Carl Herz, Magician
Wednesday morning, May 11/98, at sea on board the SS “Rohilla”, off the China Coast making for Hong Kong, where we hope to arrive about 6 or 7 tonight but was due there about 4 this morning.
Well, to go back to Monday May 2nd at Kobe, it rained all day & no work went on anywhere about either harbour or piers. Our party all left for Yokohama by the noon train, so I was left alone. I went ashore at 4:30 & called on Mr. Bardens, to whom Hanson’s gave me a letter of introduction, & found him in. I did not stay many minutes as they likely leave at 5, however, he asked me to go & lunch with him on Thursday after my return from the country. He gave me a suitable itinerary for the 2 days I had at disposal. On the Tuesday morning, as I told you in the letter I posted as I went to the station, I set off for Kioto, a 3 hours’ ride by rail, 3/4d per mile, 1st class, very cheap. I had to produce my passport before they gave out the ticket. This I knew. We all got our passports at Nagasaki: 4/- British, 2/ Americans. Getting them at Nag’ saved time at Kobe. We got them during [3:77] the while we lay in quarantine.
I enjoyed the country to Kioto very much: all very fertile & green, wheat, barley, broad beans, & peas in great abundance, clover of a different growth to ours, a small flower similar to the violet, & rape very largely cultivated for its oil. The country is hilly, some parts a fine range of mountains, & all cultivation was carried on by irrigation hand power. No horses. Bullocks here & there, but chiefly man [sic] & women labor. Railway travelling is much indulged in by the natives. So was it in India, but their accommodation is very miserable. I arrived at Kioto about noon, took a rickshaw, & viewed about till 1 o’clock, then made for Yaami’s Hotel – I sent a photo of it amongst the others – had tiffin then set out to view the city, & was much impressed with Jap style. They are far in advance of the Chinese & affect European style conspicuously. The temples are the sights & I only visited a few. I’ve seen so many temples & mosques that I am weary viewing them & they all more or less repeat each other. I noted in every temple I viewed in Japan, they have shell, shot, guns &c., trophies from the China war,[1] & they are objects of worship every where. One fine gun I saw was made at [3:78] Elswick, & Sir W. Armstrong’s[2] name on it.
I also ascended a grand pagoda & had a magnificent view of the city from its top story, but my interest lay in the streets & shops & Jap life. The people are very industrious. Men & women work & such loads as they carry & drag, quite horse loads, no gharries or horse conveyance, bullocks a few but chiefly manual. No footpaths – all take the middle of the road – & rickshaws are so abundant that it is sometimes puzzling getting along, but the rickshaw men are strong fellows, well formed, & calves & muscle on them like prize fighters. They are stout little fellows. Here & there you will meet the husband, & dragging a cart, the wife with baby on her back acting tracer, & all through the country I travelled, I saw the same system prevailed. The streets in Kioto are narrow, but unlike Amoy, & they were fairly clean, tho’ they have no system of drainage, & smells (or as Mr. Thompson of Amoy had it, “change of air”) are every where prominent. Kioto is a vast place & of great importance as a Japanese city of history. It was a fété season during my visit, & the streets were being paraded by hundreds in masquerade [3:79] & carrying emblems, some of the most hideous construction, & the dresses many had on & the masks were both fanciful & horrid. Towards night they became very excited, & music, drums & pipes were played in any way but sweet. After dinner, I went out for an hour & saw all the shops lighted up with lanterns exactly like what we have. They suspended them in front of shop & over their wares, & every rickshaw has its lantern hanging from one of the shafts, & people going about has their lantern, & the masqueraders all had lanterns of different hues, & each with character letters on, gave a very pretty effect. The city is electric lighted & well lighted. Theatres are abundant, all native of course, & while passing through theatre street in the afternoon, hundreds were reading the bills & many seemed to be booking seats, & great excitement hereabouts. I expect it was some specialitie [sic] owing to the festivities.
