And then too, two orderlies with muskets escorting “_the_ broad pennant”—a kind of an ark of the covenant carried before, and the American “ensign” playing second fiddle behind!—just imagine such a procession? It is equal to the swallow-tailed yellow flag, that I saw one day carried behind a high functionary, as I passed his procession coming down from Sheudi.
If a broad pennant means anything, it means this: a piece of bunting to designate an admiral’s ship or boat in squadron sailing, or in harbor: a cynosure for all the other vessels, because from the ship that wears it, orders are signaled and dispositions directed; but when it is taken from a main-truck, or from the commander-in-chief’s boat, to be boom-a-laddyed on shore in a procession, it becomes meaningless, if not ridiculous; a land officer in the field had better fly a distinct flag over his marquee; and an American commodore, who leaves his ship to land in an enemy’s or friend’s country, had better be provided by the navy department with a kind of “white plume,” like that of “Harry of Navarre,” or “_the_ broad pennant” had better be declared an _oriflamme_; but all true Americans have a weakness, which runs in this wise: that the stars and stripes, are oriflamme enough.
But it may be, that the commodore may be allowed to explain—to give some reason for boom-a-laddying ashore with his broad pennant, and having a sword-bearer to walk behind with his trusty blade in the streets of Simoda. In his notes to the secretary of the navy, of his second visit to Japan he says:—
“I have adopted the two extremes—by an exhibition of great pomp, when it could be properly displayed, and by avoiding it, when such pomp would be inconsistent with the spirit of our institutions.”
This pompatic paragraph appears rather a _non sequitur_; unless it can be shown _when_ an exhibition of great pomp is consistent with the spirit of our institutions.
The _entente cordiale_ being established with the “kingdom of Loo-Choo,” presents of agricultural implements and a hand cotton-gin, were made to the authorities, who returned air-plants and birds. A stone from the island was also procured for the Washington monument.
The commodore having entertained the regent and the authorities on board the flag-ship Mississippi with a supper and Ethiopian performance, the Lexington sailed for Hong Kong on the 15th, and two days after—the anniversary of our first departure from Japan—we bid good-by to the Loo-Chooans, as much, no doubt, to their delight as our own.