On the 13th of May, the fifty days after the signing of the treaty having nearly expired, the Powhatan and Mississippi started for Hakodadi, leaving the storeship Supply at anchor at Simoda. Instead of keeping in shore, the two steamers stood off and ran between Oho Sima and Ja Sima. The day being clear, Foogee from his aerial height was soon looking at us. We ran quite close to the southwestern side, and had a good view of Oho Sima. The whole island appears to have been upheaved by volcanic action from the sea. From the jaws of a basin-shaped crater, issued white smoke and ashes. The side of the mountain next to us was marked by large fissures, or streaked with streams of lava. The vegetation on many of the slopes presented a pretty picture, when contrasted with the dull-charred mass that encompassed it. There are said to be three towns on the place. We saw two quite plainly, but where their harbor is, or how the steep shores are approached in rough weather, it was difficult to perceive.

After rounding Oho Sima, we stood into the land, and during the day ran in full sight of the shores of Niphon, running northward from the entrance of the bay of Yedo. The fields of barley, just assuming its yellow dress, were spread out as far as the vision extended inland. Both ships stopped at intervals to make soundings. At one time, when we had stopped for this purpose, and got bottom, at twenty-eight fathoms, on what is called an “over-fall,” the opposition of current and wind made a “chow-chow” sea, which swashed over our rail, while the fine buoyant sea-boats of Japanese fishermen around, danced dryly like ducks.

This day, I think it was, marked what may be considered a new item in the history of typography. We had on board one of the little engines, which from the days of Faustus have evolved more power, than the ponderous ones, that revolved our paddles, and by its aid, in a sea-way, an intelligent midshipman, familiar with the art preservative of arts, “wet sheets,” and printer’s ink, caused to be struck off copies of the commodore’s correspondence with the Japanese, and of the surveys of Lieutenant Maury. That little press deserves a place in the patent-office, near the one, from which came “Poor Richard’s Almanack.”

After a run of three days, standing in for the shore during the day, and off during the night, making soundings at intervals, seeing an occasional school of whales, and our daily observations and reckonings showing a strong current in our favor, going to prove—what has been advanced by many—the existence of a continuous current on the coast of Japan, similar in character and direction to the Gulf stream on our coast, we made the entrance to the straits of Sangar. The land on either side was quite notable. That on the northern or island of Yeso side, bold and sharply defined, while a singular conformation on the Niphon or southern side, looked exactly the profile of the Leviathans that frequent the waters in its vicinity—“wery like a whale.” On entering we found a strong eastwardly tide running through and against us. By sundown we had run some distance in, under the high shores of the northern side, when it came on thick, and the heads of both steamers were put outward. We had made during the day a point of longitude further to the east than any, that we had reached since leaving the United States. Soundings were made every fifteen minutes during the night, and daylight found us enveloped in one of the dense fogs, from which the Japanese empire in this section, according to Golownin, is seldom free during the entire year. Both ships had to announce their proximity for some hours, to one another, by the use of their steam-whistles and the striking of their bells. When the fog lifted on the morning of the 17th, we found that the tidal current during the night, had set us in, rather than out, and holding on westwardly for a short time, we discovered over a low peninsula nearly ahead, described by the Russian captain Ricord, in his voyages for the liberation of Golownin, the Macedonian, Vandalia, and Southampton, at anchor inside of the harbor of Hakodadi. We soon rounded a high promontory, and stood into a magnificent bay. The distance we had run from Simoda was six hundred and nine miles. About 11 o’clock we anchored within gun-shot of the town; it may be near the spot, where forty-one years before lay the imperial Russian brig Diana, to procure the release from an imprisonment in stockade cages of three years, of her former commander and his companions, by the Japanese—after three voyages, in which she was successful.

The temperature, on our arrival, we found very materially different from what we had left at Simoda; the difference of latitude is about seven degrees. The snow still lay on the mountains around, and the air made thick boots and an overcoat comfortable.

