Grass Valley telegraph., 1853-12-22
ARRIVAL ON THE JAPAN COAST.
BY BAYARD TAYLOR.

BY BAYARD TAYLOR.
The squadron, consisting of the Susque-
hanna, alag ship Mississippi, Plymouth and
two slOOps-Ofwar being taken
in tow by the two steamers-sailed from the
harbOr of Napa-Kiang, Loo Cho, on the I'd of
July. On the night of the Sd and morning
of the 4th, we passed the large island of Ohos-
ina, part of the Kingdom of Loo Choo This
island, which has been known to the Dutch,
through the japanese charts, and was seen
by the French Admiral Cecille in 1916. is not
found on English Charts. The u. S. ship
Preble, in 1849, supposed she had made the
first discovery of it, and gave it the narne,of
" Preble Islpcf = lt-lSs~e3~e3 beGn sisited'
by foreign vessel. 1t is sthirty Nor forty miles
long, mountainous, and thickly Inhabited
After passing it we had very sultry weather,
until we reached Japan-the thermometer
Ssta9ding at 81 . at night and $50 to 900 at
Aooh, in the coolest place on board.
Atdaybreak, on the morning of July s, we
first made land, which proved to be Cape
ldzu, nifty headland on the coast of Nphon,
not far south Of the entrance of the great Bay
OF Tedo. The Brocken and Vulcan Islands
were in sight on our right. After passing
Rock Island, We stood in nearer to the shore,
which lOomedNp grandly through the hazy
atmosphere. The promontorY of Idzu is
group Of mountains, rising to the height of
five or six thousand feet, their SUBMITS scar
red with slides. and their sides mostly cover
ed with forests though here and there we
could discern patches of cultivated land
There were number Of fishing junks of the
coast, some of which put back again as we
approached. The wind was ahead we had
all sails furled and the yards squared, and
sight Of our two immense steamers-the first
that ever entered Japanese waters -dashing
along at the rate of nine knots an hour. must
have struck the natives with the utmost as
tOnishment.
Leaving the mountains of Idzu behind US.
we stood across the Bay of Kowadzu, Gas the
southern half of the bifurcate Bay Of YedO is
called toward Cape Sagami, at the extrem-
ity Of the promOntory which divides the two.
The noon observation gave lat. "a Q 81 sec.
n, and soon afterward Cape Sagami came in
sight. We lay while the Captains of the Mis-
sssippi Plymouth and Saratoga came on
board, to receive instructions, and then re-
sumed our course. The decks were cleared
for action, the guns shotted, the small arms
put in complete order, and every precaution
taken, in case we should meet with hostile
reception. Near Cape Sagami we deeeriea-a
large tower, and as a we came within two
miles Of the shore, number of iunks, amount
ing to twelve or fifteen, put off. with the evi-
dent intention of visiting us. Each one bore
a large banner. upon which characters were
inscribed. The rapidity of our progress
against the wind. soon left them behind, NO
doubt completely nOnplussed as to the invis-
ible power which bore us away from them
The Bay now began to be th.ckly studded
with fishing smacks, with here and there a
large junk.
The shores of Sagami are exceedingly pic
turesque and beautiful. They rise in abrupt
bluffs, two hundred feet in hight, gashed with
narrow dells Of the brightest verdure. which
slope steeply down to the water, while the
country behind rises in undulating hills, dis
playing a charming alienation of groves and
cultivated fields. In the distance rose moan
tain ranges. receding behind each other until
the vapor hid their farthest SUBMITS. I've
eastern coast, belonging to the province OF
AVA now came in sight ahead Of us. for we
were entering the narrOwest part OF the Bay,
leading to the puper Bay Of Yedo. The dis
tance from shore to shore here varies from
five to eight miles. but afterWard expands to
twelve or fifteen.
We kept directly up the Bay, and in half
an hour alter doubling cape Sagalnl saw De-
fore US bold promontory making out from
the western coast, at the entrance Of the Up
per Bay. Within it was the Blight of Uraga,
and we could plainly see the town of that
name at the head of it. The Plymouth and
Saratoga were cast off, and we advanced slow
ly. sounding as we went, until we had ad-
vanced more than mile beyond the point
reached by the Columbus and the Morrison.
We were about mile and half from the
promontory, when two discharges Of cannon
were heard from battery at its extremity
and Immediately afterward light ball OF
smoke in the air showed that she'll had been
thrown up. An order was Immediately Civ
en- to let 90 the anchor, but, as the lead still
showed 25 fathams, the steamers head was
put in toward the shore, and in a few minutes
the anchor was dropped.