The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-01 00:00:00

LORD ELGIN'S TREATY WITH JAPAN

(From the North China Herald.)
We learn that Lord Elgin has during his short
stay of a fortnight in the capital of Japan suc-
ceeded in ',concluding a treaty with the Govern-
ment of that country upon the most advantageous
terms. We understand that the American treaty,
which had been signed about three weeks pre-
viously, or immediately upon the arrival of the in-
telligence of the Treaty of Tien-sin, forms to a
great extent the base of the treaty which has just
been negotiated by the British Plenipotentiary.
The principal points in that treaty have already
transpired. It provides for a resident Minister at
the Court of Jeddo, for the opening of the ports of
Kanagawa (which has not been inappropriately
called the Whampoa of Jeddo), of Nagasaki, and of
Hakodadi within the term of one year from the
date of signature ; at later periods a port on the
west coast and another on the east coast called
Hiogo, which is the port of Ohosaka, are to be
opened to the commerce of the West, while the
principal cities of Jeddo and Ohosaka are to be
thrown open to trade. For the present Europeans,
with the exception of the Minister at Jeddo, are
not allowed to travel in the interior. The peculiar
internal organisation of the country, which is di-
vided by 360 feudal princes into separate and
almost independent principalities, will account for
this restriction.

The commercial arrangements are on the most
liberal possible scale. All exports, with the ex-
ception of a few prohibited articles, are subject to a
duty of 5 per cent. Imports are charged with a
duty of 20 per cent., but as there are no tonnage or
other dues this does not seem an unreasonable
amount. A list of articles on which an import duty
of only 5 per cent. is charged is excepted from this
general provision; and one of the most important
concessions which we are informed was obtained
by Lord Elgin was the insertion in this latter list
of cotton and woollen goods. We are much mis-
taken if, from what we hear of the Japanese,
the market thus created for our home manufac-
tures will not rival that afforded by the vast
empire lately thrown open by the treaty
of Tien-sin. Another important provision, and
one which we believe is not contained in the Ame-
rican treaty, is that by which it is agreed that the
tariff shall be subject to revision at the end of five
years. This is a most necessary precaution in the
case of an unknown and untreated trade. There
are other minor differences the details of which
have not reached us, but we believe the above con-
tains the principal items of the new treaty, together
with its points of difference from that signed by
Mr. Harris, the American Consul of Simoda. The
Russian Minister, Count Putiatine, was at Jeddo
while Lord Elgin was there, but we understand
that his treaty differs in no materiai point from the
American.

In order to show the great progress which has
been effected by these treaties in opening up the
heretofore jealously-closed empire of Japan we sub-
join the Convention made by Sir James Stirling at
Nagasaki so recently as October, 1854:
" Art. 1. The ports of Nagasaki and Hakodadi
shall be open to British ships for the purpose of
effecting repairs and obtaining fresh water, provi-
sions, and other supplies of any sort they may abso-
lutely want for the use of the ship.
" Art. 2. Nagasaki shall be open for the purposes
aforesaid from and after the present date, and Ha-
kodadi from and after the end of 50 days from the
Admiral's departure from this port. The rules and
regulations of each of these ports are to be complied
with.

" Art. 3. Only ships in distress from weather or
unmanageable will be permitted to enter other ports
than those specified in the foregoing articles with-
out permission from the Imperial Government.
" Art. 4. British ships in Japanese ports shall
conform to the laws of Japan. If high officers or
commanders of ships shall break any such laws it
will lead to the ports being closed. Should inferior
persons break them they are to be delivered over to
the commanders of their ships for punishment.
" Art. 5. In the ports of Japan either now or
which may hereafter be opened to the ships or
subjects of any foreign nation, British ships and
subjects shall be entitled to admission to and
to the enjoyment of an equality of advantages with
those of the most favoured nations—always ex-
cepting the advantages accruing to the Dutch and
Chinese from their existing relations with Japan.
" Art. 6. This convention shall be ratified and
the ratifications shall be exchanged at Nagasaki on
behalf of her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain,
and on behalf of his Highness the Emperor of
Japan within twelve months from the present date.
" Art. 7. When this convention shall be ratified
no high officer coming to Japan shall alter it."
Such was the truly magnificent convention signed
by the British Admiral and countersigned by Lord
Clarendon, then our Foreign Minister ; a document
we should imagine standing alone for the singu-
larity of its provioi..., “na yet so wpll thought of,
or, which we should think much more probable, so
little examined, that Sir James Graham actually
ventured to take credit with Parliament for the
achievement, and Parliament actually voted money
to pay for the Emperor [yacht, just presented to
the Japanese Government in token of our gratitude
for permission to water our ships of war in certain
ports on :condition that our officers did not break
the laws, and that no high officer in future should
endeas. our to modify the restrictions imposed by
this convention on all intercourse, diplomatic or
commercial, between Japan and Great Britain.