I had a very comfortable night & left the next, Wednesday, morning at 9:15 for Nara, 1 ½ hours’ ride, & the country was very beautiful, all under cultivation, chiefly tea. This, it appears, is the Japan tea district. The vegetation was [3:80] very beautiful & green, but some parts turning towards ripening. The peasants were very throng in the paddy – rice – fields preparing for transplanting. These fields are covered with water, & man & bullock with plough work in them up to the knees, very laborious for both man & bullock. Hundreds were at it. They get 2 crops yearly of all the soil. One follows the other. Manure is almost sacred & nothing is wasted, but all saved for fertilising, and abominable. They smell if close to them. The railway on this line, Kioto to Nara,[3] is single line. The 1st class carriages are handsome & seated with red velvet plush, table in the center, & spacious. This is a joint stock owned railway but the trunk line is government owned, Kobe to Yokohama, & the carriages are not so good. Nara is a charming place & evidently a sacred place & pilgrimages are made to it. There were crowds about that day visiting temples, & a holy hill they ascended. I viewed the great Diahutsu Temple[4] (see Ency.), tremendous figure of the idol & also lesser idols. There is here also a very large park & lots of deer as tame as sheep. No one harms them, but religiously feed them with hand. Also a lovely sacred lake full of gold fish. These they feed also. Food sold at its edge for the purpose. [3:81] Here also is a very fine museum full of idols &c., & also a department full of the China war trophies. The building is very pretty new & quite European in style. Magnificent trees are abundant.
I had tiffin in a Japanese hotel. I prefer European to it, I assure you. I spent 3 hours here, well spent too. Then I took train for Osaka, 1 ½ hours’ ride & here is a place of commercial importance, I suppose the greatest manufacturing place in Japan, & to see the chimney stacks every where smoking & steaming, you could fancy yourself in the north of England, & all has come into existence recently. Quite a Leeds, busy everywhere, streets fairly good, no pathway. Shops line the streets, all open fronts, iron works, engine works, & factories for every industry here. Depend upon it, Japan is a country coming rapidly to the front. Travellers say also that their characteristics are altered greatly since their victory & they rather despise the foreigner now, & not so mannerly as they once were, rather disposed to be offensive. Personally, I can’t say. I got along fine the short while I was about. I left Osaka at 5 & got back to Kobe at 6, & did enjoy the 2 days. All tell me that if you see Kioto, you see a [3:82] typical Japanese city & life exactly. I saw no change in style at any of the 4 places there about, & Nagasaki fairly represented these 4. I went on board & did not return to the shore till next day. (By the way, Carl Hertz gave 3 nights’ entertainment at Kobe. The officers went, so did I on the Monday night, & it made a nice break after a wet day on board.)
On Thursday, I went ashore to view about & bought 5 ½ doz. photos, which you will get very likely by this same mail. I posted them at Kobe, but I think we have the mails on board. The “Coromandel” P&O take [sic] them home from Hong Kong on our arrival. Then I went at 12:15 to Mr. Barden’s. He keeps a trap & 2 horses, 1 saddle, 1 harness. He drove me to his house. After tiffin, he had to go to the rice dressing mills, & drove me there about 2 ½ miles to Hiogo,[5] the ancient part of Kobe, & hundreds are employed cleaning & dressing rice. He represents Samuel & Co., the great tank oil steamer owners. Grey[6] built 3 for them & Mr. Bardens was at W. H’pool 2 or 3 years ago, & christened the “Pecton”[7], [sic] & he stayed at Mrs. Samuel’s. He knows Joel & Mark. Mr. Bardens is married, no family, has a nice house, Jap style, & nice bit [sic] garden.
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It was about 3:30 when we got back to his office & as we were to sail soon, I went on board. We did not get away till 7 o’clock, 3 hours late. No work on Monday caused this. The previous night, Wednesday, about 11 o’clock, the big 4 master, her name I did not get, took fire. She had case oil in her hold & had to be run aground & scuttled. I did not hear the fire bell. I had been to[o] sound asleep, else she was not ¾ mile from us, so I saw her next morning near shore. I think her deck would be above water. She is a monster & had been a passenger steamer converted into a sailer, straight steamer bow: looked very odd. We got away at 7, as I said, but had not been long out till we got into a dense fog & anchored 8 hours, bell going all night. It lifted at 9. We set off & the following morning had to anchor again in the inland sea of Japan for 7 hours, only getting to Nagasaki on Saturday night at 7, raining in torrents. We did little, being late, so left at 12 o’clock for Hong Kong & now we are so late that I have reason to fear I shall miss the Australian steamer. We should have been in Hong Kong about 4 this morning & we can’t possibly arrive before 6pm.
