Tokyo, Oct. 5.
'A very interesting page of past history, relating to a British trad ing mission to Japan in the latter half of the 17th, century, was rolled back last week by Mr. C. R. Boxer, a British language officer, at the Tokyo German Club.
Mr." Boxer based his talk on monograph entitled John Company ju Japan and Formosa which rvferred to the visit of the Return to Japan for trade purposes:
The English had engaged in trad: with Japan between 1613 and 1623, Dut gave up the venture as unprofitable, After the Dutch East Ind'a. Company became established at Nagasaki, however, the British regretted their former decision, ana in 1071 three ships set sail from the Thames negotiate with the Japanese, They bad two motives. They. wanted to obtain gold and copper wherewith to buy the merchandise of India which thea had wide market in Europe, and they wanted to find a market for Eng-Tish broad-cloth, which they could not sell in India owing to climatic conditions. In order to make the mission all the more impressive, the Company managed to have King Charles II_write a letter to the Shogun of Japan recommending the quality. and choupness of Bi 'The, ships were to put 'Taiwan (Formosa, then belonging to China) amongst other places. ud from Taiwan the mission to Japan' was to be arranged. At 'Taiwan, they were not very well received. hey also found out that their treatment in Japan was likely to be worse, owing to the Dutch having attempted to prejudice the minds' of the Japanese against them,. Still, after coming thus far, wad thought to be a pity te return without making some effort, and 40, after a consultation, it was decided to vend only one hip 13 Early Dutch Traders Meanwhile, the Dutch were getting on quite well with the Japanese and had even secured a commercial concession on the island of Déshima off Nagasaki. On news reaching the Duta traders that the British merchants were at Formosa and were preparing to come to Japan, the Dutch supplied the Japanese with information relative to the British which, they expected, would sound the knell of British trade hopes with Japan. Part of thia information was that the King of England had just married Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese princess. The connection between a Portu-eno princess ani Roman Catholic ism was calculated to. ha necessary effect on the Jap who hated Roman Catholicism since two countries professing that "nitt had already entrenched. themselves not far from the shores of Japan However, things did not turn out the Dutch expected. The British vessel Return arrived in the port of Nagasaki on July 9, 1673. Three accounts exist of this visit—ia English, Dutch and Japanese. The first is fairly familiar, having appeared in Kacmpfer's' History Sapan. The Dutch account was by the commander of the Dutch colony in Nagasaki and the Japanese account by officials of the 'Shogunate. The Dutch version was 'a very warped one and, apparently, according to Mr. Boxer, has not been rendered into English owing' to its historical inaccuracy.
Much against their wishes, how-over, tte Dutch were foreed by the Japanese to assist the latter in their dealing, with the British, and the diary of the, Dutch, Gommande reveals, to 'a great 'Extent, his irritation and'anger, when the tables were thus fumed" against hi especially when, he was asked point Dlank what the Feligion 6f"the Stata of Religion: wat.' 'The Retivra left 'Nagasaki in Stptembet of he same year in reached Léndod, to years Tater, dus to the "act that, in the meantific; wat: ad' broken out between England and Holling, nécesagitating: the Rotern' patting: into cly" OW" pert The "Bran <venture did not tufi"bGt 29° success: but this was not duo: to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.