ARREN3ÎIX
B.
■ J-vIh. thé: year 1816,’.'the English' obtained a grant from the Ehïperor,!containing’the,
privileges for a- gfeneràl. trade with 'Japan, invconsequence ) of which' a commercial
establishment was formed there by the Company..
. ' In obtaining those privileges,- one great object, with the Company appears to have
- been fô introduce themselves .to a connection with the OhinClC,iand to carry on a general
trade, between India^-China; and Japan ; but finding themselves disappointed in their
endeavours- to ;form connections, with China, and sustaining heavy losses inconsequence
ot their trade with Japan, they determined, in 1623, to abandon their establishment
theKei-’ *;
From that time.until the year 1678, no attempt appears to have-been-made-by . the
English Company to renew their intercourse withiJapian.' »The attempt made at that
period entitely foiled o f suceess, owing, it was stated, to the EihgPofi'ihigland-having
married -a daughter bf the King of Portugal. About the same timbthef Company)
with a view to the same object,- formed an establishment-»ont the 'Island’ of Hounan
but after struggling’ With great difficulties, sustaining heavy-losses; and being totally)
disappointed in their expectations of communicating with Japap,»-the' factory was
ordered to be withdrawn in the year 1682.. ■
At a subsequent period (in the year 1699) the'company having established^ regular
communication with China, théir supra-cargoes wore:instructed to lise every endeavour
in their power to promote an intercourse with Japan,, for the purpose oft introducing
woollens, &c. into that country, but without any appearance ofsu'ceess-if
' A- sélect -committee of the East-Iridia Company,- appointed in -092 :to-' takediSto
consideration : the : export trade of.-Great Britain, to; thé East-Indies; afterfdetallin’g
the'cargo Of a Dutch ship from- Japan in the. year -1664).-) which 'rcohsi§!ed'’principaliyi of
• copper;-camphor,’ silk stufis, and China-ware j conclude their-.report by robserVing,
that in their opinion, thé ‘trade with Japan never can :become»an objeebofiattention
for the manufactures and produce !of; Gdedt Britain ; lor supposing, they.>?obBerve-,- that
' woollens, lead, and curiosities for a cargo to Japan,- could be made to amount to
sé’SjOOO, what is to be required in payment! About ^3O,0QO of jÉ?32j000 V-àîué fin
copper, an article which is also the produce of Great 'Britain1, and which mast be
disposed of in India, to tfie prejudice of their own mines. ( Thus Great Britain would
gain on the one hand jé’BOOO, whilst the loss on the other would be ^32,000.
This opinion, however, would appear to have been formed on a very’ partial view
of the subject, and with reference to the limited nature bf the trade as it then existed ;
but
ce The, yearly ejnbassiçs, which are so ■ very:expensive, are already dispensed with by the' Japa,ngse, aiid as
tc theyTYPuld he,useful from time to timer it might be advisable to-obtain permission, for tiie.jfi^turg,/
“ perform them only once ip every ten years, or to have it fixed fqr capTi new resident o r consul to undertake
* .i t opeg during Ms, stay.
‘‘ .lit yyill not^be. easy to ..obtain any other privileges or freedom p f consequence, for whatever some; of
“ our lâttpr servants there, n^ay have wanted to mahe us, believe on this p o in ta it is very p e l ^ s -f$p the .Japanese
f‘ are veiy indifferent whether we go there or not, and consider their ’permittfqg. u.s flo do so merely as^an
indulgence on^their pa)$. I t cannot ,be. doubted, that as soon as this trade isvl ppened | | individuals,. they
e< will fihtl means to make the profits of . i t worth the risk and danger j and ip • proportion .a? these profits
bècdme more.valuable,' the vaine of tnd îxeênses w ilt increase,”— ,
but it would be as unfair to-judge pf the-valiie o f the. Jaffa» trade to the British nation . APPENDIX
from this narrow view, as it would be to decide upon that subject- merely, from the _ ~
result of the adventures to Japan undertaken during the recent provisional government Japan Trade,
of Batavia, which, besides other disadvantages, * were for political reasons, carried on
With; a scrupulous regard to the restrictions under which the trade of the Dutch had
latterly laboured.
It:is objected to, 4: direct compti.unica.tion with Japan, atfd the consequent :exportation
of British merchandize by British ships, that ip all probability it would entirely put a
stop to the present exportation of woollens by the Chinese, and that, in proportion as
jthe exporjfcfram:Great Britain”to Japan increased, ‘those froro-jGreat Britain to China
'might be-expected to diminish; the Jaganese being, at present, almost exclusively
.supplied With JBritish woollens by mhans o f the Chihesev thaf, however,‘‘the demand^
ifbr teas wouM continue jhej.same; .and therefore the defalcation in exports to ‘China
.jnust be made up in, bullion, ■ or by drafts on Bengal.
I t is admitted, that the Bengal government might provide for this additional
demand, by disposing of the copper broughtfrom Japan in the Calcutta market; but
this, it is stated, .would prove a considerable check to the consumption of one of'the
Tnost valuable Articles of .export from Groat Britain, and~therefore it.- lias -been r
Inferred,' that the* final result offhe... trade with Japan would;' irtHMl“ probability, be’
Jtbe exchange of onr woollens'toi^ copper, which we have alreadyjyn abundance,
instead of bartering .them for teas,, which in the present-state .of -Great Britain will be
railways required. -
But tbisf argument seems' eyidently «»’’have been grounded on- a supposition, that
jcopper>must always form the principal, if not only artijdfe of;cpinmerce with Japan.
An inference by no means borne out by the history of the Dutch trade, in the course _ I
of which it is expressly stated by the Baron Van Imhoff, who appears to have .given ,
the subject the most mature and deliberate consideration, and to have been aided by
Tinuch local information, , that the Japanese would willingly pay a sum of money to be
lexcused from the delivery of any copper at all.
\ But admitting that a connection between Great Britain' and Japan • might not bet :
attended with all the commercial profits which might be expected from a consideration •
of tte productions of the two countries, Would it not, in a political-point of-view, be
of the most essential imj5i>rtafice to her interests in.China, which are acknowledged by
all to be so important? Might we not expect'from the Chinese a more-respectful and
correct conduct than has been customary with them, if they knew .that we were in some
measure independent of our connection with them ? and is it not important, that in
.lease of our actual exclusion from China, there should still be a channel - open for our
Obtaining commodities, with which we are at present supplied by that country ?