Letters and Journals, with the Narrative of His Escape

Steamship Algeria, May 20, 1872. I received your very last letter on the steamer just before we left Jersey City. Through Providential care we are still permitted to enjoy the running cup of blessing on the great deep, and are hoping to reach Queenstown at midnight. During the 12th, 13th, 14th inst., we met dense fogs more or less, but after we passed by the banks of Newfoundland we have been free from fogs, although we met frequent rains. During last three days we are facing to head wind all the way, though she is sailing twelve or thirteen miles per hour. This hard struggling against head wind gives very unpleasant motions to the steamer, confining Mr. Tanaka to his berth. As for me I am like an old Jack, so called among seamen. I have been enjoying good appetite and sleeping well every night; I have also been enjoying good company on deck; for instance, Rev. Mr. Porter of Lexington, his friends Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin, Prof. Charles EUiot of Chicago, and some other English gentlemen. During the voyage I have noticed a strange thing, i. e., that everybody on board drink something, some sort of liquors, which I abhor with all my soul. Gentlemen, ladies, even D. D.'s, have something before them. As for me T shall not take it as long as the water is wholesome and drinkable.

I write this brief note to you hoping simply to inform you our safe voyage thus far. I think we shall remain in Glasgow and Edinburgh only a few days, and will try to meet you in London within a fortnight.

Edinburgh, June 3, 1872.

Supposing that you have just reached London, I will write you this brief note to inform you how we are getting along in Scotland. As you may have understood by my last letter we touched at Queenstown two weeks ago to-day and to-morrow will be our third Tuesday since we arrived at Liverpool. We did not find any trouble in landing at Liverpool, for the Custom House Officers were very civil to us. They did not inspect our luggage at all, and moreover one of them accompanied us to our hotel. Staying there only one day and a half, we took our first trip in England to an awful smoky city, Manchester, where we had very pleasant interview with the Bishop of Manchester and obtained a great deal of information on the English education. We were very much pleased with his politeness to the Orientals and also very sound advice on our future steps.

We left Manchester a week ago last Friday for Glasgow, but finding the journey rather wearisome we stopped at Carlisle for the night. On the following morning Mr. Tanaka had not courage to get up, finding himself very tired; so I did leave him alone and took a walk on a little busy street, a long street. Fortunately I discovered an old castle standing on an abrupt hill at the outskirt of the city. What inviting view it was to a lonely walker. I went up there and was kindly received by the guardmen. On top of rampart I had the whole view of city. If your little grandson Sherburne was with me he might undoubtedly have said, "It is splendid."

We stopped at Glasgow only a few days. Mr. Tanaka works hard as ever and we are getting along nicely in our business. We start for London to-morrow, and are hoping to see you with a great pleasure.

London, June 8, 1872.

Yours of the 3d inst. was received yesterday at Barings. I have been very. anxious to know of your arrival for some time, and am so glad that you have arrived safely at Cork. We had a very pleasant time at Edinburgh, and get along splendidly in visiting schools. We were very much pleased with the Scotch character, especially the people of Edinburgh. They are truly the Bostonians of the British Empire.

We had very serious time procuring our hotel in London, riding around the city from 8.30 p. M. till 11 p. M. Finally we got in Golden Hotel, Charing Cross. There was only one single room, so they emptied a drinking room for us, and its bedstead consisted of one sofa and three chairs. The day before yesterday we called on Mr. Donald Matherson, who is a great friend of Kev. Charles Douglas, a missionary in China some time ago, and whom we met at the great Assembly in Edinburgh. He was very attentive to us and procured us lodging in a private family for our temporary abode until we may find a still better place. I am getting quite tired for visiting schools so constantly since we arrived at Liverpool. Everything comes upon my shoulder, even for keeping up accounts. Mr. Tanaka is perfectly a gentleman, but does not know how to count English money. We expect to remain in London three or four weeks, and I hope to shake your hand once more on this side of water.

I made a loudest Macedonian cry to Dr. Mullens to send a few missionaries to Hakodate where no Protestant missionaries are, but only a Russian Greek priest to whom I used to teach the Japanese language just before I ran away from that port. I told Dr. Mullens this cry does not come to him in his dream, but with a living voice and personal appeal of a representative of that benighted nation. I left my photograph to him, writing a portion of Romans 16: 9. Pray for us.

Macon, July 21, 1872.

It does seem a long while since our separation, though it was only a week and six days ago. We arrived in Paris safely last Wednesday via Dover. It was rather trying to Mr. Tanaka. He was very sick notwithstanding a calm weather. When we came to Paris we were very much struck with the fine streets and beautiful buildings, but felt pity with the people who take so much pain for the outward show and vain glory, but are neglecting the soul's culture.

