The Express.
London, England, 1864-07-02 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PAULI AMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—Fransy, JCI.Y 1.

The Lute CH.ocEl.t.oz took his seat on the woolsack at
5 o'clock.

Tha FAri of DONOUGHNORE presented a petition from
serious places in Ireland, praying their lordships to peas an
set for the setablisimasot of a better system of registration
of titles ip dot °gasify.

BRITISH POLICY IN JAPAN.

Lill GREY rose, pursuant to notice, to move a series of
twelve iinolutioas (the terms of which were published a
fortnight ago), eketchiog the history of British intercourse
with Jaaan, allegiog the failure of our treaty with that
eountaj, sod concluding with the follosriag :—" That an
bumble address be presented to her Majesty to lay before
her alejeacy the substance of the foregoing resolutions, and
buin`aly to pray that her Majesty will be graciously pleased
to joke the same into her serious consideration, with the
view of adopting such measures as may be found best
calculated to avert war between this country and Japan,
and ta promote ea increase of trade and friendly
intsr-
course betweeu the two nations to their mutual advantage."
The noble earl, who was very indistinctly heard, said that
the resolutions were sot intended to convey any vote of
tonsure on her Majesty's government. but to recommend a
charge in a policy calculated to involve England in wars re-
sembling the succession of conflicts with China. The coot-
menial treaties with Japan bad been obtained by force,
sad as soca as they came into operation collisions sad acts
of violence had been provoked by the misconduct at Eng-
lishmen sod other foreigners, who treated the laws and
cu,tows of the n .tivee with the greatest contempt. To
resent these outrages the British representative in Japan re-
quired the serrinee of the fleet on the station, sod, as the
result, EhElaud was engaged in • war without the know-
ledge of !hi government. This was a power too great to be
trusted to a subordinate officer. and the results of permitting
it to he exercised in Japan might be very disastrous. He
thought the terms of our trestles ought to be modified, so
as to allay the apprehensions of the Japanese that their na-
tional iudependeoce would be destroyed by MOSS who
entered the country as traders. He ascribed all the evils
that bad arisen to the overbearing sad lawless behaviour of
British eibj-ors, who knew that they had the power of
England to support them. He believed the withdrawal or
&minuten of the force at their command would produce an
improvement in their conduct towards the natives. The
responsibility for the past did Dot rest eotirely with the go-
vernment, as parliament had approved the policy adopted.
But as the experience of six years showed the neeessity of
some champs, he irked the house to recommend • revision of
the existing treaty.
Earl itUSSELL said that if we were to say to the
Japanese that we would modify our treaty we should
iuspire the Japanese, as we should any eastern
nation, with an opinion of our weakness and a belief
that we were afraid of their hostility, and were
endeavouring to conciliate them by needless and unworthy
concessions. (Hear, bear.) He could not think, therefore,
that seething was to be gained by that course. Her Ma-
jesty'a goiernment were at all times endeavouring to enter
into friendly communications with other nations. Friendly
communications werecoatinually going on between the go-
verioneut of the Tycoon through his Minister of Foreign
Affairs and our minister at Yokohama, who was well &c-
-am w the Japanese, and weal disposed to do every.
thing that was courteous and humane towards the Japanese.
(Hear. hose.) No man was less likely to do anything
offee,ive to them than Sir Rutherford Alcock. Suppose
the case, end be believed such came had occurred, where
young Euglishmen went beyond whet they were entitled to
by treaty—in those eases Sir R. Alcock would certainly
have punished if he had had the power. His noble friend
said that he (Earl Russell) bad spoken lately as if this
country was utterly helpless. He knew very well what
great hurt this country could do to other countries, but he
cl:d not leave out of sight that other countries could do
some hurt to us, and be contemplated. not only with repug-
nance. but with disgust, such a state of things as that we
should have nothing to boast of but the injuries we
could do to others, while at the same time we put out
of consideration the butt and mischief they could do to us.
Tiles wee not a pleasant subject for contemplation. He
never hati that this country bad nut the power. All
foreign intone knew we had power by our naval and mill-
tire force to inflict great damage upon any nation with
which we might be at war. His noble friend said that with
regard to the question of Japes, this country was not acting
according to the law of nations, and that we could only sup-
port our position by a large force. He (Earl Russell) was
afraid that for a bag time to come it would be mosmary to
keep a considerable Naval form la the sees of Japan.
There were various parties in that country, and amongst
them there were the Dsimioa, who were very likely to en-
deavour to drive us out of Japan, but he could not see that
we ought to abandon Japan on that account, or that we
should forego rights which were of great benefit to us and
at the Same time to the Japanese. His belief was that we
should endeavour always to behave justly to the Japanese,
that we should endeavour on every oucasiost to conciliate
their good will, but at the same time we should ask for
reparation for any wrong we suffered. He would be glad
if it should appear that there was any mode by which our
relations with Japan might be made closer and freer, but
it omit be recollected that there was • new commerce,
that the treaty itself dated from Idle, and that there was
maeh to he smoothed away in regard to our ormoexioa
with a people who for a long while would not permit any
