Mr. Coombs to Mr.
Foster.
Legation of
the United States,
Tokio
Japan, January 20, 1893. (Received
February 23.)
No. 81.]
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith copy of a
note of date the 19th instant from his excellency Mutsu Munemitsu, His
Imperial Japanese Majesty’s minister for foreign affairs, and of its two
accompaniments, relative to the receipt and disposition by the villagers of
Shiwaki-ura of the gift of $350 from the Government of the United States, in
recognition of their services in connection with the rescue of the crew of
the American merchant vessel North American.
I have, etc.,
[Page 392]
[Inclosure 1 in No. 81.]
Mr. Mutsu Munemitsu
to Mr. Coombs.
Department for Foreign Affairs,
Tokio, the 19th day, the 1st month, the 26th year of
Meiji (January 19,
1893).
Sir: I have had the honor to receive your
excellency’s note No. 29 of the 28th December last, expressing
satisfaction at the manner in which the villagers of Shiwaki-ura,
Tokushima Prefecture, propose to dispose of the money granted by the
Government of the United States in recognition of their services in
rescuing the crew of the vessel North
American.
In acquainting your excellency that I have lost no time in complying with
your request to convey the expression of your appreciation to the
governor of Tokushima Prefecture, and through him to the local
authorities and people of Shiwaki-ura, I beg leave to transmit to you a
receipt for the money and a declaration accepting the proposed mode of
its disposition, which have been produced by the villagers to the
governor and forwarded to me by the latter.
I avail myself, etc.,
Mutsu Munemitsu,
Minister for Foreign
Affairs.
[Inclosure 2 in No.
81.—Translation.]
certificate.
$350 United States gold.
Being the sum of yen 520.03 in Japanese money donated by the American
Government as a gift to the villagers of this village, who gave
assistance in rescuing the officers and crew of the American merchant
vessel North American, which was wrecked in July
of this year.
The above amount has been received.
December 29, 1892.
Signed on behalf of the villagers of Owaza-Shiwaki-ura-mura,
township of Mikita-mura, county of Kaibu.
- Haruki Chujiro,
- Yamashita Sojiro,
- Hamano Isekichi,
- Wakamatsu Shotaro,
- Matsuda Choshichi,
- Hirai Torakichi,
- Okumara Bunsaku,
- Bando Tokutaro,
- Hashimoto Tokutaro,
- Yoshino Tsurekichi,
- Hamano Umekichi,
- Wakagi Kantaro,
- Taga Yasuzo,
- Konda Shigimatsu,
- Kainei Seizaboro,
- Itsumoto Kosaburo,
- Sato Ichitaro,
- Miyazaki Ezaburo,
- Kusumoto Bunjiro.
To the Hon. Seki Yoshiomi,
Governor of Tokushima Prefecture.
[Inclosure 3 in No.
81—Translation.]
$350 United States gold equivalent to yen, 520.08
Japanese money.
The above sum being the amount received as a gift from the American
Government to be distributed among those of this village who rendered
assistance in July last in the rescue of the officers and crew of the
American merchant vessel North
[Page 393]
American and in pursuance of the
benevolent desire of the American Government to be expended in the
purchase of fishing boats, fishing implements, and other necessary
implements used in their respective vocations, we feel that so long as
these implements lasted this kindness would be kept in mind, but in
order that we may not have cause to regret seeing the evidence of this
great kindness pass away from our sight, we desire that the said sum may
not be distributed to individuals, but may be invested as a common fund
from the interest of which fishing boats and implements for the whole
village of Shiwaki-Ura may be purchased, and thus perpetuate the memory
of this benevolent act of the American Government.
We hereby have the honor to present this our consent in writing to the
manner mutually fixed upon as to the disposal of the aforesaid
money.
December 29, 1892.
Signed on behalf of the villagers of Owaza-Shiwaki-ura, township of
Kikita-mura, county of Kaibu, by Naaruki Chujiro and eighteen others,
whose names appear in the accompanying certificate.
To the Hon. Seki Yoshiomi,
Governor of Tokushima Prefecture.
