The Japan expedition. Japan and around the world: An account of three visits to the Japanese empire, with sketches of Madeira, St. Helena, cape of Good Hope, Mauritius, Ceylon, Singapore, China, and Loo-ChooSpalding, J. W. (J. Willett)
History
The Japan expedition. Japan and around the world: An account of three visits to the Japanese empire, with sketches of Madeira, St. Helena, cape of Good Hope, Mauritius, Ceylon, Singapore, China, and Loo-Choo
Spalding, J. W. (J. Willett)
Japan -- Description and travel; Voyages and travels
A dinner was given on the Susquehanna, by her commander, to Yezimon,
governor of the province of Uraga, and a suite of ten others, among
whom was the little peripatetic consumptive of the artillery. The
Japanese being accustomed to the use of the chop-sticks at their
meals—which are not of ivory as the Chinese, but lacquered black—were
a little awkward at first in the use of the Christian assistants of
knife and fork, but it did not take them long to acquire the requisite
facility, when they made up for lost time. The cherry cordial, of which
they are very fond, did not go untasted, and champaigne was by no means
neglected by them. Accustomed to the small saki-cup, they admired
the contents more than the size of our glasses. When any health was
proposed, the Japanese—as if using the staghead-pattern cup dug up at
Pompeii—turned their goblets upside down on the table, to show the
absence of heel-taps.
The health of their emperor was drank, for which the governor, through
his interpreter, returned thanks and gave the health of the president
of the United States; and after his own health had been given, he
gave the health of the commodore (not present). This was all very
well apparently, but I shrewdly suspect that for the hint, they were
indebted to Mr. A. L. C. Portman, who was present and interpreted from
the Dutch, in which they preferred conversing at all times: he is too
conversant with the proper etiquette of such occasions, to let this
surmise go unindulged in. They remained at the table some two hours,
during which time one of their number present, “by request,” sang a
Japanese song—if a kind of a cross between the half wail, half-vocal
screech of the Chinese, a boy dragging a stick over the palings after
him, and a severe asthma, may be called a song. In return one of the
lieutenants of the ship present, sang “Ginger Blue.” “Ginger Blue” sang
in the hermetic empire! What impertinence, O Jonathan! to indulge in
such refrains before the potentate presence that once required knocking
of head from a Russian count! Thy good friend the _London Times_, will
“condemn thee to everlasting redemption for this,” and when it learns
it, how many additional articles will appear in its columns headed
“_More American Wit_.”
Yezimon, on leaving the ship where he had been so handsomely
entertained, remarked that he hoped he would have the opportunity
of reciprocating the courtesies which had been shown them, when the
friendship (treaty) had been made; they would then see more of us, and
we more of them and their towns. As customary, they left a number of
little presents, consisting of confections in small wooden boxes, and
flowers, and little birds on miniature trees, made with shells. Their
specimens of spun-glass did not equal in whiteness and fineness what we
see at home.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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