New-York tribune., 1871-11-08
THE OTHER SIDE.

Japanese papers of the last date give US the
other side of the COrean difficulty, which it is
worth while to look at impartially. The
object of the American expedition" says the
North China Herald, (Shanghai, "was prima-
"rily nothing more than a peaceful negotia-
" ton of some arrangement for the rescue and
protection of shipwrecked seamen." The
Japan Gazette doubts, very reasonably,
whethe er this be true. 1t asserts that the gen.
eral belief among both foreigners and natives
on the coast is that the real object was the
forcble opening of Corean ports, for which
purpose the loss of the crew of the Sherman
was only pretext 1t is a notorious fact, say
the Japanese journals, that the crew OF the
Sherman, like that of the North Ger
man steamer Chusan, went ashore for
the purpose of robbing the graves of the
valuable stuffs and jewelry which the COreans
bury with their dead, and met not un-
deserved death at the hands of the natives
The Wachusetts commander did not wait for
any reply to his letter of inquiry con;
cerning the outrage, and the attack upon
the forts by the American squadron was made
without any proper effort by either Admiral or
Minister to communicate with the Corean
Government. "Surely," says the Ga=ette, Gin
great affair of state, q matter affecting the
| future relations of all countries with Corea,
"a couple of days was not much to give before
" the commencement of hostilities." The reply
of the Coreans to the Wachusetts, which ar
rived too late, but is now published, is intel
Egent, courteous, and clear, and shows that
the Government who dictates it is capable of
approach by some more civilized argument
than brute force.
The same Japanese papers contain an &C.
count of similar investigation to that of the
Wachusetts conducted by H. b. NJ. s. Ring
dove, in search of the three Europeans sus-
pected of having been captured and murdered
by the Coreans. The Ringdove, pursuing q
different policy from the Wachusetts, and,
using the word before the blow, brought the
matter to a much more satisfactory conclu-
sion. The three men were proved to have
hired q Chinese junk at Chefoo for thecpur-
pose Of saving what they could from the
wreck of the N G.. s. Chusan. On reaching the
Northern Island of Corea Mandarin came on
board the junk and requested that the
Chinese who had been saved from the wreck
by the Coreans might be taken back to Chefoo
Two Of the Europeans went ashore to see
these shipwrecked men, and in their absence
the Chinese crew made off with the junk
threw the remaining European overheard, and
returning to Chefoo, reported all three mur-
dered by the Coreans The Ringdove found
the wrecked Chinese and the two Europeans
still with the Coreans, by whom they had
been most kindly and Hospitality treated.
The NagasaH Gazette points out the suggestive
contrast between the success of this expedi-
ton and the virtual defeat of the Americans,
by whom not one real advantage was
gained. The Yokohama Gazette, while it
admits the advantage, and it may be necessity,
Of opening the Corea, and of treaty of COM
merce and amity, urges the propriety of send
ing men to represent the civilized nation who
will use civilized modes of dealing with a
peaceable people; who "will not only have
force to resist unprovoked attack, but ability
"to deal with the prejudices of an alien Gov
eminent; frmness of purpose and temperance
I" of demeanor; patience to bear with inevita-
"ble procrastination." In q word, that In
dealing with a heathen race the Christian
people shall not prove themselves the less
Christian of the two.