The room of reception and audience was in a white pine-building, unpainted. You entered by a flight of three steps. On either side the room was lighted through white oiled paper in the place of glass, placed in frames resembling sash-work. The extreme end of the room was concealed by a large blue flag, having in its centre in white, the Japanese coat-of-arms, composed of three quarter-moons, whose horns unite so as to form a circle, around which at intervals, was entwined a small wreath. The walls of the entrance were covered with paper screens, having on them the Japanese deified or sacred bird, the crane, perched on leafless trees. The floor was covered with mats, or rather straw-cushions, they being some three inches thick, bound on the edges, and very springy, when walked on. Along the entire length of the room, were placed low benches for seats, in front of which nearly as low, were narrow tables covered with red cotton cloth. The temperature of the room was regulated by charcoal in full heat, placed in copper-pans as “braziers,” resting in lacquered stands with gilt and ornamental legs, distributed along the centre of the floor. The company being seated—the Americans on the left and the Japanese functionaries on the right, the Japanese interpreter received a message from his prince, with his nose about two inches from the matting, and then dragging or sliding himself _à la Turk_ by the use of his arms, to where the commodore was seated, told Mr. Portman, his clerk, in Dutch, to say to the commodore, that the prince was glad to see him, and hoped his health was better. This civility was returned in like manner. They then went to business: they desired to know what number of persons the commodore wished to have retire with him in the conference: commodore said, he wished a room for five, and named the captain of the fleet, Mr. S. W. Williams of Canton, author of the “Middle kingdom,” his son—his secretary, and Mr. Portman, who interpreted in Dutch. They retired into another room in the rear, whose entrance was concealed by a purple flag. The interview lasted some three hours, during which time the following answer to the president’s letter was received:— The return of your Excellency as Ambassador from the United States to this Empire, has been expected, according to the letter of his Majesty the President; which letter your excellency delivered last year to his Majesty the Emperor of Japan. It is quite impossible to give satisfactory answers at once to all the proposals of your government, since those points are most positively forbidden by the laws of our imperial house; but for us to continue bigotedly attached to the ancient laws, seems to misunderstand the spirit of the age, and we wish rather to conform to what necessity requires.