When Commodore Perry opened Japan to the West, the U.S. Navy sent a surveying expedition to the North Pacific. The officers of that expedition, 1853-1856, recounted their experiences, and especially their dealings with the Japanese, in vivid and outspoken letters which are here reproduced for the first time. Entertaining reading, as well as important naval and diplomatic history. Originally published in 1947. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.