We left Paris for Geneva yesterday. Finding the journey rather tiresome, we stopped in this place last night, intending to take the early express train for Geneva this morning. When I started from Paris I thought it was Friday instead of the last day of week. But finding this Sunday I refused to travel to-day, though Mr. Tanaka was wishing me to go to Geneva with him this morning. I told him I cannot conscientiously travel on the Sabbath. Wherever I may be I must halt on the Sabbath to rest my soul on the Lord, except some unavoidable case. So Mr. T. could not urge me to travel with him to-day and went to Geneva with his French-speaking Japanese, asking me very politely to excuse him for his not staying with me here. So I am left alone in this strange place, although I do not feel lonesome at all. I went to the French Protestant church this morning, but I did not understand the preaching. I knew only that the preacher was earnest by hearing his exciting voice and noticing his constant gesture. The congregation was very small, about twenty ladies, five gentlemen, and a few boys and girls. Although the ladies dressed not very neatly and the gentlemen dressed with frocks like butchers, they appeared very attentive during the service; I trust that they were rich in the inward person, though poor in their apparel.

There is no single cloud in the sky, and the sun is shining brightly on the blue and tranquil stream of the Saone. I am so thankful for God's giving me such a privilege and freedom as to worship Him according to my conscience amongst strangers, without any fear or disturbance. I find the French keeping of Sabbath very different from New Englanders. The men and boys are fishing along the banks of the Saone, and the women wash the clothes here and there. All the drinking saloons are opened as it were some week day. So I can at once discriminate the Roman Catholic people from the Protestant nations.

Berltn, August 6, 1872. Since writing you from Macon I have been to Geneva, Berne, and Zurich, and arrived here last night via Augsburg and Leipzic. We leave for St. Petersburg this evening and may possibly remain in Russia for a week. Then we will return and begin to study the Prussian system of education. As yet we have only called on our Japanese friends here. We unexpectedly met Mr. Sears in the street. I was very glad to find him and learn something of you. Thus far I have been moving from one place to another, but after I get back from Russia I shall engage to a hard study. Another Japanese who speaks German is added to our party and will go with us to St. Petersburg. Mr. Tanaka feels quite proud for having three Japanese with him who would individually speak English, French, and German. He remarked to-day that he can go round the world without any difficulty with three of us. I think I am of little use to him on the Continent, for the English is very little spoken here, but why he desires to have me go with him is that I should study the European systems of education and see the operations in the schools myself. The three of us have been getting along without slightest difficulty among ourselves. The others say nothing against my religious faith and observances. Although they pay some respect to Christian institutions, yet they have not drank in the rich cream of truth which we can obtain only by coming to the tender and forgiving Saviour. As Mr. Tanaka is somewhat hasty person, he does very often travel on the Sabbath when it is convenient to him, especially to save time. I have not said anything to him against it, but always I halt on the Sabbath whether in the city or country. I have already explained to him the reason. I have attended the English services at Berne and Zurich, but I am sorry to say that the preachings did not satisfy me at all. They spend over an hour for services, and about fifteen minutes for sermons. Their discourses are somewhat cold and lifeless.

Since I left France water does not agree with me at all. So I have made a new resolution, to take some diluted wines or beer until I may be accustomed to water in any new place. As I have been long abstaining from any sort of liquors, I am very easily affected by a few swallows, which is rather trying to my old Puritan principle.

St. Petersburg, August 10. Two of our pirty who are influenced by French infidels and German rationalists went out for sightseeing on the Sabbath morning and hired one guide without consulting me. In the first place they asked Mr. Tanaka and myself to visit a Russian church. When I saw a guide coming with us I objected their hiring him simply for going to a church. I went to the finest Russian church in the city with them, falling into their net, but soon after I inquired of that guide for an English or American church and asked him leave to let me do my way. When I came back from church I found they did not accomplish very much; they went to some garden, but were very much disappointed and disgusted with it. I found Mr. Tanaka reading some Christian books whole afternoon. I am glad to inform you he has found some difference between the motives of my own and the other Japanese. I feel more and more a heavy re-sponsibility is resting upon my shoulder.

Copenhagen, September 3, 1872.

