Soyeshima Tane-omi to De Long, August 25, 1872
Soyeshmia Tane-omi to Mr. De Long.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency’s letter of September 3, 1872. In your note of June 21, 1870, you stated that you had been instructed by your Government to attend to any matter that might be intrusted to your charge by the government of Peru. It did not appear, however, that the government of Peru had then intrusted any matter to your charge, or even that it had requested the United States to lend the services of their minister.
Having now been favored with a copy of Mr. Fish’s instructions, inclosed in the note to which this is a reply, I take pleasure in saying that the desire of the republic of Peru that you should extend your good offices to its citizens in this empire being now clearly made known, the government of His Majesty the Emperor has no objection whatever to your acting for Peruvian interests to the extent suggested.
In the year 1867 several, if not all, of the European governments withdrew their diplomatic representatives from Mexico, and desired that the minister of the United States should be charged with the protection of the interests of their respective subjects. The American and the Mexican governments consented that the American should accept the trust confided in him. The manner in which he was to act is stated in a letter to the American minister from the Mexican minister of foreign relations in these words, which I copy from the diplomatic correspondence of the United States, courteously forwarded to the gwaimusho by the Department of State:
“The government of Mexico, desiring to avoid all danger of disturbance of its friendly relations with the United States, feels that it would be better that you should not interpose any mediation of an official character in the instances in which the subjects of France and Belgium might desire to promote their interests. But should you wish to interpose your good offices privately the government will attend to them with all possible consideration.”
The Mexican minister of foreign relations subsequently adopted the same language in regard to the American’s good offices for French and Prussian subjects.
The mode of conduct described in the above extract having had the approval of so many governments, I do not hesitate to adopt the language of the Mexican minister in the present case.
It is to be understood that citizens of Peru who voluntarily come into the territories of Japan submit themselves in all respects to the laws and to the tribunals of this empire. They will none the less be treated with justice and humanity. It may even happen that they will obtain favor unexpectedly.
With respect, &c.,