34 INTRODUCTION. 



partake of his hospitality, he must present a petition to the governor, and obtain sj)ecial 

 permission to go ; while on the visit, he is surrounded by spies as usual. And to all this 

 humiliation, the Dutch have submitted, for more than two hundred years, for the purpose of 

 securing the monopoly of the Japanese trade I 



THE ENGLISH. 



We must now remind the reader of the letters written by William Adams, one of which was 

 addressed to any of his countrymen in the east into whose hands Providence might cause it to 

 fall. Adams was, in truth, the founder of the English as he had been of the Dutch trade. The 

 letters he wrote reached Batavia, and were thence sent to London, where they were submitted to 

 a corporation then known as the " Worshipful Fellowship of the Merchants of London, trading 

 into the East Indies," but in later times by the far more celebrated name of the " Honorabla 

 East India Company." No time was lost by the corporation in dispatching a ship for Japan, 

 and Purchas has preserved for us the history of the voyage. The vessel was called the Clove, 

 and was commanded by Captain John Saris, who had already made several voyages to the east. 

 Taking on board such a cargo as was deemed suitable, and furnished with a letter from King 

 James I. to the Prince of Firando, and one also, with presents, to the Emperor, Saris left Eng- 

 land on the 18th of April^ 1611, and stopping and trading at various places on the way, reached 

 Firando on the lltli of June, 1613, when the English met with a most iriendly reception from 

 the natives. 



Saris found on his arrival that Adams was at Jeddo, nearly 900 miles distant, and imme- 

 diately put himself in communication with him, desiring him to repair at once to Firando. 

 Until he came he carried on his conferences with the Japanese, by means of a native of the 

 country whom he had picked up at Bantam, and who spoke the Malay language, which Saris 

 understood. Saris delivered the King's letter to the Prince of Firando, Foyne Sama, who 

 received it with pride, but would not open it until Adams (whom they called Ange) should arrive 

 to interpret it. The Prince also sent intelligence to the Emperor of the arrival of the Clove. 



On the 29th of July Adams arrived, and Saris conferred with him on the subject of trade ; 

 and let us hope he had also something to tell him of his wife and children. Early in August 

 Saris left Firando for Jeddo, having in his company Adams and ten other Englishmen. The 

 purpose of the visit was to offer to the Emperor the presents of the English King, and to nego- 

 tiate a treaty. The Prince of Firando furnished the party with one of his own galleys of fifty 

 oars. Saris gives us the particulars of his journey, which are not without interest, especially as it 

 respects the manners and customs of the people, which (as there were then no restrictions on the 

 intercourse with foreigners, and as he had Adams for a companion) he had ample opportunity 

 of seeing imder the most favorable circumstances. At length he had an interview with the 

 Emperor, by whom he was graciously received, and from whom, after some little negotiation 

 between Saris and the Emperor's secretary, he obtained privileges of trade, as follows : 



" 1 . We give free license to the subjects of the King of Great Britain, viz : Sir Thomas Smith, 

 governor, and the company of the East Indian merchants and adventurers, forever safely to 

 come into any of our ports of our Empire of Japan, with their ships and merchandise, without 

 any hindrance to them or their goods ; and to abide, buy, sell, and barter, according to their 

 own manner with all nations ; to tarry here as long as they think good, and to depart at their 

 pleasure. 



