Chap. II, 
of W i'-l Liam Adams, 
Factory at Bantam , and arrived before the Haven of Nan- 
gazapuj, which is the only one the Butch are permitted to 
refort to, on the 20th of Jtthe. As foon as the Ship ap- 
peared in Sight of the Port, there , came off two Veffels, 
one carrying a Japonefe , and the other a Dutch Flag •, but 
on their c-oming up to the Englijh Ship, they haled them in 
Portugueze, and demanded whence they came ? The Cap- 
tain arifwered in Englijh , and in Dutch, that he came from 
.England-, upon which the Japonefe Officer directed him to 
let go his Anchor, to forbid his Trumpet to play, and to 
forbear firing his Guns •, to all which Demands he readily 
fubmitted. 
After remaining at Anchor about two Hours, there came 
©ff two Boats, in one of which was the Governor, and his 
Secretary, accompanied by an Interpreter, who fpoke Por- 
Pugikze \ and in the other Boat there were four Interpre- 
ters, who all of them fpoke Dutch. As foon as they came 
©n Board, the Captain conducted them to his Cabin, and 
when all had taken their proper Places, the Governor afked 
him very gravely, if he was an Englifhman, and what his 
Bufinefs was there ? He anfwered, that he was an Englijh- 
man, that he was charged with a CommifFion from the 
King his Mailer to re-eftablifh the Trade fettled by his 
Subjects fifty Years before in Japon. He added, that he 
was charged with a Letter from his Brifannick Majefty, 
and another from the Eajl-India Company, addreflfed to 
the Emperor of Japan •„ and at the fame time that he faid 
this, he produced a Copy of the Privileges granted to the 
4 Englijh by the Emperor, written in Japonefe Characters, 
which the Governor having read, was very importunate for 
the Original under the Emperor’s Seal. The Englifi Cap- 
tain, however, told him ingenuoufly, it was not in his 
Power to produce that, becaule the Emperor had demanded 
it ftvoukl be delivered tip at the Time the Englijh quitted 
Japon, with which they could not refufe to comply. The 
Governor then put up the Copy of the Privileges, but pro- 
mifed the Englijh Captain, that as foori as an Anfwer came 
from Court to his Requeft, he would deliver it up. 
After a fhort Silence, the Governor afked him, if Eng- 
land was at Peace with Spain and Portugal ? What Reli- 
gion the Englijh were of .? If it was a long time fince King 
Charles had married the Daughter of the King of Portu- 
gal? and how many Children he had by her ? This very 
plainly Brewed, that the Japonefe 1 - w'trf very inquifitiye, and 
at the fame time very well informed as to the Affairs of 
Europe, . The Captain anfwered, without Hefitation, that 
the Englijh were at Peace with all the World, that it was 
true King 'Charles Tad married the Daughter of the King 
of Portugal, but that he had no Children by his Queen ; 
and that as to Religion, the Englp were fuch fort of Chri- 
ftians as the Dutch, and not fuch fort of Chriftians as the 
Portuguese, or Spaniards that the Cuftom of Europe re- 
quired Kings to marry Perfons of lifce Rank with thein- 
felves, arid never the Daughters of their Subjects. To all 
this he added farther, that he had Prefents of great Value 
for his Imperial Majefty • at which the Goyernor feemed 
to be very much pleafed, and foori after retired. In about 
two Hours Time he returned again, arid then told the Cap- 
tain, that if the Englijh would be fatisfied with fuch a Trade 
as the enjoyed, very poftiblythey might obtain it; but 
then, according to the Cuftom of the Country, it would be 
fit for them to fend their Cannon and their Ammunition 
afhore ; after which he would inform the Emperor of every 
thing, and that after receiving his ImperialMajefty’s Anfwer, 
if ic proved favourable, he was willing to furnifh them with 
a Houfe. The Captain took all this in good Part ; he de- 
HVered Up his Arfris and Ammunition, and fuffered the Go- 
vernor, who brought with him a great Number of armed 
Boats* to ftation them as he thought fit ; which he did, by 
ranging Tome a- head, fome a-fterri, and caufing a double 
Line to anchor on each Side of the Veffel, and all within 
half Cannon Sho,t. * 
: This Being done,- the Governor came aboard again, at- 
tended by his Interpreter, who was a Dutchman , arid in 
Whom Te had a great Confidence, and examined every one 
oLthe Ship’s Company,, particularly firft as to his Coun- 
try, w,hether he was a f Englijhman, arid not a Portugueze ? 
