To His Excellency John A. Bingham to Terashima Munenori , His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s Minist, August 23, 1875

Mr. Bingham to Mr. Terashima.

Sir: It gives me pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency’s communication of date 22d instant, in relation to the wrongful arrest and detention by Japanese officials of Hon. William A. Richardson and Commander R. F. R. Lewis, when in the exercise of their guaranteed rights of travel and sojourn within the treaty-limits of Kanagawa. The action taken by your excellency’s government in the premises, if given to the public by due official notification, will, I presume, satisfy my Government and the citizens of the United States that the rights guaranteed to them by treaty will hereafter be respected by all officials in His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s service.

Although no mention is made in your excellency’s note of the purpose of a public notification, I cannot doubt that your excellency will see in this instance quite as much occasion for such notification as was present for the public official notification which was given by your excellency’s government on the 25th July, 1874, in the matter of the unlawful arrest within the British legation of a member of the legation-escort.

In that case it was deemed that the dignity and good faith of the empire required the notification, to the end that a like violation of public law might not be committed by officials of your excellency’s government. In this case the notification seems to be required, to the end that the treaty-obligations to which the good faith of the empire is pledged to the United States and the citizens thereof may be respected hereafter by His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s officials.

As I desire to communicate to my Government by the outgoing mail the action taken, by your excellency’s government in this matter, I will esteem it a favor if your excellency will inform me if the public notification will be given.

While it is apparent that such public official notification will be productive of much good, and will be a new assurance of the care your excellency’s government takes to fulfill its treaty-obligations, it can give no offense and work no hurt to any one.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,