Thursday, April 21st, 1898, SS Rohilla, Nagasaki, Japan

Nagasaki Harbour, Thursday morning, April 21/98, 9:30.

We arrived in the harbour at 8:30 this morning & every soul on board was summoned on deck to undergo examination before the mails or anyone was permitted to leave the ship & most unfortunately one of the crew has either fever or plague, & the result is we are to be put into quarantine. 4 Japanese doctors were the examiners. 3 of them have gone ashore, one remains on board, & we can’t ascertain how long we are to be detained until the report comes from ashore. The seaman will be taken to the quarantine island. We all feel grieved as we cannot land. Neither can the mails be removed for a time & then they with any letters we send ashore will undergo fumigation.

The Captain is very much vexed. It’s a serious matter to the ship & all on board. How very uncertain one’s movements become through events quite unexpected. I shall give you full particulars how we proceed after events transpire.

Nothing of any interest & worth recording has occurred since I left off writing on Monday. Tuesday was a very pleasant day but towards night a change was apparent & during the night we began to roll & pitch a bit, & this increased, & the sea has been angry right up till our arrival here. I kept my bunk all yesterday [3:55] & saved my self any sickness, & took my food with regularity. I passed a very comfortable day & read most of it, & this morning I feel very fresh & well, & I find some of the other passengers wisely took the same measures as I had done.

It is a very beautiful morning in this lovely land locked harbour. Oh, it is a beautiful picture: rich green hills, mostly cultivated & the dotted islands all around lend a charming beauty to the harbour. We will, I fear, be very tired confined on board when we see the town so close & can’t get to it, however, there’s no alternative but to submit.

While I remember, tell Andrew he can get a pair of cycling knickers if he hasn’t already got a pair & Willie will send him the cost. Also I did not tell you that while in Hong Kong I saw a military funeral, & conducted exactly as at home, only it was at 5 p.m. here, & one of the days was a great fété day with the native seamen. It was the Goddess of Sailors’ birthday & great were the decorations on all the native craft, & crackers going off all day & night, & here & there the day before & after, almost every native had a handful of crackers & threw them every & any where, & they made a great temple worship day of it also processions.

[3:56]

Since leaving Hong Kong our position daily was as follows

Lat. N.              Long. E.           Run

April 17            22.32                115.26              76

18                    25.2                  119.40              281

19                    28.9                  123.31              279

20                    31.04                127.28              270

leaving 162 knots to Nagasaki, where we dropped anchor about 8:30 a.m. now the ship is just moving off to an isolated place, how long for we know not.

It is now just 1 o’clock & we fear 8 days’ quarantine will be enforced, & we may have all to be fumigated as well as the ship. The mails are going to be taken off very soon. The launch is along side, so I will send this away. It will have to be fumigated also when it reaches shore. Tiffin bell has just gone: 1 p.m. Now good day to you all & warmest love. I am sorry about this quarantine as it will spoil my chances of seeing as much of Japan as I had expected.

[3:57]