First Russian Embassy to Japan, 329 



at Ochotsk by order of government, for the purpose of car- 

 rying back to his own country a Japanese merchant, named 

 Kodoiu, who had been wrecked at Unalaschka, in a ship 

 laden with rice. Some of the Japanese who accompanied 

 him came to Petersburg, where they received presents 

 from the empress j and all of them had experienced so much 

 attention to their situation, and so much friendship, parti- 

 cularly in Siberia, that they quitted their benefactors with 

 every mark of the liveliest gratitude. As M. Laxman of Ir- 

 kutsk, in particular, had acquired their confidence in the 

 highest degree, his eldest son, lieutenant Adam Laxman, was 

 appointed commander of the expedition; and at the same 

 time was charged to exert his influence to procure to the 

 Russians, if possible, liberty of trading to Japan on defini- 

 tive terms. That the embassy was not intrusted to a per- 

 son of higher rank, and that the empress did not, on this 

 occasion, herself write to the emperor of Japan, but gave 

 orders to the governor-general of Irkutsk to write a letter to 

 the Japanese government, arose in all probability from her 

 being unwilling to expose her dignity in an affair the result 

 of which miglit be uncertain; but there is great reason to 

 think that in consequence of this neglect the mission was 

 attended with so little success. 



It is however probable, that the formal embassy accom- 

 panied by valuable presents, which the emperor Alexander 

 lately dispatched to Japan, will make a greater impression, 

 and meet with a more favourable reception. Of this em- 

 bassy some account has been given in the preceding article; 

 and we shall now, as a companion to it, lay before our 

 readers an extract from the journal of lieutenant Laxman, 

 which contains several curious particulars respecting the 

 Japanese. 



Extract from tlie Journal of Lieutenant Adam Laxma?i 3 

 kept during a Voyage to Japan, undertaken in the Years 

 1792 and 1793, by the Command of Empress Catha- 

 rine IL 



Lieutenant Laxman received orders by an imperial re- 

 script, addressed to M. Piel, governor-general of Irkutsk 

 and Kolyvan, to carry home in a vessel fitted out at the ex- 

 pense of government some Japanese, whose ships had been 

 stranded on the Aleutian Islands. In consequence of this 

 order, lieutenant Laxman sailed from Ochotsk on the 13th 

 of September 1792, 



On the 17th the vessel having proceeded west about 300 

 versts was found to be opposite to the island of St, Jonas, 



Z3 the 



