A most graceful act was performed in London on July 31 when the Board of Admiralty presented, to Prince Shimadzu, the Japanese Naval Attache in London, a por trait of the late Admiral Sir Archibald Douglas, to be bung in. the Imperial Japanese Naval College at Etajima, To many, this may not mean anything much, but behind this act of courtesy is a tribute to the man who really was the founder—the Japanese call him. the father—of Japan's present-day, efficient Navy. Admiral Douglas, then Commander, arrived in Japan in July, 1873, in charge of -the second British" naval mission to Japan. The French were the first to arrange for the serviess of naval mission to this countr the year following the bomitardment of Kagoshima by the British fleet, but a mission under, the late Sir Richard Tracey—the first British naval mission to Japaa replaced the French instructors. This mission, however, could not do much, owing to the outbreak of the restoration movement, although was instrumental in helping the future Japanese Navy in at least one important branch of naval science—namely, hydrography.
On the arrival of Commander! Douglas and his subordinates, and under their guidance, the drill at! the slewly-founded naval college in Tokyo—afterwards moved to Eta lima on the Inland Sea—was mo-dolled on that of the British Gunnery School, and instruction, both theoretical and practical,' was given in navigation, tactics, gunnery, and other essential subjects according to British methods. The Douglas mission was the first to chart the Inland Sea and, in M. S. Sylvia, to make a survey of the coast-line of Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's bigger islands, and the adjacent islands. Commander Douglas retuned to England two years later, but. the mission carried on, Lieutenant C. W. Jones, one of the instructors at the 'Imperial Japanese Naval College (who, in' the meantime had received promotion) succeeding him as Director of the College, Com-wander Jones, however, after hokd-ing his post for about 18 months, fell ill and died on January 22, 1877, and was buried in Yokohama
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.