524 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



reader to imagine the transport 

 of our meeting ! 



A seat was immediately placed 

 for Captain Rikord, and the in- 

 terpreters having intimated that 

 we might converse together as 

 long as we pleased, they stepped 

 aside and paid no attention to 

 what we said. The joy, astonish- 

 ment, and curiosity with which 

 our questions and answers suc- 

 ceeded each other, may easily be 

 conceived. Capt. Rikord wished 

 to know all that had occurred to 

 us during our imprisonment ; and 

 I, in my turn, inquired after the 

 affairs of Russia, and thus we 

 proceeded from one subject to 

 another. At length I explained 

 the object of our interview, and 

 the wish of the Japanese ; and he 

 acquainted me with the instruc- 

 tions he had received from the 

 Civil-Governor of Irkutzk, re- 

 specting a determination of boun- 

 daries, and a treaty of friendship 

 between the two empires. On 

 taking into consideration the 

 whole business, it appeared to us 

 that the propositions of the Japa- 

 nese were reasonable, and that, 

 consequently, we ought to comply 

 with them; but that, for the fol- 

 lowing reasons, it would not be 

 advisable, at that time, to nego- 

 tiate for the fixing of boundaries 

 and an alliance. From the docu- 

 ments which we had translated 

 we knew the conditions on which 

 the Japanese government had 

 authorized the Bunyo to liberate 

 us, and, likewise, what declara- 

 tion he had to communicate ; 

 consequently, he could have re- 

 turned no answer to any neW 

 proposal, on our part, without 

 receiving instructions from the 

 capital. The vessel must, besides, 



have wintered in Chakodade ; and 

 this would have been placing 

 ourselves completely in the power 

 of the Japanese ; for though the 

 harbour seldom freezes, yet the 

 winter is severe and of long dura- 

 tion. The crew on board the 

 Diana would also have been ex- 

 posed to considerable danger, and 

 the vessel might even have been 

 rendered unfit to perform the 

 voyage home ; for the violent 

 storms whicli occur during winter, 

 on the coast of Japan, might have 

 parted her from her anchors, and 

 driven her ashore. To have re- 

 quested permission for the seamen 

 to disembark and live on shore, 

 and to have the ship unrigged in 

 a safe place, would have been to 

 subject ourselves to the same con- 

 ditions which Resanoft" and his 

 suite had submitted to at Nan- 

 gasaky, namely, to resign the 

 vessel entirely to the Japanese — 

 and this at a time when we ought 

 to have asserted our claim to 

 three islands, which, in our opi- 

 nion, they had unjustly occupied. 



Besides it had, at various times, 

 been intimated to me by the in- 

 terpreters (who always spoke the 

 sentiments of the Bunyo), that 

 notwithstanding the unfavourable 

 answer of the Japanese govern- 

 ment, they did not entirely de- 

 spair of seeing a friendly alliance 

 established between Russia and 

 Japan, but that to accomplish it 

 would require prudent manage- 

 ment on our part. The inter- 

 preters suggested one method to 

 us, but I shall pass it over, in 

 order that I may not farther in- 

 terrupt the thread of my nar- 

 rative. 



When every thing was arranged 



between Captain Rikord and me, 



§ the 



