The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-05 00:00:00

MINISTERIAL EXPLANATION•

In reply to several question,
Lord J, RUSSELL—After the various questions that
have been put to me I will not enter into a discussion with
the hon. member for King's County as to the general policy
of her Majesty's Government in Italy. (Hear, hear.) The
first question is in relation to our commercial interests in
Japan. Since the papers which have been laid on the table
were received, other despatches have reached this country
of great interest and importance. In forming new commu-
nications for trading with a country where trade has been
hitherto almost unknown there have been unavoidably very
considerable difficulties. One of those was the state of the
currency in Japan. While the proportion in value of gold
to silver in this country has been as 1 to 15, or thereabouts,
the proportion in Japan was as Ito 5. Therefore it must
evidently be a very profitable business for British met-
-chants or their agents in Japan to obtain a quantity of
silver, and with that silver to purchase gold and ex-
port it. This trade naturally excited a good deal of
apprehension and objection on the part of the Japanese
Government. However, I am happy to say that
that government has taken a sensible course upon the sub-
ject, and has made the relative proportions of gold and
silver the same as have been adopted generally in European
countries. There have been various other occurrences,
and more than one, I am sorry to say, of a very tragical
nature. For instance, the murder of Limbird, the servant
of the British mission. He was a native of Japan, and
having passed several years in the United States, he was
master both of the Japanese and English languages. His
conduct, it seems, provoked a great deal of animosity on
the part of the Japanese, and he, on his side, when assailed
by them, was not slow to retort, and thereby very strong
feelings were excited. The consequence was that, one day,
as he was standing close to the door of the mission house,
two or three persons came upon him and stabbed him, and
instant death was the result. Of course this excited great
indignation amongst the English, and Mr. Alcock in-
sisted upon the assassins being prosecuted or
given up. The intercourse was interrupted , there-
by ; and when the last accounts came away,
Mr. Alcock, while representingthe difficultieses very great,
and chat apprehensions of murder and massacre taking
place still existed, yet expresses a hope that the difficulties
will be overcome, and that the trade will be resumed. At
at the same time it should be stated that that trade has been
almost entirely in Japanese products, in return for silver
exported. It does not appear that there has been hitherto any
similar demand, or indeed any demand at all, for British
manufactured goods. That was the case when the last ac-
count left. As to the protection of British interests, there
are, of course, ships on the station; but as they cannot
come within fuur or five miles of Yeddo, they cannot be on
the spot when required. But whenever the admiral is able
to spare ships I have no doubt he will give that protec-
tion which British subjects require. I quite agree with
the honourable gentleman, that we must be very careful
on our part, that none of the clerks or agents of
British merchants should commit offences against the
laws or customs of the Japanese ; and unless care
is observed in this respect, we cannot justly complain of the
outrages committed upon us. The next question, put by
Sir H. Cairns, relates to the claims of British subjects on
the Brazilian Government. There have been complaints, as
he truly says, of great delay in the settlement of those
claims. But the fact is that there appeared from the side,
of Braail an immense number of counter claims, chiefly
founded upon slave-trade transactions, and being complaints
on the part of those who had conducted the slave-trade be
tween Brazil and Africa, of interruption by British cruisers
and vessels to their nefarious traffic, great difficulty was

found in disposing of those cases. The British commis-
sioner said that they did not come within the convention,
upon which the Braailian commissioner immediately‘aid
that he would not proceed with any of the British claims,
and thereupon the commission was suspended. The Bra-
zilian representative at this court was lately asked to have
the commission renewed. But so much difficulty having
occurred with regard to cases which I think ought never to
have come before the commission at all, and they having
occasioned so much obstruction, I thought it right to place
the whole question again before the law officers of the
Crown, that they might advise me as to the best course to
take. The papers were sent to the law officers of the Crown
a week or a fortnight ago; they are now under their con-
sideration; and the case being ono of very great difficulty,
I cannot at present tell what will be the result. The next
question is by an hon. baronet (Sir J. Acton) in regard to
the dispatches and reports of our diplomatic agents at Rome.
The diplomatic agent, so called, at Rome, is not properly a
diplomatic agent. but only an attache, and therefore his
dispatches can hardly be looked upon as diplomatic reports
in the absence of any regular diplomatic relations with the
court of Rome. There are such dispatches from 1852 to 1858
and I will endeavour to see whether there are any which will
throw light on the hon. baronet's inquiries. But our informa-
tion does not entirely depend upon the reports of diplomatic
agents; because there have been published from time to
time, and circulated in the provinces of the Roman States,
documents which did not immediately concern the Govern-
ment of Rome, and have not been reported to us by our
agents. For instance, for a considerable time Bologna was
in the hands of the Austrian army, and all the criminal
jurisdiction of that province was conducted by Austrian offi-
cials. That of course had nothing to do with the general
conduct of the Roman Court. The hon. gentlemen opposite
(Mr. liennessy and Mr. Bowyer) scent to think that I have
some very particular objection to government by the Pope.
I beg to say that for the personal character of the Pope I
have very great respect. I believe that he is a most bene-
volent mau ; and a book written by an hon. member of this
house shows that, with regard to parts of his Government,
nothing can be more kind and charitable, or more strongly
show kindness of heart, than the conduct which the Pope
pursues. (Hear, hear.) But there are other essential parts
of iris Government, such as the administration of justice
more especially—(hear)—which concerns every subject in
Rome, and upon which I do not say that the present Pope,
but the ecclesiastical government in general, is, in my
opinion, ill calculated to secure the benefit
,of the people.
As I am a member of the Church of England, I cannot ap-
prove of the government of the Pope; but, notwithstanding '
the great respect that I feel for the Archbishop of Canter.
bury, I believe that if her Majesty were to offer the go-