Then he was told that the armed boats that were gathering about the ship must go away. If they did not they would be driven away with cannon. When the vice-governor heard this he ordered the boats away, and soon followed them himself. He was told that if the governor did not receive the letter the ships would go up the bay to Yeddo, the capital, and send it up to the Emperor in his palace.
The next day the governor of the district came. Two captains were sent to talk with him. He did not want to receive the letter either, and tried every way he could to avoid taking it. After some talk he asked if he might have four days to send and get permission of the Tycoon, who was the acting but not the real emperor of Japan.
"No," he was told. "Three days will be plenty of time, for Yeddo is not far off. If the answer does not come then, we will steam up to the city, and our commodore will go to the Emperor's palace for the answer."
The governor was frightened at this, so he agreed upon the three days and went ashore.
During those three days the ships were not idle. They sent parties in boats to survey the bay. All along the shores were villages full of people, and fishing boats and trading vessels were on the waters by hundreds. There were forts on shore, but they were poor affairs, with a few little cannon, and soldiers carrying spears. And canvas was stretched from tree to tree as if it would keep back cannon-balls. The sailors laughed when they saw this.
The governor said that they ought not to survey the waters; it was against the laws of Japan. But they kept at it all the same. The boats went ten miles up the bay, and the Mississippi steamed after them. Government boats came out, and signs were made for them to go back; but they paid no attention to these signs.
When the three days were ended the good news came that the Emperor would receive the letter. He would send one of his high officers for it. An answer would be returned through the Dutch or the Chinese. Commodore Perry said this was an insult, and he would not take an answer from them, but would come back for it himself.
So, on the 14th of July the President's letter was received. It was written in the most beautiful manner, on the finest paper, and was in a golden box of a thousand dollars in value. It asked for a treaty of commerce between the two countries, and for kind treatment of American sailors.
So far none of the Japanese had seen the Commodore, and they thought he must be a very great man. Now he went ashore with much dignity, with several hundred officers and men, and with bands playing and cannon roaring. There were two princes of the empire to receive him, splendidly dressed in embroidered robes of silk.
The Commodore was carried in a fine sedan-chair, beside which walked two gigantic negroes, dressed in gorgeous uniform and armed with swords and pistols. Two other large, handsome negroes carried the golden letter case.