Pirates and Samurai Finding a Pirate Ship On 14th August, winter, 1829, after departing , she had met with a storm and taken Thursday 20th April 2017, 8:04 pm, I googled ‘mutiny 1829’ and there she was on the shelter in the uninhabited . All the prisoners on board had reoffended in screen. I instantly knew it was her. One of those moments of disbelief at your own utter Van Diemen’s Land and were heading for Macquarie Harbour Penal Station, also known certainty tinged with annoyance that a hunt started two and a half years before had been as the Hell’s Gates and considered the worst place of punishment in the British Empire. A solved by a search that any 9-year-old worth their salt would have made. Her name was Victorian historian later described it as a place of ‘inexpressible depravity, degradation the Cyprus, a shallow draft brig (two-masted square-rigged ship) and her true story more and woe’. exciting than any Jonny Depp film. I had first come across the old ink and watercolour drawings chronicling the 1830 arrival of a foreign ship off Mugi Cove, Tokushima Prefecture while purchasing an old fisherman’s cottage in the area in June 2014. I had always been interested in obscure local histories and tried googling ‘foreign ship Tokushima’ in Japanese. I clicked on the top result and there on the screen were four ink and watercolour drawings: a nameless brig under British ensign; a crew member; a page of curiosities including a pipe, a bucket and some hats; and a map showing she had moored less than 900m from the back garden of my new holiday home. Notice on Sturminster Newton Bridge, U.K., 2004 J. Dunckley, courtesy of Creative Commons. Some six months later I finally made my way to the Tokushima Prefectural Archive and The Horrors of Transportation, c.1849 J. Platt, courtesy of Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales. found that there was a 5th image, the odd one out, that the archivists had not bothered to put up on the website. It was of a red coat and epaulet. Impressed with the detail on the In the late afternoon, the lieutenant in charge of the military guard of the West Suffolk 63rd cuffs, I photographed it before hearing a brief description of the illegible hand-written Foot went out in the jolly boat fishing in the calm of the bay. While he was away the account from Tani-san, one of the volunteer archivists. The manuscript, titled An prisoners, some in irons, were being let up on deck five at a time to exercise. Some of Illustrated Account of the Arrival of a Foreign Ship, was written in meticulous detail by a them simply overpowered the three guards on duty, freed the other prisoners, blocked the low-ranking samurai artist, Hamaguchi Makita. It was obviously a fascinating window narrow hatchway to prevent the other soldiers from coming up on deck, grabbed weapons into the Edo period recorded as Hokusai carved the wood blocks for his Great Wave. There and took control of the ship. Of the 63 prisoners, guards, crew, and accompanying family was also a second much shorter manuscript entitled A Foreign Ship Drifts in Off Mugi on board, 45 of them were put ashore on the beach 70km from Hobart with limited supplies. Cove. Tani-san, it turned out, was member of the Tokushima Old Manuscript Reading Group and had edited an annotated transcription of legible but still barely comprehensible versions. I took a copy home to translate and two and half years later with a slightly desperate last-ditch two-word Google search, ‘mutiny 1829’, I had solved an almost 200- year-old mystery of the ship’s name and her history, and quickly discovered that there were two books, an academic paper questioning the captain’s claim of having reached , numerous webpages, articles and chapters, as well as a poem and folk ballad all written in English about this amazing escape.

Mutiny and Piracy on the Brig Cyprus

The brig Cyprus was purchased by the colonial government of , then Van Diemen’s Land, in 1826 to convey convicts and supplies to prisons around the island. West Suffolk 63rd Foot redcoat shown in part of the Battle of Bunker Hill, 1897 by H. Pyle, presumed stolen. Van Diemen’s Land was then a British colony and had been settled as a penal colony for The Making of the Coracle, 1829 by W. B. Gould, courtesy of Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales. convicts since 1803. The brig was 70 feet 6 inches (21.8m) long 20 feet (6.1m) wide and had a yellow streak down each side and her hull was sheathed in copper. Of the 33 prisoners destined for Macquarie, 18 took the Cyprus, her cargo of supplies for the penal station and the personal effects of all on board. Later, all but one of the prisoners who stayed behind on the beach had their Macquarie Harbour Penal Station sentences revoked for not escaping and assisting the lieutenant and ship’s captain. William Swallow (a nom de guerre, his real name was William Walker) claiming to have played little active role in the mutiny was later to be celebrated in an Australian folk ballad that includes the following verse:

...The Morn broke bright the Wind was fair, we headed for the sea With one more cheer for those on shore and glorious liberty. For Navigating smartly Bill Swallow was the man, Who laid a course out neatly to take us to Japan...

