At the first meeting
of the Commodore with the Imperial commissioners, on March 8th, he acted
on the plan he had proposed to himself with respect to the treaty with
China, and thus addressed them:
_Commodore Perry_. I think it would be better for the two nations that a
treaty similar to the one between my country and the Chinese should be
made between us. I have prepared the draft of one almost identical with
our treaty with China. I have been sent here by my Government to make a
treaty with yours; if I do not succeed now, my Government will probably
send more ships here; but I hope we shall soon settle matters amicably.
_Japanese_. We wish for time to have the document translated into the
Japanese language.
This was but one among a hundred proofs of their extreme suspicion and
caution; for there was not one of the Imperial commissioners, probably,
who could not have read, without the least difficulty, the document as
furnished by the Commodore; and certain it is that their interpreters
could have read it off into Japanese at once.
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