Hildreth's "Japan as It Was and Is": A Handbook of Old Japan, Volume 1 (of 2)Hildreth, Richard
History
Hildreth's "Japan as It Was and Is": A Handbook of Old Japan, Volume 1 (of 2)
Hildreth, Richard
Japan -- History
From Yedo, where our travellers were received much as they had been
at Suruga, they proceeded some forty miles, by boats, to Uraga,
an excellent harbor on the sea-side, whence, in eight days, they
coasted round a projecting point of land back to Suruga, where they
received the emperor’s answer to the king’s letter, also an engrossed
and official copy of certain privileges of trade, a draught of which
they had furnished to the emperor’s secretary, and which, having been
condensed as much as possible, to suit the Japanese taste for brevity,
and thus reduced from fourteen articles to eight, were expressed in the
following terms[92]:
“1. _Imprimis._ We give free license to the subjects of the king of
Great Britain, namely, Sir Thomas Smith, governor, and the company
of the East India merchants and adventurers, forever, safely to come
into any of the ports of our empire of Japan, with their ships and
merchandises, without any hindrance to them or their goods, and to
abide, buy, sell and barter, according to their own manner, with all
nations: to tarry here as long as they think good, and to depart at
their pleasures.
“2. _Item._ We grant unto them freedom of custom for all such
merchandises as either now they have brought or hereafter they shall
bring into our kingdoms, or shall from hence transport to any foreign
part; and do authorize those ships that hereafter shall arrive and
come from England, to proceed to present sale of their commodities,
without further coming or sending up to our court.
“3. _Item._ If any of their ships shall happen to be in danger of
shipwreck, we will our subjects not only to assist them, but that such
part of ship and goods as shall be saved be returned to their captain
or cape-merchant[93], or their assigns: and that they shall or may
build one house or more for themselves, in any part of our empire
where they shall think fittest, and at their departure to make sale
thereof at their pleasure.
“4. _Item._ If any of the English, merchants or other, shall depart
this life within our dominions, the goods of the deceased shall remain
at the dispose of the cape-merchant: and all offenses committed by
them shall be punished by the said cape-merchant, according to his
discretion; our laws to take no hold of their persons or goods.
“5. _Item._ We will that ye our subjects, trading with them for any
of their commodities, pay them for the same according to agreement,
without delay, or return of their wares again unto them.
“6. _Item._ For such commodities as they have now brought, or shall
hereafter bring fitting for our service and proper use, we will
that no arrest be made thereof, but that the price be made with the
cape-merchant, according as they may sell to others, and present
payment upon the delivery of the goods.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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