Swallow could read and write and had served an apprenticeship on a collier in the North Sea. He had been pressed to serve in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars. After being discharged he was unable to find work and had turned to thieving. He also had a Brig Cyprus shown in part of Hobart Harbour, 1825 A. Earle, courtesy of the Dixson Galleries, State Library of New history of daring escapes having once stuffed his shirt with cork and jumped overboard South Wales. from another ship.

1 © Nicholas Russell 2017 Pirates and Samurai

or they would be fired upon, a large ball was shown them as earnest of the intention of the natives. At that time it was a dead calm, and it continued so until after sunset, and they could not get away. The Japanese, to frighten them, then opened a fire from the batteries with musketoons. They made every attempt to get away, but could not, and the Japanese fired upon them from the guns of the batteries. One shot knocked the spyglass out of his hand, and another struck the vessel under the counter [part of the stern] betwixt wind and water. At 10 o’clock a breeze sprung up from oft the land, which enabled them to depart and make sail from the shore, and the Japanese ceased firing.’

The Samurai’s Curious Encounter with a Foreign Ship off Mugi Cove The key events of Swallow’s account appear to match those recorded in detail by the samurai chronicler Hamaguchi Makita in his Illustrated Account of the Arrival of a Foreign Ship. He was a low-ranking samurai who worked as an artist under the pseudonym Hamaguchi Gyoboku. Hamaguchi’s account can be divided into his eyewitness accounts and what was reported to him by others.

Map data ©2017 Google To keep the Cyprus away from other shipping, Swallow set a course for and sailed between the North Island and the South Island where they stocked up with water. Next, probably influenced by the story of the mutiny on the Bounty, they laid a course for Tahiti. But on August 25th, while being driven off course by a storm, a man was lost overboard and they landed on Chatham Island where they stole from a Moriori village and some sealers.

When they finally neared Tahiti, the seasonal winds were against them and the sails in poor repair so they ended up sailing back westward to one of the Friendly Islands (Tonga) that the pirates called ‘Nowey’, probably Niuatoputapu. Here they stayed until mid-

November when there was a disagreement and only 10 of the remaining 17 headed for Japan. There, the ship was damaged by a cannonball. After that, they headed past Map data ©2017 Google Formosa (Taiwan) where they scuttled the ship and headed for Canton, China: two men in ‘The foreign ship first appeared 50km off None, Tosa no Kuni [Kochi Prefecture] on the the jolly boat, 4 on a Chinese ship, and 4 in the long boat, the stern lettering of which had 11th day of the 12th month of the 12th year of the Emperor Bunsei.’ [The old Japanese been changed to ‘the Edward’. In Canton, Swallow claimed that they were shipwreck calendar was lunar and this was the 5th of January 1830 on the European Gregorian victims and that while in Japanese waters ‘being in want of Provisions and water’ were calendar.] The next day, the 6th of January, she was 12~16km off the village of None. After ‘fired at by two batteries and 16 Boats, and one shot struck the vessel between wind and dawn on the 7th, on the land standards were raised, gongs and drums were beaten, conch water’. Although viewed with suspicion by the authorities three of the crew of ten horns were sounded, and beacons were lit. Around 8 o’clock in the morning the ship was managed to board a ship to Mexico and were never heard of again, four of them returned seen to be sailing south toward Muroto Misaki Cape. Around 10 o’clock that morning she to London and were later arrested, one was sent back to London and the remaining two dropped anchor 500m off Murotsu Harbour where apparently, six men of a nine-man crew were caught and eventually transported again. made three attempts to land in a small boat but were each time driven off with musketoon

fire. After asking for grain, water and firewood and being repelled for a second time, one In London, the story of the mutiny and the arrest of the five captured the public’s man was seen crying and praying in desperation as officials waved them away. They were imagination. All but Swallow were sentenced to death. Though he would later be given water and about 100kg of rice provided by a local merchant. The skipper was sentenced to death for illegally returning to England, he was found not guilty of piracy. reported as looking about 50 and they were described as ‘handsome looking like the Later, three including Swallow had their sentences commuted to transportation for life. “Dutchmen” [Europeans] in the paintings’. On the 8th around 7 o’clock in the morning The remaining, two men were the last to be executed for piracy in England. Thanks to the they sailed away from the port heading north west toward Tano. In the late afternoon, they intense public interest, the trial was well reported in The Times of London on the 14th of were sighted further up the coast 8km off Yasuda and Aki. On the 9th in the late afternoon September 1830 ‘The story told by three of the prisoners, of being fired at by the Japanese, they received water from a fishing boat while heading west toward Ashizuri. On the 10th is probably correct...' there were big waves and strong winds and the local coastal overseer could not keep track

of them. Swallow’s account from the trial was reported on 18th of October 1830.