Whether he Tad ever been in Portugal, or could fpeak the 
Language of that Country ? and whether he was a Chri- 
Numb, LIXe 
ftian after the Dutch Form, or the .Poftfgfpef: Tftefe 
Queftions being all anfwered, they proceeded next to take 
an exaCt Account of all the Bales of Merchandize on board 
the Ship, and drew up a kind of Bill of Lading with great 
Exadtnefs. After this the Governor afked, if other Ships, 
did not fail with them from England ? what was become of 
them ? how long they flayed at Bantam ? and what other 
Places they had been at in the Eajl- Indies ? Thefe. Quef- 
tions being anfwered to his Satisfaction, the Governor re- 
tired for good and all, and carried away with him what had 
been delivered up to him. On the 30th of the fame Month 
he came on board again, attended by his Secretary and In- 
terpreters. He was received with all imaginable Civility 
and Ceremony by the Captain, and after they were feated^ 
together in his Cabbin, he proceeded to make a kind of 
Difcourfe to this EffeCl : That it was true, there had been 
formerly an Englijh Fadory in Japon, that thofe who com- 
pofed it had been very well treated, and never had ex- 
preffed any fort of Diftatisfadion ; notwithfianding which, 
it was now forty-nine Years fince any Englp Ship had en- 
tered their Ports, and therefore he would be glad to know 
the Caufe of fo long an Abfence, as alfo the Caufe of their 
coming thither again. If we depend upon this Governor’s 
Calculation, it would fix the Time. of withdrawing the Eng- 
lijh Fadory to the Year 1624, and then it. would appear, 
that Mr. Adams furvived that Event near feven Years ; but 
if that were the Cafe, it may feem fome what difficult to 
account for the Englijh knowing when his Deceafe hap- 
pened, unlefs we fuppofe that they received the News from 
the Dutch, which, as it is very probable they might, we 
may look upon this as a Point fettled. 
But to return to the Captain, who in anfwer to the 
Speech made him by the Japonefe Governor, told him, 
that as to the Caufe why the Fadory broke up, he could 
fay nothing to it at all, as being totally unacquainted there- 
with. That as to their long Abfence, he conceived it might 
be produced by that Confufion into which his Country had 
been thrown by the Civil Wars that happened not long 
after ; that fince that Time they had been likewife engaged 
in two Very long and bloody Wars with the Dutch, and 
that after fo long an Intermiffion, it was a thing extreamly 
difficult to find a Pilot capable of conduding a Ship to their 
Coaft, which in Europe was reprefented as a very difficult 
and perilous Voyage. The Governor heard him with great 
Attention, and afked him, when he had done fpeaking, 
whether he had not on Board his Vefiel fome Perfon who 
had made that Voyage before ? the Captain anfwered, that 
he had not : Why then, replied the Governor, How came 
you hither ? the Captain anfwered him, that they had fome 
old Charts, which were exaCt enough for that Purpofe, as 
they had found by Experience. 
The Governor feemed' mighty well fatisfied with fo fair 
and fo diftind an Account, and when he returned to the 
Town, left his Secretary on Board to receive all the reft of 
the Arms and Ammunition they had, in which he was fo 
exad, that he took away with him fome double barrelled 
Fowling-pieces, that were part of the Prefent intended for 
the Emperor ; but he made a very curious and exad Inven- 
tory of every thing that he got into his Hands, and gave 
a Copy of it, figned by way of Security, to the Captain. 
After all was over, they parted very good Friends, and the 
Secretary told him, that fo far as depended upon him, no- 
thing ftiould be wanting that might procure him a favour- 
able Anfwer from his Coutt •, for which the Captain thank* 
ed him, alluring him at the fame time, that his Nation had 
an in tire Confidence in the Japonefe . 
On the firft of July the Governor and his Interpreters 
came on Board again, and afked feveral Queftions ; and 
upon this Occafion there happened a Difpute between the 
Captain and the Dut ^Interpreter, who confidently afterted, 
that the Captain had told him feveral things which that 
Gentleman affirmed never entered into his Head. The 
Governor upon this took a frefii Account of every Man 
that was aboard, fetting down his Name, his Age, his 
Employment ; and when he had done this, he defired the 
Captain to prepare an exaCt Lift of what Commodities 
every Man had to difpofe of, as alfo of what belonged to 
the Company ; and then took the Dimenfions of the Ship, 
of the Mads, Yards, &c. At his Departure, he charged 
jo M the 
