Directory_and_Chronicle_1841 — Page 177

1841.

Notices of Japan,. No. VII.

163

During the reign of Catherine II., a Japanese vessel was wrecked on the coast of Siberia, and the empress ordered such of the crew as had been saved to be con- veyed home. A Russian ship accordingly landed the rescued Japanese at Matsmai in 1792, and the captain, Adam Laxmann, made overtures respecting trade. He was formally thanked for bringing home the shipwrecked sailors, and permitted to repair to Nagasaki, there to negotiate with the proper authorities upon his com- mercial propositions. He was further informed that at Nagasaki alone could fó- reigners be admitted, and if the Russians ever again landed elsewhere, even to bring home shipwrecked Japanese, they would be made prisoners.

Capt. Laxmann did not go to Nagasaki, and the attention of the empress being probably withdrawn from so small a matter as trade with Japan by the engrossing character of European politics at that moment, the opening was neglected. It must be stated, however, that Dr. Von Siebold doubts of there having been any real opening. He ascribes the implied possibility of the Russian overtures for trade being entertained at Nagasaki, to the prince of Matsmai, or his secretary, feeling that the town was in no condition to sustain a conflict with a man-of-war, and being consequently anxious to get amicably rid of the Russian visitor.

In 1804, exertions were made to repair this omission. A Russian man-of-war appeared in Nagasaki bay, conveying count Resanoff, ambassador from the czar to the siogoun, and empowered to negotiate a treaty of friendship and commerce between Russia and Japan,. The count brought with him official Dutch recom- mendations to the president of the factory, who had previously received advices upon the subject of the embassy, and recommendations from Batavia. These Heer Doeff had communicated to the governor, so that the constituted authorities of Nagasaki were not altogether unprepared for the embassador's arrival.

It was on the 7th of October that the Russian vessel was reported to be off the mouth of the bay. The usual commission was sent out to visit her and receive her arms in deposit; and upon this occasion, in compliment to the embassador, the president was requested to accompany the deputation in person. Even at this first meeting the dissensions between the Russian and Japanese dignitaries began. The commissioners, regarding themselves as the representatives of the siogoun, required, as usual, that the marks of repect due to his person should be paid to themselves; whilst the embassador deemed it inconsistent with either his indi. vidual or his official rank to humble himself before the deputies of a provincial governor. The next dispute related to the arms, which Resanoff positively re- fused to surrender, this quarrel turning, like the former, upon the point of honor,

* Doeff.

+ Upon the subject of this representation of the siogoun's person, a difficulty that occurred with the Coreans, and was settled during Doeff's presidentship, may be mentioned. The king of Corea sends an embassy to pay a sort of homage to every new siogoun upon his accession. They formerly repaired to Yedo for that purpose, but upon the accession of the present monarch, the Corean embassy was refused permission to visit the capital, and required to do homage to the prince of Tsu-sima, the immediate superior of Corea, who has a garrison upon the peninsula. This the Corean refused as a degradation, claiming admission at Yedo; and the dispute remained for years unsettled, the homage unpaid. At length, the prince of Kokura, grand treasurer of Japan, and the grand accountant (probable the Japa- nese chancellor of the exchequer), were sent as representatives of the siogoun, to Tsu-sima, to receive the Corean homage; and to this representation of majesty the embassy were content to pay it. The deputation from Yedo visited Doeff at Dezima upon their return to court,