INTRODUCTION. 63 



Japanese have resolved that tlicy will raise an efficient army, and eqnip a navy, not composed 

 of junks, hut of vessels huilt after the European model. The restrictions on ship-building have 

 been removed, and already, since our treaty was signed, one vessel for commercial purposes has 

 been built and rigged like ours. The Japanese have heard, too, of the war in which Kussia is 

 at present engaged. The ini'ormation jiroduced intense excitement, and it was resolved by the 

 imperial council that treaties similar to that made with the United States should be made with 

 all nations seeking them. This opens Japan to the trade of the loorld. They knew, too, that 

 the British Admiral Stirling was seeking the Kussian vessels in the neighborhood of Japan, and 

 they were hence the more willing to make treaties with all, as the means of securing Japan from 

 aggression by any, and of enabling her to preserve, as she wishes, a strict neutrality. 



The visit of Eussia, however, led to no treaty. The squadron left Nagasaki on the 23d of 

 November, 1853, and returned to it early in 1854. It left again, after several fruitless interviews 

 with the Japanese authorities, on the 5th of February, and was absent until the 20th of April, 

 when it reappeared at Nagasaki, but remained until the 26th only, when it took its final departure. 



But other foreign powers have contributed as little to the success of our negotiations as Kussia 

 has. On the Yth of September, 1854, Admiral Stirling, in command of the English squadron, 

 arrived at Nagasaki, one purpose of his visit being to make a treaty, in which lie succeeded. 

 But the English never pretended that they facilitated our negotiations ; they may f)0ssibly have 

 indirectly derived some benefit from our success ; but we will not undertake to assert that they 

 did. We think that they are more indebted to the Japanese apprehension of Eussia's designs, 

 and to the fact of the war in which she is now engaged, than to anything else. We may, 

 indeed, by having induced the first departure from the long established rule to exclude all 

 foreigners but the Dutch and Chinese, have made it more easy to commence negotiation, but our 

 aid goes not beyond this accidental assistance. Of the precise terms of the English treaty it is 

 not here necessary to speak. One of the officers of Admiral Stirling thus speaks of it in a public 

 communication through the English newspapers: "The treaty now made with Japan contains 

 nothing about commerce, yet it ojiens the way and jirepares for future negotiation on this 

 important point." "It is highly probable that what has been done by Sir James Stirling 

 at Nagasaki may exceed in durability and value the work done at Yeddo by the Americans, 

 although that cost a special mission, and was heralded to the world with a very loud flourish of 

 trumpets indeed." 



To this pert outbreak of transparent envy, we have only to say we earnestly hope that when a 

 treaty is made which does say something '^ about commerce," it may prove both durable and 

 valuable to England ; and to add that we should be sorry to think such flippant impertinence as 

 is here exhibited is a common characteristic of British naval officers. From the brave we look 

 for "liigh thoughts seated in a heart of courtesy."* 



But the Dutch have claimed, and that by an official document, that they, in effect, did most 

 of our work for us. It is strange that a nation of which all Christendom has, for more than two 

 hundred years, supposed that it has sought uniformly to secure to itself a monopoly in the trade 

 of Japan, should venture, when their monopoly is destroyed, to stand fortli and say, in 

 substance, that they always lamented its existence and labored for its demolition. Has Christ- 

 endom been so long deceived? We fear the world will ask embarrassing questions. It will 

 say: "Did not the Dutch do what they could to drive out the Portuguese? Did not they assist 



•Since the above was written, intelligence has been received of a commercial treaty between England and Japan. 



