its
truth.

After our arrival at the inn we had to wait a very long time for the
steamer I had ordered. On this account I thoughtlessly enough broke
out in reproaches on my excellent Japanese adjutants, who, however,
received my hard words only with friendly smiles, which increased
still further my impatience at the loss of time which was thus
occasioned. It was not until far on in the day, when I was already
out dredging from a small steamer, that I was informed as to the
cause of the delay. The Biwa Steamship Company had, at the request
of the Governor, intended to place at my disposal a very large boat
well provided with coal, but after taking the coal on board it had
sunk so deep that it grounded in the mud of the harbour. We had
already got far out with the little steamer when the large one at
last got off. I was now obliged to exchange vessels in order to be
received "in a more honourable way." It was not until this took
place that I was informed that I was guest and not master, on which
account I was obliged to employ the rest of the afternoon in
excusing my former violent behaviour, in which, with the help of
friendly words, beer, and red wine, I succeeded pretty well, to
judge by the mirth which soon began to prevail among my now very
numerous Japanese companions.

On the little steamer I had ordered two of my crew whom I had
brought with me from the _Vega_ to prepare a meal for the Japanese
and ourselves. In this way the dinner that had been arranged for us,
without my knowledge, became superfluous. I was obliged instead to
receive as a gift the provisions and liquors purchased for the
dinner, consisting of fowls, eggs, potatoes, red wine and beer,
giving at the same time a receipt as a matter of form.

During our excursion on the lake we met with various boats laden
with sea-weed, which had been taken up from the bottom of the lake
to be used as manure for the neighbouring cultivated fields. Partly
among these algae, partly by dredging, Lieut. Nordquist collected
various interesting fresh-water crustacea (Paludina, Melania, Unio,
Planorbis &c.,) several sorts of shrimps (a Hippolyte) small fishes,
&c. Lake Biwa abounds in fish, and harbours besides a large
clumsily-formed species of lizard. In order to make further
collections of the animal forms occurring there, Lieut. Nordquist
remained at the lake till next day. I, on the other hand, went
immediately back to Kioto, arriving there in the evening after