The shogunate expressed to Curtius in [[1853]] interest in constructing a modern Japanese navy. Curtius corresponded with the Netherlands, and the ''Soembing'' arrived at Nagasaki the following summer, where its crew engaged in some limited training exercises. In July 1855, Curtius proposed that the ''Soembing'' be given as a gift to the shogunate, and that its crew train some number of Japanese sailors more extensively, but only in conjunction with a broader formal treaty between the two countries. | The shogunate expressed to Curtius in [[1853]] interest in constructing a modern Japanese navy. Curtius corresponded with the Netherlands, and the ''Soembing'' arrived at Nagasaki the following summer, where its crew engaged in some limited training exercises. In July 1855, Curtius proposed that the ''Soembing'' be given as a gift to the shogunate, and that its crew train some number of Japanese sailors more extensively, but only in conjunction with a broader formal treaty between the two countries. |