Columbia gazette. [volume] (Columbia, Tuolumne County, Calif.) 1852-1855, 1854-12-23
III [ S G H & T. A or Y.
A SAILOR IN JAPAN.

A SAILOR IN JAPAN.
The following gossipping letter was
written by Sailor in the Japan Squad
ron, and lets one into many little Sc
crets concerning the Japanese, not be-
fore known to the world at large.
6 Last Sunday was bright sunny
day, and at A. NJ. Dandy and I went
ashore to take up the railroad track,
and box up the locomotive, tender and
car ready for sending them to Yedo.-
At IL NJ. we had everything done,
(these japanese carpenters are quick
workmen,) and went into the Reception
House to get our dinners. The Re-
ception House hasseveral different apart
ments the first you enter is used as
smoking room it is carpeted with straw
mating and the furniture consists sim
| ply of a large brass vase containing
charcoal fire, with brass chop-sticks to
lift out the coal when you wish to light
your pipe !; around the vase japanese
officers of rank may always be seen sit
ting on their knees-or squatted I should
call it, for they use no ehairs-and sto-
ically smoking.
AS soon as we entered they would
offer us pipe and tobacco, without
rising, and generally we would accept
their offer and squat down alongside
them. They always lay off their san
dals and enter their houses in their stock
ing feet ; but we tramp over their mats
shoes and all. The sides of this room
are ornamented with an outlandish land
scape on gilt ground, and the princi-
pal feature of the landscape was large
number of long-legged white cranes
From the smoking room we entered the
the principal reception room. This,
too, is embellished with great number
of landscapes, similar to those in the
smoking room but these are like our
clothes bars. On each side Of the re-
ception room, wide benches, like low
table, are placed and covered with
red WOODEN Cloth These answered for
a double purpose, being used both as a
lounge and as table to eat from
Two sides Of the room are inclosed by
sliding frames, but instead of glass they
use white paper for admitting the light.
Over our heads in graceful festoons, was
hung a Grape curtain of purple colors
with tassels and cord. At the further
end of the room Japanese flag is hung,
before the entrance Of the private re-
ception room, where the Commodore
F, and the Princes have debated all Off
cial business, and where the treaty was
signed This room is furnished exact
ly like the larger one, with mating on
the floor, benches with red cloth over
them, and gilt landscapes around the
sides but it has in addition, plain ia
BILE for writing materials.
From the large reception room we
pass through several private rooms, for
the attendance of the Princes, to the
cooking rooms The cooking utensils
are of a very primitive description, con-
sisting ola copper boiler set over an
arch, with wooden spoons to stir up the
rice with, and one kettle in which they
boil eggs chopped up and celored with
red and blue powders, fried clans, fried
snakes, pound cake, candy and raw
oysters. I did the raw oysters and
pound cake justice, but I couldn't eat
the other things. The dinner was serv-
ed up on Lacquer ware dishes, on a
Lacquer ware stand, with chop sticks
to eat with.
After dinner, Mortimer Kellogg and
l concluded to take walk, as we had
nothing more to do at the house, and
SO started down toward Canajawa. We
were accompanied by a couple of two
sworded silk pants Mandarins, to see