The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-03-16
The Japanese Embassy.

basry, his name being spelled Iwakura. Like
the other eastern nations, the japanese are ex-
ccedingly shrcwd and cunning IN their dealings
with foreigners, and this expose oi their real
character should prove a warning to those who,
like our contemporary the Friend, are too apt to
take their gentle dispositions for granted ON first
sight. 1t is TO be supposed that Minister dc
Long and Chas. Wolcott Brooks know ali about
the men for whom they are acting as cicerones,
but the thing with them Is n business affair
purely, and Will doubtless pay handsomely.
We have just had time in our last issue to notice
the revival Of the infamous prosecutions against
Christianity at this Port by the japanese Govern
ment. Since then further particulars have come to
our notice Of the barbarous intentions Of these
fendish agents Of torture and tyranny, to repeat their
iuhuman and diabolical actions Of 1870. The pres
ent persecution has been i~ustigated by the Prince Of
Saga Of antI-Christian uOtoriety and lntrusted 10 an
official myrmIdOu from the MIkados Court, who Is
well versed in the refinement of cruelty. The in
tended victims, number over two thousand, but it
was contemplated to seize and carry them of in
small drafts, and thus avoid the indignation of the
civilized world, which a knowledge Of their actions
would necessarily entail. In this they have been
disappointed, but not before the first batch Of sixty
seven inOtieusive men, all fathers OF families, were
made away with, some eighteen days ago. OF this
number of poor harmless Christians, how many are
surviving their fortunes to-day, God alone and their
torturers can tell we only know upon reliable
authority how comparatively happy would it have
been for the poor sufferers, if an instantaneous and
merciful death alone awaited them. The second Of
these human sacrifices to the Moloch of Japan, our
boy Mikado,* was TO have taken place this week,
but whether il has, or not, We have not been able TO
ascertain the officials felt so secure in the precau-
tons adopted to keep the whole a matter of privacy,
that they tainted their poor victims by saying
when conveying them away that, this time their
friends the foreigners should know nothing Of their
torturings and suherings.'
We understand that the foreign COnsuls have al
ready communicated the particulars of this inhuman
outrage and insult to Christian Nations, to their re-
~spective governments. We commend the prudence
of this step, instead Of their Vainly attempting to.
demonstrate with the local hireling officials, who
even, were they willing? are unable to interfere
with the execution of government orders. This Is
evident from the fact that when Sir Harry Parkes
was here during the persecution OF 1870, and en-
tered his indignant protest against the same, he was
told by Noumura the governor, and Watanabe. the
executiOner sent down from 1edo, that they could
not consent either to suspend or delay it, even until
he could get back TO Iedo, &" that no other course
was open to them, but to carry out their orders"
Our readers will not be surprised at the insolence of
this reply, when they read the proceedings Of "A sub
sequent - conference held in Yedo in January, 1870,
on the subject Of the persecution OF Christians IN
Nagasaki,' which was convened by the circular note
of Sir Harry Parkes, Mr.. de Long, NJ. Outray and
Mr.. Won Brant, foreign Ministers particulars of
which will appear in our future numbers. These
will show in their true cOlors the type of men that
OLupllc IN DlCCNll IA dhh II
they represent their wretched government. The
time is propitious, and we mean to avail ourselves of
it, as the chief Of the Embassy is the well known
Ewakura, who is both the Nero and Caiaphas Of
Christianity in Japan, and who is now on his way to
present his credentials at the Christian Courts of
the West. This man has had the hardihood to tell
the foreign Ministers, in conference that his govern
ment was acting " mildly > to these poor Christians,
because it had changed their usual and : legiti-
mate - mode of torture, from 8 crucifxion . (and
he could have added, boiling alive as they did to
some four thousand in the geysers of Simabara,) to
that now adopted, viz starvation and Imprisonment
in filthy stables without clothing, light, or air, in
tie depth of winter and at other times bound
hands and feet, in n state of nudity and exposed on
their backs on ~ice-ponds in most inclement weather,
having Just enough of food supplied to them, in the
shape of sour fruits, as was requisite to prOlOng
their lives and torments and again by having
burning Goals of fire put into their mouths until
their prosecutors succeeded either IN exhausting hu-
man nature or getting them to blaspheme the name
of Jesus! These, He Christian Statesmen of the
West, to whom this man tiead Ewakura will be in
troduced on his mission are the ideas entertained
by himself and his government of a - mild treat
ment - to a loyal, orderly, and inofiensive people,
whose only crime is that they profess the religion in
which their fore-fathers have lived and died, (theirs'
being no modern conversion,) and the religion also
which yourselves and your countrymen profess and
revere Nor was this the measure of Ewakura's
haughtiness he further stated in reply to the Min
listers that, " If, in the future, they (the japanese
GOvernment) understood and believed it to be neces-
Sal } NHOJ NOuAl Sui SASSulC I'M OihGISs
and our Ministers were compelled to listen to, and
put up with this barbarian's insoence. Why /?
Because at that time Lord Clarendon was alive, and
at the head of English Foreign Affairs, by whom a
reticence on such matters was held as subservient TO
state expediency, and the other powers, it would
seem were well pleased to have such a precedent to
follow. As to the late Government of France and its
representatives,, THEN actions are better not mentioned
when the subject is religion.
But now the scene is changed, and the bigoted
barbarian Of Japan is to present himself at the Courts
of the Ministers, to whom he has been on this occa-
sion so un~compromising. Can the Hon. Mr.. de Long
forget the past when introducing this Embassy to his
Government? We think he cannot Can Sir Harry
Parkes on the like occasion forget the past? We are
sure he will not Neither can the other Ministers
who were present at that memorable interview.
One thing there is, which excites our establishment
and this is, the assimilation and ~subtlety of the
japanese Government We understand that certain
high officials have sent to America along with the
Embassy some young females to acquire a civilized
education. This has been highly Landed and at first
sight looks n praiseworthy action and was meant
no doubt to have full effect upon the countries to be
visited by the Embassy. We doubt, however, that
the action will be so highly appreciated when it's
motives become known! And We earnestly wish the
Christian ladies of America TO know, that this
Ewakura, the first Ambassador, is the determined
advocate of the prosecutions which we are now be-
holding, and which has been originated by him pre-
vious TO his departure from this country that he is
furthermore the cause of driving into bondage, and
what is even far worst than either bondage or death.
namely Selling TO those unmentionable resorts of
iniquity, thousands of the virtuous wives and limo
cent daughters of his Christian victims While their
fathers, husbands, and brothers, are handed over by
his orders TO the ruthless torturers of the Govern
ment. with the option of recantation or a lingering
and cruel death this We have on the authority of
the Hon. Mr. de Long, United States Minister, in his
despatch to Mr.. Secretary Fish, January 22d, 1870.
The motive of the Government must now seem
/ plain for sending these few children to America, who
are evidently looked upon by it as so many victims,
sacrificed to its expediency aud merely meant to mis-
lead the foreign governments respecting its retro
gressive conduct, and uphold the delusion of its pro-
gressive advancement. We cannot but recognize q
similitude between the words of Ewakura and his
nefarious prototype! When in answer to the foreign
Ministers request " tlat he would desist from further
furnishing these poor people for their religious con-
victions,' he said, sit was e~xpedient that these
people should be punished 50 as to secure the safety
Of the country" Is this a fitting person to be intro
duced into the circles of the Christian ladies of