FOREIGN TRADE UP TO OPENING OF COUNTRY. 525 



watched like prisoners. In regard to their position, Kaempfer 

 writes as follows : 



" In this servile spirit we have had to put up with many insulting 

 restrictions from these haughty heathens. We dare not celebrate 

 any Sunday or feast-day, we dare not be heard in hymn or prayer, 

 nor name the name of Christ, nor possess any representation of the 

 cross or any other outward mark of Christianity. Moreover we 

 have to endure many other insolent assumptions, against which a 

 noble heart always rebels. The single reason that induces the 

 Dutch to endure all these ills so patiently is merely love of gain 

 and of the rich marrow of the Japanese mountains." ^ 



Beginning at page 97 of his work here cited, Kaempfer gives a 

 detailed description of the way in which this trade in Nagasaki 

 was regulated, down to the smallest minutiae, and controlled by a 

 crowd of officials. Direct expenditures did not depend on these 

 rules, but presents to those officials and to the court, which the 

 Opperhoofd, or director of the factory, had to take every spring 

 at his presentation in Yedo, swallowed up a great part of their 

 profits, which were considerable. 



" No sooner had our ships reached the harbour than they were 

 taken possession of by the Japanese and surrounded by police- 

 boats ; powder, lead, swords, and all the paraphernalia of the 

 vessel were carried ashore and guarded until its departure. Even 

 the heaviest cannon and the rudder itself had to be taken out and 

 brought to land ; but later they gave this up, on account of the 

 great and unnecessary labour involved. At the same time, im- 

 mediately on arrival all persons on board were carefully scrutinized, 

 according to a list they had to furnish, and the name, age, and 

 duties of each were written down. Those who went to the island 

 on business were examined with great exactness, being relieved of 

 their swords and all saleable objects by the Ottona ; ^ and without 

 permission and escort from the Japanese absolutely no one dared 

 approach or depart from the ship, which usually lay at anchor 

 about 300 paces from the island. The goods we brought with us 

 were taken by their servants to our own warehouses and put away 

 under their seals." Nevertheless Kaempfer speaks in another place 

 of a " hitherto perfectly free trade," which was not " remarkably re- 

 stricted" till 1672. The new limitation was that a specimen of every 

 kind of imported goods had to be taken to the governor's house to 

 be inspected and taxed by experts. Then the merchants came and 

 selected what they needed. If the Dutchmen were not contented 

 with the price fixed by the governor, they could keep the goods. 



The Chinese enjoyed much greater liberties. They were allowed 

 to live in Nagasaki, were less watched and hemmed in their move- 

 ments, required no director of trade, and did not have to send 



^ Kaempfer's " Geschichte von Japan," vol. ii. p. 72. 



- Ottona means in old writings the plenipotentiary, a sort of police com- 

 missary. 