‘Running some distance up the coast of Japan, he anchored in a convenient bay. A boat At around 9 o’clock on the morning of the 14th, the foreign ship was again sighted off the came from the shore with a Mandarin or person of authority, and desired to know what small town of Hiwasa, Awa Koku [Minami, Tokushima Prefecture]. An official sent word brought them there, and desired him to give in writing what he wanted, which he did in to Tokushima Castle and a local samurai clan chief. Soldiers and local men were deployed English, and said they were in want of wood and water, and would give anything in the at a dozen or so locations up and down a 40km stretch of coast. With over 320 musketoons vessel in exchange. At that time they were in great distress. They had been cruising about and 60 cannons between them, each group numbered between 10 and 40 men and was nearly five months; all the sails were split, and there was no canvas to mend them. In four made up of clan foot soldiers (musketeers), and ronin samurai, hunters and fishermen from hours the letter was returned, with the seal broke, and they were told to be off by sunset, the villages. 2 © Nicholas Russell 2017 Pirates and Samurai

The barbarian ship drifted down the coast past Oshima Island to Mugi Cove, about 2km to hold it .’ ‘We did not accept any of them but as I was returning the bell, it fell into the off which she dropped anchor at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Gongs and drums were ocean and the “Dutchman” became most angry so we paddled off quickly.’ beaten, conch horns were sounded, beacons were lit and blanks were fired. Meanwhile, word had arrived at Tokushima Castle at around 7 o’clock and a gathering of the samurai Sawaro’s account continues, ‘We didn’t see any firearms but they have put up a curtain commanders and clan chiefs was convened. along one side of the ship and we do not know what is going on behind it.’ Commander On the 15th before 7 o’clock in the morning a vanguard of vassal clansmen was dispatched Yamauchi and Commander Mima discussed and agreed to the preparations to repulse the and before 9 o’clock the main force including our chronicler, Hamaguchi departed. Part barbarian ship. Commander Yamauchi decided, ‘Take a large lead ball out to the ship and of this force went by road to Nishi Yuki Cove and then on by sea, and at around 7 o’clock tell them that if they don’t leave immediately, we will fire on them and reduce them to that evening arrived in Hiwasa where the ship had been sighted from the day before. matchwood!’ Dawn had broken while they were still discussing what was to be done. On the morning of the 16th, Commander Yamauchi orders Hamaguchi, Once there, Commander Yamauchi, Hamaguchi and some other samurai and fishermen ‘Disguise yourself as a fisherman, get close to the barbarian ship, and draw me a detailed continued on in rowing boats to Mugi 24km to the south. On their way to Mugi, they picture of anything that looks like a weapon.’ Four other samurai volunteered to go with would have passed within a kilometre of the barbarian ship and Hamaguchi writes that he him. ‘We hid our swords under a cover and dressed like the fisherfolk tying hand-towels saw her in the murky light of the half-moon. They arrived in Mugi at around 1 o’clock on around our heads. As we approached the barbarian ship the dog wagged its tail and whined the morning of 16th. From there a two-pounder (6.5cm cannon) was delivered by rowing at us. Its face looks like my illustration. It did not look like food. It looked like a pet. Some boat to Tebajima Island. At the West Mugi Fish Exchange, Commander Yamauchi asks barbarians were painting the outside of the ship with tar, one was climbing the mast and those gathered for any details about the ship. Mima, a local samurai commander said, another was mending the sail. Each of them was involved in some task. All of them stopped work and looked at us. At first, we kept our distance at about 50m, but they waved ‘I’ve been suspicious of that ship since it arrived yesterday afternoon. The colour seems to us to come closer and did not seem to be hostile so we rowed over to get a better look.’ to have changed. Through my spyglass, I can see a floor halfway up the mast where one climbs up to look out. And the men on the ship, they do not look hungry at all. In fact, they seem to be mocking us by diving off the stern and climbing back up. It is strange that since yesterday Sawaro and everyone who gets closer to the barbarian ship returns feeling pity for them. I am certain this is Christians artfulness. [Deleted as in original manuscript.] The ship does not appear to be drifting at all. I think they are pirates. We should crush them!’

