Continuing Our Course
As We Best Could For Wind And Weather, Till We Were In The Lat.
Of 30 deg.
N. we sought for the north cape of that island, but found it not;
because it is falsely laid down in all charts, maps, and globes, for
that cape is 35 deg.
30' N. which is a great difference.[52] At length, in
32 deg. 30' N. we saw land on the 19th April, having been four months and
twenty-two days between Santa Maria and Japan, and at this time there
were only six men, besides myself, who could stand on their feet.
[Footnote 52: The geographical notices in the text are hardly
intelligible. The northern cape of Japan is in 40 deg. 30' N. Sanddown
point, towards the south end of the eastern side of the great island
of Niphon, is nearly in the latitude indicated in the text. The latitude
of 32 deg. 30', where, according to Adams, they had first sight of Japan, is
on the eastern side of Kiusiu, the south-western island of Japan, in
long. 131 deg. 25' E. while Sanddown point is in long. 141 deg. E. from
Greenwich. - E.]
Being now in safety, we let go our anchor about a league from a place
called Bungo.[53] Many boats came off to us, and we allowed the people
to come on board, being quite unable to offer any resistance; yet,
though we could only understand each other very imperfectly by signs,
the people did us no harm. After two or three days, a jesuit came to us
from a place called Nangasacke, to which place the Portuguese caraks
from Macao are in use to come yearly. This man, with some Japanese
chieftains, interpreted for us, which was bad for us, being our mortal
enemies; yet the King of Bungo, where we had arrived, shewed us great
friendship, giving us a house on shore for our sick, and every
refreshment that was needful. When we came to anchor off Bungo, we had
twenty-four men living, sick and well, of whom three died next day, and
other three after continuing long sick, all the rest recovering.
[Footnote 53: In modern maps, Bungo is the name of the middle province
on the eastern side of Japan, and includes the indicated latitude, the
nearest sea-port town being named Nocea, thirty-five miles farther
north. But as we have hardly any intercourse with Japan, our maps of
that country are very imperfect. - E.]
The Emperor of Japan hearing of us, sent presently five gallies, or
frigates, to us at Bungo, with orders to bring me to the court where he
resided, which was almost eighty English leagues from Bungo.[54] When I
came before him, he demanded to know from what country we were, and I
answered him in all points. There was nothing almost that he did not
enquire about, more especially concerning war and peace between
different countries, to all of which I answered to the best of my
knowledge, which were too long to write off at this time.
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