Von Siebold, in his history of the discoveries in the Japan seas, says the Bonin islands were first put down on a map published by the Dutch hydrographer, Ortelius, in 1570, and are reported as having been discovered in 1543, by Bernardo de Torres, who named them Malonbrigo de los Hermanos. They were visited in 1595 by Captain Linschaten, of the Dutch East India Company, and are on the map by Hondries in 1634. A few years after they were visited by Captains Quast and Tasman of the same company, who were in search of the Gen and Ken, or Gold and Silver islands. These navigators determined their position with admirable accuracy. Mention is made of them by Vris and Schaef, of the Dutch East India Company in 1643. In 1650 on the map of Jansomous, and in 1680 by Van Kenlen. By later authorities they are omitted, and reappear on charts in the following century as discovered by the Spanish Admiral Cabrera Bueno, and are called Islas del Arzobispo.
The Japanese history in the book San-kok-tou-ran-to-sito, mentions these islands as discovered between 1592 and 1595. In 1675 a Japan exploring expedition, specially authorized by the emperor, sailed from Simoda, then an imperial and customhouse port, for the Bonin islands. They were named by the Japanese the Munin Sima, and reported as fit to be settled, and the importance of doing so was urged. The Japanese counted more than eighty small rock islands. In 1826 they were visited by an American whaler, Captain Coffin; in 1827, by the Russian admiral, Lutke; and in 1828, by Capt. Beechy of the English navy. The inhabitants at Port Lloyd, on Peel island, are about forty in number; on the Bailey or Coffin group, there are living two families. Nearly all these people are runaway sailors from whale-ships, who have obtained wives from the Kanakas of the Sandwich islands, and so far as their nationality is concerned, the Americans predominate. The oldest settler at Port Lloyd is Nathaniel Savary, who acts as mayor of the place, and carries out their self-made laws and regulations with the assistance of two elders elected by a majority.
As long as the Dutch held their fort Zeelandia, on Formosa, its position and possession gave them great advantages in the eyes of the Japanese, but its capture, after a prolonged siege, by the Chinese pirate chief Coshinga, had a very injurious effect with the Japanese, diminishing their prestige and weakening belief in their naval supremacy. It is quite desirable to know the future prospects of the Bonin islands. The adventitious aid of their possession would prove of great advantage in a trade with Japan, being only a distance of two days’ steaming from Yedo.
On the 2d of July the squadron got under way for the bay of Yedo, Japan, the “Susquehanna” towing the “Saratoga,” and the “Mississippi” towing the “Plymouth.” The storeship “Supply” was left at the anchorage, no doubt greatly to the regret of the natives, who, gazing from the beach on our departure, hoped that they would not see us again.
We rounded the southern end of the island with a heavy swell on, the southwest monsoon prevailing at the time, and were soon heading up the Pacific.
Our patriotic remembrance of the return of our great national anniversary was ahead of the people of our own native land; or is it the “Fourth of July” to an American, until the sun of that day has illumined forest, stream, and home, in his own country? At mid-day then of our “Fourth,” when it was yet but eleven o’clock at night of the third, in the United States the large old steamers, and the sailing-vessels in their tow, going dead to windward, dressed with our national ensigns, in latitude 28° 36′ north, and longitude 130° 42′ east, running nearly abreast, fired seventeen guns each, in honor of the day; and the “main-brace” being ordered to be spliced, “Jack” had the opportunity of remembering it in a tot of grog.
The next day, by signal from flag-ship, anchor-buoys were ordered to be made of empty casks, the men were exercised with small arms at target-firing, and ship’s company exercised at general and fire quarters, previous to arriving at our port of destination.
A believer in omens would have had an opportunity of indulging his credulity, and interpreting, if he could, the meaning of a remarkable meteor which shot athwart the sky on the morning of the 6th of July, and was visible from the decks of the ships, when in two days’ run of the bay of Yedo. It appeared as large in circumference as the crown of a man’s hat. Its body was of the brilliancy and color of molten iron, and glowed as if heated by incandescence, emitting all the while sparks which trailed backward in its passage, like barbs of arrows. Its tail was of a bluish transparency, which extended into an emerald-green hue, terminating in a fiery, smoky bulb, resembling the flame of burning tar. When first noticed, it seemed to shoot upward from a line on a level with our quarter-hammock netting, in the southwest, and so near did it appear to the ship, that for an instant it was imagined to be a rocket from the sloop-of-war Plymouth—at the time in tow of us—and designed to attract our attention. In its passage through the heavens, which occupied the time in which one might count thirty, it described a parabolic curve, illuminating as it went our hurricane-deck and wheel-houses with astonishing clearness, and on reaching a point nearly due north, occupied by a bank of dull roseate cloud, it burst like a rocket and disappeared, leaving those who had the good fortune to see it uttering exclamations of admiration and wonderment, and a rather credulous corporal of marines who happened to be going his rounds at the time, willing to take his “corporal” oath that the brilliant body started within a few yards of our rail. The heat of the day preceding was very great.
Next day, being near the insular empire, target practice was continued; old cartridges drawn, guns loaded and shotted, and preparations made for removing the forward-rail for the clear working of our bow-guns.