In the second shorter manuscript, A Foreign Ship Drifts in Off Mugi Cove, the chronicler

Hirota reports contact on the water half way between Hiwasa and Mugi the previous From An Illustrated Account of the Arrival of a Foreign Ship, by Hamaguchi, 1830. Courtesy of Tokushima Prefectural afternoon. A local farmer, Harada, had gone out with a companion in rowing boat to Archive. confirm that the barbarian ship was the same one as before in Tosa no Kuni [Kochi ‘The ship was about 18m in length, about 7m wide and about 3m high with a 60cm-wide Prefecture]. Harada stated ‘The foreigner then tossed some things down into our boat: red-tar stripe along her sides. The stern crests and parts that glinted are all sheathed in something shaped like this, copper. (The polishing off of the green copper rust probably accounted for the apparent “change” in colour. The appearance of a “curtain” was caused by the tar running down the side of the ship.) The bow, 2.4m x 60cm, is shaped like a fresh bracken sprout.’ ‘Lower down there were European letters, two at a time, made of brass and hammered into the hull. On the stern, there were chrysanthemum crests and 2 windows that could be opened on each side. They seemed to be the only possible firing positions.’ ‘There was nothing suspicious looking along either side. Along the red stripe, there were small holes [scuppers] through which we could peer in. On doing so, we saw a stove and cooking pot under cover of a tarred roof and a locker with preserved meat hanging therein. There was a smaller boat loaded at the front of the ship. It was painted blue with a red stripe. All the From A Foreign Ship Drifts in Off Mugi Cove by Hirota, 1830, copy courtesy of Mugi Board of Education. decks were made of wood. I know not what was below, but there was not one weapon in and what we took to be a small bell of gold and fine workmanship. Also, they held up an sight.’ 18cm-square icon of woman in a black frame fitted with glass, pointed to it and spoke ‘The rudder 90cm x 30cm was very narrow, all sheathed in cooper and attached with gibberish but we understood not one word.’ ‘... we returned each item.’ butterfly hinges. It looked as if it could only be moved from left to right. As in my illustration, there were poles sticking out over both corners of the stern. (Those who knew Harada reports encountering another group lead by a samurai called Sawaro out on the of these “Dutch” [European] ships were of the opinion that these strange stern poles were water. Sawaro’s contact with the foreign ship was reported by Hamaguchi. He was a lower for lowering the small boat.) There was no damage on the outside. She sat lightly in the ranking samurai [the relative rank of a samurai was equivalent to the rice yield attributed water. Her draft was extremely shallow, just 90cm, like an empty ship.’ to their land which was listed on their family register records]. He had taken his musket ‘The fore and aft masts were made of 3 sections held together with metal rings. (The and headed out in a fishing boat to see the barbarian ship for himself. ‘The barbarians “Dutch” ships had three-section masts too and in strong winds their sails come down. This came to the front of the boat. They beckoned and as we got closer they produced a bucket ship’s sails were always the same and could be raised and lowered freely at will.) The and asked for water and then showed us some firewood. We gave them what little we had masts were painted white but the paint was peeling in places. The foremast was about 18m then one of the “Dutchmen” [Europeans]offered a picture of a woman, something in a high and the main mast about 20m. Atop the main mast, there was a magnetic needle about twist of paper that he indicated to be gunpowder by pointing at my musket, and what 60cm long [Hamaguchi appears to have thought the wind vane was a compass]. As in my appeared to be a gold coated bell. An object so beautiful that I could not contain my desire illustration, from the square flange near the top, the edge of the sail was attached with rope 3 © Nicholas Russell 2017 Pirates and Samurai to its buntlines and all of the blocks were part of the contrivance. Next there was a floor the boat and, while pointing to the land, said “Peké! Peké!” [Pronounced like ‘peck’ and 90cm x 120cm. There were rope ladders down that looked like a Go board [the ancient ‘aye’ together, possibly they heard ‘Piggy!’ in a regional British accent]. We wondered if Chinese game]. From up there they could look out or go out on the yards, etc.’ ‘On the they were asking for more piglets or telling us it was food. He tossed it back into the bilge bow of the ship there was 2.4m bowsprit. The main mast boom stuck out 3m over the stern of the ship from where, from the noise, we judged there to be a number of the animals. and could be lowered or raised. There was a banner stitched to a pole off the stern rail. Another man stuck a forked metal chopstick into some of this meat that appeared to have Unlike our ships, it was not spread out by hanging it from a cross piece and when there been steamed, and put it to his mouth indicating that it was indeed food. Next the skipper was no wind, it just hung limp hiding their clan’s crest. When the wind blew, it would brought out a tightly-woven scarlet woolen coat to show us. It was longer than the jackets flutter and become visible. The sails were of thick cotton with indigo lettering but it was they were wearing and had 5 coattails. The cuffs were stitched with gold thread and the too faded to make out. The yards did not lower, and the sails were furled and tied to them. buttons were silver plated. He held it up to his shoulders to show us. This was a thing of Both clews of each sail had ropes attached and with the yards and spars were set according great beauty and most colourful.’ to the wind. It appeared that the sideways facing bow sail and the square facing stern sails could be trimmed to catch the wind as desired. There was an unbearable stench in the vicinity of the ship.’

