Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-01-22
Interesting from Japan--Tragic Death eff
the Emperor,

ing frem Naugasaki, japan, on the lst OF October
gives that paper the following interesting account
the death of the Emperor:
In No. Is, gave you an account of the treat,
lately made by with Japan. Let me now tel
you of some tragic as well as interesting events
which are said TO have already flowed from it. Yot
must first know that, though " cut Of the world ,
while cruising along these unknown shoals, we have
still occasional European mail, by some Bands,.
! ing ship, and while anchored here) semi-week y
mail from Yeddo. The latter comes overland by a
| special messenger, who sometimes rides, s0meim
| walks, and again proceeds by water. A few days
sf er arrival, Of these q Posts" came in and
the next day the interpreters gave Dutch friends
! of Deslms the 1eddo news; they IN turn, passed
it Il said that, sf er the signing of
our last treaty, (29tA Of July ut it seat by the
! Tai KoOn, or Imperial Emperor ct Yeddo, to the
/ Alikado or Spiritual Emperor q; Misco for his ap
! proSai. The latter, however, who is said to be a
/ young man Of eighteen, aware of his rights and
power and deter mined 10 enforce q EN-, refused his
approval upon the ground that he should have been
consu ted previous the sgHing Of the treaty, and
departing boldly from the timd policy If his more
immediate predecessors initiated that of the old
regime and notified his "great ruler (oc Ii kocn)
that IN obedience to the lars Of Japan the time had
come for him to commit Hari kari" The Great
Ruler therefore stabbed himself in the bowels re-
oeiving at the same moment severe blow on the
back Of me neck, from fSisRd and relative, which,
dislocaIiuS the Verebra, produced instant death
This bold stand upon the part Of their Miksdo, who
has been treated by late Tai-koons more as q pup
Pet than q master, has startled the Japanese and
caused them to expect some great changes What
these TO be, however. they dc not say.
The above is the news by one post Another
says that the Emperor poisoned, aud that three
OF the great Princes composing the Senate Of TWEEN
y, waO sciullly govern japan, had been disgraced
fyr the part they rad taken 10 the treaty waile
hir1a ha nv nj Tai
KOon has simply been deprived Of his Office for a
time, and hat ne will return 10 power after few
years. The three Princes, it was farther stated
had been d smissed from Office by the Tai Koou
previous to his own removal, in the hope that the
Mikado would consider that a sufficient reparation
and consent to stop farther proceedings This lat
ter was accepted by US as the most natural. and
consequently likely TO be true, than any other
but yes'rrdsy all doubt was removed by the publ
cation Of the following government order:
The Tai-Koon is dead All the people will there
fore, commence the national mourning on the 4th of
October and continue it through the following fifty
days As usual, none but necessary work will be
allowed f"
Thus it is certain, that the Emperor is dead though
whether by Harikari poison, Is not known. Il is,
however, equilly certain, that it as not resulted
from natura causes and cur Dutch friends say that
Har:kari Is the most prObsble.
On the ID instant the Flag Officer was officially
notified of the death of the Emperor by the Governor
of Nagsski. We we're informed with all the gravity
in world that he had been sick for six weeks with
pleuisy, and that he had finally succumbed on the
l4th Of September. l subsequently, SAID to the in
terpreter, you told that it required forty
days 10 get news from Yeddo, and now when it is
only eighteen dayssince his death you know all about
it. do not know what to believe when l talk to
you japanese"
''Oh .! he replied, sob when the Emperor dies
the post very fast-in stven days sometimes
Wall L. tx I'd I uaTA
naturally.
chow? He die1 of bad cold. have speak Com
modore"
Eyes, but you know that is the outside account.
What l want is The inside one q
mo! this not outside Outside, inside-all same
now"
Perhaps be has committed Harirkari! In fact
1 knoV he has"
ooh, no - be laughed with evident amusement.
"Ihst not so. That cannot be, Never Emperor or
Great Prince make Hari ksri-ouly Governors and
small Princes " Thus l place the assertion of the
Interpreter against the belief of the Dutch-mysef
inoinIng towards the latter The interpreter, how
ever, was "Y qshero, remarkably honest and tai
ened man
The day after being officially informed of The I'm
peria death the Flag officer sent his Flag Lieuten~
antto the Governor, TO say to him that he wished to
honor his masters memory, by firing Il minute guns.
just as We should for our President, for the head
of a European power, we're We anchored in one of
their porJs The Governor expressed himself high
ly auered by the attention, but replied that as it
was The custom in Japan to in silence unless
the Admiral ,cas dH1ious TO fire if, he begged he
would not. So we saved our powder.
The same correspondent says that upon the sp-
pearance Of cholera in Japan, the belief prevailed
that the English had poisoned the springs and adds:
This disease had, it seems broken out with great
violence shortly after our departure month pre-
vious, ca Tying off macy fifty Of the Japanese
daily and originating feeling Of wide spread
alarm throughout the whole southern part of the Is
land of Kin s'n Ii was not attributed to nau al
causes by The lower classes, but to the working of
devil, who it was asserted had heen thrown over
board from one Of the English ships lately visiting
the port and who hsd thus swan shore 10 de
stTOy the people punishment for the spirit of
free intercourse with foreigners" which Japan
had manifested by signing he late treaties. It
also asserted that "the English had poisoned the
waters :" and the existence Of such a conviction
among the lower orders is scarcely to be wondered
at when we reflect UPOn the superstiiious nature Of
thsr religion ~ and upon the acts OF some English
sailors which evidently gave rise to the belief II
seems that Of the English vessels gave liberty
to number of her ere v; that two Of these wander
ed inlo the country, and that during their walk they
passed several springs After Stacking their thirst
at one of these they Esnonly stirred tup with their
sticks, and the consequence that for hours the
families that were supplied by that spring had to
carry their buckets to others Thus was or ginated
the idea Of the poisoning of the waters
Two officers Of that nat on. while strollDg through
the country, were attacked by crowd and forced
to fly to avoid being empowered By mum 5ers The
Russian officer who had been left here by Admiral
Psntiain in charge Of a number Of sick men, vas
attacked in the streets Of Nan gasaki ITSELF And the
Dutch Doctor of Desima, who has been among tb0m
for years, and who as is generally the case with
medical men among semi civilized people, was
great favorite account Of his numerous cures
stoned while enjoying an evening ride.