The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-06-19
ROMANTIC EPISODE.
How William a dams Became a Prince
the Orient.

Twelve miles from Yokohama, down
Mississippi bay, says a correspon Gent,
writing from YeddO, Japan, is the town
of YokoskO. It is at the head of a lit
tie land-locked harbor and has the most
beautiful surroundings imaginable.
The island and the mainland, all are
crowned and covered with groves of
evergreen trees. In the distance to the
west the WakOni range of mountains is
plainly seen, and towering above all
other points is Fusi-yama, the highest
mountain in Japan. Yokosko is a town
of the old order of things. Here the
Japanese have their naval station, with
capacious machine-shops, foundries and
docks. Across a lesser inlet is the old
village 'Cf Hemimura, a fishing town,
and as old, for aught that is known, as
the fisheries of Japan. On q hill side
above the village is the temple of To-
kO-san. It is a Buddhist temple and
has the carved stone lions and dragons
and shaven-bearded priests, gilt images
of Buddha, and lesser deities.
1t Is like all temples in Japan, en-
powered In a beautiful grove, and
there is enough of the beautiful in its
surroundings to incline any heart to
worship the giver of such beauty.
From this temple winding path leads
up to the crest of a high, rounded hill,
from which is spread before you q pic
ture of intense and varied beauty-the
wide sea, studded with green islands,
the long, high shOre-line with deep in
donations of inlet and harbor lofty
mountain ranges and deep valleys. Here
in the grove, browning the hill, midst
fir, cypress, palm and bamboo trees, is
the grave of William Adams, the first
Anglo Saxon ever in Japan. He must
have been a remarkable man. In the
whole history of the orient no other
stranger has arrived at such an inau-
ence over a strange people.
Adams was a native of the county of
Kent, England. His occupation was
sea-going. He served in the English
navy in the olden days of the "Virgin
queen" and held the position of master
of vessel In the wars with Spain. He
must have been with the bold bucca-
neers who hunted Spanish treasure and
merchant ships on every sea. While on
shore in little village surrounded by
the green hills of Kent, he had met a
blue eyed, fair-haired Saxon girl. They
loved, plighted their troth, and after he
had taken voyage or two they were
welded. Between the sea and shore
several years passed happily and pros
perOusly. Two children, Il boy and a
girl, were theirs, both the image of the
mother, with the same glimmer Of gold
in their hair and the same blue of the
Kentish sky in their eyes. But times
grew bad. The wars had ruined trade
English ships lay idle in their harbors.
Holland, Spain and Portugal had then
the trade and commerce of the world.
Adams received an offer from the Dutch
East India company to pilot a squadron
of five merchant vessels to Asia. He
babe farewell to England and his fair
haired wife and children, and repaired
to Holland, whence he set sail in 1898.
After nearly two years of untold hard
ships, with only one ship left of the five
and only five able-bodied seamen, in
the greatest distress for the want of
food and water, they sighted the coast
of Japan. On the 10th day of April,
1000, they made a harbor in the prov
ince of Bungo, in the southern part of
NiphOn. The people hocked around
the ship. By signs Adams made their
wants known. The sick were taken on
shore and tenderly cared for. Soldiers
were stationed on the ship to protect
the cargo. Four or five days elapsed,
when some Portuguese arrived from
NdgdShhl. "uCI6 bllCH IdNA a.
station. They alone had of all European
people, since the wonderful accounts of
Marco Polo, found the islands of Japan.
The Portuguese had come to the orient
as traders and missionaries. Between
them and the Dutch there was every
renson for rivalry. They were warning
with each other for the trade and wealth
of the Indies. One was Jesuit and the
other Protestant in religion. The Por.
tuguese having been sent for by the
prince of the province of Bungo, they
represented that the Dutch were pirates
in commerce and heretics in religion,
and should be beheaded for either ard
crucifed for both.
This being more responsibility than
the prince wished to assume, he re-
ferrei the whole matter to the tycoon,
whose capital was then at Osaca, eighty
miles north. The tycoon sent at once
for Adams. On the way Adams ascer-
tanned the feeling of the Portuguese
and what they were anxious to accom-
plish, and he also saw by the headless
trunk and suspended bodies how fire.
quent capital punishments were in
Japan and for what slight Offenses they
were in use. 1yeyas was the tycoon.
He was the first of the Tocagawa fami-
ANg NDAOI LtlIGO dAlCI uiul lOI ZJU Years.
Through 2, 500 years of written history
he is considered their "Alfred. the
Great" by Japanese historians. When
in the presence of the tycoon Adams
found a mild-mannered, unpretending
man, who questioned him thoroughly
of England and Holland, of their com
merce and trade and their wars, and es-
pecially of their object in coming to
Japan.
After the interview, which lasted sew
eral hours, Adams was placed in con-
hnement. He was kept there forty
three days and nights. With the Wis
ions of CHASTITY, headless trunks and
bodies suspended on crosses, having
been pierced by spears, his sleep could
have been neither sweet nor refreshing.
But Iyeyas was too great and too shrewd
a man to be used by the Portuguese
Jesuits, and Adams had told so straight
forward a story, aud exhibited such an
intimate knowledge of the history of
Europe, the trade and commerce of its
different nations, and of the various
arts and sciences, that Iyeyas was
strongly impressed with him. To the
Portuguese opportunities he answered
that he saw nothing in the conduct of
the strangers to condemn, but much to
CSAAAAANA0s anu O1ucE6u Tic LCtChcc VI
Adams. he sent their ships to Yeddo
and told the whole crew to content
themselves in Japan, as they would
never be allowed 10 leave il. Adams
was taken into the employ of the gov
eminent and he taught Iyeyas mathe-
matics and navigation, and how to
build, launch and rig large ships,