LOSS OF RUSSIAN SIIIP-OF-WAR DIANA. 511 



that, when the waters retreated, the mud boiled up from the bottom in a thousand springs. 

 When they came in they boiled like a maelstrom, and sucli was their velocity and force tliat the 

 frigate actually made forty-tliree complete revdli tions in the space of thirty minutes. The 

 officers and crew were made giddy by this rajnd turning. Their anchor had been let go in six 

 fathoms ; wheu tlie waters retreated they could see it, and had but four feet of water alongside. 

 The ship's rudder, stern-post, and a great part of her keel, were knocked oif and lost, and her 

 bottom was very much injured. After the effects of the earthquake had somewhat subsided, 

 and the sea became comparatively tranquil, she was found to leak badly. Her guns were 

 landed, and as there was no suitable place in Simoda to heave her down, Admiral Pontiatine 

 sent to look for some contiguous spot fit for the purpose ; and it may subserve the interests of 

 navigation here to record that he informed Commander Adams that he found a most excellent 

 and sheltered harbor, resembling that of Hakodadi, but smaller, and completely land-locked 

 with an abundance of water. It is about sixty miles from Simoda, at a place called Hed-do, 

 situated at the head of the bay which lies westward of the peninsula of Idzu. Here the Eussian 

 admiral attempted to take his disabled ship and repair her, but a gale came on, and she 

 foundered near the shore, the officers and crew with difficulty saving their lives. They were 

 all in Japan during the stay of Commander Adams, and, at that time, with little prospect of 

 getting away. They, however, subsequently chartered the American schooner Foote, as we 

 have related on a previous page, and sailed'in her for Petropaulowski. The Russians were in 

 distress, and Captain McCluney, of the Powhatan, generously supplied them with all the 

 provisions he could spare from his ship. The object of the admiral was to make for his country 

 a treaty with Japan, and it was concluded after the loss of his ship and during the stay of 

 Commander Adams, who was informed by the admiral that it was exactly like that made by 

 . Commodore Perry for us, with the single change of a substitution of the harbor of Nagasaki for 

 that of Napha in Lew Chew ; this, we venture to suggest, is no improvement, inasmuch as the 

 long continued and tame submission of the Dutch at Dezima has taught the Japanese officials 

 there to be very arrogant and insolent toward foreigners. But, although Admiral Pontiatine 

 thus succeeded in making a treaty, to Commander Adams the Japanese " appeared to entertain 

 no goodwill toward the Russians." They are probably suspicious of their ultimate purposes. 



While the Powhatan was at Simoda, a French ship arrived there and anchored in the outer 

 harbor, having on board two Japanese seamen who had been taken off the wreck of a junk 

 about three years before by an American whale-ship. The authorities ordered the vessel off, 

 would permit none of their people to go on board of her, and positively refused to receive the 

 shipwrecked seamen. They had, they said, no treaty with France, and French vessels had no 

 right to come there under any pretext. At the intercession, however, of Commander Adams 

 and Captain McCluney, they agreed to receive their shipwrecked countrymen from the 

 Powhatan, if Captain McCluney would first receive them on board his ship, and then deliver 

 them as coming from an American man-of-war. This plan was adopted. The men were kept 

 all night on board the Powhatan, and landed the next morning. They -jvere immediatelv 

 however, compelled to lay aside their European clothing, and conform in all respects to the 

 Japanese costume ; besides which they were placed under a strict surveillance, which continued 

 at any rate, as long as the ship remained. 



Notwithstanding the calamities caused by the earthquake, there was shown a resiliency in the 

 Japanese character which spoke well for their energy. They did not sit down and weep over 



