“We wish only to throw out a suggestion.”

In the same March 8, 1860 edition of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser announced the arrival of the U.S.S. Powhatan, the editors provided the following comments:

ONLY A SUGGESTION. Now that our distinguished Japanese visitors are here, would it not be a good idea for his Excellency the Minister of Foreign Relations to hatch up a treaty with their excellencies Simme-Bujen-no-kami and Muragake-Awage-no-kami, Ambassadors from the court of Yeddo, and Ministers Extraordinary from His Imperial Highness the Emperor of Japan. Such a document might be extorted from their excellencies quite as easily as from the numerous other agents of less rank, who have honored the Minister with their autographs. It seems especially important that our alliances with the “Flowery Empire” should be cemented by a bond of union a few yards longer than the last diplomatic effort, inasmuch as our commerce with that nation (we have just sent off a clipper bark to Kanagawa) has already assumed formidable proportions, and it is also a well known fact that our whalers call at Hakodadi for their potatoes. We wish only to throw out a suggestion.