The bay of Hakodadi is most spacious and majestic in its sweep, and for facility of entrance and security of anchorage, it can scarcely be surpassed by any other in the world. The width at its mouth is so great that no two fortifications could command or protect it, yet the curvature of the high land around is such as to afford the greatest shelter. For all the uses of Americans it is worth fifty Simodas; here our enterprising whalers, after being buffeted about in the rude seas of Ochotsk and Japan in its vicinity, may ere long repair to recruit and refit, and procure supplies of wood and water, instead of being compelled as hitherto, to make the long stretch to the Sandwich Islands. Besides this, a line drawn on the arc of a great circle from California to North China, passes through the straits of Sangar and by Hakodadi; and here, and not at Simoda, which has been mentioned as a depot, would coal have to be placed for the use of steamers between San Francisco and Shanghae.

It was agreed by all the old Mediterranean cruisers aboard, as we dropped anchor, that the view around was the counterpart of Gibraltar and its vicinity. The northern side from where we lay was the main land of Spain; the low sandy peninsula, over which we could easily see the water of Sangar, was the “neutral ground,” encircling Smugglers’ bay; on our left hand lay a small fishing-village, which corresponded to the Spanish town of Algeciras. The southern part of the hill under which the town is, was Point Europa; the hill itself, in its high and rugged isolation, was the frowning rock that enclosed the sulphurous engines, while in the distance, across the straits, on the north end of Niphon, now well discerned, or vaguely seen, as the sun shines out or the mists vary, is the natural prototype of Ape’s hill, in Africa, whose simial inhabitants are said to find their way most mysteriously across the Mediterranean. To my eye, the place bore a great resemblance to Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope, if the mount in the rear were little more flattened on the summit, while an adjoining hill was the “Lion’s Rump.”

The city—containing about four thousand houses, in which there is an average of four persons—is built in a convex form reaching the water’s edge, and at the base of a very high and abrupt circular hill, called Hakodadi Yama. The most prominent objects are the temples, one of which is some two hundred feet square, whose red tile roofs reflect the sun, and suggest the idea of a Portuguese place. The principal streets are wide, running parallel with the water, rolled with gravel, and very cleanly kept. Those that intersect them are narrower, and closed with gateways of wood. From walls at either end of the place, and entrenchments dug on other sides, it must have been the object to fortify it. The houses of wood, and with more stories and larger than those of Simoda, have great projecting eaves. The clap-boards making the covering of the roof are singularly confined in their places by a number of cobble-stones: such a place would be hard to take by street-fighting, for every roof would furnish missiles for the annoyance of assailants. Every precaution seems to be taken against fire—brooms and barrels of water surmounting each house and before every door. At some places they have primitive little fire-engines, which appear to be stationary. The streets are thronged with the police who are very numerous, armed with sword, and organized as military, and any number of miserable-looking curs, called yenos, resembling shouds, or dogs bred between the wolf and the dog; meaner looking than the cayotes of California.

Having no previous knowledge of our intended visit, a perfect panic prevailed among the people of the place on the arrival of our sailing ships in their bay, which was increased by the arrival of the two fire-ships. The municipal authorities, it is said, were the first to leave the place; and the women were sent after them. For several days long lines of horses, packed with movables, could be seen leaving the City and winding away over a long sandy plain, like a string of camels in a desert.

The cause of all this commotion was afterward found to be a belief among the inhabitants, that our visit was to bring them to account for having imprisoned some American seamen who had been shipwrecked on their coast some years ago. A number of the junks in the harbor also left, though there were some two hundred at anchor continually during our stay. It required some time to pacify the people; although six weeks had elapsed since the signing of the treaty, the authorities protested that they had heard nothing of it, and consequently nothing of the intended visit of the squadron. They said they could not take the responsibility of having any communication with us, except to furnish wood and water. They represented their position as embarrassing, and hoped that we would not come ashore until the arrival of higher officers than themselves.

In the meantime a survey of the harbor was proceeded in; some very good wild game was killed on the opposite shore from the town, and our seine being hauled, yielded nice salmon and quantities of shellfish, which were most acceptable.

