In anticipation of possible strife between Britain and America, for predominance in the Pacific, Commodore Perry's trip was. based on America's necessity of establishing Hood bases of operations in the Pacific, described inthe following has already occupied the most important points in East India and the China Sea, but fortunately Japan and many other is-Jonds in the Pacific still remain Intact, some of which are destined to be "commercial routes of the greatest importance for the United States When he frst visited Japan in 1853, Perry reached an agreement enabling America to gather her ips Loochoo waters and to establish coaling station inthe harbour of but his ambition did not stop that. "He aspired to American occupation of the Loochoo Islands and othe Bonin Islands as well, and place Siam, Indo-China, Borneo and part of Sumatra under American me Calling at the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, Perry bought the land nec-assary for the erection of ofmtees, piers and a coal depot for the use of the American navy, and he structed. the captain of the warship Plymouth to occupy the southern part of the islands, At-about the same time (1855-87) the American envoy in China, a Mr. Parker, suggested to his government that Taiwan (Formosa) should taken as a commercial. base between the United, States and the Far East.
As the American Government had not yel become sufficiently interested in the Far East to take any actual measures to accomplish these pt poses, the dreams of Perry and Parker failed to be realized.
When, however, Hawaii was annexed by the United States, and as a Yesult of the Spanish-American War the Philippines and Guam fell into her possession, followed by Secretary of State John' Hay's famous declara~ ion of the Open Door policy in the. Far East, American interest, both economic' and military, became very much stronger.
In recent years America inas assum-in. her military. arrangements a defensive attitude eastward (toward the Atlantic) and an offensive attitude westward (toward the Paeifle), and has been making great efforts to equip herself for operations in the Pacitle.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.