But it is expected that the government of your Imperial Majesty will render such return unnecessary by acceding at once to the very reasonable and pacific overtures contained in the President’s letter, and which will be further explained by the undersigned on the first fitting occasion.
With the most profound respect for your Imperial Majesty, and entertaining a sincere hope that you may long live to enjoy health and happiness, the undersigned subscribes himself,
(Signed)M. C. Perry,
Commander-in-chief of the United States Naval Forces
in the East India, China, and Japan seas.
U. S. Steam-Frigate Susquehanna,
Off the coast of Japan, July 7, 1853.
A brief pause followed the delivery of the letters, the Japanese appearing dispirited, and their prince as if the day’s doings might result to him in being compelled to perform the “Happy Despatch” of his country; the commodore directed the interpreter to say, that as it would take some time to deliberate on the letter of the president, he should not wait for an answer, but would return in the spring; that he would leave in a few days for Canton, by way of the great Loo-Choo island, and would be happy to take any commands they might have. Owing to our pronunciation of the word “Loo-Choo,” perhaps, they did not seem to understand the latter part of this. The interpreter was then directed to tell them, that China was now in a state of revolution; that the rebels had taken Nanking, Ningpo, Amoy, and Cheang-foo. The Japanese interpreter, apparently for himself, asked what was the cause of the revolution. The commodore commenced a reply by saying, “Religion,” then correcting himself, said “Dissatisfaction with the government on the part of the people.” The interpreter reflected awhile, and then said he could not say anything to his prince about revolutions, but could only speak about the letter. The governor of Uraga then rose, placed the president’s letter in the lacquered chest, and tied the cords; then, turning, bowed very low, intimating that the audience was concluded; the prince rising and saluting as we retired.
The column of escort then reformed, and returned to the beach where we landed, in the same order in which we had come, passing down the front of the line of Japanese soldiers, many a scowling fellow meanwhile looking daggers at us; and their officers, affecting an indifference to the scene, which they could not have felt, perhaps thinking how agreeable a thing it would be, to hold one of those Americans on the end of one of their blades, as a fork, and hack him with the other as a knife; if they only dared to try. So closed the day that is to mark the opening of Japan to the world. America has said, “Open, sesame!”
I said to Major Zeilen, of the marine corps (a fine old soldier), the day before we landed, “Well, major, they have our cages ashore?” “No, sir; no caging to-morrow,” said he, “it will be fight to the death!” Our men marched past the Japanese troops with the greatest indifference, making such remarks as, “Jack, give us a chaw of tobacco.” “Robinson,” said the officer of the deck to a six-foot quartermaster who was to carry an American ensign, “don’t you let them take that away from you, to-day.” Robinson said, “Well, sir, they may do it, but the man who takes it won’t be able to carry it after he gets it.”
In the afternoon, of the day of the landing, the steamers got underway, passed the point or “Rubicon Fort,” as it was named, and went into anchorage in the inner bay, which had been sounded out by boats under cover of the Mississippi, three days before. In doing so we got the best view of the line of fortifications, which extend from a point on the western side, marking the narrowest part of the outer, or entrance to the inner bay, down to the city of Uraga. The first fort, built very well, was a kind of curtain-wall with four embrasures, fronted by an artificial plateau sloping to the water’s edge, and protected in the rear by a deep triangular excavation in high sandstone, whose sides sloped to the area below, and must have been made after much labor. This contained a barrack building, and the entrance was by a narrow “grotto pausilipo,” cut through a hill behind. Next, in a small indentation in the shore, was a circular fort, not very extensive, containing houses for troops, and having guns in barbette. The third was on a small circular promontory of some size. The space fortified was mostly occupied by a steep wedge-shaped hill, and was pierced for four guns. The fourth, divided from the third by a small town, as the third was divided from the second, was a rampart of earth and masonry, with a parapet, built across a narrow gorge, surmounted by a high hill with a small crown-battery, from which the shells were fired on our arrival. The principal and best fort, of some dimension, not yet completed, was situated on the north side of the entrance to the harbor of Uraga. This battery was placed some eighty feet above the water, the Japanese having no doubt learned, from their Dutch confreres, that during a calm, at this elevation, they might, by a ricochet-shot, reach the ships of an enemy even seven hundred yards distant. They had also cut into perpendicular steps the ground between this fort and the water, that shot may be stopped in ricochet firing, and their effect lessened if not destroyed. There were no crown batteries visible. Their guns were under cover, and their calibre could not be ascertained, but it is doubtful whether they were of the calibre to render harbor defences efficient.
As soon as the tide served, after our anchoring in the inner bay, the Saratoga and Plymouth got underway, stood up and joined us.
The next day the commodore came aboard of the Mississippi, when his broad-pennant was hoisted, the anchor hove up, and with boats ahead to make soundings, we stood up the bay, running nearer to the great capital of the empire than ship of any foreigner had gone before. The Japanese troops on shore kept watch on our movements, and their guard-boats rowed up in company with ours, but did not attempt to impede or molest them. Having gone up and made soundings, and a reconnoissance, until the water began to shoal, we put the ship about and returned to where we had left the Susquehanna. In the evening a Japanese functionary who had been looking with much solicitude upon our movements, went on board of the flag-ship, and said, “He hoped we would not attempt to go up their bay any farther, if we did there would be trouble.” He was told that if it became necessary to bring our whole squadron into their waters, that it was necessary that the ships should have a less exposed anchorage than the one we had occupied off Uraga, and the only way that such an anchorage could be found out, was by surveys and soundings.