First edition, the Senate Issue, of Perry's account of his historic voyage to Japan in command of a naval expedition which was to lobby the Japanese government to establish diplomatic relations with the United States. The resulting treaty in 1853 ensured better treatment by the Japanese authorities of shipwrecked seamen and permitted American ships to dock at two Japanese ports to refuel and to seek supplies. "The most important result… was that the visit contributed to the collapse of the feudal regime and to the modernization of Japan" (Hill).

First edition, the Senate Issue, of Perry's account of his historic voyage to Japan in command of a naval expedition which was to lobby the Japanese government to establish diplomatic relations with the United States. The resulting treaty in 1853 ensured better treatment by the Japanese authorities of shipwrecked seamen and permitted American ships to dock at two Japanese ports to refuel and to seek supplies. "The most important result… was that the visit contributed to the collapse of the feudal regime and to the modernization of Japan" (Hill).

"As one of the chief diplomatic achievements of the 19th century, the opening of Japan (by the treaty negotiated by Perry) will long make the name of Perry memorable. His expedition marked a departure in Occidental policy restricting Japan, in American policy respecting the Orient, and in Japanese policy respecting the Western world. In June 1855 Perry was ordered to Washington, where his chief duty for more than a year was the preparation of a report of his expedition, which was published by the government in 1856" (DAB).

As is more often the case, this copy does not contain the nude bathhouse plate in Vol. 1: this was not included in the list of illustrations and is lacking from most copies.

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