Johnston Blakeley Creighton Papers Of particular interest are approximately thirty-six letters documenting a period of surveillance of the island of Japan. These letters all date from 1868, several years after Commodore Matthew Perry's famed expedition that opened up Japan to trade and study. All of the letters are addressed to Creighton. This general description was taken from a typescript summary that was included with the letters at the time of their purchase. This summary can be found with the letters and offers a more detailed explanation.