The second day after our arrival, the commodore—varying from his usual rule of only seeing the highest officer of a place, who would have been, in this instance, Prince Matsmai Idzee-no-kami, residing at the city of Matsmai, not far distant—granted an interview on the Mississippi, to Matsmai Kageyu, deputy of the prince of Matsmai, or freely translated, “Prince’s family’s great officer,” and to Yendo Matazaymon, an officer of Hakodadi. The boats in which they came off were like others, but were the first and only ones that I saw rowed in Japan instead of sculled; and this was done by continually revolving the oar as they pulled. The rowers, who were numerous, were dressed in long, green gowns, and characters on the shoulders told whom they served, like the inscription about the neck of the thrall of Cedric the Saxon.

These officers said, not being able to divine the cause of our visit, they had concluded it to be a predatory one; and that the people possessed of this idea had been leaving the place with their movables, and that the stampede still continued.

On delivering to them a letter from the commissioners, however, and showing them the treaty, their anxiety was at once allayed. When told that we would not be followed by their police when we came ashore for a walk, they said very well, but that they thought that our officers and theirs being seen in friendly intercourse, would have a good effect with the people, and cause those who had left, to return. They said they had nothing at Hakodadi to dispose of but fish-oil, dried fish, and deerskins. The relative value of our currency and theirs, was settled by weighing our dollar, which was a feather lighter than three of their little square coins—the kana-its-evoo. The effect of this rating was to make our dollar equal to 4,800 cash—their its-evoo being estimated at 1,600 cash. This was scarcely just when it was recollected that in China our dollar was only taken for 1,200, or at most, 1,600 cash.

The wind blowing very fresh, these officers remained on board some time, when they were entertained in the cabin, and shown over the ship. When they came off they brought with them a present consisting of dried fish, placed on a lacquered tray, and a quantity of sweet potatoes contained in a straw-bag.

The next day the officers of the squadron visited the shore, landing at a neat flight of stone steps, which had been set apart by the authorities for the purpose; no doubt—as things in Japan undergo slight changes in forty years—the same flight that Golownin descended from his captivity. Many desirous of getting some of the curios that the place possessed, indicated a most pressing propensity for purchase, taking the shopkeepers, of a place generally dull, very much by surprise. On this day there was exposed at the shop-fronts some of their swords, an article forbidden to be sold out of the country by Japanese laws; of the purchase of one or two, by some of our officers, the authorities subsequently made complaint to the commodore, as well as of other things not very creditable to our reputation. In doing so, they said: “In general, when upright, cordial propriety marks intercourse, then peace, good feeling, and harmony, are real between the parties; but if harshness, violence, and grasping, characterize it, then hate and distrust, with collision arise, and love will not be found to bring the hearts of the people together. This is a rule of heaven, concerning which, no one can have any doubt.”

“In general,” the terms of this communication are rather extreme, but that “cordial propriety” marked the conduct of some of our officers—conduct which was not at all calculated to make “our name great among the heathen”—it would be untrue to say.

On landing I visited the large temple behind and above the town, having a background of a dense grove of cypress, and very conspicuous from the water. Its front, as we stepped it off, was eightyseven paces. The interior exceeded in gilding, and elaborateness of unpainted carving, anything I had yet seen in Japan. I would have taken it to be a Sintoo temple, from a female image with an aureola, resembling the images in catholic churches with the golden halo encircling the head, but in another corner there was an image of a shaved-head Buddha in wood, and brilliantly lacquered. Resembling very much some images I saw on the British war-steamer Rattler, taken at the capture of Rangoon, I concluded the image must have been brought to this remote point from India, although religion is a matter upon which all persons visiting Japan for a limited period as we did, are liable to fall into the greatest errors.

There are two accounts of the introduction of Buddhism into Japan; according to Siebold, in 552, Sching-ming-whang, king of Petsi—a Corean state, then a dependant and ally of Japan—sent to the court of the mikado, a bronze image of the Sakya Buddha, with flags, books, &c.; and a letter which said, “This doctrine is the best of any. It reveals what was a riddle and a mystery even to Kung-foo-tse. It promises us happiness and retribution, immeasurable and boundless; and finally makes of us an unsurpassable Buddhi. It is, to use a simile, a treasure containing all that human heart desires; affording all that is for our good. And this treasure possesses a twofold value, because it so completely adapts itself to the nature of our soul. Pray or make vows according to the disposition of your mind, you will want for nothing. The doctrine came to us from farther India. The king of Petsi imparts it to the realm of the mikado, in order that it may be there diffused, and that which is written in the book of Buddha be fulfilled. My doctrine shall spread toward the East.”

