36 INTRODUCTION. 



Majesty, whom I esteem as myself. Desiring the continuance of friendship with your highness — 

 and that it may stand with your good liking to send your subjects to any jmrt or port of my 

 dominions, where they shall be most heartily welcome, applauding much their worthiness in 

 the admirable knowledge of navigation, having with much facility discovered a country so 

 remote, being no whit amazed with the distance of so mighty a gulf, nor greatnes.s of such 

 infinite clouds and storms, from jirosecuting honorable enterprises of discoveries and merchan- 

 dizing — wherein they shall find me to further them according to their desires. I return unto 

 your Majesty a small token of my love, (by your said subject,) desiring you to accept thereof, as 

 from him that much rejoiceth in your friendship. And whereas your Majesty's subjects have 

 desired certain privileges for trade, and settling of a factory in my dominions, I have not only 

 granted what they demanded, biit have confirmed the same unto them under my broad seal for 

 better establishing thereof. 



" From my castle in Surunga, this fourth day of the ninth month, in the eighteenth year of 

 our Dairi, according to our computation. Eesting your Majesty's friend. The highest 

 commander in this Kingdom of Japan. 



"MINNA, MONTTONO. Yd, ye, yeas." 



[lyeyas.] 

 Three years after this, in 1616, a slight modification was made in the grant of privileges, 

 without, however, injuriously affecting the commercial interests of England. The ships were 

 directed, upon arriving on the coast, to repair to Firando, and carry on all their trade 

 at their factory there. They might, however, in case of opposing winds or bad weather, 

 enter and stay in any harbor of the Kingdom without paying anchorage duties, and though 

 they could not sell, they might freely buy any necessaries their ships required. "When Saris 

 returned to England, he left in charge of the factory he had established at Firando Mr. Kichard 

 Cockes, who had under his direction eight Englishmen, three Japanese interpreters, and two 

 native servants. Among the Englishmen was Adams, whom the company were very glad to 

 employ at a liberal salary. The Protestant factories — Dutch and English — were thus neighbors 

 at Firando, while the Portuguese were at Dezima, in the harbor of Nagasaki, and bore them no 

 good will. 



The English, however, soon gained the friendship and confidence of the natives, and Cockes 

 paid more than one visit to the Emperor at Jeddo. He remained in the country many years, 

 and, as it would appear from his letters, (printed in Purchas,) had ultimately trouble with his 

 Dutch neighbors, who seem to us, at least, to have systematically acted, from the first hour of 

 obtaining foothold in Japan, upon the policy of driving away all European traders but them- 

 selves. It is a policy from which (notwithstanding their profes.sions) we think they have never 

 swerved. 



The English company, it is probable, made an injudicious selection of merchandise for 

 shipment to Japan ; at any rate, from this or some other cause, certain it is that the business 

 did not prove remunerative ; and, discouraged by this and some other circumstances, the company, 

 in 1623, after an expenditure of £40,000, voluntarily closed their factory at Firando, and 

 withdrew from the country. But they left with an unstained reputation, and departed with the 

 esteem of the higher classes and the regrets of the more humble. It is useless to indulge in 

 conjecture as to what might have been the present condition of Japan had they remained. 

 Possibly, long ere this, she might have had commercial relations established with the rest of the 



