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shot, and were served out twenty pounds weight of lead instead. They accordingly set to work to melt it into balls. There was only enough for two, and when they were made and carried down to the batteries, the Russian ships were already out of sight.
Soon after leaving Hakodate the Russian ships fell in with a war-junk which had left that port some days before with a reinforcement of twenty men for one of the Yezo settlements. It was commanded by Morishige Sachu, an officer who had the chief credit with the Hakodate garrison of the economical administration of affairs. Another officer was associated with him in command, but owing to a quarrel which they had about the best mode of fighting the Russians, Sachu’s colleague went ashore leaving him in sole command. On board this junk was a cannon throwing a shot of about five pounds, one jingall, ten matchlocks and about 300 pounds of powder. This was considered a very respectable equipment, and Sachu was much blamed for allowing his guns to remain in the hold and not mounting them in such a way as to be able to fight his junk properly. But Sachu probably followed the wisest course open to him. As soon as the Russians opened fire, he and his men got into their boats and made for the nearest land, leaving their junk to be rifled and burnt by the enemy. The Hakodate officials were so delighted with Sachu’s misadventures that it almost consoled them for the national loss which had been sustained. They were all agreed that he should have committed harakiri, and that if he had been a true samurai he would have done so.
We next hear of the Russians at Ruitaka a small settlement near the Kushunkotan in Saghalin. Here they burnt and pillaged as usual. There seems to have been no garrison in Saghalin at this time. The Matsumaye men had held it previously, but they had before this retired to Soya.
From Ruitaka the Russians crossed over to Rüshin a small island near the entrance to Soya harbour. Here they found four junks mostly laden with stores for the Soya garrison. These junks they rifled and burnt, carrying off