foreigner to enter their territory. (Hear, hear.) At the
game time our progress in the East had been rapid. After
the treaty of Nankin, at the end of four years, 24,000 bales
of silk were exported from China to this country. mad in
the fear Tears following the treaty with Japan 11,000 bales
of silk had been exported to this country from thews.
(Hear, bear.) This showed a great inclination is those
countries to adopt these trestles of commerce, and to come
into commercial intercourse with us, which might
be highly profitable to both. The British government,
is a use like that of Japan, must cot modify or alter its
treaties, and must say that further onaceesiocui would be
made. Last year we engaged to put off the °peals& of two
ports, which were to be opened this year, far Neves years
more. We have also shown every disposition to agree to
Amy moderate concession that the Japanese might ask for,
but it seemed to him to be more advantageous for the im-
provement of friendly intercourse, to go on steadily, quietly.
and fairly, standing upon our rights rather that' to inau-
gurate a sew system of policy, and mere especially a system
of policy in entire contradiction to all this country bad door,
with respect to Eastern nations from the first time that we
had ever hail intercourse with them. (Cheers.)
The Bishop of OXFORD expressed his thanks to the
noble earl opposite for having brought the subject before
their lordships end the country as he had dose that night.
Could it Le the intention of this country to redoes Japan to
the miserable state of an utterly ungoverned anarchy! Yet
that must be the effect if they rejected the existing govern-
meat and bad no means of substituting another. All the
miseries tsat had been brought upon China must come upon
Japan. and many of them with tenfold severity. if we suc-
ceeded is our present policy. They had heard of the great
jealousies between the different parties of the govern-
ment. He believed that as far as there existed
any difference between the Tycoon and the Mica&
it cotbi be easily removed, but there was a fierce
feud amorist the tisimior, and a continual tendency to re-
sist the po eer of the Tycoon, when the Tycoons seemed to
commit the country to what they eoesidered fatal steps to
ate welfare. Solt had been that every step of these treaties
bad been written in the blood of successive Tycoon.
(Hear, hear.) Not one of the trestle* bad been executed
that La-i nut been followed by the poisnoing or assassination
of the mit-leer who signed it, and the banishment and
degradation of all his subordinates. Did this show that the
treaties bad been gladly entered into by the Japanese !
Did it net tend at once to prove that they were forced
upon them by intimidatios ! (Hear.) What mantle the result
of continuing such measures! First, the breakirg down
of the wealth and power of the only central controlling
authority which tended to keep these different
feudal chieftains in any measure of order ; and then, dis-
illusions amongst themselves and the misery of the whole
native population. (Hear. hear.) And is the ruidet of that
what attitude was Great Britain to meanie? Were we to
occupy the country, to administer its revenues, to ad-
minister its justice, to reform is laws—is short, to make it
▪ depeieleney of nor own country, or to leave it in the midst
of its anarchy What became of our trade if we left it in a
state of anarchy Hear.) Anl how, if we took the other
course, were we to have • force sufficient to operate in that
remote country, amidst a bootie people united against
us, with every advantage of nature foe repelling invasion !
Bow were we to make head against such a people except at
• cost which he believed the people of Great Britain would
not knowingly incur in order that they might a little hasten
the growth of commerce with Japan! (Hear, tear.) It was
open these points that the speech of the noble earl opposite,
which he thought exhausted the subject, remained un-
answered ; and he felt with him that barium
throu,:h all those considerations, which he might cells.aeoV
sidenitioca of expediency, they came to the still stronger
ground of the natural principles of right. Ha main-
tained that .e Lad so right to force upon au indepen-
dent people be arms treaties of commerce that they
refused. He maintamed that having reoehlisheal that com-
merce, we had no right whatever to undertake engagements
as to .ere own subjects which we could not fulfil, sad that
the to as it was now constructed did lead this country
to undertake to make its subjects do that which it had no
power to make them do. The natural instinct of the people
stood ready to ,venge when they found that we could not
make our subjects obey the leers whip-, they were ebbed
to obey. In reading Sir R. Aloock's letters and book, he
found that when the greatest efforts were wade by our au-
thentic.% to induce our people to abstain for three days from
mity.talting•particular road when the Daimios were passing,
it being contrary to Japanese law that foreigners should meet
them, although every other road was open for their pleasure,
obey sof...ea to comply with that request. We had no
right to undertake with these people what we bad not the
power to exact : and he for ow believed that the intro-
&ming into the commerce of this country such doubtful
and unjust principles was the way, not to ite final exten-
sion, hit was the surest way to lead to its ruin. There wee
an eatioicanker upon every entombs of national prosperity
that was feaadad upon iwpastice, which by a law more car-
tels than the returns of any aiereastik adventure avenged
upon the people who committed it their disregard of right.
(Rear, bear.) It was written, and would he fulfilled,
" Woe ante Mai that buildeth his chamber on uorigliteous-
aro sad his home epee wreeig." (Cheers.)
The Duke of 8011EltSET said bad received a private
letter informing hint that many Japanese had been
put to death by Mimics because they had traded
with Europeans at Nagasaki and other places,