such was their Telocity and force that the frigate actually made forty-three
complete revolutions in the space of thirty minutes. > The officers and crew
were made giddy by this rapid turning. Their anchor had been let go in six
fathoms; when the waters retreated they could see it, and had but four feet
of water alongside. The ship’s rudder, stern-post, and a great part of her
keel, were knocked off and lost, and her bottom was very much injured.
After the effects of the earthquake had somewhat subsided, and the sea
became comparatively tranquil, she was found to leak badly. Her guns
were landed, and as there was no suitable place in Simoda to heave her
down, Admiral Pontiatine sent to look for some contiguous spot fit for the
purpose; and it may subserve the interests of navigation here to record,
that he informed Commander Adams that he found a most excellent and
sheltered harbor, resembling that of Hakodadi, but smaller, and completely
land-locked, with an abundance of water. I t is about sixty miles from
Simoda, at a place called Sed-do, situated at the head of the bay which lies
westward of the peninsula of Idzu. Here the Russian admiral attempted
to take his disabled ship and repair her, but a gale came on, and she foundered
near the shore, the officers and crew with difficulty saving their lives.
They were all in Japan during the stay of Commander Adams, and, at that
time, with little prospect of getting away. They, however, subsequently
chartered the American schooner Foote, as we have related on a previous
page, and sailed in her for Petropaulowski. The Russians were in distress,
and Captain McCluney, of the Powhatan, generously supplied them with all
the provisions he could spare from his ship. The object of the admiral was
to make for his country a treaty with Japan, and it was concluded after the
loss of his ship, and during the stay of Commander Adams; who was
informed by the admiral that it was exactly like that made by Commodore
Perry fo r us, with the single change of a substitution of the harbor of
Nagasaki for that of Napha in Lew Chew; this, we venture to suggest, is
no improvement, inasmuch as the long continued and tame submission of the
Dutch at Dezima has taught the Japanese officials there to be very arrogant
and insolent toward foreigners. But, although Admiral Pontiatine
thus succeeded in making a treaty, to Commander Adams the Japanese
“ appeared to entertain no goodwill toward the Russians.” They are probably
suspicious of their ultimate purposes.
While the Powhatan was at Simoda, a French ship arrived there and
anchored in the outer harbor, having on board two Japanese seamen who
had been taken off the wreck of a junk about three years before by an
American whale-ship. The authorities ordered the vessel off, would permit
none of their people to go on board of her, and positively refused to receive
the shipwrecked seamen. They had, they said, no treaty with France, and
French vessels had no right to come there under any pretext. At the
intercession, however, of Commander Adams and Captain McCluney, they
agreed to receive their shipwrecked countrymen from tbe Powhatan, if
Captain McCluney would first receive them on board his ship, and then
deliver them as coming from an American man-of-war. This plan was
adopted. The men were kept all night on board the Powhatan, and landed
the next morning. They were immediately, however, compelled to lay
aside their European clothing, and conform in all respects to the Japanese
costume; besides which they were placed under a strict surveillance, which
continued, at any rate, as long as the ship remained.
Notwithstanding the calamities caused by the earthquake, there was
shown a resiliency, in the Japanese character, which spoke well for their
energy. They did not sit down and weep over their misfortunes, but, like
men, went to work, seemingly but little dispirited. They were busily
engaged, when the Powhatan arrived, in clearing away and rebuilding.
Stone, timber, thatch, tiles, lime, &c., were coming in daily from all quarters,
and, before the Powhatan left, there were about three hundred new
houses nearly or quite completed, though occasional and some pretty strong
shocks, during the ship’s stay, were admonishing them of a possible recurrence
of the calamity.
The outlines of the harbor of Simoda, Commander Adams states, were
not altered at all by the earthquake, but the holding ground seems to have
been washed out to sea, leaving no bottom scarcely but naked rocks. This,
however, will be resupplied, as it was furnished in the first instance, by the
washings from the land, whch will probably accumulate rapidly. The Powhatan,
for want of holding ground, dragged with three anchors ahead, the
wind blowing across the harbor, and no sea. Indeed, she was obliged to
rely on her steam to keep off the rocks.
From the place we now turn to the people. The Japanese were much
more disposed to be friendly and sociable than on the former visit. The
officers of the ship roamed over the country undisturbed, went into the villages,
and were received with a welcome everywhere. Espionage seemed
to have been laid aside, for there was no attempt to follow or watch them.
The shops having all been destroyed, and not yet replaced, a bazaar was
opened in a temple repaired for the purpose, and was soon filled with a
variety of beautiful articles brought from Yedo and the interior towns.
The officers were not only invited but importuned to buy, which they did
very freely. An anxious wish was expressed by the people to Commander
Adams, that trading vessels from America would soon begin to visit them,
and the governor of Simoda (who was one of the commissioners that made
the treaty) intimated to the Commander that it would be very agreeable to
him, personally, if a consul from the United States should be appointed to
reside at Simoda.
The Japanese were exceedingly desirous of obtaining English books,
particularly on medical and scientific subjects; and many valuable works