We did not stay long in St. Petersburg, only five days; visiting there the University, a training-school, the Foundling Hospital, Museum, Hermitage, etc. The Foundling Hospital is very large building and can accommodate nearly 6,000 persons. There were 800 babies under care, and all of them are only a few weeks old. What struck me most among the large collections of the Hermitage was the painting of the Holy Family by Raphael. St. Petersburg is very striking city. It is built on a grand scale. The palaces and government buildings are very extensive and beautiful at a distance, though some of them may be hardly called beautiful in the architectural view. The churches are also large, and the interiors of the cathedral and Isaac's Church are exquisitely wrought. They very much resemble Ron an Catholic church. The pictures of Holy Family and relics of old saints are numerous and are kissed and bowed before by the ignorant people. The devoted Russians make regular Japanese bow before them and also make a double cross before their chests when they pray. I have a great sympathy with those devoted Russians, for they appear very earnest in their devotion, but am sorry that they are led away by a false method of worship or a false notion of doctrine.

I must not forget to mention to you that famous mammoth in Museum, which was discovered in an icebank in Siberia in 1799. It is proved that it is non-existing creature in the present age by two main points; namely, in the first place it is hairy, and secondly its teeth are growing too close together. I saw its hair, kept in a glass case; it is quite long and has sandy complexion.

The people of high rank look very intelligent, and most of them speak at least one or two foreign languages; whilst the lower class of the people are very ignorant, very inferior in appearance, and cannot read even their own language. I never saw any cabmen reading newspapers as I used to see in the other European cities, but I found them always sleeping while they are waiting. The cabs are very heavy and small. The driver's dressing is also peculiar, as you may see in my sketch. The accommodations in the Russian hotel are not good at all, and the waiters a,io very slow and lazy. They never get up before nine o'clock in the morning, and when we want to get anything at that time we are obliged to touch our bell half a dozen times before we awake them. The chief business of the city seems me in the hands of the Germans.

We came back to Berlin on the 16th ult. Finding all schools unopened there, we thought time may be better spent visiting other parts of Europe. Accordingly we started for Holland via Frankfort-on-the- Main. We came down the Rhine by steamer as far as Rotterdam. Without stopping in that busy city we proceeded to The Hague, where we were kindly received by the Minister of Public Instruction, and a fine opportunity was given us to visit all schools in the capital. I was much pleased with the cleanliness of the school-rooms and neatness of children. The school system is excellent in Holland. It is open to all classes of the people. But the other schools are still better than the free ones. The American system is far superior to the Hollanders. In their public schools the Bible is entirely kept out. I rather suspect the Hollanders are not so devotedly religious as they used to be in the time of Republic. We visited the Royal Palace and also the "House in the Woods," the Queen's private residence, and had there a fine opportunity to see the Queen. While we were in the ball-room she came there without giving any previous notice. She looked at first as if she was quite amazed at our appearance in that room; then cast her eyes down on the floor slowly, as if nothing happened to her. She must be over fifty years of age, though I could not see her face very distinctly on account of her black veil.

We stopped at Leyden a couple of days on our way to Amsterdam, and visited the University, Botanical Garden, a fine ladies' school, — that is, a fine school for ladies, — and museums, where we saw a large collection of Chinese and Japanese curiosities.

At Amsterdam we were accompanied by a member of the Department of Public Instruction to visit all different grades of schools. One school is a peculiar one, in which youths of the working class are theoretically and practically taught particular branches of industry. The most striking thing in Amsterdam is the numerous canals and bridges. We could not help seeing them everywhere. We spent last Sabbath at Hamburg. My two companions went out to take walk along the harbor. Of course I could not spend the Sabbath as they did. I went alone to English Reformed Church, and listened to a very fine discourse by Rev. Mr. Edward, an English clergyman.

We came to Copenhagen yesterday and called on the Minister of Public Instruction this morning. In the afternoon we went to the exposition held presently in the city and have spent there the whole afternoon. I felt very much wearied after my return, but I could not forget my best American friends, so I began to write these lines to express my greatest affection and respect to both of you. Allow me to assure you that I ever appreciate your kindness shown to me more and more by visiting the institutions of learning in Europe and finding the great value of education. I never can feel that I can repay to you for what you have done for me, but will try with my utmost power to conform my whole future to your chief object, that is to say, that I should preach the crucified Saviour in whatever condition I may be. I begin to see a great obstacle before me in the way of my preaching, for the most of our educated men in Japan are falling into the infidelity. But I am happy in a meditation on the marvelous growth of Christianity in the world, and believe that if it finds any obstacles it will advance still faster and swifter, as stream does run faster when it does find any hindrances on the course. Oh, what pleasant thing it is that we can rely on the hand of the living God. He will make a great use of us humble vessels in his household if we simply remain faithful to Him.

I wish you would render my compliments to all my American friends. My health is improving very much. I shall be always happy to hear from you.