イギリス公使オールコックは、長崎から江戸まで、陸路を旅しています。
同行したのは、オランダ使節団の長、デ・ウィットでした。
東海道で大名行列に道を譲ったときのことを、オールコック自身が書き残しています。
The British Minister, Rutherford Alcock, travelled overland from Nagasaki to Edo.
With him went the head of the Dutch Mission, de Wit.
Alcock himself wrote down what happened when they gave way to a daimyo's procession on the Tokaido.
四日目に、一行は東海道へ入りました。
それからは毎日、大名行列の一つ二つと行き会います。
たいていは何事もなく、睨む者もいましたが、多くは、こちらと同じように黙って行き過ぎました。
ある日、オールコックとデ・ウィットは、護衛をはるか後ろに置いて、並んで馬を進めていました。
角を曲がると、大きな行列が道を埋めています。
二人は道の片側に寄り、一列になりました。
それを見た先頭の役人は、たちまち威張り出し、行列の全体に、道いっぱいに広がるよう合図します。
遠慮と礼儀で得たものは、無礼な下役に溝へ突き落とされる危険だけだった、とオールコックは書いています。
彼は、この箇所に脚注を付けました。
先ごろ街道で起きた、薩摩侯の家中、家来たちによる襲撃は、自分たちが道で冒していた危険についての不吉な註釈だ。
事情があまりにもよく似ている、と。
On the fourth day they struck into the Tokaido.
From then on, each day they met one or two processions of daimyo.
As a rule nothing happened. Some scowled, but most passed on their way, as the two of them did, without a word.
One day, Alcock and de Wit were riding side by side, having left their escort far behind.
As they turned a corner, a large procession was filling the road.
The two drew to one side of the road and went in single file.
No sooner did the leading officer see this than he began to swagger, and signalled the whole train to spread across the entire road.
"All we gained by our consideration and courtesy," Alcock wrote, "was to run the risk of being pushed into the ditch by an insolent subordinate."
He added a footnote to this passage.
The recent attack on the high road by Prince Satsuma's people, he wrote, was "a sinister commentary on the chances we ran on the road."
"The circumstances were so closely parallel."
この話のもとになった記録の言葉です。ページは、その本に刷られたものです。
The Capital of the Tycoon, Vol. II（London: Longman, 1863）一次史料
On the fourth day we had struck into the ordinary route, and had the advantage of the fine sanded roads and park-like avenues of the Tocaido. And now each day we met one or more corteges of Daimios coming from the capital. As a general rule we had nothing to complain of ; if some of the principal officers and armed retainers scowled at us … the greater number passed on their way, as we did ours, without any expression of feeling or opinion.
Mr. De Wit and I were riding abreast and without any escort, having left them far behind, when, seeing rather a large cortege filling up the road as we turned an angle, we drew to one side of the road and went in single file.
No sooner did the leading officer observe the movement, than he instantly began to swagger, and motioned all the train to spread themselves over the whole road
so that all we gained by our consideration and courtesy, was to run the risk of being pushed into the ditch by an insolent subordinate.
The late savage and murderous attack on the high road by Prince Satsuma's people, is a sinister commentary on the chances we ran on the road, the circumstances were so closely parallel.
It so happened that the head of the Dutch Mission, Mr. de Wit, whose society could not fail to be a pleasure … had arranged to travel the road on this occasion with me.
antiquated tariffs of expenses established 200 years ago, for the special benefit of the Japanese officials, — by which some 3,000l. of Dutch money must have remained in their hands, after payment of the actual expenses of the journey. About 4,000l. was always charged, and the whole cost in this instance, though we were by no means exempt from extortion, did not amount to 500l. for Mr. de Wit and myself, with three gentlemen attached to the British Legation.
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