n 1855 the
King of Holland presented a steam corvette to the Tycoon. In this year
the now familiar Japanese ensign--a red ball on a white ground--was
introduced, and has since remained the national flag.

On the arrival of Lord Elgin in Japan on a mission in 1857 a sailing
vessel at Nagasaki was flying the flag of an Admiral of the Japanese
Navy. In the same year a steam yacht was presented to the Tycoon by
the late Queen Victoria, and was formally handed over to the Japanese
Government by Lord Elgin. His secretary relates that the yacht got
under way, commanded by a Japanese captain and manned by Japanese
sailors, while her machinery was worked by Japanese engineers. The
secretary, in his account of the incident, relates that
"notwithstanding the horizontal cylinders and other latest
improvements with which her engines were fitted, the men had learnt
their lesson well, and were confident in their powers, and the yacht
steamed gallantly through and round the Fleet, returning to her
anchorage without a hitch." This authoritative statement ought to
dispose of the absurd story which has long been a chestnut among the
English community in Japan and the English naval officers on the China
station, that when the old Confederate Ram, the _Stonewall Jackson_,
was purchased in America and brought to Yokohama a somewhat ludicrous
incident occurred. According to the story, which, I may observe, is
one of the _ben trovato_ order, when steam was got up in the vessel
for trial purposes it had to steam round and about Yokohama Harbour,
to the great danger of the foreign warships and merchant steamers
there, until the steam was in due course exhausted and the machinery
automatically stopped through the lack of any motive power to drive
it, as the Japanese engineer in charge did not know how to shut off
steam. The _Stonewall Jackson_, I may observe, did not take part in
the now almost forgotten battle of Hakodate, which took place at the
time of the Revolution, and may be regarded as the expiring effort of
old Japan to stay the march of events in that country. In the battle
of Hakodate the rebel fleet was totally destroyed, and the various
clans in the country who possessed war-vessels of one kind or other
presented them to the central Government. These vessels, it must be
confessed, were not of much, if any, utility in the direction of
forming a Navy, and I am not aware how many of them, or indeed whether
any of them, were utilised fo