authorities that some of our officers should be present. These gentlemen, on
reaching the hall, were furnished with seats at the head of the room, immediately
opposite to the regent and treasurer • on their left sat three of the
judges on mats; and opposite to them, on a line with the regent and treasurer,
were the three other judges similarly seated. The prisoner on trial
knelt on the ground outside the hall (which was open on that side), with
his head just above the flooring of the balcony, and facing the interior of the
hall. Questions were put to him by the judges, and if he proved intractable
or stubborn in responding, his elbows were tied together behind his back
and, on the slightest hesitation, a policeman on either side of him punched
him severely in the ribs with large sticks, about two inches in diameter and
four feet in length. These never failed to loosen the fellow’s tongue, but
whether to utter truth or falsehood was, to our gentlemen, very questionable.
This, if not equal in severity to the old “ •peine forte et dure ” of our ances"
tors, proceeds on the same principle.
On each successive visit to the island, the gentlemen of the expedition
gathered additional scraps of information as to customs, one of which is so
similar, in the feeling which prompts it, to our own New Year’s congratulations,
that it is worthy of a passing notice. In the spring, when the new
year opens in Lew Chew, and perhaps in Japan also (though of the latter we
cannot speak certainly), the usage of the islanders is to offer the expression
of their good wishes and friendly feelings, in the form of inscriptions attached
to the houses of each other, or sent to the inmates. Mr. Williams
translated several of these, a few of which we subjoin as specimens :
11 Gay clouds meet the rising, glorious sun; ten thousand joys greet
the opening spring.”
“ Let all sing these days o f general peace, and rejoice together in the
opening spring.”
“ May all joys clamber about your happy abode; may a thousand
lucks collect at this gate.”
u May every door have luck and jo y , and every land be blessed with
peace” .
aMay your felicity be as broad as the eastern sea ; your age enduring
as the southern hills.”
11 The peach tree in fa ir y land ripens in thirty centuries; may the seaside
house be blessed with ninety more aulumns.”
11 We joyfully hope the brightening year will meet a flourishing time
as the bloom o f spring begins to shine upon this humble door.”
“May the three stars, peace, office, age, enter your cLoor ; and sons,
richesi honors, bless your gate.”
“ Happiness descends from heaven.”
“ A s the wind and light go their circuits through the world, so does the
gladsome spring from heaven to us come down”
While the judicial proceedings in the case of Broad’s death were in progress,
the Commodore, who was anxious to lose no time, employed, with the
aid and approval of the Lew Chew authorities, native lighters to transport
to the steamers all the coal remaining in the coal-shed at Tumai; and
causing the building itself to be put in order, left it in charge of the native
authorities, with an assurance that they would look carefully to its preservation
for future use, and the reception of any deposit of coal the United States
might wish to make there in time to come.
There remained, however, one important piece of business yet to be done.
This was the making of a compact or treaty between our government and
that of Lew Chew. Accordingly, the flag-lieutenant, Mr. Bent, and the
interpreter, Mr. Williams, were deputed by the Commodore, under suitable
instructions as to terms, to- confer with the regent of Lew Chew; and these
gentlemen, on the 8th of July, met that official on shore by appointment,
and discussed with him the proposed compact, a rough draft of which they
presented. The preamble to this recognized Lew Chew as an independent
nation. To this recognition the regent objected, saying that such an assumption
on their parts would get them into trouble with China, to which
country they owed allegiance; that, as ta the articles of the compact, they
would cheerfully assent to them, and faithfully fulfil them, nor would they
hesitate to affix their seals to the instrument, but that it had better not bear
on its face the assertion or appearance of their claiming absolute independence.
There was none of the delaying, crooked pdlicy of the Japanese in
these negotiations. The Lew Chewans were made fully to understand what
had transpired in Japan, and probable derived confidence and candor from
their knowledge of the Japanese treaty, which was shown to them.
After the discussion our officers returned on board to report to the Commodore
their proceedings, and submit the terms proposed and accepted. On
the 10th, the same gentlemen were sent to hold another interview with the
regent, when they soon succeeded in arranging all the terms of the compact
satisfactorily to both parties, and obtained from the regent a promise that
a bazaar should be opened on shore, on the succeeding Wednesday and
Thursday, for the officers of the ships. I t was also arranged that the Commodore
would visit the regent at an appointed hour on the morrow. On the
next day, in the morning, the Commodore sent on shore a number of presents
for the regent, treasurer, and other officers of the island, consisting of revolvers,
lorgnettes, a dressing-case, and numerous valuable agricultural implements.
He was also particularly careful to send a handsome present to the
poor woman who had been the subject of Board’s outrage. At noon he
landed himself, and, with a small escort of marines, visited the regent at the
town-hall.
After the usual compliments, and a formal delivery of the presents he
had sent on shore, the articles of agreement or compact that had been made