The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-09-28 00:00:00

BANQUET TO THE JAPANESE
EMBASSY.

In London, on Tuesday evening, the Lord Mayor
and the Lady Mayoress entertained the principal mem-
bers of the Japanese Embassy now in this country, and
about 200 other guests, at a banquet in the Egyptian-
hall of the Mansion-house, which was served with all
the customary splendour. The names ef the Embassy
present were—the Ambassador Extraordinary, Shinji
T. Iwakura, Junior Prime Minister of Japan; Asso-
ciate Ambassadors Extraordinary, viz.. Jussanai T.
Kids, Privy Councilor; Jussami T. Okubo, Minister
of Finance; Juitrie H. Ito, Acting Minister of Pub-
lic Works; and Justrie M. Yamagutsi, Assistant
Minister of Foreign Affairs ; First Secretaries, viz.,
A. Shioda, Foreign Department, and G. Foukoutsi,
Treasury Department; second Secretary, T. Hyash,
Foreign Department; third Secretary, K. Soogiwoora,
Foreign Department ; and the Japanese Minister in
London (Terashima Alunenori), and his Secretary of
Legation (S. Kinzo). In attendance upon the Embassy
were Sir Harry Parkes, the British Ambassador in
Japan, General Alexander, e. 8., and Mr. G. Aston,
the interpreter to her Britannic Majesty's legation.
During dinner the band of the Coldstream Guards,
under Mr, F. Godfrey, played a fine selection of airs.
The Lord Mayor, having proposed the usual loyal
and constitutional toasts, said the English nation had
been always distinguished for its desire to obtain in-
formation relating to remote regions of the world. A
long time had elapsed since we first attempted to get
a knowledge of Japan. Fortunately we had men
associated with missions in China who were after-
wards asked to take part in investigations in relation
to the Japanese islands, and who so well performed
I the duties assigned to them, and so ingratiated them-
selves with the inhabitants with whom they came in
contact, that we now stood on a far better footing in
regard to Japan than to China which we knew 140 years
ago. Ile was not going to say anything of a laudatory
character in reference to the Japanese people; but he
would venture to say this (pointing to the Japanese
Ambassador on his tight) that the citizens of London
hailed with very great delight the advent of his Ex-
cellency in this country. Ho hoped that all our
countrymen to whom an opportunity had been afforded
bad received them in the cordial manner in which they
deserved to be received. lie had pail most marked
attention to everything that had occurred in Japan
during the last three or four years, and he could only
say, in common with most people probably who had in-
terested themselves on the subject, that the advance-
ment which had been made by the Japanese people in
that time was perfectly surprising. They were, first of
all, entirely unselfish, seeing that all the great men
in the country had abandoned privileges, power, and
revenue, and had given in their adhesion to a system
of government more consonant, as they believed,
with the existing state of things in that enor-
mously populated country. He had as his guest
that evening the Ambassador Extraordinary from
Japan, a man of great intelligence, as he was given
to understand, ant his Excellency was accom-
panied by those who were well able to assist him
in making reports to his own country as to the
way in which government was conducted here. His
Excellency might be assured that we were well disposed
to afford every facility in our power to encourage trade
between his country and ours. The works of art
especially, and the products of Japan, and been long
and highly appreciated and admired in England, and
it was a circumstance affording him great satisfaction
that he had been the first Lord Mayor who had ever
had the honour to welcome an Ambassador from Japan
to the City of London. He now begged %c, offer to
his Excellency "the right hand of fellowship," and
to assure him, as he might well do, that when he
returned to his own country he might safely assure

would bil

the Japanese people that we always die- I
posed to deal righteously with them. The inter-
course ought to be perfectly reciprocal, and they
and we might be convinced that the more intimate the
acquaintance, the greater would be the prosperity of
the two countries. He had the greatest pleasure in
proposing the health of the Japanese Ambassador, and
iii expreeing to his Excellency his belief that in the
City of London and among the English community
generally, there woe an earneet desire to cultivate good
offices with his country. He trusted his Excellency
would be enabled to form right opinions of the English
people during his stay, and that they and we would be
friends for ages to come. (Loud cheers.)
The toast was received with every mark of respect.
His Excellency the Ambassador, through an inter-
preter, expressed his high sense of the oomplimentazy
and Battering address delivered by the Right Hon. the
Lord Mayor, amid of the good will which his lordship
had evinced towards his country, adding that those
expressions of amity would be the in at welcome
tokens he could take home to his Sovereign. His
countrymen at the same time would no doubt be highly
gratified with their splendid recm)tion in the City of
London.
Some other toasts appropriate to the occasion fol-
lowed, his Excellency the Ambassador proposing the
health of the Lady Mayoress, which was received with
, great respect.