Description
- Abstract:
- Portion of framed scroll, dated 1854 according to the Preservation Society of Newport County; executed by Japanese artists to document Commodore Matthew Perry's opening of trade with Japan.
- Notes:
- Owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County.
- Translation (right to left): 1. PASSENGER CAR: - numbered 3 [the character for room is written on it]. Locomotive is called stoom wagon [misspelling of steam]. The three vehicles are shown connected and move along the rails by means of steam. The speed is like an arrow. I regret that it is hard to describe in detail because it moves so fast. Therefore, I just give a rough sketch of it. The rails are of iron and slightly grooved so that the wheels can run along them. 2. THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH MACHINE: Over the machine there is a message in dot and dash code. Explanation tells that there are two machines and one is placed 1 or 2 cho away from the other so that messages can be sent back and forth. Three wires are shown on the diagram: Wire A is tied to the machine and receives the message. Wire B goes into the hot water [this is below the machine and term "hot water" must mean the acid]. Wire C goes into the ground. Wire D is mentioned but is not shown. It is used for sending the messages. The two wheels for winding the paper are made of brass. The object hanging below the machine is made of iron. The square container is made of tin. [1 cho is 360 feet or 109 meters. 1 ken is 6 feet]. 3. MISCELLANEOUS PICTURES: American Courier Barge - length is 2 jo, or 10 shaku. Rudder. Barge - broadside view. Oar - 9 shaku in length. Hole for oar. Mid-ship section of barge [tipped sideways]. Barge - looking directly down on planking. Detail of the oar hole from inside barge. Close up of bow of Barge.
Access Conditions
- Rights
- No Copyright - United States
- Restrictions on Use
- Collection is open for research.
Citation
"Train cars, parts, ship structures"
(1854).
Perry in Japan: a visual history.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:304924/
Relations
Collection:
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Perry in Japan: a visual history
Materials for use in cross-cultural evaluation of Perry's encounter with the Japanese....