First Russian Emlas.11/ to Japan. 337 



to come to any decision, we return your letter." A do-* 

 mestic then crawled forwards, half kneeling and half pro- 

 strate, and, having received the letter in that position, 

 handed it to M. Laxman. To make up in some measure 

 for this disappointment, the senior ordered the screen to- 

 wards the garden to be drawn aside, and showed him a 

 hundred bags of rice lying in a heap, which were destined 

 for him as a present; a paper was then delivered to him, 

 for the receipt and safe delivery of which to the Russian 

 government he was obliged to give one in return. After 

 this he was conducted into an adjoining apartment, where 

 various refreshments were served up; and on the collation 

 being ended he returned to a second conference in the hall 

 of audience. M. Laxman was now permitted to make 

 known verbally the object of his mission, which he accor- 

 dingly did ; and in a very long speech stated to the depu- 

 ties, that by an order from his court he had been commis- 

 sioned not only to carry home some Japanese subjects who 

 had been wrecked on the Russian coast, but to convey them 

 to Jedo-Koda the capital, that he might thus have an op- 

 portunity of expressing to his Japanese majesty the friendly- 

 sentiments of the empress of Russia, and her desire of en- 

 tering into a closer and more intimate intercourse with the 

 Japanese government. He concluded with proposing a 

 journey to Jedo, and requested the advice and assistance of 

 the deputies to enable him to carry his design into execu- 

 tion^ The answer to this proposal- was exceedingly short; 

 the substance of it was : That according to the fundamental 

 laws of the empire no strangers could be permitted to visit 

 Jedo; and that M. Laxman had enjoyed the same advan- 

 tage as if he had seen th** emperor, as he had spoken to his 

 deputies. They also desired that M. Laxman would make 

 preparations for quitting as soon as possible with his ship 

 the harbour of Chakcdasche ; and that he would either re- 

 turn to Russia, or proceed to Yedomo, which was the place 

 originally destined for his landing. The deputies then re- 

 tired, and the Russians were conducted with the same ce- 

 remonies back to their habitation, where they found a great 

 number of presents provided for them by order of therein-, 

 peror, and of the governor of Matmai. M. Laxman, desi- 

 Tousof testifying his gratitude to the latter, by giving, some 

 presents in return, requested that he might have the honour 

 of waiting upon him ; but this was refused. He was at the 

 §ame time informed that the governor was a child, an ex- . 

 preasion by which the Japanese denote a man of simplicity;, 

 and that he was not worth seeing : they however added, 



that 



