Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 7, 1874

No. 162.
Mr. Seward to Mr. Davis.

United States Consulate-General,
Shanghai, July 21, 1874. (Received September 11.)

No. 788.]

Sir: I have the honor to inclose to you further extracts from the North China Daily News, in regard to the Formosa expedition. Two of these are taken from the issues of the 5th and 7th of July, and give brief statements, the one by a Japanese, and the other by a Chinese correspondent, of the diverse views held in regard to the expedition. Two others are, from the issue of the 14th of July. The one sets forth the strength of the Japanese navy, the other remarks upon the activity shown at the Shanghai arsenal.

The Chinese have available six vessels which have been constructed here. Four of these are gunboats of six hundred tons, more or less. Two are heavy frigates. They have also some fifteen vessels constructed at the Foochow ship-yard. These are mostly gun-vessels of one thousand tons; are all new and steam well. They have still other craft, which have been used in the different provinces for revenue purposes and in cruising after pirates. I should say, roughly, that the number of these vessels is six or eight. They are small, but would be useful in a contest with the Japanese.

In point of fact, the Chinese navy is probably to-day well able to cope with the Japanese, notwithstanding the advantage the latter have in the possession of two iron-clads. These latter are inferior vessels, imperfectly clad, and with indifferent steaming capacity.

The extract of the 15th July gives a letter from the Japanese consul at Amoy to the Taotai at that port; and that of the 17th, a letter from a foreign correspondent in Formosa, which speaks favorably of the occasion of the expedition and its management. The extracts of the 21st give some desultory information of no particular interest.

* * * * * * *

After Mr. Dreyer, of the telegraph company, had left Shanghai on this mission, I learned privately from Mr. Sheppard, our active officer at Tien-tsin, that the Chinese commissioner to Formosa had, among other things, recommended the establishment of a telegraph between Foochow and Formosa. This I communicated to Mr. Dreyer by telegraph, and, as a consequence, he visited Formosa, and has made a contract with the commissioner for the cable and the dependent land lines at each end. The cable will be about ninety miles long, the Formosa land line two hundred, and the Foochow end about fifty. This contract remains to be approved by the telegraph company at Copenhagen. The assent of the Chinese government has, I believe, been given already.

The present moment seems opportune for the creation of telegraph facilities between this and Peking. I have urged Mr. Dreyer to proceed thither at once, have asked Mr. Sheppard to do what he can with the Viceroy Li, and suggested the matter to Doctor Williams.

I am, &c.,

GEOEGE F. SEWARD.

[Inclosures in No. 788.]

[From the North China Daily News, July 14, 1874.]

naval forces of japan.

We are enabled to give the following particulars about the Japanese navy, taken from a statement which was drawn up by a competent authority, about the end of last year:

Rio-jio-kan, wooden corvette, screw-steamer; 280 horse-power; length, 215 feet greatest breadth, 33 feet; draught, 17½ feet. Protected by a girdle of 4-inch iron plates, 3½ feet above and 4 feet under the water-line, about 15 feet fore and aft being; without armor. Carries 12 cast-iron rifled guns, muzzle-loaders, 10 of which have a caliber of 5½ inches and 2 of 6½ inches. The greatest speed of this vessel is 9 knots, and for this reason, as well as for the insufficiency of its armor, it may be a match for a wooden vessel of the same strength, but would have no chance whatever against the most ordinary iron-clad. This vessel visited Shanghai last year.

Nishin-kan, wooden corvette, screw-steamer; 250 horse-power; length, 204 feet; greatest breadth, 29 feet; draught; 14 feet; carries 6 cast-iron guns of about 5½ inches and 1 Armstrong muzzle-loader of 7 inches. She is said to be a fast and serviceable vessel, and is, we believe, the one now in port.

Tsukuba-kan, wooden corvette, screw-steamer; 230 horse-power; length, 197 feet; greatest breadth, 29½ feet; draught, 15 feet; carries 6 steel Armstrong guns of 5 inches,. 2 cast-iron guns of about the same caliber, and 2 smaller bronze guns of native fabrication. This vessel is very old and used up; her greatest speed not more than 6 knots.

Kusuga-kan, wooden paddle-steamer; 300 horse-power; length, 243 feet; greatest-breadth, 27 feet; draught, 11 feet; carries 4 bronze guns of 5 inches, 2 cast-iron guns-of about the same caliber, and 1 Forbes gun of 7 inches.

Ho-shio-kan, compound-system gunboat, screw-steamer; 75 horse-power; length, 145 feet; greatest breadth, 22½ feet; draught, 7 feet; carries 1 Armstrong breech-loader of 7 inches, 1 idem of 5½ inches, and 2 small steel guns.

Mo-shuim-kan, wooden gunboat, screw-steamer, of about the same dimensions as the preceding; carries 1 Forbes irrazzle-loader of 7 inches, 1 Armstrong muzzle-loader of 5½ inches, and 2 smaller Armstrong guns.

Dai-itchi-Teibo-kan or Teibo I, wooden gunboat, screw-steamer, 60 horse-power; length, 132 feet; greatest breadth, 22 feet; draught, 7½; carries one cast-iron gun of 6½ inches; 1 Krupp gun of 5½ inches; and 2 small steel guns.

Dai-in-Teibo-kan or Teibo II, same construction and dimensions as the preceding; carries 2 Armstrong muzzle-loaders of 6½ inches, and 2 small steel Forbes guns.

