228 



EXPEDITION TO JAPAN. 



CHAPTER XII. 



DEPARTURE FROM NAPHA FOR JAPAV. ^COURSE OF THE SHIPS. OHO-SIMA. ISLAND SEE>f BY COMMAJfDER GLTNN, PROBABLT 



OHO-SIMA. CLEOPATRA ISLANDS. CURRENTS. FOURTH OF JULT ON BOARD —APPROACH TO CAPE IDZU. SQUADRON, LED 



BT THE SUSaUEHANN.!, ENTERS THE BAT OF TEDO. ROCK ISLAND. HAZT ATMOSPHERE OF JAPAN, SDRPRISE OF THE 



JAPANESE AT SIGHT OF THE STEAMERS MOVING AGAINST WIND AND TIDE. BAT OF SAGAMI. — APPEARANCE OF THE COAST 



AND COUNTRY INLAND. FUSI-JAMA. SHIPS MADE READY FOR ACTION. FLEET OF JAPANESE BOATS PUT OFF FROM THE 



SHORE. LEPT BEHIND BY SQUADRON. BAY OF DRAGA.— ^OPPOSITE COAST OF AWA. JAPAVESE FORTS. SQUADRON COMES TO 



ANCHOR IN THE BAY OF URAGA. SOUNDINGS ON APPUOACHING THE ANCHORAGE. JAPANESE GUARD-BOATS PUT OFF.- — NO ONE 



PERMITTED TO COME ON BOARD THE SHIPS. APPEARANCE OF GUARD-BOATS AND CREWS. SKILL OF THE JAPANESE IN 



MANAGING THEIR BOATS. — ^GUVRD-EOAT COMES ALONGSIDE OF THE MISSISSIPPI, AND JAPANESE FUNCTIONARY DEMANDS TO 



COME ON BOARD. NOT PERMITTED. — NOTICE IN THE FRENCH LANGUAGE, ORDERING THE SHIPS AWAY, HELD UP TO BE 



READ. INTERPRETERS DIRECTED TO INFORM THE JAP.ANESE THAT THE COMMODORE WOULD CONFER WITH NO ONE BUT 



THE HIGHEST OFFICIAL IN URAGA. JAPANESE REPLIED THAT THEY HAD THE VICE GOVERNOR ON BOARD. THIS OFFICER 



AND HIS INTERPRETER ALLOWED TO COME ON BOARD THE SUSQUEHANNA. NOT PERMITTED TO SEE THE COMMODORE. 



CONFERENCE WITH LIEUTENANT CONTEE, WHO EXPLAINS THAT THE AMERICANS HAVE COME ON A FRIENDLY MISSION AND 



THAT THE COMMODORE BEARS A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE EMPEROR. DESIRES THE 



APPOINTMENT OF .\N OFFICER OF SUITABLE RANK TO RECEIVE IT FROM THE COMMODORE. COMMODORE REFUSES TO GO 



TO NAGASAKI. INFORMS THE JAPANESE OFFICIALS THAT IF THE GUARD-BOATS ARE NOT IMMEDIATELY REMOVED HE WILL 



DISPERSE THEM BY FORCE.— THE BOATS ARE WITHDRAWN. VICE GOVERNOR RETURNS TO THE SHORE, PROMISING FURTHER 



COMMUNICATION ON THE MORROW. POLICY RESOLVED ON BY THE COMMODORE. METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENON.— VISIT 



ON THE NEXT DAY FROM THE GOVERNOR OF URAGA. CONFERENCE BETWEEN IIIM AND COMMANDERS BUCHANAN AND 



ADAMS. SECOND REFUSAL OF THE COMMODORE TO GO TO NAGASAKI. DETERMINATION EXPRESSED TO DELIVER THE LETTER 



THERE, AND, IF NECESSARY, IN THE CITY OF YEDO ITSELF.- — GOVERNOR PROPOSES TO REFER THE HATTER TO YEDO. 



COMMODORE ASSENTS AND ALLOWS THREE DATS FOR AN ANSWER. SURVEY BY THE SQUADROn's BOATS OF THE BAY OF 



URAGA, AND ULTIMATELY OF THE BAY OF YEUO. 



when they might be 



I AKLY on the morning of the 2d of July, 1853, 

 i after many unforeseen delays, the Commodore 

 departed from Napha with four vessels only, the 

 two steamers, the Susquehanna, his flag-ship, 

 and the Mississippi, the Saratoga, and the 

 Plymouth sloops-of-war. The Supply was left 

 behind, and the Caprice dispatched to Shanghai. 

 Tiiis was but a poor show of ships, in comparison 

 J with the more imposing squadron of twelve 

 vessels which had been so repeatedly promised. 

 But as none of these additional vessels had 

 arrived, and as no calculation could be made as to 

 looked for, the Commodore resolved to sail with the inferior force, which he 



