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.,
[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 [Page 327] 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 |
[Page 328]
Dispatches re Formosa.
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.
