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Brought forward.

Bill of health, (hospital fees),

British consular fees,

Opening and entering of register for the return freight,

Sundry expenses, (canoe hire),

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N.B.-The bill of health (hospital fees), entitles the crew to be sent to the civil hospital when sick, free of charge.

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N.B.-The above consignee's charges should be avoided by a clause in the charter party, by allowing the master to draw against the freight sufficient to pay his expenses, and the other charges not to be made even at a sacrifice of taking less freight, by which the amount of charges, &c., will be nearly known previous to the vessel leaving the port of lading.

Port charges at Tabasco when the vessel has discharged at another port, and paid the tonnage-duty.

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There is a commission charged on the price of the cargo of 4 per cent., unless an agreement is made to the contrary.

In weighing the cargo at the frontera, the expense is generally divided between the shippers and the ship; say the ship's share from 20 to 25 dollars; but this depends upon the supply of labourers, and quantity shipped.

Wages for men vary from 1 to 13 dollars per day, provisions not found. Up the river the wages are about a dollar per day. The foregoing remarks were made in 1844.

SOME ACCOUNT OF CAPTAIN MERCATOR COOPER'S VISIT TO JAPAN, IN THE WHALE SHIP MANHATTAN, OF SAG HARBOUR.-By C. F. Winslow, M.D.

It was about the 1st of April as Captain Cooper was proceeding towards the whaling regions of the northern ocean, that he passed in the neighbourhood of St. Peters, a small island lying a few degrees to the S.E of Niphon. It is comparatively barren and was supposed to be uninhabited; but being near it Captain Cooper thought he would explore the shore for turtle to afford his ship's company some refreshment. While tracing the shore along he discovered a pinnace of curious construction which resembled somewhat those he had seen in the China seas. Turning his walks inland, he entered a valley, where he unexpectedly saw at some distance from him, several persons in uncouth dresses, who appeared alarmed at his intrusion and immediately fled to a more secluded part of the valley. He continued his walk and soon came to a hut, where were collected eleven men, whom he afterwards found to be Japanese. As he approached them they came forward and prostrated themselves to the earth before him, and remained on their faces for some time. They were much alarmed and expected to be destroyed; but Captain Cooper, with great kindness, reconciled them to his presence, and learned by signs that they had been shipwrecked on St. Peters many months before. He took them to the shore, pointed to his vessel, and informed them that he would take them to Jeddo if they would entrust themselves to his care. They consented with great joy; and abandoning every thing they had on the island, embarked with him immediately for his ship.

Captain Cooper determined to proceed at once to Jeddo, the capital of the Japanese empire, notwithstanding its well known regulations prohibiting American and other foreign vessels to enter its waters. The Captain had two great and laudable objects in view. The first was to restore the shipwrecked strangers to their homes. The other was to make a strong and favourable impression on the government, in respect to the civilization of the United States, and its friendly disposition to the emperor and people of Japan. How he succeeded in the latter object the sequel will show; and I will make but few remarks, either on the benevolence or boldness of Captain Cooper's resolution, or its ultimate consequences touching the intercourse of the Japanese with other nations. The step decided on, however, has led to some curious and interesting information, relative to this country, whose institutions, and the habits of whose people are but little known to the civilized world.

Captain Cooper left St. Peters, and after sailing a day or two in the direction of Niphon, he descried a huge and shapeless object on the ocean, which proved to be a Japanese ship or "junk," as these vessels are called, wrecked and in a sinking condition. She was from a port on the extreme north of Niphon, with a cargo of pickled salmon, bound for Jeddo. She had been shattered and dismantled some weeks previous, and was drifting about the ocean at the mercy of the winds, and as a gale arose the following day, the captain thinks she must have sunk. From

this ship he took eleven men more, all Japanese, and made sail again for the shores of Niphon. Among the articles taken from the wreck by its officers, were some books and a chart of the principal islands composing the empire of Japan. This chart I shall speak of in detail hereafter, and it is, perhaps, one of the most interesting specimens of geographical art and literature which has ever wandered from the shores of Eastern Asia.

In making the land, our navigator found himself considerably to the north of Jeddo; but approaching near the coast, he landed in his boat, accompanied by one or two of his passengers. Here, he noticed many of the inhabitants employed in fishing at various distances from land. The natives he met on shore were mostly fishermen, and all appeared to belong to the common or lower classes of society. They seemed intelligent and happy, were pleased with his visit, and made no objection to his landing. From this place he despatched one of his passengers to the emperor, who was at Jeddo, with the intelligence of his intention or wish to enter the harbour of the capital with his ship, for the purpose of landing the men whom he had found under such distressed circumstances, and to obtain water and other necessaries to enable him to proceed on his voyage. He then returned to his ship, and sailing along the coast for many leagues, compared his own charts with the one taken from the wreck. The winds becoming unfavourable, however, he was driven away from the land so far, that after they changed, it took him a week to recover a position near the place where he first landed. He went on shore again, despatched two other messengers to the capital, with the same information that he had previously sent, and the reason of his detention. He sailed again for Jeddo, and the winds proving auspicious, in due time he entered the mouth of the bay, deep within which the city is situated. As he sailed along the passage, a barge met him coming from the city, in command of a person, who, from his rich dress, appeared to be an officer of rank and consequence. This personage informed him that his messengers had arrived at court, and that the emperor had granted him permission to come to Jeddo with his ship. He was, however, directed to anchor under a certain headland for the night, and the next morning was towed up to his anchorage within a furlong of the city.