‘All of the men were wearing hats: most of leather, but one of wound red cotton cloth and another like a thatched farmer’s hat. Their clothes had tubular sleeves. They were all wearing 2 to 3 buttoned-layers of tightly-woven wool fabric and long underwear made of leather. They lined the side of the boat and with both hands open indicated that they were 10 in number. Like the face in my illustration, they all had long pointed noses. Their eyes were big and blue and their eyebrows red. Their hair was red, about 9cm long and curly. Their beards were dark red. The pitch of their voices was mid-range.’

‘When signaled one man brought out a bucket like the one in my illustration and saying “Pésu! Pésu!” [Pronounced ‘pace’ and possibly they heard ‘Piss!’ as a crude joke]. From An Illustrated Account of the Arrival of a Foreign Ship, by Hamaguchi, 1830. Courtesy of Tokushima Prefectural pointing to his mouth, rubbing his chest. They exchanged words amongst themselves like Archive. birds twittering. One of them brought out some firewood and requested we provide it. We ‘We saw not a single weapon. One of the crew took off his shoes and rolled down his refused by waving our hands and gave them a little water.’ white socks from above the knee revealing his red leg hair. He then showed us a yard square of thick leather and indicated that their shoes were made of it. Then one of them opened his shirt, baring his left breast on which there was the half body of a beautiful woman tattooed. Next, one of them brought out a big glass of what appeared to be an alcoholic beverage and indicated that we should drink. We declined by waving our hands, upon which they passed the glass around themselves, one by one tapping their heads as they drank to indicate the good feeling it brought them, and finished the lot.’ The crew put out a gangplank and invited the disguised samurai ‘fisherfolk’ aboard but they declined, returning to Mugi at about noon to make their report.

Meanwhile at 10 o’clock that morning the Tokushima clan’s feudal overseers had arrived. In 1825, the Tokugawa Shogunate had issued an edict reiterating and strengthening the ‘’, isolationist policy. ‘All foreign vessels should be fired upon. Any foreigner who

landed should be arrested or killed on sight. Every interaction should be reported in the From An Illustrated Account of the Arrival of a Foreign Ship, by Hamaguchi, 1830. Courtesy of Tokushima Prefectural utmost detail.’ It also included a no-benefit-of-the-doubt clause i.e. shoot first, ask Archive. questions later. In line with the edict, coastal batteries had been increased throughout ‘The skipper, who looked about 50 (the others all looked more like 25 or 26), was wearing Japan. In 1808, the Nagasaki Harbour Incident involved a British ship and ended with the a black fur hat with tightly woven wool fabric hanging down at the back. He appeared to ‘seppuku’, ceremonial suicide, of the top official sent by the Tokugawa Shogunate to be giving instructions to the crew. When we removed the hand towels from our heads, to oversee the town because he hadn’t defended the open port properly. The commanders the man they, in accordance with what appeared to be some mark of respect, removed their and overseers in Mugi had not yet identified the red ensign as British, they still wrongly hats. Most of them revealing balding heads. The skipper, he was holding a small knife and thought it was that of another country called Anglia. a length of rope-like dark red tobacco from which he cut a length kneaded it in the palm of his hand, placed it in a suspicious looking object, sucked and then breathed out smoke.’ Commander Yamauchi had to act. He ordered a local sword-carrying landed gentleman

and his subordinate, ‘Go aboard the barbarian ship and with gestures tell them to leave Hamaguchi then describes smoking, related paraphernalia (they were using the stems of immediately. If they do not comply, show them the large ball and tell them that we are feathers as pipe stems) and the origin of tobacco. Referring to The Red Haired Discourses ready to fire it at them from Tebajima Island and reduce them to matchwood. If they accept [1787, Morishima Chūryō] he writes it was brought to Europe by a gentleman called this and we see them raising their anchor and lowering their sails, they will be provided Johannes Newt from some small island off the North American coast. with a little water and firewood. Be sure to tell the men on Shima no Hira, too.’

