“The mist-like banners clasp’d the air,
As clouds with clouds embrace.”
We ran a little distance, whistling for the want of sight, but at the fog signal of one gun from the flag-ship, came to anchor. In an hour the fog lifted like a blanket, and opened like a funnel, when both steamers, with a stiff wind that enabled them also to make sail, ran out of the straits.
CHAPTER XIV.
After a monotonous run of four days, Foogee, like a colossal cenotaph to dead beauty, showed far up before us, and in three hours we were again at anchor in Simoda harbor. We learned, that the commissioners of the treaty were there awaiting the return of the commodore; that Simoda by imperial edict had been declared an imperial city; that Mimasaka-no-kami, prince of Mimasaka, had been appointed first, and Tsusuki Suruga-no-kami, prince of Suruga, had been appointed second governor of the place; also that the last-named, and Takeiro Utsi Seitaro, imperial financier and member of the board of revenue, had been added to the number of commissioners.
Conferences with those functionaries were held in the temple ashore, and the following articles as additional to those of the treaty of the 31st of March were agreed to:—
Additional regulations, agreed to between Commodore Matthew C. Perry, special envoy to Japan from the United States of America, and Hayashi Daigaku-no-kami; Ido, Prince of T’sus-sima; Izawa, Prince of Mimasaki; Tsudzuki, Prince of Suruga; Udono, member of the board of revenue; Take-no-uchi Sheitaro, and Matsusaki Michitaro, commissioners of the Emperor of Japan, on behalf of their respective governments.
Article I.—The imperial governors of Simoda will place watch stations wherever they deem best, to designate the limits of their jurisdiction; but Americans are at liberty to go through them, unrestricted, within the limits of seven Japanese ri, or miles; and those who are found transgressing Japanese laws may be apprehended by the police and taken on board their ships.
Article II.—Three landing places shall be constructed for the boats of merchant-ships and whale-ships resorting to this port; one at Simoda, one at Kakizaki, and the third at the brook lying southeast of Centre Island. The citizens of the United States will, of course, treat the Japanese officers with proper respect.