The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-28 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, MARC 28, 1861.

NOTICE.—MR. CHARLES DICKENS.—The
Stalls for the reading of the CHRIST HAS CAROL
and the Trial from PICKWICK, TO-NIGHT, are all Let.
—Balcony and Area Tickets can still be had of Mr. Austin,
St. James's Hall, and Messrs. Chapman and Hall, 193, Pic-
cadilly.

]TRENCH EXHIBITION. The EIGHTH
ANNUAL EXHIBITION of PICTURES, the contri-
butions of artists of the French and Flemish Schools, is NOW
OPEN, at the Gallery, No. 120, Pall-mall, opposite the Opera
Colonnade. Admission, is. ; Catalogues, 6d. Open from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

VI R. W. S. WOODIN'S NEW ENTERTAIN-
-L.-I,MENT, the CABINET of CURIOSITIES, POLY-
GRAPHIC HALL, King Wiliam-street, Charing-cross,
TO-NIGHT, and EVERY EVENING (except Saturday), at
Eight. Private boxes, £1 ls. ; Stalls and box stalls, is. ;
area, 2s. ; amphitheatre, is. —A plan of the stalls may be
I..s.en, and seats secured (without extra charge), at the Box-
office, from 10 till 4. Morning rPrfOrmance, Saturday,
Mareii 2.

RGYLL ROOMS. GRAND MUSICAL
ATTERTAINMENT,
with the Celebrated BAND, Forty in number (established
eleven years), chosen from the Philharmonic Concerts, Royal
Italian Operas, and the household Tromps. Conducted by
Mons. Lamotte. Cornet-a-piston, 14. #ollioPlNl.—Dancing
at Nine o'clock.-Is. admission.

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ROOMS,
Mgt Holborn.—This popular and magnificently ap-
pointed Ball Roots, decidedly the most fashionable and best
conducted entertainment in the world. The very excellent
band, under the able direction of Mr. Packer, is constantly
introducing the choicest and latest music of the day—a qua-
drille and polka from Balfe's new opera, Bianca; Colleen
Bawn Waltz, Garibaldi's Triumphal Galop, &c., among others,
now nightly receive the plaudits of the company. The wines
supplied are of the very choicest quality. The refreshment
rooms are elegant in the extreme, and replete with every
comfort. Admission throughout, ls.

CLARET ONE SHILLING PER BOTTLE.
Twelve Shillings per dozen. lIENRY BRETT & CO.,
roporters, Holborn Bars.

MILLINERY FOR MOURNING.—Messrs.
JAY have the honour to announce the return of their
Manager from Paris, and that the New Departments, recently
added to their show Rooms, are furnished with the latest
importations of French Millinery for Mourning wear.
THE LONDON GENERAL MOURNING WAREHOUSE,

247, 249, 251, Regent-street.
JAY'S.

ministers recognise, of general obligation, and they them-
selves deem most essential to preserve intact. For it is
. obvious that if any Japanese laws are to be upheld as
against foreigners in Japan, the local authorities must
have some power of arresting those who are engaged
in committing offences. This you yourselves admit
in some degree, and such authority cannot be denied
them, either in justice or reason. It has, in fact,
always been conceded in all countries where similar
privileges are granted as those stipulated for here. This
may be indiscreetly exercised, and like most other
things, is liable to abuse;, but so far as this port is con..
cerned, it will be my duty to use every exertion to provide
against both the one and the other—not to protest against
the reasonable end proper use of such provisional authority.
It only remains to reply to your remarks on the prohi-
bition to carry ostentatiously about the persor, revolvers
and other fire-arms during the day. lam constrained to
differ from you both as to the alleged necessity for this
practice and its utility. The assassinations you refer to
were after sunset,

The only two murderous attacks which have taken place
in the daytime (both at Yeddo) were .cases where it
was notorious the parties attacked invariably carried re-
volvers. Each, of them had one or more in their belts
with loaded barrels at the very moment that one was thrust
through his body by his assassin, and some months later
when another was wounded by a sword cut. If the arms
they carried were not provocations, at least it is evident
they were no prate against attack. - And any. immu-
nity from such attempts on life at Yokohama, during the
last six months, I believe to be attributable to quite other
causes than the display of revolvers. I would fain hope that
those among you who most desire the establishment of
amicable and permanent relations in this country, will see,
upon reflection, that -nothing can so little tend to this
object as au open disregard of the laws and customs of
the Japanese, or a belligerent and offensive attitude of
perpetual menaces. They who would live in peace and
security in foreign countries must ever have regard to the
prejudices of a people, as well as their laws and established
customs. When you speak of sumptuary laws, which might
be rendered obligatory upon you, in a manner at once vexa-
tious and injurious, I think you may fairly be called upon
to wait until you have experience of any such attempt;
No Japanese law can be enforced against you by legal pro-
cess, except with consent of the British authorities, and by
their action you may reasonably be required, therefore, to
show that one such law, contrary to your true interests
and the reasonable exigencies of the Government of the
country, has been admitted as binding and obligatory.
You come here for trade, you come as pioneers, and in
some sense as the representatives of British commerce and
nationality ; but if you come with muskets and bayonets, or
revolvers, as the proper implements of a mercantile pioneer,
you come under conditions never contemplated in the
treaty, and under conditions, let me finally observe, much
more likely to provoke collision than to conduce to the only
object for which your right of residence in Japan was
sought. If conflicts should unfortunately result from any
want of due consideration for the national peculiarities of
an Eastern race, and a wilful violation of laws or customs,
which do not interfere with the full enjoyment of all the
treaty rights necessary to the prosecution of peaceful
and commercial objects, you will be disowned, alike by
the people and the Government of your own country,
neither of which will consent to be dragged into a
long and doubtful war for the sake of supporting a few in.
dividuals in overriding the laws, customs, or even the pre-
judices of a whole nation, in matters indifferent and con-
trary to the best interests of both parties.
Against such a contingency, it is my duty, as I know
it to be the determination of her Majesty's Minister at
Yeddo, to guard by every means, and therefore I have
told you in my notification, and must again repeat;—you
may not shoot because the law of Japan forbids it, and
your own laws bear out the prohibition which the Go-
vernment refuses to license. You may not carry revol-
vers at your belt between sunrise and sunset, while
engaged in the peaceful occupation of a merchant, buy-
ing or selling—because, while it fails to give the protec-
tion you seek to secure, there is reason to believe
it tends directly to provoke a breach of the peace in many
cases and the very danger you apprehend. And, lastly,
Chinese servants under the protection of the British flag
must not be allowed to ride down Japanese in the streets,
and therefore must not ride a all; because it is in the first
place an unnecessary and motiveless violation of the laws
and customs of the country, and in the second place be-
cause by such absolute prohibition alone the danger is to be
effectually averted.
I trust you will receive this full answer to your letter as
a proof of my desire to show you that any action en my
part has had your security and welfare in view, and is not
an arbitrary exercise of authority.—l have, &c.,
(Signed) F. HOWARD VISE,
H.B.M.'s Acting Consul for Kanagawa.
To Messrs. A. J. Macpherson, H. Bush, W. J.
Aspiaall, and others, Yokohama.