“I then went down to the Buddhist priest, a venerable-looking man of about seventy-five years of age, who was very friendly and showed me his rosary, half of the beads in which were glass, and half wood; also his book.
“The interpreter opened the papers and showed us their contents, and stated that the Buddhist had come there ‘as a compliment to Mr. Williams’ (Williams having been the name of the deceased). On the little table, in addition to the incense-box, and some rolls of unknown material and paper, were also a bowl of cooked rice, a covered vessel filled with saki, and a small gong. The priest now commenced his ceremonies, sometimes touching the gong, sometimes stirring the saki; while he thumbed his beads, and then muffling his hands in his robe and bowing his head, he read some prayers in a low, unintelligible voice. His outer dress was a pouch of very rich brocade silk covered with fanciful figures.
“After putting head and foot boards with inscription to the grave; and covering it in our usual manner, we left the Buddhist priest still engaged at his ceremonies and set out on our return, the crowds gathering around as before, and all very civil and polite, so with drum and fife playing we returned to our boats.”
Conferences were now held daily, and negotiations progressed slowly, but harmoniously.
It was agreed that everything official, that transpired at these interviews, should be committed to writing that nothing might be misunderstood, nor retracted.
On the days of assembling, an imperial barge with a canopy and gaudy streamers, moving like the stately boat of some Doge, towed by a number of boats, conveyed the high commissioner and suite from Kanagawa to the place of meeting.
Among the presents intended for the emperor was a small railroad-track, with locomotive-tender, car, &c., and a magnetic telegraph, which were erected and put in operation on shore.
These excited a great deal of interest among the Japanese, particularly the latter, when they were made to comprehend its utility in the transmission of intelligence. Communications were made in their presence in the English, Japanese, and Dutch languages. They were also delighted with the railroad, when they saw the engine and car flying round the track at the rate of twenty miles an hour, but thought it would be impossible to construct them to advantage in Japan owing to the very uneven surface of the country.