Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1853-11-19

pate my release from the regulations Of
naval life, and ,ranscribo for you soms
particulars Of oqrsisit 10 Japan, begin
ming with our
oprArriyar on the Japan Coast.
The squadron, consisting Of the Sus.
quehanna, (lag.ship,) Mississippi, Ply
mouth aud Saratoga-,he two sloOps.of.
e@ar being taken in tow liy the two
stosmers-sailcd from tho harbor of
Napa.Kiang, Loo Choo. on the I'd of
July. On tho night oflho Sd and morn
ing of the 4ti,, we passed tho large isl.
aud Of Ohosima, part Of the Kingdom
Of Loo Chuu. This island, which has
hecn known to the Dutch, through the
japanese Charts, and was seen by the
French Admiral Cecillc. in 1916, is not
found on English Charts. Tho IS.
ship Prcble, in 1919. supposed she had
made the first discovery oft, and gave
it the name of" prcble Island" 1t
hasnc been yisi,edbya foreign YES
sci. /; is thirty or fosty.1hiles long,
mountainous; and ,hickls Inhabited
After passing it wo had5very sultry
weather, until wc reached Japan-lhe
thermometer standing ut 81 deg. at night
aud SIS deg. TO 90 deg. at noon, in the
coolest place on board.
Al'daybrca'e on the morning of July
8, we hrstsmade land, which proved to
be Cape Iazu, a Iuty lleadland on the
Coast Of Niphon, not far south Of the
entrance of the great Bay Of Yedo.-
Tho Broken aud Vulcan Islands were
in sightiontour right After passing
Rock island, we stood in nearer TO the
shore, which oomed up grandly through
tho hazy atmosphere. The promontory
of Idzl is a group Of mountains, rising
10 the height of five or six thousand
feet, their submits scared with slides,
and their sides mostly covered with for
es,s, though here and there we could
discern patches of cultivated lahd.-
There were number of fishing junks
u,he coast ,.solnesof which put back
again US We approached. The wind
was ahead, we lad all sails tprled aud
the yards squared, and the sight Of our
two immense stcamers-,lies First that
ever entered japanese Notwithstanding
alung at tho rate of nine knots an hour,
must have struck the natives with the
utmost astonishment. 81
Leaving the mountains of1dzp be.
hind Us, we stood across the mouth Of
,hesBay of Kowadzu, tas the southern
half Of the biti,rcalc Baylof Iedo is.
callcd) toward Cape Sagami, at the ex-
s,remi,y Of the promon,ory which divides
tie two. The noon observation gave
1la.. 81 deg. 81 min, n, and soon alter
ward Cape Saguni came III sight. We
Jay to while the Captains of the Missis-
,sippi, Plymouth aud Saratoga came OH
hoard, to receive instruction, and then
resumed our course. The decks were
cleared for action, the guns shotted, the
small arms put in complete order, and
dyerv pfecluiiun taken in case we
should meet with a 4ostilereception.-
Scar Cape Sagami we tlesctied a large
tower, and as wc came within twomiles
of,be shore, number ofjunkss amount
ing to twelve rfEiecn. put of, ,withlhe
evident intention OF visiting rs. Each !
nne bore u large banner, upon WHICH
characters were inscribed. The rapid
ityofour progress, against the wind,
s6oa left them behind, no doubt com
,,le,uly, nonplussed as to tho invisible
ipower wlichbor US away from them.
Tho Bay now began to be thickly stud.
lied with fishing smacks, with here aud
there alarge junk.
The shores Of Sngaminrc exceeding.
lvpicturesqIe and beautiful. TlIeyrise
in abrupt. iluIf,,,two hundred feet in
height, gashcl with narrow dells Of the
brightest verdure, which slope steeply
down Is the waler, while the country
behind rises in uadulariug hills display
ing a charming alienation Of groves
and cultivated fields. In The distance
rose mountain ranges, receding behind
each olherun,il the vapnr hid their far.
,lest submits. The eastern coast be-
longing to 4,he province Of Ava, now
cameiin sight ahead Of US, for we were
entering the narrowcst part Of the Bay,
leading 10 lie upper Bay ofYod". The
distance from shore here varies from five
To eight miles. but aiterward expandsto
twelyeor fifteen.
We kept directly upthe Bay. and in
half an hour after doubling Cape Saga
mi saw before US a bold promontofy'
making out if6m the western coast, al
tho entrance oftlie Upper Bay. With
in it was The Bightiof Uraea, and we
could plaiuly see the town Of the sane
name at the head Oft, The plymouth
and Saratoga were cast of, and we adj
vancel slowly, sounding as we vent
until we had advanced more than mile
beyond the point reached by the Co.
lumbus aud the Morrison. We were
about mile and half from the prom
uutory, when two discharges Of cannon
4