with a 6-gun sloop and a crew of 160.
As soon as the forts had been constructed and the merchant ships converted to men-of-war, the Japanese underwent a thorough course in gunnery as they lay in wait for their first victim. They had not long to wait. On the 25th of June an American merchantman, the steamship Pembroke, entered the straits enroute to Nagasaki and Shanghai from Yokohama. She carried a native pilot furnished by the Japanese government and her skipper had no suspicion of hostilities until suddenly fired upon by the Koshin ond the Kosei. The Pembroke escaped in the darkness retreating to the Pacific via the little-used Bungo channel. She disappeared so suddenly that the Japanese believed that they had sent her to the bottom and it was so reported at the American legation.
A couple of weeks later the French ship Kien-chang appeared at the straits and was immediately taken under fire. She was badly damaged and a number of her crew were killed, but she was able to make Nagasaki though in an almost sinking condition. Three days later the Medusa, a 16-gun steam frigate of the Dutch navy, entered the straits. She had not progressed far when she found herself subjected to concentrated fire from both ships and shore. The Dutchman kept up fire for half an hour but owing to his deep draught he dared not attack directly so gave it up and went his way. The Medusa had been hit 31 times and had suffered considerable damage, with nine casualties in her crew. Later a French gunboat, the Tancrède, was fired upon and damaged and a Satsuma steamer, mistaken for a foreign warship, was sunk. There was nothing wrong with Japanese gunnery!
On the 11th of July McDougal was informed of the supposed sinking of the Pembroke. He hastily put aboard stores and proceeded to the straits. McDougal had two Japanese pilots but was without a chart of the waters or plan of the batteries. However he did know the draught of the Koshin and he believed that the Wyoming could go into any shallow waters that were sufficiently deep for the ex-Lancefield. He was undoubtedly fully aware of the odds against him, and that in the event of defeat he would have no choice but to fire the magazine and destroy his ship and men. Even against these odds, McDougal's attack was no rash plunge and while it required nerve and courage it was carefully planned and skilfully executed. He knew his ship and had confidence in himself and his crew. With his decks cleared for action, he sailed boldly into the straits via the Bungo channel which is a sort of side entrance to the east of the islands.
Early in the forenoon the Wyoming rounded the Monshi promontory and came within sight of the town, the batteries and the three Choshiu ships. A welcoming shot fired at the Wyoming struck just above the engine room cutting away a windsail halyard. Quarters sounded and the hands took their places at the guns. The Japanese ships were just ahead. Kedge anchors hung from the Koshin's yardarms to be used as grappling irons when the Japanese closed to board. The Wyoming was still in the narrow channel but despite the protests of the frightened pilots who feared he would ground her, McDougal left the channel and headed straight for the three ships, one of which, the Koshin, had steam up and was preparing to move. As the American approached, the shore batteries opened fire. The Wyoming instantly replied and one of her broadsides completely destroyed a battery though the Americans were unaware of it at the time. As the Wyoming came abreast of the bark the latter fired a broadside, killing two American seamen. A marine was also killed by a shot from the Sennenji battery. The Wyoming con-
