[Untitled], the 30th of the 11th Month, (January 1, 1870.)
[Untitled]
In reply to the letter received in the 5th month of last year, we now beg to inform your excellency that we duly inquired into the alleged ill treatment of Christians, from the officers in charge of the Soto Islands; and, as their statement did not appear to us sufficiently explicit, we directed some officers from Nagasaki to visit those islands and investigate the matter on the spot.
Altogether, there were more than one thousand persons on those islands who professed Christianity. Out of those, three hundred and thirty-five were reconverted to their own country’s religion, after having been gradually advised and disciplined. Five hundred and ninety-three were kept in prison, where they continued to receive advice, and one hundred and forty of those persons escaped from their prison.
It having been reported that some of those had formed a conspiracy to rise against authority, they were caught and tried, and those who did not confess were coerced in the usual way, in order to extort confession from them; but they have not been struck with iron rods, nor has fire been put into their mouths, as mentioned in your letter. Moreover, the prison, so-called, was simply a dwelling-house arranged in such a way that the persons kept in it could not go out during the night. During the daytime they were permitted to work on their farms. Of this large number some have died from natural causes, but not from any cruel treatment administered. Those persons received a much gentler treatment than usually accorded to criminals under the laws; and since special orders were issued during the last (sixth) month relative to Christianity, ill treatment of native Christians has been forbidden, and we believe, therefore, that the cruelties reported to have been practiced are simply the result of rumors without foundation. These rumors, however, having again been heard, we have sent other officers to those islands, under instructions to make a still fuller investigation.
In the mean time we address you the foregoing for your information in reply.