The Japanese Empire; Its Physical, Political, and Social Condition and History with Details of the Late American and British Expeditions

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 146 JAPANESE ADVENTURE. much the same business, by the way, in which the Tiger was herself engaged, ?but having lost their vessel by shipwreck, they had seized upon this little junk laden with rice, and were trying to reach Japan in it. In hopes to get some information out of them, they were entertained for two days with gifts and feasting; but at the same time, their junk was searched for treasure which might be concealed under the rice. While part of the Tiger's men were employed in this search, the Japanese made a desperate effort to get possession of that ship. Davis, the master, himself was killed in the first surprise, but the Japanese were finally forced into the cabin, where, by breaking down a bulkhead, some of the ships' guns loaded with bullets and case-shot were brought to bear upon them; they disdained to ask quarter, and all perished from the effects of the shot, except one, who jumped into the sea. The Japanese at that time were not suffered to land in any port of India with weapons, being accounted a people so desperate and daring that they were feared in all places where they came. When the Dutch under Matelief attacked Malacca in 1606, the Portuguese were greatly indebted to a small body of Japanese, who formed a part of the garrison, for their success in repelling the assault. A short time previous to 1612, 80 Japanese, the slave-soldiers of a principal Siamese noble, who had been put to death by the regal authority, had revenged their master by seizing the king of Siam, whom they compelled to subscribe to such terms as they dictated, after which they departed with great treasure, the Siamese not being able to right themselves. A treaty made in London in 1619, by which the English were entitled to one-third of the produce of the Molucca or Spice Islands..