The two of them paddled out quickly toward the ship and the barbarians came out on deck ‘Then they pulled up a piece of white meat on a string that had been floating off the bow. to meet them as they went on board. It looked like food. One of them grabbed a piglet by the scruff, held it against the side of

4 © Nicholas Russell 2017 Pirates and Samurai

‘The barbarians pointed out that they still had repair work to do mending sails and painting ‘There was an onshore breeze from the south and it was difficult for them to sail out to etc. One of them made a fist with one hand and put it under his cocked head indicating sea. Instead, ignoring the hail of cannon and musketoon balls, they sailed between [the sleep. Then he indicated their departure by cupping one hand and blowing into it. Through two samurai firing positions] Ni no Saki on Tebajima Island and Shima no Hira Headland means of these gestures he conveyed that they needed 5 days to finish the repairs. The two to the west of Mugi. At about this time the feudal overseer realized it was a British ship men paddled back to report to Commander Yamauchi who stated again that they had to and became extremely angry. They ordered fire to be directed at the waterline in the red leave immediately. copper sheathed area. Two cannonballs hit and shook the ship badly. The barbarians were So, the two of them rowed out again and refused by waving their hands. The skipper then standing and yelling. There appeared to be about fourteen of them. They headed west asked for 3 days but again both of them refused by waving their hands. On seeing this, the toward Asakawa Harbour. Commander Yamauchi from his boat orders his patrol boat barbarian repairing a sail became extremely angry and started shouting. The skipper turned gunners to concentrate their fire on the rudder area at the stern on the starboard side of the to the two men and indicated that they should leave immediately. As they were giving ship. One of Nishizawa’s three-quarter-pound cannonballs reduced a two-foot square area them the firewood and water, he wrote a letter about 24cm square with sideways writing of the sturdy hull to splinters and ricocheted off to port. One or two of brig’s crew appeared and as they were leaving he handed it to them. They took it and rowed quickly away. to have been killed or injured as they were laying on the deck. The others turned towards Commander Yamauchi was not happy. “What did you accept a letter from them for? Take Commander Yamauchi’s boat, all removed their hats and appeared to be praying. Out on it back at once!” he ordered. They rowed out once more, tossed it onto the barbarian ship the water the samurai heard random cries of “Roubin! Roubin! Rou!” [Pronounced like and quickly rowed back.’ ‘rue’ and ‘bin’ and possibly they heard “Row men! Row men! Row!”]. The barbarians all showed themselves blowing into cupped hands. They were gesturing that the wind was no good. Commander Yamauchi asked when the wind might change. His boatmen responded that after sundown a wind would blow up from Asakawa but it would not reach them there. Later, however, just off Mugi Cove there would be an offshore breeze. Commander Yamauchi was good enough to share this knowledge with the barbarians through gestures and they swiftly turned the brig across the wind. Unlike our large ships, the barbarian ship turned tightly and it could not, in fact, sail directly into the wind as we had thought; it could only sail across the wind. The barbarian ship was now surrounded by our small boats, including both of our commanders. Our guns were at the ready to blow them to bits. If they grab the ropes to go over the side or put up a fight, we were ready to shoot. A foul

stench was coming from the ship. The Musketeer Nishizawa threatened them by From An Illustrated Account of the Arrival of a Foreign Ship, by Hamaguchi, 1830. Courtesy of Tokushima Prefectural shouldering his big gun. The barbarians looked worried, cried out and trembled with fear. Archive. Some of them even pointed to their sides and fell down praying. We took this to mean that ‘We watched the barbarian ship but it did not weigh anchor. A smoke signal was lit on one of Nishizawa’s musketoon balls had reached its mark and taken a life.’ Shima no Hira. On Tebajima Island, the gunner Ikenouchi lit the fuse of the two-pounder

