The five members of the crew of a amban who survived the journey in an open boat, driven by a terrific gale-for weeks, which landed them on the coast of California on July 18, returned to Japan on the Grh instant, on the P.M.S. China, says the japan Advertiser.'
The circumstances do not seem to impressed the American auties very much, and lead to the impression that the Ame-idas were inclined to believe that the men had been smuggled into the States in some way and had told a "fairy tale" about the voyage of hardship from the fishing grounds of Jo to the fortified cost of California near San Diego. That the Japanese officials have learned sufficient yo convince them that the story of the men true may be judged from the fact that they will not be prosecuted for attempt to srouggle themselves into America. At any rate the men are back in Japan and their story told to the officials at Yokohama harbour can be taken for what it is worth.
The spokesman informed the har-hour officials that they left their homes in Yehime prefecture, and reached a_ point off the south-east coast outside Tokio Bay, on June 3. On that day there blew up @ terrific storm and the vessel became unmanageable. The boat they occupied was a sampan with two masts and an auxiliary after mast. It was about 38 ft. in length, and carried provisions and water to last the crew a fortnight.
The tempest snapped the after mast and disabled the rudder, and a temporary rudder was rigged up to keep the boat in the wind. Living on fish they were enabled to catch and rain water, the crew managed to keep alive for forty days, when in @ storm they were thrown on to rocks, and managed to escape death by bressting the breakers and reach-jing @ strange Jand. They resptred
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.