to the authors of the crime. The Chinese authorities, however, it was suspected
must have been acquainted with the persons of the villains, as after
repeated summons of the Portuguese council of Macao the severed head and
hand of the unfortunate governor were sent to the city. This murder
occurred only two months after the act of Captain Keppel, which had greatly
chagrined the gallant Amaral.
The engineers having reported, towards the latter end of October, that
the machinery of the steamer Powhatan was in good working order, she was
sent to take the place of the Susquehanna. This latter vessel had previously
relieved the Mississippi at Whampoa. Each steamer in turn dispatched
an officer of marines with a competent guard and one of the boat howitzers
to remain at Canton during her stay at Whampoa. The guard was stationed
on board the Supply, then lying off the town, while the officer was a
guest ^ at the house of some one or other of the American merchants, that
he might be in readiness in ease of any disturbance at night. All this
time, however, there was not the slightest incident that could in any degree
justify an opinion that a revolt was seriously contemplated by the Chinese
people, and up to the day of the departure everything remained as quiet in
Canton as at the moment of first sending vessels and a guard to the city.
Nor had there been any outbreak, at either of the consular cities, which had
m the least affected Americans or foreigners of whatever nation, during the
presence of the squadron on the Chinese coast.
However the Chinese may have quarrelled among themselves and cut
each other’s throats, not a foreigner conducting himself properly had been
in the least degree molested. Before leaving the Chinese coast, Commodore
Perry had succeeded in establishing the most cordial understanding with
the Canton merchants, and in consideration of the necessity of withdrawing
the Supply from that city and the Powhatan from Whampoa, had
determined, at the request of the merchants, to assume the responsibility
of hiring and arming a small steamer for the protection of the American
residents during his absence. Conformably to this determination, the Commodore
chartered a new and very suitable vessel, the steamboat Queen, for
six months, at five hundred dollars a month, with a privilege of extending
the term of engagement at the same rate of hire. To this steamer was
assigned a sufficient armament, and the command was given to Lieutenant
Alfred Taylor, of the Mississippi, with such complement of officers, engineers,
sailors, and firemen, as could be spared from the squadron. The
Commodore had the satisfaction of receiving from the leading American
merchants a communication, in which it was stated that there seemed no
immediate danger of an attack, and which contained an expression of satisfaction
at the provision made by the Commodore for the protection of their
interests during his absence.
About the close of November, the French commodore in the frigate
Constantine, then lying at Macao, suddenly put to sea under sealed orders.
I t was at the time well known, that in a day or two he was to have departed
for Shanghai with the French minister, Monsieur de Bourboulon, and wife,
as passengers, but on the arrival of the mail from Europe he hurried away
without any one knowing in what direction. The Russian admiral, Pontia-
tine, in the frigate Pallas, and with three other vessels, was at this time at
Shanghai, having just arrived from Nagasaki. The Commodore, suspecting
that the Russians contemplated the design of returning to Japan and of
ultimately going to Yedo, which might seriously interfere with his operations,
and suspecting also that the same place was the destination of the
French Commodore, became very anxious for the arrival of the storeship
Lexington with some articles for presents on board. He determined, therefore,
rather than allow either the Russians or the French to gain an advantage
over him, to encounter all the inconveniences and exposure of a cruise
to Japan in mid-winter. Nor was he to be deterred from his purpose by
the terrible accounts given by writers of the storms, fogs, and other dangers
to be met with on the inhospitable Japanese coasts during the inclement
season.
I t had been originally the intention of the Commodore to wait until the
spring had set in before going to the north, but the suspicion of the movements
of the French and Russians induced him to alter his plans. The
expected Lexington having fortunately arrived, after an unusually long
passage, she was ordered to Hong Kong, there to land such part of her
cargo as would not be required for the Japan serviee, and to take on board,
in place of what she might discharge there, four hundred tons of coal.
This being accomplished, the Commodore sailed from Hong Kong in the
Susquehanna, on the 14th of January, 1854, for Lew Chew, in company
with the Powhatan, Mississippi, and the storeships Lexington and Southampton,
the two latter being respectively in tow of the steamers; the
Macedonian and Supply, having been a few days before dispatched for Lew
Chew, there to join the Yandalia. The Plymouth was at Shanghai, and
the-Saratoga had orders to meet the squadron at Lew Chew.
On the very day and at the precise hour of the Commodore’s sailing, the
steamer arrived with the overland mail, bringing precise instructions from
the Navy Department to detach one of the steamers from the Japan expedition,
and place her at the disposal of the Hon. Mr. McLane, recently
appointed commissioner to China, and then soon expected to arrive from
the United States. As these orders caused Commodore Perry great embarrassment,
and would, if executed, sensibly delay his plans and interfere
with the success of his mission, he determined not to act upon them immediately
and thus weaken his force, but to wait until he had made a preliminary
demonstration in Yedo bay.
The Commodore was somewhat surprised to learn from- Sir George Bon