“ Com. Perry. There is no probability that sailors would want to go on
shore more than onee from curiosity; beside, they will have their daily
duties to attend to on board ship, and will not be able to go on shore.”
“ Japanese. We do not want any women to come and remain at Siraoda.”
. ; - , ; j >■
“ G<m. Perry. The probability is but few women will go there, and
they only the wives of the officers of the ships.”
“ Japanese. When you eome back from Matsmai we would like you to
settle the distance Americans are to walk. I t is difficult for us to settle the
distance.”
“ Com. Perry. Say the distance of seven Japanese miles in any direction
from the centre of the city of Simoda.”
u Japanese. Very well. A few miles will make no difference. You
are requested not to leave agents until after you have experienced that it is
necessary.”
“ Com. Perry. I am willing to defer the appointment of a consul or
agent one year or eighteen months from the date of signing the treaty; and
then, if my government should think it necessary, it will send one.”
In fact, not an article of the treaty was made but upon the most serious
deliberation by the Japanese. In answer to a question from Captain Adams
in the very first stages of the negotiation, they replied : “ The Japanese are
unlike the Chinese; they are averse to change; and when they make a compact
of any kind they intend it shall endure for a thousand years. For this
reason it will be best to deliberate and examine well the facilities for trade
and the suitableness of the port before any one is determined on.” Probably
nothing but the exercise of the most perfect truthfulness and patience would
ever have succeeded in making with them a treaty at a ll; and from the language
of one of their communications, it is obvious that, with characteristic
caution, they meant that their present action should be but a beginning of
intercourse, which might or might not be afterward made more extensive according
to the results of what they deemed the experiment. Thus they say:
“ As our ideas of things and what we each like are still very dissimilar, as
are also our notions of the prices or worth of things, this makes it indispensable
that we both first make a mutual trial and examination.” This shows
the spirit in which they negotiated. The treaty has already been laid before
the reader. A brief analysis of it is all that is here necessary. And it is to
be remarked first, that it evidently implies in its language and proper construction
future and more enlarged regulations as to commerce. Thus, in
article VI., it is declared: “ I f there be any other sort of goods wanted, or
any business which shall require to be arranged, there shall he careful deliberation
between the parties in order to settle such matters.” And again, in
article VII., “ I t is agreed that ships of the United States, resorting to the
ports open to them, shall be permitted to exchange gold and silver coin and
articles of goods for other articles of goods, under such regulations as shall
be temporarily established by the Japanese government for that purpose.”
In both these articles the Japanese substituted the word “ goods ” for “.merchandise,”
as from their ignorance of the customs and terms, used in foreign
trade, they did not know what might be included in the technical meaning
of the word “ merchandise; ” while “ goods ” had, to their minds, a well defined
and perfectly intelligible signification. The words “ shall be,” in the sixth
article, point to the probable necessity of futu/re treaty-making with us, to
“ settle” “ any business which shall require to be arranged.” This, it must
be remembered, was the first formal treaty they ever made on the subject of
foreign trade, at least since the expulsion of the Portuguese; and they evidently
meant to proceed cautiously by single steps. Again, in article VII.,
the word “ temporarily ” is used, inserted by them, and meant to imply some
future action toward a more complete commercial arrangement or treaty, for
which, at the present, they were not prepared. They meant, therefore, their
action to be initiative only now, but contemplating, prospectively, a more
enlarged commercial intercourse.
Secondly. There is observable throughout, the predominating influence
of the national prejudice against the permanent introduction of foreigners
among them. The word “ reside ” is but once used in the whole treaty, and
that in the eleventh article relative to consuls. The details of conferences,
already given, show how anxiously they sought to avoid having consuls at
all. Indeed, Commodore Perry says, “ I could only induce the commissioners
to agree to this article, by endeavoring to convince them that it would
save the Japanese government much trouble, if an American agent were to
reside at one or both of the ports opened by the treaty, to whom complaints
might be made of any mal-praetice of the United States’ citizens who might
visit the Japanese dominions.” They wanted no permanent foreign residents
among them, official or unofficial. This was shown most unequivocally
in the remark already recorded in one of the conferences: “ we do not
want any women to come and remain at Simoda.” Simoda was one of the
ports open for trade with u s; they knew that our people had I wives and
daughters, and that a man’s family were ordinarily resident with him in his
permanent abode, and that if the head of the family lived in Simoda as a
Japanese would live, there would certainly be women who would “ come and
remain at Simoda.” But more than this. I t will be remembered that the
Commodore had submitted to them our treaty with China, and they had
held it under consideration for a week, at the end of which time they said,
“ as to opening a trade, such as is now carried on by'Ohina with your country,
we certainly cannot yet bring it about. The Chinese have long had intercourse
with western nations, while we have had dealings at Nagasaki with
only the people of Holland and China.” Now what was “ such a trade” as
we carried on with China ? The Japanese read in our treaty that five ports