MANNERS AND CUSTOMS, 



525 



the Japanese produced the trans- 

 lated declaration of the Bunyo of 

 Matsmai. Captain Rikord, in 

 return, delivered in the document 

 required by the Japanese, which 

 Teske translated, showed to the 

 officers present, and then informed 

 us that they were perfectly satis- 

 fied with it. The Japanese did 

 not evince the least sign of impa- 

 tience at the length of this inter- 

 view, and at the end of our con- 

 ference, presented us with tea 

 and sweetmeats. At length Cap- 

 tain Rikord departed. I accom- 

 panied him to the boat in which 

 he embarked to go on board the 

 Diana, and then returned to our 

 house. 



My companions awaited my 

 return with the utmost anxiety. I 

 acquainted them with all 1 had 

 heard from Mr. Rikord respecting 

 the political affairs of Europe, 

 the entrance of the French into 

 Russia, and every particular rela- 

 tive to our families and friends. 

 Two circumstances, however, I 

 was under the necessity of con- 

 cealing ; namely, that Tachatay- 

 Kachi had communicated to the 

 Japanese the instructions given 

 to Mr. Rikord respecting the 

 settling of the boundaries, and 

 that the interpreter Kisseleffwas 

 a Japanese by birth. These facts 

 1 did not choose to disclose, in 

 order to avoid giving uneasiness 

 to my distrustful fellow prisoners, 

 who to the last moment doubted 

 the sincerity of the Japanese. 



It will appear from Captain 

 Rikord's account of his expedi- 

 tion to Matsmai how much we 

 were indebted to him, and to his 

 excellency the civil governor of 

 Irkutzk. I must also with a 

 feeling of gratitude mention that 



Captain Rikord's bold decision to 

 land and hold a conference in the 

 town, contributed not a little to 

 the favourable conclusion of the 

 negociation ; for the interpreters 

 had previously assured us, that if 

 Captain Rikord did not come on 

 shore,great difficulties would arise, 

 the end of which could not be 

 foreseen. 



On the 6th of October, in the 

 morning, the interpreters deli- 

 vered to Messrs. Chlebnikoff and 

 Moor their sabres and hats in the 

 most respectful manner, and 

 stated that we were on that day 

 to be presented to the Bunyo, 

 who would in person notify our 

 liberation. He advised us to put 

 on our best clothes, and to wear 

 our swords when we appeared 

 before the Bunyo. — To this pro- 

 posal we gladly assented. At 

 noon we were conducted to the 

 house of the governor of the town 

 where the Bunyo resided. We 

 three officers were shown into a 

 very neat apartment, and the 

 sailors and Alexei were desired 

 to remain in another. In a few 

 hours Mr. Chlebnikoff, Mr. Moor, 

 and I were requested to enter a 

 spacious hall in which the officers, 

 the academician, and the inter- 

 preters were assembled. They 

 were more than twenty in num- 

 ber, and were seated in rows on 

 each side of the hall. The Bunyo 

 soon entered with his retinue, and 

 took his seat. The officers made 

 their obedience to him, we bowed 

 in the European way, and he 

 returned our salutation : — all the 

 old ceremonies were repeated, 

 except that the sword bearer, 

 instead of laying the sword by 

 the side of the Bunyo as for- 

 merly, held it perpendicularly in 



both 



