450 EXPEDITION TO JAPAN. 



The boats are large and commodious, and in model not unlike the junks ; they are usually- 

 propelled by scullsj which are worke 1 at the sides on projections from the gunwales, the oars 

 or sculls being long and somewhat bent. At Hakodadi we noticed that some of the boatmen 

 used their oars in the American fashion, excepting that they dropped and raised their starboard 

 and port oars alternately, and not iiniformly together as we do. In sculling, the Japanese 

 stand, and keep perfect measure or stroke with their sculls, which is the better preserved by 

 their chaunting a monotonous refrain, every alternate man swinging his body in opposite 

 directions, one pushing the other pulling. The rowers thus vibrating half of them one way, and 

 half the other, the boat is kept perfectly upright as she dashes through, or rather over, the water. 



We saw nothing remarkable in the manner or workmanship of the Japanese sliipbuilders. 

 It is doubtful whether they have any scientiiic rules for drafting or modelling, or for ascer- 

 taining the displacement of their vessels ; nor perhaps has it been necessary, as the law 

 confined them all to one model and size. 



The tools with which they work are of primitive description, and the finest of their work is 

 not remarkable for its neatness ; copper is preferred to iron in fastening, when it can be advan- 

 tageously used, and this is doubtless owing to the great abundance of the former as a native 

 production. 



It is a singular fact^ strongly illustrative of the eff'ect produced upon the people of this 

 strange country by our friendly and social commimications with them, that the law already 

 mentioned, which restricted the construction of their vessels to one particular model, and that 

 infiicting death upon those of their nation who should return to the Empire after having once 

 left it, no matter how, were both suspended ; whether annulled or not, I cannot say. 



Kayama Tesaiman, the governor of Uraga, was authorized, as we have heard, and instructed 

 to build a vessel after the model of the storeship Supply, a very pretty vessel, and the Japanese 

 commissioners who negotiated with me invited a native we had on board the flag-ship, to whom 

 the sailors had given the sobriquet of "Sam Patch," to land and rejoin his family, pledging 

 themselves, in my presence, that he should be treated kindly and provided for, under the imme- 

 diate protection of one of them. Since then there has been, as I understand, no objections made 

 to the return of any of the shipwrecked Japanese ; but how far they have improved in ship 

 building, I have not heard. 



"We saw no war junks, and it is probable they have none of any size, the country not having 

 been engaged for a long period in war. They content themselves, most likely, in putting light 

 swivels or howitzers on the larger of their boats, whenever they cannot depend entirely upon 

 their many land batteries. 



A very large portion of the population is engaged in the fisheries, which supply an abundant 

 product. While the American squadron was in the harbor, the seine was frequently drawn by 

 the sailors of the ships, and large quantities of excellent fish obtained, consisting of salmon, 

 salmon trout, groupers, white fish, porgies, perch, flounders, herrings, whitings, mullets^ and 

 various other kinds. The salmon we took are not more than half the size of those obtained in 

 the United States, but are superior to them in flavor. (Specimens of smoked salmon from 

 further north were as large as ours.) Crabs, clams of the genus Venus, with beautifully-marked 

 shells, and the large blue muscle, are found in great abundance. The crabs are of considerable 

 size, and proved excellent eating, quite equal to the famous ones of the Chesapeake. 



The sportsmen of the expedition, in their occasional rambles, succeeded in obtaining but few 