Un-yo-kan, wooden gunboat, screw-steamer, about the same dimensions as the preceding; carries 1 rifled muzzle-loader of about 6 inches, 1 of about 5 inches, and 2 small Armstrong guns.

Chiotagata-kan, small wooden gunboat, screw-steamer of 40 horse-power; carries 1 breech-loader of 5½ inches, and 2 small guns.

Kotetz’en, iron-clad ram, screw-steamer, with two propellers 500 horse-power, length 158 feet, greatest breadth 27, draught, 13 feet; carries 3 very large and 2 smaller guns. This ram is old and completely unseaworthy; in fact last year it was not considered as belonging to the active navy any more. As, however, it may, perhaps, still be fit for defending the entrance of a harbor, we have not felt justified in omitting it.

Latest advices from perfectly reliable sources fully confirm the unseaworthiness of this ram, and further inform us that the other so-called iron-clad, the Rio-jio-kan, is undergoing boiler repairs, which cannot be finished for a considerable time. The gunboats are said to be generally in good order.

The Japanese have, moreover, five or six transports, not at all or insignificantly armed; two of these are sailing-vessels.

As we said at the beginning, these particulars have been taken from a statement drawn up at the end of last year, but they may stand even now, as we hear that no additions of any importance have been made to the Japanese navy since that time.

The actual strength of the active navy of Japan would, therefore, be as follows:

Name.	Description.	Horsepower.	No. of guns.	No. of crew.
Rio-jio-kan	Iron-plated corvette, screw-steamer	280	12	275
Nishin-kan	Wooden corvette, screw-steamer	250	7	145
Tsukuba-kan	Wooden corvette, screw-steammer	200	10	180
Kasuga-kan	Wooden corvette, paddle-steamer	300	7	125
Ho-shoi-kan	Compound-system gunboat, screw-steamer	75	4	70
Moshium-kan	Wooden gunboat, screw-steamer	75	4	70
Teibo I	Wooden gunboat, screw-steamer	60	4	60
Teibo II	Wooden gunboat, screw-steamer	60	4	60
Un-yo-kan	Wooden gunboat, screw-steamer	60	4	65
Chiotagata-kan	Wooden gunboat, screw-steamer	40	3	35
Kotetz’en	Iron-clad ram, double-screw steamer	500	5	135
Total (11)		1,900	64	1,220

Dispatches re Formosa.

Amoy, June 17, 1874.

July 15.

A copy of a reply addressed to Lo Taotai at Foochow, by Mr. Fukushima, His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s consul for Amoy.

I have the honor to inform you that I returned to Amoy to-day, the 17th of the month, from Formosa, and received your letter of the 21st of the 4th moon, (Chinese calendar,) in which you state that you had been informed by his excellency Li, the viceroy of Fohkien, on the 18th of your 4th moon, touching the subject of his excellency’s official letter addressed to his excellency Saigo, commander-in-chief of the Formosan expedition, and requesting me to communicate the matter to Mr. Shinagawa, consul for Shanghai, &c. I fully comprehend the position, and beg to say that I do not consider such a matter can be treated by us, but that it is a subject for the commander alone to decide as he sees fit when he receives the viceroy’s dispatch. From my personal experience in the Formosan territories, through which I lately traveled, and partly also from my opinion of the circumstances under which our commander has invested the country of the savages by special instructions from his Japanese majesty, I apprehend that there would be found some difference in the views of our commander from those entertained by the viceroy, as expressed in his excellency’s letter.

For instance, as regards the territories which are occupied by aborigines, and which have long been claimed to be under the control of your government, I would remark that I put a few questions to the aborigines as to whether their territory as well as themselves had ever been subject to the sovereignty of China. They said “they had not,” and substantiated their denial in an especial manner by showing that their taxes are paid only to their chief. They maintain that they have never been under the control of the Chinese government. It seems to be their custom to quarrel and even fight furiously with each other, taking possession of ground by force and robbing each other, up to the present time, there being no authority to execute impartial justice or to exercise control over them.

I would here mention an instance in which they lately applied to our commander, begging for his adjudication in a question respecting a right of property in ground, which had been contested for forty years. In disposition they seem to be amicable, though they are generally reckless and of a morose temperament, never getting rid of a sense of injury when despoiled of their property by wicked people, from whom they suffer on account of their having no proper court in which to make complaint.

They regarded therefore with extreme satisfaction the approach of our invading party. Placed as they were, it was as if they had met a light on a dark night, and they showed every kindness by helping the army to their utmost and begging protection from us, which seems to show that they were much gratified by the entrance of the invaders within their boundary, and that they preferred them to any others.

I therefore think that our commander confidently believes that those savages as well as their territories have never been under the sovereignty of your government, and under the special instructions he holds from his Japanese majesty is daily exerting his energies toward reducing them to a proper condition. His commission, however, extends only to military affairs, and is limited to the measures necessary in reference to the savages. Consequently, I think, he could do nothing in the matter, nor even discuss with his excellency the viceroy the question as to the jurisdiction of your government, over that territory, this being a subject which ought to be left to the decision of our respective governments.

From my private considerations of this affair, I would express the hope that your high commissioner or authorities will negotiate it in an impartial and amicable spirit with our minister, and thus continue our friendly relations on a permanent footing.

I have, &c.