Stories of Our Naval Heroes Part 19

The only concession Decatur would make was to promise to return the _Mashouda_. But this was to be taken as a gift from the Americans to the Dey, and as such it must not appear in the treaty. The Algerian, finding that all his eloquence was wasted on the unyielding Yankee, hurried ash.o.r.e with the treaty, arranging to display a white flag in case of its being signed.

An hour after he left an Algerian man-of-war was seen out to sea, and the American vessels got ready for action. But before anything was done the captain of the port came out with a white flag. He brought the treaty and the prisoners. That ended the trouble with Algiers. When the ten freed captives reached the deck some knelt down and gave thanks to G.o.d, while others hastened to kiss the American flag.

Then Decatur sailed to Tunis and Tripoli and made their rulers come to terms. From that day to this no American ship has been troubled by the corsairs of Barbary.

CHAPTER XX

COMMODORE PERRY OPENS j.a.pAN TO THE WORLD

AN HEROIC DEED WITHOUT BLOODSHED

THERE are victories of peace as well as of war. Of course, you do not need to be told that. Everybody knows it. And it often takes as much courage to win these victories as it does those of war. I am going now to tell you of one of the greatest victories ever won by an American naval hero, and without firing a gun.

Not far away from the great empire of China lies the island empire of j.a.pan. Here the map shows us three or four large islands, but there are many hundreds of small ones, and in and out among them flow the smiling blue waters of the great Pacific Ocean.

The people of j.a.pan, like the people of China, for a long time did not like foreigners and did not want anything to do with them. But that was the fault of the foreigners themselves. For at first these people were glad to have strangers come among them, and treated them kindly, and let missionaries land and try to make Christians of them. But the Christian teachers were not wise; for they interfered with the government as well as with the faith of the people.

The j.a.panese soon grew angry at this. In the end they drove all the strangers away and killed all the Christian converts they could find.

Then laws were made to keep all foreigners out of the country. They let a Dutch ship come once a year to bring some foreign goods to the seaport of Nagasaki, but they treated these Dutch traders as if they were of no account. And thus it continued in j.a.pan for nearly three hundred years.

The j.a.panese did not care much for the Dutch goods, but they liked to hear, now and then, what was going on in the world. Once a year they let some of the Dutch visit the capital, but these had to crawl up to the emperor on their hands and knees and crawl out backward like crabs. They must have wanted the j.a.panese trade badly to do that.

When a vessel happened to be wrecked on the coast of j.a.pan, the sailors were held as prisoners and there was much trouble to get them off; and when j.a.panese were wrecked and sent home, no thanks were given. They were looked upon as no longer j.a.panese.

The Russians had seaports in Siberia, which made them near neighbors to j.a.pan, so they tried to make friends with the j.a.panese. But the island people would have nothing to do with them. Captain Golownin, of the Russian navy, landed on one of the islands; but he was taken prisoner and kept for a long time and treated cruelly. That was the way things went in j.a.pan till 1850 had come and pa.s.sed.

It took the Yankees to do what the Dutch and the Russians had failed in doing. After the war with Mexico, thousands of Americans went to California and other parts of the Pacific coast, and trading ships grew numerous on that great ocean. It was felt to be time that j.a.pan should be made to open her ports to the commerce of the nations, and the United States tried to do it.

Captain Matthew Calbraith Perry was selected for this great work.

Captain Perry was a brother of Oliver H. Perry, the hero of Lake Erie.

He was a lieutenant in that war, but he commanded a ship in the war with the pirates and the Mexican war. In 1852 he was given the command of a commodore and sent out with a fine squadron to j.a.pan. He took with him a letter from the President to the Tyc.o.o.n, or military ruler, of j.a.pan.

On the 8th of July, 1853, the eyes of many of the j.a.panese opened wide when they saw four fine vessels sailing grandly up the broad Bay of Yeddo, where such a sight had never been seen before. As late as 1850 the ruler of j.a.pan had sent word to foreign nations that he would have nothing to do with them or their people, and now here came these daring ships.

These ships were the steam frigates _Mississippi_ and _Susquehanna_, and the sailing ships _Saratoga_ and _Plymouth_ of the United States Navy, under command of Commodore Perry.

