The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-06 00:00:00

THE BOMBARDMENT OF KAGOSIMA,

Yesterday morning the papers on this subject, 76
is number, were issued from the Parliamentary
printing-office. We extract the following de-
spatches :
"EARL RUSSELL TO LIEUTENANT-COLONEL NEALE.
(Extract.)
" Foreign-office, Nov, 10, 1863,
"I have received and laid before the Queen your
despatches dated Yokohama, Aug. 25 and 26. In
my despatch of the 24th of Dec., 1862, I directed
you to obtain reparation for the murder of Mr.
Richardson, and the murderous assault on a lady
and two gentlemen who, with Mr. Richardson, were
riding on a public road open by treaty, and who
drew up on the one side of the road to allow the re-
lationsthis barbarous and unprovocked attack you were
and retainers of a great Daimio to pass. For
directed to require from the Government of the
Tycoon the payment of £lOO,OOO and an ample apo-
logy. You were further directed to require from
the Prince of Satsuma the execution of the actual
murderers, and the payment of £25,000 as indem-
nity to the relatives of the murdered man and to
the sufferers from the murderous assault. With
respect to the Tycoon's Government, the demands
you were instructed to make have been complied
with. The sum of £lOO,OOO has been paid, and a
satisfactory apology has been made by the Tycoon's
Ministers. Her Majesty has been pleased, in tes-
timony of the patience, good temper, and firmness
' with which you conducted this negotiation, to con-
fer upon you the Companionship of the Order of the
Bath. The accomplishment of the remainder of
your instructions has been found more difficult.
Ten months having elapsed 'without the trial, or
arrest,theef necessity murderers, you thought
cessity to ask the assist-
anceyevoeunr s
elf the
under
of Admiral Kuper, and to proceed with him to
Kagosima, the capital of the Prince of Satsuma. In
livered on the 12th, you and August 12, both de,
your letters of August 1
communicated to the
Minister of the Prince of Satsuma the demands you
In the answer of the
pwreirneeeinosftsruactstuedma,todamteadkteh.e
13th of August, it is
stated that it is just that a man who has killed another
should be arrested and punished by death ; that if
the murderers in question can be detected they shall
body of retainers on
be punished; and that it is not right to impede the
, al reference to a
murder committed by the retainers of the Prince in
apapsusahgliee orfoaadc.hieTfhwesieth aanlsawrgeers ;
full before, upon a person who
had
passage of a public
uoti n daylight,
any ten
way months
inip e ded the
road, showed a fixed determination to afford no re-
dress. Vice-Admiral Kuper then directed that
three
and detainedsteamerti by belongingto the Prince should be
taken
way
of reprisals. But before
any further communication could take place, hos-
tilities were commenced by the Japanese, and her
Majesty's ships were fired upon from the batteries
with shot and shell—
an act Which it became neces-
sary immediately to resent. The steamers taken
fired upon from
were dismounted
Th
and various magazines exploded. It is much to be
werepoin t burnt.
blank
range;e batteries
many
g u were
ns
lamented that, as the batteries were apparently
situated in about the town, the consequence of firing
with shot and shell upon the batteries and maga-
zines should have been to set fire to the town,
which Admiral Kuper says has been burnt. Many
innocent persons have thus unfortunately been in-
jured. At the same time it is obvious that if Admiral
Kuper had not returned the fire of the batteries her
Majesty's squadron would. have suffered a defeat,
and fresh murders of British subjects by the cruel
and insolent Daimios would have been perpre-
trated. Her Majesty will express through the
proper department her admiration of the gal-
lantry of her naval forces. It is my duty
to request you to express to the civil servants of the
Crown who accompanied you her Majesty's appro-
bation of their coolness and courage. Their know-
ledge of the Japanese language was no doubt of
great value, both to you and to the naval commander-

in-chief. For the present the situation appears to
be this :—The Jeddo Government, who, in the terms
of the despatch of the Prince of Satsuma's Minister,
govern and direct everything,' have made and rati-
fied treaties of commerce with Great Britain and
other European Powers. These treaties have proved
very advantageous to the main body of the Japanese
people, who feel the benefits of a profitable trade with
foreigners, and wish that trade to continue. But a
powerful feudal aristocracy, finding silk and rice and
other produce dearer in the market, and their own
privileges less valuable, wish to expel all foreigners,
and have obtained a decree frem the Mikado to that
effect. French, American, and Dutch ships have been
fired upon with a view to accomplish this object. But
the European nations cannot submit to be thus de-
prived of an intercourse sanctioned by treaty and very
beneficial to the mass of the Japanese people as well as
b European nations. You will, therefore, call upon
the admiral in any cases where British persons, ships,
or property are attacked, to resent such outrages. In
this way security for the time may be obtained.
But I must wait for your further accounts before
complete instructions can be given as to our policy
in Japan."

EARL RUSSELL TO THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS OP THE

ADMIRALTY.

" Foreign-office, Nov. 14, 1863,

"My Lords,—l have the honour to inform your
Lordships that I have instructed her Majesty's
charge d'affaires in Japan that in any cases where
British persons, ships, or property are attacked he
should call upon the admiral commanding her Ma-
jesty's naval forces in Japan to resent such outrages;
and I have to request that the admiral may receive
such orders from your Lordships us will authorise
him to act to that effect, so far OA the means at his
disposal may admit of hia doing so. The Secretary
of State for War some time ago gave orders for in-
creasing her Majesty's land forces in China by 1,000
men, so that in case of need the admiral will doubt-
less be able to obtain the suport of a large body of
troops from China; and if with such assistance a
force of 500 soldiers and marines should be avail-
able for service on shore in Japan, the batteries
which may fire on British ships, and which are
armed by the feudal chiefs for the purpose of an-
noying and in terruptin g foreign trade, may probably
be destroyed, and security be obtained for the peace-
ful commerse of nations with Japan. Her Majesty's
Government are equally desirous that, while
British persons and property are effectually pro-
tected, no injury should be inflicted upon the Japa-
nese population. With this view it will be incum-
bent upon the admiral or senior officer in command
on the Japanese waters to endeavour to confine hos-
tilities undertaken by him, as far as posstble, con-
sistently with due protection to British subjects,
their property, and their commerce, to forts and
batteries not surrounded by the dwellings and
places of the non-combatant inhabitants. It is, of
course, part of the duty of the officers in command
of the ships to return the fire of hostile batteries
wherever they may be situated, but in planning
expeditions to stations on the coast, the differences
between forts placed to disturb commerce and bat-
teries erected for the defence of populous towns
should always be borne in mind, and the first men-
tioned of these two classes of forts should be the
object of attack, in all cases where there is no abso-
lute necessity to attack batteries of the second
class.—l am, &c., " RUSSELL."