New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-29

copy or IL. There was TOO lttie ieseiio'""N' w
tween the pretended copy and the original TO
have deceived anybody. AT least SO harris
thought. and he resented with some bitterness
in the pages OF his journal the threat that the
President made Of removing him on the ground
that he must have furnished the newspaper with
what II published.
Bat ne was not removed. On the contrary ne
was sent tn tn. city of Shimoda beside a land
locked port among people who would not sell
him even the necessaries OF life until he forced
them 10 do so: with no means Of communication
with them except Dutch mercantile patois Zoo
years old: confronted by body of officials whose
skill lay chiefly in methods for evading the truth
and there he was left for months without the
possibility Of sending a report or dispa'ch 10
Washington or Of getting any news from the
United States To all appearances he was COM
pletely forgotten. He had to fight In diplo-
matte sense. for sustenance for mouse 10 I'VE III
worthy Of an envoy of the United States. Tor the
consideration due man OF rank according 10
Japanese notions of rank, and even Tor the priv
ilepe of walking the streets. Nothing was taken
for granted by the men with whom he had TO
deal. Their resourcefulness in the way OF EVASION
and delay was infinite He did not exhaust them
They turned up smiling polite, impudent or thlu
as the case seemed to require. TO repeat each u"I
on new topics the tactics with WHICH t"e' nav
wearied him the day before. He even found HIM
self unable to believe them when they toiu MIN
the truth. They took advantage Of his ignorance
Of their etiquette to nvelgle him into acts OF
ceremony that lessened his dignity in their eyes
They denied the very existence of things whch
his own eyes attested. They tried to exhaust MS
nurse nv concocting an incredible price list.
When everything else failed to discourage MIN
they could display all the symptoms OF genuine
fright as II har-kari or the headsman awaited
them that instant. He fell Ill. largely for lack OF
the food TO which he had been accustomed
Nevertheless he persisted. Word by word ne
learned their language. day by day he OWNED
more clearly their thoughts, the meaning OF the"
customs, and the purposes when the! Sought W
hide In time he could tell by the expression o''
the face of japanese acquaintance wha' i"'c'
probation was to be given TO the slightest turn III
the elaborate ceremonial to which he was SUD-
iected He obliged them 10 tolerate win open
oves HE use Of the Protestant Episcopal service.
He induced them to respect his convictions re-
specting the invlolability Of Sunday. lie sue
ceeded In removing the spies that were set u
watch him Above all, he won the commence OIL
the men in authority Between September 1906
and June 1851 he had made such progress tha'
he could already speak Of a convention whch
opened the port of Nagasaki to American SHIPS
which gave the right Of permanent residence l.
Americans at Shimoda and Hakodaie' ana OF
a y,ce-Consuate at the latter port. which settled
the currency at an advance of nearly three To
one in the value OF the American dollar and gave
Americans the right of being tried by American
law and which conceded the right of the Con-
sul-Ceneral to go where he pleased, to have
Japanese money and to make purchases without
he intervention OF a Japanese ONcldl
With all this achieved, he still held the high
est card in his game. IT was the letter OF the
President to the Tycoon, who was in those Gays
supposed to be the ruler OF the Empire. MS ne
stubbornly refused to deliver except IN 1euo
with his own hands TO the Tycoon IN person
The japanese officials were by turns imperlous'
persuasive, obstinate. tremulous ana perspirhs'
But they yielded at last; and Harris went TO
Yedo. not to knock his forehead on the mat al
the rulers feet but to speak with him race 10
face and to pay him the homage or three oo"s
according to the custom of European courts
Once the japanese conceded the point. they made
the most of it. At every stage of the journey
from, Sbimoda TO Yedo the roads were cleared of
travel and traffic for a day The people were
given to understand that foreigner of exalted
rank was to pass by. They lined the way by
thousands most OF them crouching with averted
faces: only a few were privileged to stand and
gaze openly at the procession which attended
the jllustrious stranger to the capital PICTURED
broadsdes describing the american Ambassa-
dor" were scattered over the country and the
officials seemed to take delight in the thought
that millions would go TO Yeco to see the great
man from the United States. Altogether the
Journey and the visit to the Tycoon presented
fine example of the skill with which Oriental
statesmen can turn real defeat into an appar-
ent victory.
The American soon found that his triumph was
something far more important than matter oi
Court etiquette From the vantage ground OF
Yedo he could see what he would never nave
learned at Shimoda. He begin to understand the
great mystery Of old japanese politics, the reia-
ton of the Tycoon, so-caIled to the real put
hidden Emperor. He fathomed the depths OF
Oriental prejudice against delegated powers, ana
discerned through the veil OF deceit when was
raised about him on every side the signs OF CON
troversy that ragged over his demands III ue
Council of State He felt himself to be nego-
tiating in reality with men whom he never met
as treaty makers. The result was that every
noint was discussed over and over again. When
affairs seemed most hopeless and the Japanese
most obstinate, they suddenly yielded, cohceulhg
in some cases more than was asked Ihey hau
learned that commercial privileges ala not mean
invasion or foreign supremacy. and they had AT
last taken to heart the lesson which Harms an
the while labored to impress on them-that
preventing foreigners from interfering In matters
that were exclusively national. No doubt con-
temporary events In China and India hasteneu
the signing of~the treaty at the last. But the
fact remains that the treaty was agreed TO De-
fore the English feet made its appearance AT
Yedo and that Townsend Harris. plain honest
hearted gentleman" could write to Sir John
Bowring at Hong-Xong that Lord Elgin and
Baron eros will find their work all done to their
hands when they arrive. and that large fleet
was not required as a demonstration.
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