The ship was immediately visited by a great number of all ranks, from the governor of Jeddo and the high officers attached to the person of the emperor, arrayed in golden and gorgeous tunics, to the lowest menials of the government, clothed in rags. All were filled with an insatiable curiosity to see the strangers and inspect the thousand novelties presented to their view.

Captain Cooper was very soon informed by a native interpreter who had been taught Dutch, and who could speak a few words of English, but who could talk still more intelligibly by signs, that neither he nor his crew would be allowed to go out of the ship, and that if they should attempt it they would be put to death. This fact was communicated by the very significant symbol of drawing a naked sword across the throat. The captain dealt kindly with all, obtained their confidence, and assured them he had no inclination to transgress their laws, but only desired to

make known to the emperor and the great officers of Japan, the kind feelings of himself and of the people of America towards them and their countrymen. The Japanese seamen who had been taken from the desolate island and from the wreck, when parting from their preserver, manifested the warmest affection and gratitude for his kindness. They clung to him and shed many tears. This scene-the reports of the shipwrecked men of the many kindness they had received-and the uniformly prudent and amicable deportment of the American captain, made a very favourable impression on the governor of Jeddo. During his stay, this great dignitary treated him with the most distinguished civility and kindness.

But neither captain nor crew of the Manhattan were allowed to go over her side. Officers were kept on board continually, to prevent any infraction of this regulation, and the more securely to insure its maintenance and prevent all communication with the shore, the ship was surrounded and guarded by three circular barriers of boats. Each circle was about a hundred feet asunder, and the inner one about one hundred from the ship. In the first circle the boats were tied to a hawser so compactly their sides touched each other, and that nothing could pass between or break through them. The sterns of the boats were next the ship, and in these were erected long lances and other steel weapons of various and curious forms, such as are never seen or heard of, among European nations. Sometimes they were covered with lacquered sheaths, at others, they were left to glisten in the sun, apparently for the purpose of informing the foreigners that their application would follow any attempt to pass them. Among these, were mingled flags and banners of various colours and devices. In the middle of this circle, between the Manhattan and the city, was stationed a large junk in which the officers resided, who commanded the guard surrounding the ship. The boats composing the second circle, were not so numerous, and those in the third, were more scattering still; but the number thus employed, was almost bewildering to look upon. They amounted to nearly a thousand, and were all armed and ornamented in a similar manner. It was a scene of the most intense interest and amusement to the Americans, the most of whom had never heard of the strange customs of this secluded and almost unknown people. Magnificent and wonderful a spectacle, however, as this vast array of boats presented during the day, decorated with gaudy banners, and with glittering spears of an infinite variety of form,-in the night it was exceeded by a display of lanterns in such countless numbers, and of such shapes and transparencies, as almost to entrance the beholders, and to remind them of the magic in the Arabian Tales.

The character and vigour of the guard stationed about the ship, was at one time accidentally put to the test. The captain wishing to repair one of his boats, attempted to lower it from the cranes into the water, in order to take it over the vessel's side. All the Japanese on board immediately drew their swords. The officer in charge of the deck guard appeared greatly alarmed at the procedure, remonstrated kindly, but with great earnestness, against it, and declared to Captain Cooper that they should be slain if they permitted it, and that his own head would be in danger,

if he persisted in the act. The captain assured the officer that he had no intention to go on shore, and explained to him clearly what his object was. When it was fully understood, great pleasure was manifested by the Japanese officer. He commanded the crew who were managing the boat to leave it, and set a host of his menials to work, who took it into the ship without allowing it to touch the water.

The Manhattan was at anchor in the harbour of Jeddo four days, during which time the captain was supplied by command of the emperor with wood, water, rice, rye in the grain, vegetables of various kinds, and some crockery composed of the lacquered ware of the country. He was recruited with every thing of which he stood in need, and all remuneration was refused. But he was told explicitly never to come again to Japan, for if he did, he would greatly displease the emperor. During these four days, he had many conversations with the governor of Jeddo, and other persons of rank, through their interpreter. In one of these, he was informed by the governor that the only reason why he was allowed to remain in the waters of Japan, was because the emperor felt assured that he could not be a bad hearted foreigner by his having come so far out of his way to bring poor persons to their native country, who were wholly strangers to him. He was told that the emperor thought well of his "heart," and had consequently commanded all his officers to treat him with marked attention, and to supply all his wants.

The day before he left, the emperor sent him his autograph, as the most notable token of his own respect and consideration. It is often said that the greatest men are most careless in their chirography, and in this case the imperial hand would support the truth of the remark, for the autograph, by the size and boldness of its characters, appeared more as if a half-grown chicken had stepped into muddy water and then walked two or three times deliberately over a sheet of coarse paper, than like any other print to which I can imagine a resemblance.

Among the books taken from the wreck was a small one, in form like a note book, filled with figures of various and eccentric forms, and pictures of spears and battle-axes of strange and anomalous patterns. Under each were characters, probably explanatory of the objects, attached to them. Both figure and character were neatly and beautifully executed, and they presented the appearance of having been issued from a press of type copperplate like the plates of astronomical and other scientific works. This little book attracted Captain Cooper's attention, and excited his curiosity to such a degree, that, after noticing similar figures embroidered in gold on the tunics of the high officers, he ventured to inquire their explanation. He then learned that it was a kind of illustration of the heraldry of the empire-a record of the armorial ensigns of the different ranks of officers and the nobility existing in the country. Captain C. allowed me to examine this book, and it appeared to me to be a great curiosity both as a specimen of typographical art, and as giving us information of the numerous grades of Japanese aristocracy, and the insignia by which they may be distinguished.

These figures were wrought always on the back of the officer's tunic, and the weapon which appertained to his rank corresponded with the one

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