This temple may have been one dedicated to Rioboo-Synsu worship—Sintooism blended with Buddhism—and the female image was that of Tensio-dai-zin. Buddhism is regarded as a kind of safeguard against expelled and detested Christianity, and the lower order are all Buddhists.

The Sintoo and Buddhist priests or bonzes, who constitute the clergy of Japan, are held in very little repute by the people, and this remote regard seems to be reciprocated by the clericals. Both classes, so far as I observed, lounge and gossip in their places of worship, attaching little or no sanctity to it, except it may be, when immediately engaged in their devotions. On one occasion I noticed a parcel of devotees in a temple, with a kind of sack surplice about their shoulders, engaged in their religious exercises, and while thus employed, some shaven-poll junior priests were very deliberately sweeping the floor-mats in their faces, as if giving them a practical illustration of throwing dust in their eyes. In passing from the front of one altar to another they invariably dropped the priests’ perquisite of copper cash in the well-locked boxes.

The bonzes of the orders of the blind, who may be seen walking the streets in their gauze gowns and swinging sashes, appear to be in high favor with the populace. The history of these orders is eminently Japaneish. The first is called Bussatz Sato. Centuries are nothing in Japanese chronology, and this was instituted many centuries ago, by one Senmimar, the junior son of a mikado, who was a perfect Japanese Adonis, in commemoration of his having wept himself blind for the loss of his princess, whose good looks were equal to his own. The first order had existed for ages, when the second appeared. Yoritomo, the first ziogoon, of whom I have previously spoken, while leading the mikado’s troops, defeated the rebel prince Feki, who fell, and his general Kakekigo captured. He was a general of great renown, and Yoritomo strove to gain his prisoner’s friendship, by loading him with kindness, and finally offering him his liberty. The captive Kakekigo replied: “I can love none but my slain master. I owe you gratitude; but you caused Prince Feki’s death, and never can I look upon you without wishing to kill you. My best way to avoid such ingratitude, and to reconcile my conflicting duties, is never to see you more; and thus do I insure it.” He tore out his eyes, and presented them to Yoritomo on a salver. The prince, struck with admiration, released him; and in retirement Kakekigo founded the second order of the blind, called after his former master, Feki-sado.

The ascent to the Hakodadi Yama, a hill rising some fifteen hundred feet back of the town, I made through fields of black, rich soil, not yet dry from melting snow, which, a Japanese made sign, had been breast deep. Wild grape-vines all around were budding out. The view from the top of this hill was very commanding: across the straits in Niphon, and on the mountain tops around, you saw “winter lingering,” &c. Below, long trains of pack-horses loaded with charcoal were continually traversing the plain; the fishing villages were busy with their seines; the town showed like a narrow strip of houses, and our ships and the three hundred junks in the harbor, went but a little way to fill up the great water space around. Ours were no doubt the first Anglo-Saxon feet, that ever trod this height. We found a look-out house up there, where the movement of every ship passing through the straits of Sangar into the sea of Japan is noted. It was counting the whalers passing here, and the annual increase of the number bearing the American flag, that tended to give the Japanese an exalted opinion of the greatness of our country, though one of the look-outs did not show it in a very flattering way. He desired the direction of America: I gave it to him. He then very deliberately drew a large O with the point of his sword-case on the ground, and said “Nipong;” and then drawing a small o he said “America;” this was very well when the “Lion played painter,” but not admiring his geographical scale, I permitted his “Nipong” chart to remain, and drew one for “America” many times larger, whereat he took no more interest in the comparison.

On descending from the Yama, I spied an open gate leading into a prison-yard enclosed by walls and stockade. The objections by the attendant and the police to our entrance were strong, as those we had first experienced in Simoda. They drew their finger across their throats and held up their right thumb to show the penalty they might undergo from the chief man, in not hindering our movements. But we had seen enough of them not to be deterred by any such flimsiness. We knew that, if we wished to sneeze in their territory, that they would shake their head, hold up the chief-man finger, and say “Ni! ni!” On one occasion two companions and myself had approached a small building with a sliding door, to see whether it did not contain a cage. The officers attempted to impede our progress, but on our getting close to it, they looked horrified and shuddered; two of the party, who were smoking, supposing that it was a powder-magazine, immediately threw away their cigars. On sliding aside the door, there was visible an old mat in a small vacant room. We made up our mind, in our movements to do only what we ourselves would deem proper in our own country, and so went ahead.