When it is remembered that the advantages ac-
cruing under the above arrangement to the Dutch,
from which we were so carefully to be excluded,
consisted in a trade limited in its extent by the
Japanese Government, which passed entirely
through their hands under the most annoying re-
strictions, and subject to a duty of 35 per cent., the
extraordinary advance made in these treaties may
be the more readily appreciated. It is a somewhat
singular fact that, according to the last advices, the
Dutch Superintendont, Mr. Donker Curtiors, had
not succeeded in signing a treaty according the
Dutch those commercial advantages which have
since been granted to other nations.
We have been permitted to extract from a pri-
vate journal an interesting sketch of this visit to
Japan, which we give below :
"On our arrival at Nangosaki on the 3d of
August we steamed at once into the inner anchor-
age, and brought up about a quarter of a mile from
the landing place at Dezima, where we remained
until the sth, when we left for Simoda, the fleet
consisting of her Majesty's ships Furius, Retribu-
timit Calcutta, Inflexible, Lee, and Emperor. His
Excellency and suite and the officers of the ships
visited the bazaars and made purchases, and inter-
changed visits with the Dutch authorities resident
there.
" Before entering the bay at Simoda, where we
arrived on the 10th, we saw a volcano in feeble
action. The country is pretty, but the town mean,
and not likely to become an important trading port.
There is a breakwater to protect the anchorage
against the heavy rollers that occasionally set in.
A large bazaar of lacquered ware, superior to that
at Nangasaki, tempted many of the staff and
others to invest spare dollars. All the articles
chosen were taken to an office at a short distance,
where some Government officials were seated, who,
on ascertaining the price, charged a per eentage
and weighed our dollars against their current coin
—itzebeus—three of these being equal to the dollar.
" Here we met Mr. Townsend Harris, the Con-
sul-General of the United States, and his secretary,
Mr. Hewsken, who kindly offered his services to
Lord Elgin as an interpreter, which with his
knowledge of the language were most valuable.
" On the 12th, we left for Jeddo, Mr. Hewsken
accompanying us, and on the same day anchored
about five miles off the capital of Japan. Several
boats with Government officials came on board very.
soon. No foreign ships had ever before anchored
so near the town, the American and Russian ships
having always remained about 15 miles off. Here
we found a paddlewheel steamer, given by the
Dutch to the Japanese Government ; she had
the national (Japanese) flag—white with a red
ball in the centre and a white pendant ; there
were also two other very ugly ship-rigged vessels,
built by themselves (guardships). The boats
that came off to us had the Imperial colours-
-white, with black trefoil leaves in the centre-
Several officials of rank visited Lord Elgin and in-
vited him to take up his residence ashore, where
communication would be more:easy, as the distance
to the ships was great and the weather sometimes
boisterous ; so on the 17th Lord Elgin and staff
left the ships in the gunboat Lee, and ships' boats
with guard of honour, &c., and ran as close in to
the landing place as they could,where it was neces-
sary to take to the ships'
gigs, and after some little
difficulty, soon surmounted by men-of-war's men,
we landed. The officials were there to receive his
Lordship and suite ; chairs (norimones) were also in
waiting, and we were transported to our new
domi-
cile. It was not sumptuous, but it was
clean,neNvlytemple and a lotus pond
sent from the
matted, and bedded fordoiunrdiTacteepdtiirt.o Abelithhuedrdeissit_
Chinese repast, but
Ed emn
pc ee o.
ofr
sthempe rwi ehsatts .
simAiladrintonear was
" The Commissioners, six number, having had
each person was furnished on a separate table.
in
an interview with Lord Elgin at his residence re-
specting a treaty, his Lordship and staff, with some
officers visited the Minister for Foreign Affairs at
the Emperor's palace, where we weiese puti.e slipperseeiv
received in
the presence of several official personages,
provided. Having
been requested not to go into the room with the
shoes that we then wore, w
over them. Pipes, sweetmeats, l&e., m
in a separate room, to whichmost of the party were
invited, leaving Lord Elgin in conferencethe-