Have you ever disturbed an ant-hill, and seen the ants come running out in great haste to learn what was wrong? It was much like that on the Bay of Yeddo. Thousands of j.a.panese gathered on the sh.o.r.es or rowed out on the bay to gaze at this strange sight. The great steamships, gliding on without sails, were a wonderful spectacle to them.

As the ships came on, boats put out with flags and carrying men who wore two swords. This meant that they were of high station. They wanted to climb into the ships and order the daring commodore to turn around and go back, but none of them were allowed to set foot on board.

"Our commodore is a great dignitary," they were told. "He cannot meet small folk like you. He will only speak with one of your great men, who is his equal."

And so the ropes which were fastened to the ships were cut, and those who tried to climb on board were driven back, and these two-sworded people had to row away as they had come.

This made them think that the American commodore must be a very big man indeed. So a more important man came out; but he was stopped too, and asked his business. He showed an order for the ships to leave the harbor at once, but was told that they had come there on business and would not leave till their business was done.

After some more talk they let this man come on board, but a lieutenant was sent to talk with him as his equal in rank. He said he was the vice-governor of the district, and that the law of j.a.pan forbade foreigners to come to any port but that of Nagasaki, where the Dutch traders came.

The lieutenant replied that such talk was not respectful; that they had come with a letter from the President of the United States to the Emperor of j.a.pan; and that they would deliver it where they were and nowhere else. And it would be given only to a prince of the highest rank.

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 Tyc.o.o.n, who was the acting but not the real emperor of j.a.pan.

"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 ash.o.r.e.

During those three days the ships were not idle. They sent parties in boats to survey the bay. All along the sh.o.r.es were villages full of people, and fishing boats and trading vessels were on the waters by hundreds. There were forts on sh.o.r.e, 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-b.a.l.l.s. The sailors laughed when they saw this.

The governor said that they ought not to survey the waters; it was against the laws of j.a.pan. 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 j.a.panese had seen the Commodore, and they thought he must be a very great man. Now he went ash.o.r.e 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.

A beautiful scarlet box was brought by the j.a.panese to receive this. It was put in the box with much ceremony, and a receipt was given. Then the interpreter said:

"Nothing more can be done now. The letter has been received and you must leave."

"I shall come back for the answer," said Commodore Perry.

"With all the ships?"

"Yes, and likely with more."

Not another word was said, and the Commodore rose and returned to the ship. The next day he sailed up the bay until only eight or ten miles from the capital. On the 16th, the j.a.panese officials were glad to see the foreign ships, with their proud Commodore, sailing away. The visit had caused them great anxiety and trouble of mind.

Commodore Perry did not come back till February of the next year. Then he had a larger fleet; nine ships in all. And he went farther up the bay than before and anch.o.r.ed opposite the village of Yokohama. This village has now grown into a large city.

The Emperor's answer was ready, but there was much ceremony before it was delivered. There were several receptions, and at one of these the presents which Commodore Perry had brought were delivered. These were fine cloths, firearms, plows, and various other articles. The most valuable were a small locomotive and a railroad car. These were run in a circular track that was set up, and the j.a.panese looked on with wonder.

Also a telegraph wire was set up and operated. This interested the j.a.panese more than anything else, but they took care not to show any surprise.

In the Emperor's reply, he agreed that the American ships should be supplied with provisions and water, and that shipwrecked sailors should be kindly treated. And he also agreed to open to American ships another port besides that of Nagasaki, where the Dutch were received. The Commodore was not satisfied with this, and finally two new ports were opened to American commerce. And the Americans were given much more freedom to go about than was given to the Dutch or the Chinese. They refused to be treated like slaves.

When it was all settled and the treaties were exchanged, Commodore Perry gave an elegant dinner on his flagship to the j.a.panese princes and officials. They enjoyed the American food greatly, but what they liked most was champagne wine, which they had never tasted before. One little j.a.panese got so merry with drinking this, that he sprang up and embraced the Commodore like a brother. Perry bore this with great good-humor.

But just think of the importance of all this! For three centuries the empire of j.a.pan had been shut like a locked box against the nations. Now the box was unlocked, and the people of the nations were free to come and go. For treaties were soon made with other countries, and the island empire was thrown open to the commerce of the world.