In the town there are fire-proof magazines, built at intervals by the government, for the storage of articles, and for the protection of things during a fire.

There are no forts in the vicinity of Hakodadi, unless a small excavated one with two direct embrasures may be so called. This place was without any garrison; you descended into it by an inclined plane made with fascines. In its rear was a very well-constructed magazine made with gabions, and covered with earth-works. The sides were supported with stockade and fascine. The merlon was sustained by flanking so clumsy that the range of the deep embrasures was quite small. Its object must have been to bring ships to, but the reduced size of the guns as shown by the houses built over them—if there were any guns underneath—each crack being carefully stopped—would do little damage.

Not far from here are some wayside praying machines, and a cemetery in which several of the poor fellows of the “Vandalia” were interred. On the occasion of their burial by their messmates, preceded by drum and fife, the streets were lined on either side by the Japanese police, who kept every avenue clear.

The Japanese had a bazar arranged at the place at which we landed, where a number of purchases were made by the squadron, and the officials saw more silver dollars than during their whole previous lifetime.

There are supposed to be twenty thousand hairy kuriles on the island of Yeso, though we did not see any of them, there being none in Hakodadi during our stay. The officers of the Southampton, which vessel was sent around to Volcano bay to make a reconnoissance, enjoyed the opportunity of taking a look at the Orsons or Esaus.

On the last day of May, after we had entertained the Japanese authorities aboard with the pleasant attitudinizing of “Jim Brown,” and songs Ethiopan, the Macedonian left for Simoda, taking a look at the Japanese penal island of Fatisisio on the way, if the weather would permit, and the Vandalia was sent to Shanghae, China, by the way of the Japan sea, to relieve the Plymouth, that had been looking after American interests during the rebel-fights at that place.

The long-expected functionaries from Yedo did not reach Hakodadi until the 1st of June. The distance they had to come, including the passage across the straits, in a direct line, was about four hundred miles, and yet they had been fifty days in making the journey. The next day after their arrival it was in contemplation to have a military function with sailors, music, marines, and artillery ashore, but continued rain prevented it.

The Russians, who hitherto had no port on the eastern side of their empire contiguous to north China, had been compelled to carry on their teatrade by inland caravans that had been stopped by the insurgent fights, and who could only send supplies to their posts of Sitka and Petropaulofski, near the Ochotsk sea, by Cape Horn, had, under Count Muravieff, boldly seized on the mouth and fine harbor of the river Amoor, in the Tartar territory, and fortified it. As the position was weakened by the river emptying into the channel of Tartary, Muravieff, to make assurance doubly sure, had seized that too.

Intelligence of these doings having reached Yedo, one of the deputies at Hakodadi, Hirayama Kenziro, was on his way to Saghalien to find out whether the Russians were not coming the filibuster Chowstoff on them again.

These functionaries made some of their characteristic communications to the commodore:—

There is a spring near the town, the water of which is strongly impregnated with sulphur, and supposed to be highly medicinal; but what of thy various supplies, O Hakodadi! An egg, like CÆsar’s wife, should be above suspicion. The number gotten by our mess, like the swords of the clan of Lochiel, was “a thousand;”—the good ones, were “one.” Hakodadi, in Japanese, is “box-eating house;” in American memory it is questionable eggs.

On the 3d of June, the Powhatan and the Mississippi started on their return to Simoda: we looked upon the departure from Hakodadi as the culminating point of the cruise. When we reached the entrance to the harbor, a sudden and dense fog settled on us—

We ran a little distance, whistling for the want of sight, but at the fog signal of one gun from the flag-ship, came to anchor. In an hour the fog lifted like a blanket, and opened like a funnel, when both steamers, with a stiff wind that enabled them also to make sail, ran out of the straits.