(6.5cm cannon) and fired in earnest. The report was like a thunder clap followed by an ‘The crew were bailing water from the hole made by Ikenouchi’s shot. One man reported eerie screeching noise as the old deeply pitted ball flew between the two masts of the seeing a cannonball hole where water was going in every time the ship moved and another barbarian ship. Irritatingly, without sign of haste or panic, the crew leisurely spread one man reported seeing water coming out as well. Not before long, as the barbarian ship was sail. In response, the Shima no Hira gun crews opened up with their one-and-a-quarter- moving back to Shima no Hira and as dusk fell a strange beguiling pipe and singing could pounders (5cm cannon) and three-quarter-pounder (4cm cannon). The barbarian crew be heard. The sound was like that of a child’s pennywhistle; nothing like a real flute. It spread another sail but the ship still did not move. Infuriated, Commander Yamauchi was eerie.’ ‘Finally, the offshore breeze arrived from the mountains behind Mugi and ordered his gunners and musketeers to set up in the 4 patrol boats: No.1 patrol boat with carried the barbarian ship off, back out to sea.’ a three-quarter-pounder and musketoon, No.2 patrol boat with a hand cannon and musketoon, No.3 patrol boat with hand cannon and musketoon, No.4 patrol boat with Conclusions small hand cannon and musketoon. When everything was on board they departed. [These Having translated part of An Illustrated Account of the Arrival of a Foreign Ship and A patrol boats had crews of 7 oarsmen each.] The first shots were fired to the left and the Foreign Ship Drifts in Off Mugi Cove manuscripts and researched the Cyprus mutiny, I right of the brig and this seemingly endless barrage of tens of shots continued. Then finally believe they are one and the same ship. The time lines, the description of the ship, the the barbarian ship weighed anchor and spread all her sails.’ order of key events in both accounts, the ‘large ball’, the hole ‘betwixt wind and water’, the swallows stitched on the red coat’s cuffs all seem to point to this. The five coattails and decoration on the cuffs do not appear to be military so the coat is something that was made from scratch or modified from one of the uniforms on board. In his petition for clemency to Robert Peel, Swallow reports that he was employed as a sailmaker so he had the needlework skills to craft and embroider his own ‘red coat’. He also states that there was no loose gunpowder but ‘250 rounds of cartridges’ which was the type that was offered to the samurai who dropped the bell. From a return of the stores shipped aboard the Cyprus we know that red paint needed to change the colour of the yellow streak along the side of the ship was also on board.

The most notable thing about the boomerang shaped object is that neither its material nor its size are noteworthy to the samurai while the two other objects seen in the same encounter are both described in these terms. To me, this implies a material that was

