Japan and the Japanese

278 JAPAN. A. D. 1G90 1G92.
be put up into leather bags, which are carefully wrapped up in
mats, in order to preserve them from all accidents in so long a
journey ; and, for a further security, several seals are affixed to
them.
" It is the business of the governors of Nagasaki to judge and
determine what might prove acceptable to the court. They take
out of the goods laid up in our warehouses what they think
proper, and give instructions to the departing director about such
things as should be sent over from Batavia the next year. Sometimes
some of their own goods they have been presented with by
the Chinese are put in among these presents, because by this mea-is
they can dispose of them to the best advantage, either by obliging
us to buy them at an excessive and their own price, or by exchang-
ing them for other goods. Now and then some uncommon curiosi-
ties, either of nature or art, are brought over from Europe, and
other parts of the world, on purpose to be presented to the emperor ;
but it often happens that they are not approved of by these rigid
censors. Thus, for instance, there were brought over, in my time,
two brass fire-engines of the newest invention, but the governors
did not think them proper to be presented to the emperor, and so
returned them to us, after they had first seen them tried, and taken
a pattern of them.* Another time the bird Casuar t was sent over
from Batavia, but likewise disliked and denied the honor of appear-
ing before the emperor, because they heard he was good for nothing
but to devour a large quantity of victuals.
" These presents are placed on board a barge, three or four
weeks before our departure, and sent by water to Simonoseki, a
small town at the south-western extremity of the great island of
NIPON, where they wait our arrival by land. Formerly our ambas-
sador, with his whole retinue, embarked at the same time, whereby
we saved a great deal of trouble and expense we must now be at
in travelling by land ; but a violent storm having once put the whole
* Certainly there is nothing of which the Japanese stood, and still stand,
more in net-il, than some contrivance for extinguishing fires. C,i x>n, in bis
memorial addressed to Colbert, had recommended a present of ire-extin-
guishers
t See p. 204.