62 INTRODUCTION. 



would triumpli," &c. The progress of the expedition was, of course, watched by foreign powers 

 with great interest. 



Commodore Perry cast anchor in the bay of Jeddo, the commercial capital of Japan, on the 

 8th of July, 1853. On the 22d of August, 1853, a Eussian squadron, under the command of 

 Admiral Pontiatine, anchored in the bay of Nagasaki. We know not precisely of what vessels 

 this expedition was composed ; but we believe that, beside the frigate Pallas and the steamer 

 Vostoclc, the Aurora, of 48 guns, and the corvette Navarino, of 22, were sent, the one to the 

 Paciiic, and the other ostensibly to Kamtschatka, while it is quite certain that not long after a 

 Eussian squadron of several vessels-of-war was at Copenhagen, the officers of which said tliat 

 they were destined to remain five years in the waters of the Japanese archipelago. An unusually 

 large Russian naval force was therefore collected m the Pacific, and in the vicinity of Japan, to 

 be there on the expected visit of Commodore Perry. There were not wanting those who sus- 

 pected that Eussia was silently pursuing her own system of policy. If Commodore Perry unfor- 

 tunately should fail in his peaceful attempts, and be brought into forcible collision with the 

 Japanese, Russia was on the spot, not to mediate, but to tender to Japan her aid as an ally in 

 the conflict, and if successful, to avail herself of the moment of confidence quietly to get a foot- 

 hold in some part of the Kingdom, with the intention, at the proper time, of absorbing all. 

 There is no power in the other hemisphere to which the possession of Japan, or the control of its 

 affairs, is as important as it is to Eussia. She is on one side of the islands, the United States 

 on the other. The Pacific ocean is destined to be the theatre of immense commercial under- 

 takings. Eussia is, in a gi-eat degree, shut out by local position from easy access to the Atlantic ; 

 but with such liarbors on the Pacific as Japan would give her, she might hope to become the 

 controlling maritime power of the world. Our friendly relations and influence with the Japanese, 

 therefore, might interfere materially with the ulterior plans of Eussia. Hence she was first 

 in the field to watch all our movements. Thus, we say, some interpreted her conduct. We do 

 not mean to say that they interpreted it correctly, or that such was the policy Eussia had resolved 

 on. But the fact is, as we have stated, that simultaneously with our expedition she did largely 

 increase her naval armament in the waters of Japan. Commodore Perry was at some loss to 

 understand precisely the policy of Eussia. In a letter of November 12th, 1853, the Eussian 

 admiral made a distinct proposition of joining his forces to, and entering into full co-operation 

 with, the American squadron. Tliis may have been prompted by. an expectation of our success 

 and a doubt of his own. At any rate, the Commodore civilly, but decidedly, declined the 

 proposal, and, in a letter to the Secretary of the Navy, assigned most satisfactory reasons 

 for so doing. He stated that it was "inconsistent with our policy of abstaining from all 

 alliances with foreign powers ; and for the reason, also, tliat his co-operation cannot advance 

 the interest of the United States, however it might benefit the objects of the Eussian Emperor, 

 of the nature of whose designs I (says the Commodore) am utterly ignorant." But whatever 

 were her secret purposes to promote her own, or throw obstacles in the way of our success, 

 if she had any, one thing is certain, for that success we are not indebted in the slightest degree 

 to Eussia, by any direct act of hers to that end. Indirectly, however, she may have furthered 

 tlie object. We ai-e in possession of very recent information from Japan tending to show that 

 the imperial government seems to be distrustful of the purposes of Eussia. The movements 

 of that nation on tlie Amour river have been viewed with so much apprehension that the Emperor 

 some time ago dispatched a special agent to discover, if possible, their ulterior jmrposes. The 



