The Potter journal and news item. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1872-1874, 1873-02-28
From Japan.

Miss Kate Hequembourg of Dun
kirk, formerly Of Warren, went to
Japan last fall as a teacher. She
writes interesting letters to her pa
rents, some of which are published
in the Dunkirk Journal. We clip
the following from one to her mother
describing her arrival and reception
in that strange land, that her friends
here may see how she is situated.
Their ship having come to anchor
off Yokohama, October 26th, after q
passage Of some twenty-five days
from San Francisco, she says:
At half-past ten the boat came for
me. I was favored above all the
other passengers in going in such
style and comfort. The house boat,
! which is the property of the P. n.
S. S. Co., bearing about the same
resemblance to the sand-pans that a
rough looking cart would to an ele-
CANT carriage. Mr. Blanchard being
in the employ of the company he
has Sc use Of the boat.
Severrasii Naval Captsins came on
board in their gigs, with fine looking
crews. Tie crew of the P. NJ. S. S.
boat was entirely japanese, but
dressed in uniform European dress.
With Mr.. Blanchard was DR.. Elliott
to whom, you will remember. l had
2 letter of introduction from Morris
town. DR.. E. informed me that he
was sent by Miss Kidder to escort
me to his house where | was to re-
main as a guest. In less than ten
minutes we were at the English Har-
thabea or landing, where our car
ria ,as stood waiting for us. Such
carriages. I could hardly control
my laughter sufficiently to get into
mine. "a. There on the wharf stood two
large baby carrie ges on t"o wheels,
oIa Tor the Doctor and one for my.
calf, anG w3 were to get into thesc.
jim riIci she,0s they called them
tre.nilated, man horsepower Ger.
riage. After some Inaneuvring I
managed to get into mine, and as it
| was raining hard E. Blanchard en-
veloped me in my pretty rug, the
top, made of oiled paper, was drawn
Cignt over anu tIea down so tnat if /
had been put in paper box and the
cover put on / could not have been
more completely shut in from every
thing external, even to the rain.
One Coolie stepped into the shafts
and another pushed behind and then
started off upon run. At the head
of the wharf stood long low build
ing swarming with japanese officials,
some in national dress and some in
foreign, and good looking policemen,
though not quite equal in stature to
those on Broadway. This was a
branch Of the Custom House. They
just glanced at my trunks, did not
ask to open them, and handed them
over to some Coolies who tied rope
around each trunk, put long pole
through the edge and the pole upon
their shoulders, two Coolies to each
trunk, and then started off upon 8
dog trot with their heavy burdens
As l preferred seeing little of the
city if l did get wet, the top was put
down and with an umbrella | man
! aged very nicely. We passed rapid
ly through fine, broad paved streets
in the foreign quarter, passed lont
rows of business houses, by the Eng
lish and American Consulates, thel
into some queer narrow street
swarming with Japanese men, wo
men and children on foot, clumpin.
, along in wooden sandals and lont
dresses, 80 that it was impossible 70
me to distinguish the men from th