How a Stray Japanese was received on Board of the Niagara at Hong Kong.
--An officer on the frigate
Niagara, writing from
Hong Kong, October 30, relates the following interesting incident:
When we arrived here, we learned that a Japanese subject was on shore, having been conveyed thus far toward home by an American merchant ship from
San Francisco, but whose destination having been changed from
Japan, was obliged to leave this man ashore here, which the
Captain hearing of, informed the Embassy we carry, and expressed a desire to carry him to
Japan.
It was finally agreed to, and yesterday he came on board, with his kit, &c. He was a good-looking follow, whose hair and beard have been permitted to grow during his involuntary expatriation from his native land.
A few moments after he came on board, I had intimation from certain movements I saw that something out of the usual run was about to happen among the Japs.
I saw eight or ten chairs placed in a half moon form aft the poop deck, into which the chiefs of the embassy and others of the court seated themselves.
Immediately the man referred to came up, (dressed as he came, in full Anglo-
Saxon gear,) and falling on his knees suddenly, about two or three fathoms off from the conclave, prostrated his head to the planks and began crawling upon his elbows and knees to their feet, which, when he reached, at a signal, he timidly ventured to raise his head and began to speak.
The scribes stood apart taking down the narration of his history from the time of the wreck to the present.
In the midst of this the captain returned to the ship from an official visit in the harbor, and seeing the ceremony ordered it at once stopped, and desired to see the ambassadors in the cabin.--The proceedings were abruptly ended in consequence, whether to the liking of the Japs or not I cannot say, but the captain objected to the American man-of-war being made the scene of a ceremony so servile in appearance.