ordinary to the samurai i.e. wood and a size that was not exceptional. Boomerangs are not Map data ©2017 Google 5 © Nicholas Russell 2017 Pirates and Samurai indigenous to Tasmania however a south east Australian coastal boomerang would fit the Primary Sources limited information we have and could have been brought to Van Diemen’s Land. Of An Illustrated Account of the Arrival of a Foreign Ship: 1830 Hamaguchi Gyoboku everyone on board Dr. Williams, the ship’s doctor seems the most likely candidate as its A Foreign Ship Drifts in Off Mugi Cove: 1830 Hirota Kanzaemon owner and while the Williams family archive has no record of such an object, John The Times, 14 September 1830 Williams, the doctor’s great grandson stated in emails to me, ‘my great grandfather would The Times, 18 October 1830 have treasured a boomerang if by some means he had acquired one’ and ‘one could HO17:59 (Kp18) Criminal Petitions, includes that of William Swallow to Robert Peel imagine that when he began his medical career in VDL some patients may have paid in (filed under 1831) goods rather than cash.’ giving us one possible route onto the ship. All or some of the men Principle Sources and officer of the 63rd West Suffolk had almost certainly stopped off in south east coastal The Man Who Stole the Cyprus: 2008 Hirst , en route for Van Diemen’s Land; giving us another possible way for a Contrary Winds: 2012 John Williams boomerang to be on board. Other Sources The Voyage of the Cyprus Mutineers: 2008 Sissons, The Journal of Pacific History I do not believe anyone was killed or injured by Japanese fire because Swallow did not Closing the Hell’s Gates: 2008 Maxwell-Stewart mention it in his testimony while readily admitting to losing a man in the storm off New Japanese and Western Calendar Month and Date Tables: 1978 Noshima Zealand. I think the crew were low on supplies but not in as dire a condition as they Acknowledgements claimed; they were nourished and hydrated enough to drink alcohol, go swimming and Thank you to Hamaguchi Gyoboku and Hirota Kanzaemon; the Tokushima Prefectural work repairing the ship. The foul smells were probably due to the tar that was being used Archive especially the Chief Curator Tokuno Takashi and Assistant Curator Kinbara to paint the boat. The Japanese gunners did not fire at the crew: if they had, the crew would Hiroki; the Tokushima Old Manuscript Reading Group especially Tani Keiko; the Mugi not have been able to stand up and signal the lack of offshore wind. In my opinion, the Board of Education especially Deputy Section Manager Kawabe Yoji and Chief Sato discipline of the samurai musketeers and the fact that the crew of the foreign ship did not Shunsuke; Warwick Hirst of the State Library of New South Wales; Professor Hamish return fire helped avoid a more unfortunate outcome. I think that Swallows true motive Maxwell-Stewart of the University of Tasmania; Dr. Stephen Gapps of the Australian for repeatedly trying to land, trade, communicate and moor off shore despite coming under National Maritime Museum; Professor Fujikawa Takao of Osaka University’s School of warning fire a number of times, was to escape to Japan, the one place within the range of Letters; Dr. Machida Tetsu of the Naruto University of Education; John Williams the great the ship, which had limited capacity for storing water, that the British authorities would grandson of the Cyprus’s doctor; Mugi Old Manuscript Reading Group especially Tomida never catch them. It could be argued that the samurai opened fire on the ship due to a Takeshi; the volunteer translators of Prevail School of English especially Shimoda misunderstanding of her capabilities. The samurai thought Western ships could sail Shigeyuki, Tobe Fumiko and Wendy Tsune; and Luke Hunter, Steven Breyak and directly into the wind, but of course they could not, and he was angered when, despite Professor Chis Maxwell for all their help, encouragement and cooperation in the warning shots, she sailed along the coast rather than out to sea directly into the onshore preparation of this article. breeze. As Hokusai once said, “If heaven had granted me five more years, I could have become a real painter.” While we do not compare ourselves to such a master, we understand his It is worth noting the parallels between our pirate and samurai chroniclers: both were in a dilemma: If heaven had granted us five more years, we could have given you a real situation where a possible outcome was a death sentence for themselves or those around translation. However, our desire to share Hamaguchi’s incredible work with you as soon them, and were literate and savvy enough to realize they needed to exaggerate the end of as possible weighed against perfectionism and this is our imperfect result. If you delve their accounts to appease those who would be judging them. Georgian England and Edo further and notice any mistakes please feel free to contact me and contribute to what will Japan were harsh and both Captain Swallow and Commander Yamauchi did what they had be process of periodic polishing as we strive for less-imperfect imperfection. This to in difficult situations and thanks to the account by Hamaguchi we get a fly-on-the-wall translation of the Mugi Manuscripts is not complete: some sections have been view of the samurai’s discussions, and an amazing description of the ship, her crew, their cherrypicked, others summarized and others cut. However, unlike most translations, to interaction and the engagement that followed. achieve maximum fidelity it has undergone a double check process in which the translation into English was then translated back into Japanese and compared to the The British lead in naval power was at its peak a few years before during the Napoleonic original manuscripts by archivists and experts. Wars and the Cypress was almost certainly much more technologically advanced than To access the latest version of Pirates and Samurai and other resources for study, anything Hamaguchi had ever seen. Japan was said to be ‘closed’ to the outsiders to http://piratesandsamurai.com/ prevent destabilizing foreign influences like Christianity. For the same reasons, the Shogunate had equally strict penalties for Japanese people who travelled abroad and hence technology innovation for long distance sea travel was discouraged. To access just translations of the Mugi manuscripts and other reference material In Japan, the Cyprus has become known as ‘the Kipurosu’ from the Japanese for research, http://mugimanuscripts.com/ pronunciation of the name of the island of Cyprus which comes from the local pronunciation. How strong an association the name had with the island in the minds of those who sailed on her is debatable, and undoubtedly, they used the same standard English pronunciation that we use today. However, the etymologies of both names have a While all the historical facts have been reviewed by the relevant experts, the conclusions strong association with the word copper in which the Cyprus’s lower hull was sheathed drawn here are my personal views and not necessarily those shared by contributors. This and perhaps this was the reasoning behind her name. From only one ship registered in work is copyrighted not for profit but to maintain its integrity when reproduced. Any 1777, by 1816 some 18% of the British merchant fleet were copper bottomed. Due to the nonprofit request for unadulterated complete or partial use will be granted. Any income speed and quality of these vessels they received favourable insurance terms from Lloyds from for-profit use will used to help maintain the legacy of the foreign ship that once and the expression ‘copper bottomed’ is still used in English today to describe a venture, moored off Mugi Cove. All images are subject to their original owner’s copyright. plan or investment that is considered safe.

6 © Nicholas Russell 2017