JAPAN. 



n-piuliati-d bj the Peking Government. His 

 representations at least such of tlu-m as 

 pointed to tin- expediency of recognizing the 

 convctnesM of tlio position tnken by Japan 

 sot aside, and tbo attitude assumed by 

 Cliiiui grew to be so threatening that it was 

 found ( -\pedient to send two representatives 

 to <lillereiit points to arrange for the settle- 

 ment of the growing complications on a com- 

 mon basis. The first of these, the American 

 (leiieral I.o Gendre, the only foreigner upon 

 whom hijjh Japanese rank has ever been con- 

 tViTi'cl, was dispatched to discuss affairs with 

 the authorities of Fo-Kien. General Le Gendre, 

 while in pursuance of bis mission, was arrested 

 by order of the United States officials in China, 

 for aiding in an attack upon a power at peace 

 witli the United States, and was sent toShang- 

 liai for trial. At Shanghai he was immediate- 

 ly released, but the moment for his work had 

 passed, and he joined the later commissioner, 

 Okubo, an official of very high station, who 

 had been sent directly to Peking. These gentle- 

 men arrived at Tien-tsin on the 2d of Septem- 

 ber, and reached Peking on the 10th. The first 

 conference took place on the 13th. At this 

 introductory interview the objects of the mis- 

 sion were clearly set forth. 



For a few days after the commencement of 

 the discussions, the foreign ministers gave no 

 indication of a desire to take part in the pro- 

 ceedings; but soon the British minister in Pe- 

 king, Mr. Wade, who appeared to be in close 

 communication with the Chinese authorities, 

 expressed a desire to learn from the Japanese 

 the precise nature of their functions and the 

 progress they were making. This information 

 they refused to impart. The reason for the re- 

 fusal was not withheld. The very first demand 

 put forward by Okubo was an acknowledg- 

 ment of the correctness of the statements made 

 by Soyezima, former embassador at Peking, 

 as to the denial by the Tsung li Yamen (Min- 

 istry of Foreign Affairs at Peking) of Chi- 

 nese authority over the savages of Formosa, 

 and of the propriety of the action taken by the 

 Japanese Government on the strength of those 

 statements. This had not been conceded, and 

 so long as the question of veracity between the 

 two Governments remained unsettled, the ne- 

 gotiations could not take such a shape as would 

 justify the Japanese commissioners in reveal- 

 ing their purport. Mr. Wade confined himself 

 to getting information from Chinese sources, 

 and he admitted that China had not made good 

 her claim to Formosa, although he had himself 

 been for years fixed in the belief that the claim 

 existed and could be substantiated. His chief 

 concern, naturally, was in regard to English 

 commerce, which he knew would be endan- 

 gered in case of war. Under his superintend- 

 ence he said that he had felt obliged, or should 

 feel obliged, to telegraph home for armed sup- 

 port. When this circumstance was communi- 

 cated to the chief Japanese commissioner, he 

 is understood to have remarked that it was 



the best thing Mr. Wade could do. The con- 

 'CB continued for nearly a month, without 

 practical results. It was noticeable that tin; 

 ( liiiicse never once alluded to the shipwrecked 

 I.iii-Kliiuans as tli--ir subjects a point which 

 they had endeavored to gain in some of their ear- 

 lier documentary assertions. However, they 

 steadfastly declined to admit that they had ever 

 acknowledged the right of an outside nation to 

 deal directly with the savages, or that Japan 

 was justified in her course. The Japanese 

 were ready with the defense and justification 

 of their actions; but the Tsung li Yamen had 

 nothing to say, beyond the endless iteration of 

 their desire that the troops should be ordered 

 away from Formosa. At last, on the 10th of 

 October, an ultimatum was sent to the Chinese, 

 in which a definite reply was demanded, in 

 default of which the Japanese commissioners 

 would retire. It was afterward discovered 

 that the Emperor was absent from the capital, 

 and that Prince Kung was in attendance upon 

 him, so that a delay was inevitable. The im- 

 perial party returned on the 14th, and on the 

 15th, at noon, an answer was received, which 

 showed a decided inclination to bring the mat- 

 ter to a satisfactory end. Another meeting 

 was arranged for the 18th, at Okubo's apart- 

 ments, in which the Chinese, though still ex- 

 pressing a desire to avoid discussing the ques- 

 tion of their right to Southern Formosa, said 

 they were willing to acknowledge that they had 

 been negligent, and offered a sum of money as a 

 compensation for the slaughter of the Liu-Khiu- 

 ans. This appearing to be a step in advance, 

 the Japanese declared their willingness to re- 

 open the discussions; but on the 19th a note 

 came from the Yamen, stating that a difficulty 

 had arisen, and they could not now undertake 

 to carry through the settlement in the way 

 they had themselves suggested. Before any 

 expression was given to the vexation caused 

 by this new evasion, a plan was brought for- 

 ward by an English employe of the Chinese, 

 Mr. Hart, the Inspector-General of Customs. 

 This gentleman appeared to hold very liberal 

 opinions in regard to the rights of all con- 

 cerned, and his representations at this junc- 

 ture produced a strong impression, for on the 

 20th the Yamen avowed a willingness to adopt 

 his advice, and offer a sum of money, not as 

 an indemnity, bat as a compensation for public 

 works undertaken by the Japanese in South- 

 ern Formosa, improvements of roads and build- 

 ing of houses, and as a gratuity to the soldiers 

 who accompanied General Saigo. They would, 

 however, not embody the financial question in 

 their proposed convention, but would only give 

 a verbal promise to pay at some period after 

 Japan should have withdrawn her soldiers 

 from Formosa. It was urged that a written 

 pledge of this sort would be deeply humiliating 

 to China, and that the word of honor of the 

 Yamen ought to be taken as sufficient. Okubo 

 declared that he had no wish or design to hu- 

 miliate China, but he could not go so far as to 



