New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-06-24
Prom the China Mail. April 0.
Funeral of an American Sailor.

! Funeral of an American Sailor.
| One of the standing opinions about the Japan
| ese destined to be thrown down by Com Perry
has been that they were iuvincibly intolerant oi
Christianity. Indeed, this has generally beer
assigned main reason for their exclusive
ness. To the emblem Of the Cross they still OBJ
ject; but the story of the expelled Portuguese
that every Christian landing at Japan was re.
| quired to trample on it. or on a representation
| Of the Virgin and Saviour, must, if true, have
been almost entirely confined to themselves and
their ooreligionists, More recent writer's, who
dave been able to deny that such ia now the
custom, tell us the practice Of religious rites
Is prohibited by irreyoeable Japanes laws =
| but the following narrative Of the funeral Of a
marine Of the United States squadron shows
that there is as little foundation for the one
statement as forthe other:
On the 9th Of March, the day following the
first meeting between Com. Perry and the In
perial Commissioner from Yedo, to negotiate the
terms of commercial treaty, a soldiers and a
Christian burial was given to a marine Robert
! Williams, who had died a few days before on
board the steamer Mississippi The party de-
tailed for this purpose consisted Of several Off
GERS, one OF them the Chaplain in his gown an
escort Of eight marines in charge Of a corporal,
and four marines as bearers Of the corpse. Two
boats left the ship; containing the officers.
and the other the bod and escort Upon reach
ing the shore the party was met by several ia
panese offlcials, ready to conduct them to the
grave. The escort landed first. and received the
body with the usual honors The little process
sion was then formed; first the escort followed
by the music, drum and fife; next the BODY
borne on the shoulders Of four messmates and
then the Chaplain with the other officers and a
few sailors from the boats bringing up the rear
In this order, with the music playing dead
march, the party moved to the grave winding
through the streets of village, q distance of
nearly half a mile On either side of the road,
and on the surrounding hills, at the foot of one
OF which the grave had been made, thousands Of
people men, women and children, could be seen
all manifestng eager curiosity to witness a sight
SO entirely novel in theirland
could not but think as we passed ALONG how
strange, not only the procession, but each Of US
individually, must appear to that eager throng,
not one OF whom probably had ever before looked
upon the face of stranger from foreign coun-
try; and yet there was no undue noise made
or apparent alarm on the part of any of them !:
only intense interest in observing what was
passing before them. As we neared the grave
(which occupied very pretty spot) the voice of
the Chaplain could be heard 81 am the resur-
rectlon and the life, saith the Lord he that be-
lieveth in me, though he were dead, yet shall
he live; and whosoever liyeth and believeth in
me, shall never die As we gathered around
the grave, and the reading OF the beautiful and
touching burial services proceeded, the scene
was one of unusual interest; for the time and
place, and circumstances, all conspired to make
1t, as an incident, honorable to our short soiourn
in a land where, for centuries it il said, the
symbol of our religion has been trodden under
foot. The Church burial service being ended.
the escort fired three volleys over the grave. i
mad expected that on this there would have been
some commoton among the crowd, but noticed
only at the first discharge, that for a moment
there was a slight movement, as of surprise,
ana then all were again quiet and attentive
observers
Having now committed to the earth, with all
due honor, the remains Of our deceased shipmate
the procession was reformed, and with music to
the front, again passed through the village and
the thousands of spectators to our boats on the
beach. Here we took leave Of the officials who
throughout the entire ceremony had conducted
themselves with great propriety, and extended
to us every ciyility, and returned to the ship,
pleased with the consciousness of not only having
witnessed, but assisted in giving, such honors, in
such place, to a deceased brother W BIS
RECENT EARTHQUAKES IN ITAIY.-G Genoa May
"A, 1S54,-The country between Florence and
Rome has been rather severely shaken within a
few days by series Of earthquakes, which oe-
easloned much CONSERVATION among the in
hablt0nts. The first occurred about 10 o'clock
on the night Of the l4th, and the undulatory
motion continued some or seconds. Another
InUre intense followed at about / the next
morning, and continued over seconds; at 105
Of the same morning, a third shock, still more
alarming, held the panic. stricken population
GREATNESS tol or 10 seconds; and fourth oc-
CURED between and in the afternoon, which
made the frmest houses tremble and tumblcd
INTO ruins some that We're shattered by the shocks
in February last. About 5 o'clock in the after.
noon Of the I'D, (day before yesterday another
occurred, which was felt at Florence. An
American family, which hastily left that city by
the evening train for Leghorn, has Just informed
me that the tables and furniture of the apart
lnents flbrated yislhy under the invisible ssmani-
leStatlon, ana that some China vases were
thrown upon the floor and broken
have not been able to ascertain the extent of
this last shock, but those of the 14th and 10th
were senslbly felt at Perugia, Bellona, Basta
Foglino, Assisso, and the intermediate country,
Nosound or noise whatever accompanied them,
nor were they marked by any sensible meteoro-
logical phenomena nor can | learn that any
assures were made, though it is said that an
ancient spring near Perugia has disappeared
The ANIMALS participated in the general alarm
and III truth such 0scillatory movements are well
suited to disturb ones faith in the mm0bility OF
the 6 solid earth Naturalists have pausibly |
con Jeetuteu mat Il IS almost always undergoing
shoeksat some point OF its surface, and is con
usually influenced by the reaction of the molten
interior nthe exterior. The weather, however, |
has been unusually agreeable for some weeks |
past, and favorable reports come to US from all
parts of Italy concerning the crops. There is
prospect of abundant harvssts ami |
they are much needed TO relieve tie severe
pressure upon the means Of subsistence
FRENcH WoMEN.-The following is extracted
from g Partisan Life and French Principles
very readable work recently published by the
lIarpers
s' A female rights orator has asserted, that
II women had more Of the occupations of men
they would be more virtuous BY that rule the
women of France ought to far excel in that |
respect their sisters Of America. ! will say |
nothing of their laboring in the field their driT-
ing huge carts through the streets Of Paris, and |
other rude lahors which soon rubs out of them I
all female softness, but confne myself to the
mare agreeable duties which they have usurped |
from man Indeed, man is but secondary |
being in a scale of French civilization. The |
DANES q compton are as essential TO the sue
cess of q Partisan cafe as. the cook himself |
More hats are dotied at them shrines than be.
fore the gayest bellies Of the metropolis Ny |
boot maker, for the head Of the establishment, |
is woman; my halter also; my landlord is |
dignifed specimen of fair, fat and forty; nv
porter is OF the same sex, older in years and |
worse in looks my butcher mIlknln and tho