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the authority of a red seal permit issued by the shogun.
    One of the most influential foreigners during Japan’s first period of opening to the West, William Adams died in Japan on 16 May 1620, aged 56. His life story inspired the character of John Blackthorne in James Clavell’s Shogun .

Red Seal ship .
‘M Y FIN ’
    Following his injury from a musket-ball at Tenerife in 1794, Nelson’s right arm was amputated high up near the shoulder. The operation was performed without anaesthesia, and it is unlikely that he was given rum to dull the pain as alcohol was said to interfere with the clotting of the blood. Within a short time of the surgery he was issuing orders to his captains. The wound, however, took many months to heal as one of the ligatures used during the operation, which normally fell out after a few weeks, remained in the wound, causing continuing infection and intense pain.
    The surgeons who performed the amputation and the doctors and apothecaries who cared for Nelson received special payment; he was reimbursed £135 1s. 0d . for his medical expenses.
    Nelson sometimes experienced the sensation of a phantom arm. He nicknamed the stump his ‘fin’, and it was said that it twitched if he was agitated or angry. Officers would then warn: ‘The admiral is working his fin, do not cross his hawse.’
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Armless Jokes
    Nelson sometimes joked about his affliction. On his arrival in Great Yarmouth in November 1800 the landlady of the Wrestlers Arms asked permission to rename her pub the ‘Nelson Arms’ in his honour. ‘That would be absurd, seeing I have but one,’ he replied. And when, at a levée at St James Palace, George III referred to his having lost his right arm, Nelson came back swiftly, ‘But not my right hand,’ and, turning to one of his companions, told the king, ‘I have the honour of presenting Captain Berry.’
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S OME PASSENGER …
    Shortly after the Battle of Waterloo Napoleon Bonaparte surrendered – not to Wellington but to the captain of the ship that had dogged his steps for more than 20 years , HMS Bellerophon – ‘Billy Ruffian’ to her crew. The ship sailed for England and dropped anchor at Torbay on 24 July 1815. Every effort was made to keep the famous man’s presence a secret, and no one was allowed to come on board. However, a sailor dropped into the water a black glass bottle which was retrieved by some young boys in a small boat nearby. Inside the bottle was a rolled piece of paper with the electrifying message, ‘We have Bonaparte on board!’
    Once the word spread, the vessel was quickly surrounded by sightseers in anything that could float. Bonaparte even appeared on deck to greet the crowds. The British government was worried that the emperor might escape before they could work out what to do with him, so Bellerophon was hastily ordered to weigh anchor and sail to Plymouth, with its more secure harbour.
    Needless to say people thronged there; at the height of the madness 10,000 people boarded 1,000 boats in an attempt to get a view of the most famous man in the world. Several even drowned in the frenzy.
    The crew of Bellerophon hung notices over the ship’s side as to their famous guest’s movements: ‘In cabin with Captain Maitland’, ‘Writing with his officers’…
    Among the crowds were large numbers of pretty young women, naval officers, fashionably dressed ladies, red-coated army officers and smartly attired gentlemen. The men took off their hats respectfully when Napoleon showed himself, as he did every evening around 6 p.m. He commented on the beauty of the young ladies and appeared astonished by the size of the crowds.
    On 7 August Napoleon was transferred to HMS Northumberland for exile in St Helena, where he died in 1821.

Bonaparte was proclaimed First Consul for Life in 1802. He crowned himself Emperor Napoleon I in 1804 .
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    SWINGING THE LEAD – skiving to avoid work. DERIVATION : the depth of water under a vessel was measured by lowering