Japan and the Japanese

184 JAPAN. A. D. 1C21 1040.
was resolved to send part of the vessels to a place at the north end
of Sumatra, -in hopes to meet with the Company's ships on theil
way with rice from Surat, while Pring himself, with his leaky
vessels, should proceed to Japan reported to be a good place
for repairs as well as for obtaining provisions. Just at this
time the happy news arrived, brought by two vessels despatched
for, that purpose from Europe, of an arrangement of the pending
dispute, and of the union of the Dutch and English East India
Companies into one body. *
Shortly after this welcome information, Pring sailed for Japan
with two of his leaky vessels, having made, an arrangement to be
followed in a month by a united fleet of five English and five
Dutch ships. These ships were intended partly, indeed, for trade,
but their principal object appears to have been attacks upon
Manilla and Macao.
All these vessels, the Unicorn excepted, arrived safely at Firando.
She was stranded on the coast of China, and her crew were the first
Englishmen known to have landed there. A joint embassy was sent
to the emperor with presents, which, notwithstanding the privileges
of trade, were expected from every vessel that came. Having com-
pleted his repairs, and leaving the other vessels behind him, Pring
sailed on the 7th of December, 1620, in the Royal James, for
Jacatra, carrying with him the news of the death of Adams, who,
having remained in the service of the Company, had never again
visited England.*
* From Jacatra Pring proceeded to England with a cargo of pepper. It
would seem that he had not forgotten his early voyages to the coast of
America, for while his ship lay in the road of Saldanha, near the Cape of
Good Hope, a contribution of seventy pounds eight shillings and sixpence
was raised among the ship's company, to endow a school, to be called the
East India School, in the colony of Virginia. Other contributions were
made for this school, and the Virginia Company endowed it with a farm
of a thousand acres, which they sent tenants to cultivate ; but this, like the
Virginia University, and many other public-spirited and promising enterprises,
was ruined and annihilated by the fabil Indian massacre of 1622.
The Royal James carried also to England a copy in Japanese, still preserved
in the archives of the East India Company, of Adams' will. With
commendable impartiality, he divided his property, which, hy the inventory
annexed, amounted to nineteen hundred and seventy-two tael, two' mas, four