Joseph Heco

“ The following extract from the same newspaper purports to be the translation of the reply to the above by the Prince of Satsuma's Minister, Kawakami Tajima:--
It is just that a man who has killed another should be arrested and punished by death, as there is nothing more sacred than human life; and although we should like to secure them (the murderers) as we have endeavoured to do since last year, it is impossible for us to do so, owing to the political differences at present existing between the daimios of Japan, some of whom even hide and protect such people. ”

“ They have bought them up and sent them to Nagasaki, and Kanagawa or Yokohama, and there sold them to foreigners for their own gain. By so doing they have enhanced the price of all articles and all but themselves suffer. Many in the interior are pinched as in time of famine; families can no longer live in one place together; households are broken up and scattered; many have died from sheer want of food. ”

“ Those who shew even the smallest liking for foreign people shall be dealt with even as this Yamatoya Wohé has been dealt with. Whoever owes money to this Yamatoya need not take the trouble of repaying it. Should the Governor of Kiōto make any stir in the matter, debtors ought to make the fact known to us by putting a written notice in his place. And as for the Governor and his minions, they shall be served after the fashion of this Yamatoya Wohé.”
September 23rd. The steamer Scotland arrived with twelve high officials from Satsuma, to negotiate with the British authorities about their demands. ”

“ Richardson on the Tokaido, he knew it to be a fact, but denied that Shimadzu Saburo had any hand whatever in the matter; that the man who causelessly murders another in Japan is amenable to punishment of the severest kind, and that, in this instance, he (Satsuma) had endeavoured to find the murderers, but so far they had evaded his authority; that if he had a mind to deceive the foreigners he could in an instant take some condemned criminals out of prison and hand them over to the Admiral as being the murderers of Mr. ”

“ She fell in with the fleet and brings the following intelligence:--On Saturday last at 12 noon, while anchored in Kagoshima Bay, the Japanese opened fire unexpectedly upon the fleet, while a heavy gale was blowing. The casualties are unfortunately numerous--Captain Josling and Commander Wilmot were killed with one and the same shot. Killed and wounded, 60.
All the ships have suffered more or less. The fleet is returning here, and is now near at hand. We give the following interesting particulars just received from our own correspondant. The batteries opened fire on us at 12, noon, on the 15th. ”