Mr. Portman to Mr. Seward.
No. 15.]
Legation of the United States in
Japan,
Yedo,
April 16, 1866.
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith, No.
1, copy of a letter received from the British minister, in reference to
the recent negotiations at Osacca, and, No. 2, copy of my reply.
I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your most obedient
servant,
A. L. C. PORTMAN, Acting Chargé d’ Affaires in
Japan.
Hon. William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
No. 1.
Mr. Parkes to Mr. Portman.
Yokohama,
April 14, 1866.
Sir: I have had the satisfaction of
receiving by the mail which arrived on the evening of the 12th
instant the entire approval by the Queen, my august sovereign, of
the negotiations recently undertaken at Osacca by the
representatives of the four powers who have so continuously and
cordially co-operated with each other in the maintenance of treaties
and the preservation of friendly relations between western nations
and Japan.
In signifying to me the above approval, her Majesty’s principal
secretary of state for foreign affairs instructs me to take an
opportunity of assuring yourself and our other colleagues in the
above negotiation that her Majesty’s government most fully
appreciates their zealous co-operation throughout these
transactions. Her Majesty’s government are of opinion that the
unanimity which prevailed between the representatives of foreign
powers, and their combined action, cannot fail to produce a salutary
impression on the Japanese government and people, and will doubtless
contribute to the development and stability of friendly relations
with them.
It is with feelings of no ordinary satisfaction that I communicate to
you the above opinion. The acknowledgment of mutual service and
assistance cannot be regarded as a mere point of form by those who
labor together for the promotion of a high and common object, and
who intimately share with each other the same anxieties and are
animated by the same hopes. It is, therefore, with much sincerity
that I offer you this tribute on the part of my government to the
important part you sustained in the above negotiations and the
support which I derived from your cordial co-operation; and it is
with equal earnestness that I give expression to the hope that this
unity of purpose and of action, which has hitherto been attended
with so much benefit to our general interests in this country, and
upon which their prosperity so greatly depends, may always be
maintained between all the representatives of western powers.
I have the honor to be, sir, your most obedient, humble servant,
HARRY S. PARKES, H. B. M.’s Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in
Japan.
No. 2.
[Untitled]
Legation of the United States in
Japan,
Yedo,
April 16, 1866.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter, No. 45, of the 14th instant, informing me
that you had received the entire approval of the Queen, your august
sovereign, of the recent negotiations at Osacca, and that her
Majesty’s principal secretary of state for foreign affairs had been
pleased to express his appreciation of the co-operation it has been
my good fortune, in concert with my colleagues, to render on that
occasion.
I cannot sufficiently express to you how gratefully obliged I feel
for this graceful acknowledgment of my share in those proceedings,
and for the manner in which you were pleased to convey it.
[Page 204]
I cordially reciprocate your wishes for the maintenance of that
perfect unanimity of action between the foreign representatives in
this country, which has been productive of so much benefit. Apart
from its undoubted usefulness in promoting general interests, I beg
to assure you that to contribute to its maintenance is a most
congenial duty to me.
At a great distance from our governments, and frequeutly obliged to
act before instructions can have been received, or which, upon their
arrival, may have been rendered partly inapplicable by altered
circumstances, it is chiefly from that happy unanimity that relief
is derived for the severe anxieties often experienced, and for the
grave responsibility it may occasionally be necessary to assume.
The day, I trust, is not far distant when the great western powers
shall be as cordially united in all matters of common interest in
every part of the world as they are now in Japan, and it will then
be highly gratifying for us to reflect that in some measure, however
humble, we have contributed to so grand a consummation.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
A. L. C. PORTMAN, Acting chargé d’Affaires
of the United States in Japan.
Sir Harry S. Parkes, K. C. B., Her British Majesty’s Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary in
Japan.