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We’ve had a moderately fine passage since leaving Nagasaki. It rained very heavily all Tuesday night! What a number of birds has hung around the ship these past 2 days: swallows, gulls, fly catchers, sand pipers, & yesterday a flock of albatross. We caught a few swallows & fly catchers. They were quite exhausted, so they were fed & watered and sent off. It is very hot this Wed. morning, quite a change, & all officers are in whites. It will be very hot at Hong Kong as the hot season has [sic] set in before we left. We have put the clock back an hour, all but 12 minutes since leaving Kobe. The sea is a very beautiful blue. The China coast quite close & hundreds of fishing craft are close about us.
The crew were all turned out on Tuesday forenoon for fire & boat exercise, hoses all tried &c. Hoses are fixed every evening before dark to be in readiness & one boat has a lamp put in at 6 night & all made ready for emergency. Our position since leaving Kobe has been:
Lat. N. Long. E. Run
5th Thursday left Kobe 7 p.m.
6 noon 34.17 132.32 92
7 ” 33.41 129.57 206 91 to Nag.
8 ” 31.17 127.58 130
9 ” 28.39 123.43 272
10 ” 25.10 119.46 291
11 ” 22.32 115.26 293
Leaving to Hong Kong 74 knots 12 per hour.
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I will post at Hong Kong tomorrow & may add if any thing special occurs. I hope may get away. Another young man on board is anxious to get same steamer but I have given up hopes. The next one goes about the 18 or 20th & she is a slow boat, however, I will go in her should I miss the “Australia” [sic]. There is only 6 passengers, all 1st class, so we are quiet.
I tried a sheet, page 78, with pencil. I may use pencil hereafter. I haven’t a good one here. It is too hard & cuts into the tissue, but you will easily read it if pencil written. I keep very well, I am thankful to say. My stomach must be stronger as it does not trouble me & I never have pain. This is cause for gratitude if nothing else. Oh, what this stomach of mine has cost me in the way of pain & sleeplessness these past years. It is like a new life to me & I hope I have fairly got the better of it. I shall soon have to write to Mr. Nesbit at Vancouver to tell him to retain all letters he may receive for me, as it is possible he may not have heard from Mr. Bolus about me going there. Also I will write Sarah Fo[r]ster for some information about [3:86] getting to Simcoe from Toronto.
6 bells has just gone which means 11 o’clock a.m. Should I be detained in Hong Kong many days, Frank may arrive during the time. I wrote Mr. Leask’s cousin from Nagasaki to Yokohama & he replied. I got his letter on our arrival at Nagasaki last Saturday night. It was brought on board. He was sailing for Newchang then onto Hong Kong & Canton, & he hoped to see me. I hope we may meet.
Mary will likely have gone to Berwick or going today, as Kate’s rents will fall due tomorrow. I know she will manage all famously & return to W. H’pool safely. Maybe you are going with her, if so wisely. By the way, I will post 1 spool of films for development. Japan is unsuitable for films, it appears, so I bought rather than snap & spoil.
We did not get ashore at Nagasaki on our return passage: too late at night & too wet. As we passed the quarantine station, we commented on our unfortunate experience. We were not examined coming from Japan, where no infection exists. We were thankful. I have a letter for Willie & one for Albion to post at Hong Kong.
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[1] Japan and China fought the first Sino-Japanese War during 1894 and 1895, primarily over control of Korea.
[2] Sir William Armstrong. Founded Elswick Engine works at Newcastle-upon-Tyne which at first built cranes, bridges and engines but then went on to manufacture guns especially the “Armstrong” breach loading gun.
[3] Ancient capital of Japan (710 – 784 AD)
[4] Todaiji Temple, housing Daihutsu, the world’s largest bronze statue of Buddha.
[5] On the western shore of the bay of Osaka, adjoining the foreign settlement of Kobe.
[6] William Gray & Co., Shipbuilders, West Hartlepool.
[7] Probably SS Picton, built 1887 by Edward Withy & Co., West Hartlepool. Lost 1899.