The San Francisco call., 1898-05-24
PERRY'S VISIT TO JAPAN.

Commodore Dewey is not the firs l American who has led a hostile fleet into
 a harbor of the far East. Commodore | Perry, brother of the hero of Lake Erie, was before him. Perry's expedition | was not as bloody as Dewey's, and the | risks he ran were less: there was nc chance of being lifted sky-high by an ex- plodng mine-torpedoes were not then the thing. There was a brilliant, spec tacular side to his undertaking.
 With the coming of day, July 8, 1853. the 1 Japanese got the first glimpse of the | slow-moving, sailless invader ships. With what consternation the alarm must have spread! A stranger. perhaps a con- Queror, his ships moving as no Japanese | ship had ever moved. was already in the l heart of their bay.
 Presently the sun got high enough to dispel the fog and the bay lay open. Still the invaders moved slowly on. Junl1s, brilliantly painted. lowered toward them. and got no more attention than if they were soap bubbles blown upon the shining surface of the water. A fleet of boats came down the bay to stop the advance of the ships, and the American piowed silently through. Immense crowds that had gathered upon every headland stared
 And then Perry put another touch to his sphinx-like impotence. Slowing down his engines, he began sounding the bay. At every revolution of the paddles the lead was thrown. There was no inquiry of any one where to anchor; no asking of permission. AS indifferent to the junkS, boats, crowds, kingdom round about him as if he owned the earth, he quietly hunt liking, and let go his anchors off the city of Uraga, with his cannon commanding it. Immediately two guns were fired, evil dently as signals. from the batteries of the town, and rocket leaped into the air.
 And now for the consummation of Per rvs peculiar plan. He withdrew to his cabin. Presently an officer came ont from Uraga and desired to barley with the commodore. He was met with a most The commodore would nave no dealings except with the officials of the very high est rank. This one was only the Vice Governor, and back he must go to Uraga For no such small fry as a Vice-Gov- ernor would inscrutable Perry come out of his cabin.
 Night fell and Perry did not move. Ex- citement reigned around Yeddo Bay. Guns were fired. Rockets shot into air. Every battery on the, headlands was thronged with soldiers-had been filling with them all day. Beacon fires twinkled through the night here, there, everywhere Perry lay quietly at his anchors.
 The next day the Governor of Uraga came out to the flagship. This was a lit- tie better than the Vice-Governor, and he able Perry, still refused to come out of his cabin, but he delegated one of his off, cers to receive the, governor. But his excellency must distinctly understand that this high and mighty commodora was the bearer of a letter from the stiIl higher and mghtier. the American Presi- dent, to his majesty the Emperor of Ja- pan. The said mighty commodore pro- posed to give this letter up to a great prince of Japan, and to nobody lower in rank That was all there was about it.
 :, There Is only one pla ce in Japan,' said the authorities, where a foreign com munication nun can be properly received. You
 Il won't, said Perry
 lie now began to threaten. For an outer barbarian to have thrust himself thus cooliy into forbidden waters must have surprised Japan enough; but for him 10 propose meeting with the Emperor must have been all but past belief But that IS what Perry did. He issued hls ult1matum with that for his text EitliA ne should get word by Tuesday July 12. that the sort of interview he desired had been arranged, or he would himself carry the letter to the Emperor. Apparently this amazing commodore with his pro- yoking supply of insulting calmness, felt competent. he. and his six ships to make one meal of the whole of Japan
 What the Japanese Government thought nas not been published. but it came to terms The great functionary would meet the commodore, and Thursday July IA was set for the interview. High and mighty Perry could now come forth from his cabin, triumphant at every point. If