Following his service with the fleet blockading the Confederacy, Dr. Boyer was assigned to Japanese waters, arriving just after the outbreak of fighting be-tween the Shogun and the Emperor that accompanied the Meiji Restoration. His lively and detailed diary gives some unique eyewitness accounts of events during this struggle in addition to exciting descriptions of shrines and temples, volcanoes and other scenic wonders, shops and their fascinating wares, and Japanese life on all levels. Under the command of Alfred T. Mahan, he sailed as well into ports of China, Formosa, and the Philippines, everywhere capturing the color apd life in his articulate diary. No less than his earlier recollections, these memoirs add a singular contribution to our knowledge of the period.
