Japan and the Japanese

PERRY'S FIRST VISIT. 513"
here and there a cultivated spot could be seen. By noon the ships
reached Cape Sagami, which separates the inner from the outer bay
of Jedo. The shores of this point rose in abrupt blufi's two hun-
dred feet high, with green dells running down to the water-side.
Further off were groves and cultivated fields, and mountains in the
distance.
Leaving behind some twelve or fifteen Japanese boats, which put
off from Cape Sagami to intercept them, the vessels stood up
through the narrowest part of the bay, not more than five to eight
miles wide, but expanding afterwards to fifteen miles, having now
also in sight the eastern shore, forming a part of the province of
Awa.*
Within half an hour after passing Cape Sagami, they made
another bold promontory from the west, forming a second entrance
to the upper bay. In the bight formed by it lay the town of
Uraguwa, visible from the ships, which, sounding their way, anchored
within a mile and a half of the promontory, a mile or more in
advance of the anchorage ground of the Columbus and Vincennes.
As the ships dropped their anchors two or three guns or mortars
were fired from the second promontory, and four or five boats put
off. They were of unpainted wood, very sharp, their greatest
breadth well towards the stern, and propelled with great rapidity
by tall, athletic rowers, naked, save a cloth about the loins, who
shouted lustily as they pulled. In the stern of each boat was a
small flag, with three horizontal stripes, the middle one black, the
others white, and about it were four or five well-dressed men with
two swords in their girdles.
Some parley took place before anybody was admitted on board,
that favor being refused except to the person highest in authority
in the town. The conversation was carried on in Dutch, which the
Japanese interpreter spoke very well ; and, from what he said, it
was evident that the vessels had been expected. After a long parley,
in which the high rank of the commodore, and the necessity of
his being met by persons of corresponding rank, were very much
insisted upon, an officer, representing himself as second in command
at the town in sight, was admitted on board. The commodore, hcw-
* There is another province of the same name in the island of Sikokf. That
above-mentioned is otherwise called Fusiu.