ever, as has been stated, that the Dutch also are required to perform this
act; hut they dare not say openly that they are Christians. A story is told
of one who, in the time of the great persecution at Nagasaki, being asked
by the Japanese police “ if he were a Christian,” replied: “ No I I am a
Dutchman.” With such an exhibition of Christianity, who wonders that
the Japanese despise it.
Formerly the chief of the factory, with the physioian and some other officials
at Dezima, visited the Emperor at Jeddo annually, and made to him
costly presents. The visit is now quadrennial. On these oooasions the
Europeans had an opportunity of seeing and knowing something of Japan j
and almost all they have published to the world has been gathered in these
periodical journeys to the capital. The story, however, is so uniform, that
we are constrained to believe there is a well defined class of objects and subjects
with which alone the strangers are permitted to come into communication.
Kaempfer says that in his time (1690—’92) the Dutch were allowed, while
the ships were away, once or twice in the year, to walk into the country in
the neighborhood of Nagasaki; but they were always objects of suspicion
and surrounded by spies. At present, (as we learn from Siebold,) if a member
of the factory wishes such recreation, he must petition the governor of
Nagasaki twenty-four hours beforehand; leave is granted, but the Dutchman
is accompanied by a swarm of interpreters, policemen, (banyoos, as they are
called,) and other official spies to the number of some twenty-five or thirty
persons. Each of these, too, may invite as many of his acquaintance as he
pleases, and the unfortunate Dutchman must entertain them all. This heavy
expense is doubtless designed by the Japanese to prevent the members of
the factory from leaving Dezima. Nothing is more obvious than that the
Japanese, as a people, have hut little respect for the Dutch. Thus, when
one of the factory goes out on leave, the boys follow him in a crowd, hooting
and shouting, Holanda/ Holanda! or, as they pronounce it, Horanda/
Horanda! The gentleman, in pursuit of pleasure and the picturesque, is
not allowed to enter any private residence during his ramble, and he must
be hack at Dezima by sunset. I f a Dutchman, at any time, wishes to visit
a private acquaintance, or is invited by an inhabitant of Nagasaki to partake
of his hospitality, he must present a petition to the governor, and obtain
special permission to go; while on the visit, he is surrounded by spies as usual.
And to all this humiliation, the Dutch have submitted, for more than two
hundred years, for the purpose of securing the monopoly of the Japanese
trade!
THE ENGLISH.
We must now remind the reader of the letters written by William
Adams, one of which was addressed to any of his oountrymen in the east
into whose hands Providence might cause it to fall. Adams was, in truth,
the founder of the English as he had been of the Dutch trade. The letters
he wrote reached Batavia, and were thence sent to London, where they were
submitted to a corporation then known as the “ Worshipful Fellowship of
the Merchants of London, trading into the East Indies,” but in later times
by the far more oelebrated name of the “ Honorable East India Company.”
No time was lost by the corporation in dispatching a ship for Japan, and
Purchas has preserved for us the history of the voyage. The vessel was
oalled the Clove, and was commanded by Captain John Saris, who had already
made several voyages to the east. Taking on hoard such a cargo as
was deemed suitable, and furnished with a letter from King James I. to the
Prince of Firando, and one also, with present®, to the Emperor, Saris left
England on the 18th of April, 1611, and stopping and trading at various
places on the way, reached Firando on the 11th of June, 1613, when the
English met with a most friendly reception from the natives.
Saris found on his arrival that Adams was at Jeddo, nearly 900 miles
distant, and immediately put himself in communication with him, desiring
him to repair at once to Firando. Until he came he carried on his conferences
with the Japanese, by means of a native of the country whom he had
picked up at Bantam, and who spoke the Malay language, which Saris understood.
Saris delivered the King’s letter to the Prince of Firando, Foyne
Sama, who received it with pride, hut would not open it until Adams (whom
they called Ange) should arrive to interpret it. The Prince also sent intelligence
to the Emperor of the arrival of the Clove.
On the 29th of July, Adams arrived, and Saris conferred with him on the
subject of trade; and let us hope he had also something to tell him of his
wife and children. Early in August, Saris left Firando for Jeddo, having in
his company Adams and ten other Englishmen. The purpose of the visit
was to offer to the Emperor the presents of the English King, and to negotiate
a treaty. The Prince of Firando furnished the party with one of his
own galleys of fifty oars. Saris gives us the particulars of his journey,
which are not without interest, especially as it respects the manners and
customs of the people, which (as there were no restrictions on the intercourse
with foreigners, and as he had Adams for a companion) he had ample
opportunity of seeing under the most favorable circumstances. At length he
had an interview with the Emperor, by whom he was graciously received,
and from whom, after some little negotiation between Saris and the
Emperor’s seoretary, he obtained privileges of trade, as follows:
“ 1. We give free lioense to the subject® of the King of Great Britain,
viz: Sir Thomas Smith, governor, and the company of the East Indian
merohants and adventurers, forever safely to come into any of our ports of
our Empire of Japan, with their ships and merchandise, without any hindrance
to them or their goods; and to abide, buy, sell, and barter, acoording