310 EXPEDITION TO JAPAN. 



answer, that it would' be far more respectful toward the empire of Lew Chew to go to the royal 

 palace, and added that he would expect that horses, kagos, and kago-hearers should be in 

 readiness to carry him and his attending party on the day proposed for the visit. 



The regent was prepared to meet this demand with all the iisual variety of objections, in 

 accordance with the crooked Lew Chewan policy, but they were answered by the Commodore's 

 repetition of his original resolve. 



The regent accordingly put the best face possible on the matter, and made all the necessary 

 preparations ; and when the Commodore, on the 3d of February, carried his intentions into 

 execution he was received with all proper respect and the usual courtesies. He paid his first 

 visit, as on the previous occasion, to the palace, accompanied by a military guard and a suite of 

 officers, and was received with the same formal ceremonies. Immediately after, as on the former 

 visit, the party proceeded to the regent's house, where they found a handsome feast in prepara- 

 tion, to which the Americans, having now somewhat accustomed their palates to the Lew 

 Chewan cookery, succeeded in doing better justice than on the previous occasion. In the course 

 of the entertainment the Commodore informed the regent that he was desirous of obtaining for 

 the United States mint, in exchange for American coinage of equal value, all coins in use on 

 the island ; as it was well known that the imperial money of Japan was in circulation in Lew 

 Chew, although it had hitherto been carefully concealed. Both the regent and the pe-ching or 

 treasurer declared that there were no coins in the island, except a few in the possession of the 

 Japanese residents, who would not part with them. This declaration the Commodore was 

 inclined to believe to be, like most of their very positive assertions, false, and he therefore urged 

 upon them a compliance with his request, and left with them a certain number of American 

 coins, of about fifty dollars in value. The Commodore, at the same time, stated that he should 

 expect to receive a number of Japanese or Lew Chew coins in exchange before his departure. 

 The subject was then dropped ; but just on the eve of the squadron's sailing, a formal commu- 

 nication was received from the authorities in the name of Shang-Hyung-Hiun, superintendent 

 of afi"airs in the Middle Hill prefecture, in the kingdom of Lew Chew, high minister, and 

 Ma-Lianff-tsai, treasurer, in which document it was stated, that on several occasions demands 

 had been made for an exchange of Japan coins for American, but that it was impossible to 



comply. 



The reasons given were that all the commercial transactions between Lew Chew and Japan 

 were carried on by the interchange of commodities, and not by the use of coin. That all the 

 gold and silver used by the Lew Chewans themselves for their hair pins were obtained from 

 China. That although every effort had been made to obtain Japanese coins by careful investi- 

 gations among those in Lew Chew engaged in trade with Japan, it had been in vain, as the 

 Japanese strictly forbade by law the exportation of their money, and that none could accordingly 

 be brouo-ht into the island. With this document the authorities returned the American coin 

 that had been deposited with them, but as the Commodore refused to receive it, it was left in 

 their possession. 



At the end of the regent's banquet each of the guests was presented, on leaving the hall, 

 with a red card, which was understood to entitle the holder, at Napha, to refreshments and 

 other privileges. This was a curious practice, the object of which seemed to extend the 

 entertainment, and was a very creditable picture of Lew Chewan hospitality, as it appeared to 

 give it an indefinite duration. 



