859/page/18/