JAPAN.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1998, 19 December 1863, Page 3

JAPAN.

THE ATTACK ON SATSUMA'S BATTERIES. [From the Japan Commercial News, 2nd September.] The squadron, having the British Minister, Colonel Neale, and his staff on board, left here for Kagosima on the 6th tilt., and from that date to the 21st ult., we heard nothing more of them than that some merchant steamers, which subsequently arrived here from Shanghai, had seen them steering towards their destination, being at the time in the Gainkai Nada, or sea between the islands. Sikoktoo and Kinsin. On the 21st ultimo, the Cormorant arrived, with very startling news. The squadron entered the magnificent Bay of Jvagosima (Sh'ka-kc, small or young deer, ; and Sima, island or peninsula — that neighborhood having been at one time famous for those animals) on the afternoon of the 11th tilt., and anchored 8 miles to the south of the town. This position will readily be seen upon reference to our map of the harbor. On the 12th, the fleet . approached nearer to the town, finding nothing to complain of in the soundings of this beautiful bay, except that they were too deep — so much so, that it required immense length of cable to find an anchorage. This was ultimately found to have its disadvantages. A good number of junks were seen r anchored close in shore, some of them being i unusually large Loo-choo junks. Thesquad- ' ron got where the admiral desired about r 8 o'clock on Wednesday morning, and after i anchoring, some of Satsuma's officials came • on board, to inquire, we fancy, what brought the fleet there, and what the foreigners f wanted ? These officials undertook to carry i to their master, jrc to his liieutenaut at Kago-

sima, the demands of Great Britain, which Colonel Nealehad readVprepared in Japanese, Dutch, and English. The British Minister gave them until 2 p.m. on the 13th, to reply ; and about 3 p.m., on that day, ahigh official, or vice-minister, as he was said to be, came off to the flag-ship, accompanied by a guard of forty men, whom he insisted on seeing on board the Euryalus before he would venture there. He had not been long on board when another boat was sent after him, with a message, which wrought an immediate change in the aspect of affairs, causing the Japanese official to order his guard into their boat at once, and to remark that there was some hitch in the matter—that he could give no reply then, nor could he say when he should be able to do so. On that same evening, however, at 8 p m., this high official came on board the flag-ship again, and delivered a letter or despatch from Satsuma, or his chief minister, written in Japanese, and addressed to Colonel JNTeale, something after the style of the foreign office at Yeddo. The ! translation of this document would, of course j take a considerable time ; and therefore I Colonel .Neale was obliged to defer giving! his opinion upon it until the next day. This ! brings us to the most important point so far. { Satsuma's letter proved to be a very interesting one, although a most unsatisfactory reply to the demands of Great Britain ; and so much was intimated to the official who came off the next morning, for the answer, and who was informed that a flag of truce j would in future cover his visits tothatvessel. ! We hope to be able in a little time to gratify : our readers' curiosity with a copy of Satsuma's reply ; but at present this is impracticable, and all we can da is to refer to the salient points which report ascribes to it. It appears that Satsuma's Minister .wrote to the effect that his august master, previous ! to the arrival of the British fleet before Kagosima, had no intimation given him by the Tycoon's Government as to the demands' which Great Britain was about to make upon him. That in regard to any money demands the Minister must address himself to the Government at Yedo, as he (Satsuma) could not decide on such a question as that without the sanction of the Tycoon's Ministers. That according to the laws and customs of Japan, he had clone no -wrong whatever. That in regard to the murder of Mr Richardson, on theTokaido, he knew it to be a fact: but denied that Shimadzoo Saboro 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 had endeavoured to find the murderers, but for 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 Richardson, but this deception his honor would not permit to be practised. That he was not bound by the treaties'of the Tycoon with foreigners . That those treaties were contrary to the time honored laws of the Gongen Sama. That the Tycoon alone was answerable in this case, as he had permitted foreigners to come into Japan contrary to law and custom, and granted them liberties which permitted them to interrupt and impede the movements of Japanese princes on the high roads. That if this were permitted to continue it would soon be impossible for a Japanese prince to travel through the country. That the attack on Mr Richardson's party was not contrary to the laws of Japan, and that therefore Ms master (Satsuma) had done no wrong ; and that under no circumstances could he, or would he, comply with any of the demands made by Great Britain. The foregoing are, we believe, some of the most important points in Satsuma's reply, which resulted in the movements so well described by o\ir correspondents, and ended in the burning, of eight large vessels, three of them being valuable foreign built steamers, with costly cargoes of sugars, &c, on board, and the blowing up of two or three powder magazines, the disabling of several batteries, and the almost total reduction to ashes of the large city of Kageshna, together with its factories, cattle, foundry, &c, which, as a whole, indicate the destruction of animmenseamount of property, not to mention the number of those who must have been killed and wounded in the batteries and the town, &c. Satsuma's officer who went on board the flagship said he had been commissioned by his chief to invite the admiral' and Colonel JNTeale with the whole of their respective staffs, to come on shore to the palace or castle, there to confer regarding the demand made upon Satsuma. This, of course, was declined. It has since transpired that this was an attempt to lead the admiral and the minister, &c, into a snare ; and that if they went on shore, as invited to do, every arrangement had been made for their seizure, by the lifting of drawbridges, &c. ; and if this had been effected, word would have been sent off to the squadron that the captives would be beheaded the moment a shot had been fired at the town by any of the ships. If the intended treachery proved successful, the captives were to be imprisoned at Kirisima — another town or stronghold of Satsuma, some fifty miles inland.

Killed and "Wounded. Euryalus — 9 killed, 22 wounded (1 since dead), 2 mortally. Pearl — 7 wounded*——) Coquette — 2 killed and 4 wounded, including lieutenant. llacehorse — 3 wounded, . Perseus — 1 killed and 9 wounded. Argus — 5 wounded. Havoc — None. Total 12 killed and 51 wounded ; 1 since dead.

(feom the steaits times, sep. 19.). On. the fleet anchoring, several of the Satsuina's high officers went on. board the flagship. They did not show much desire to be conciliatory, but had rather a swaggering air, relying, probably, on the magnificent line of forts before which our vessels had anchored, and relying also upon the perfect skill of the Japanese gunners. Their object was .evidently to gain time, so as to make every preparation for destroying the English fleet. They said Satsuma was not at home ]ust at that time ; he was at Eirisima, fifty miles off. They were handed a letter of demands and told that twenty-four hours would be allowed for a reply. Many hours after the expiry of the time a boat came off, followed by another ; 1 a messenger in the first boat stated that he had come off with the reply, but had been told to bring it back as " there was a mistake in it." The Japanese were evidently sporting with their intended victims. A few hours afterwards (about nine o'clock on the night of the 10th inst) a reply was sent off in the shape of a document fifteen feet long, crammed with impertiences. At nine on the following morning, two Japanese officers went on board the flagship, and said they had been sent to get a receipt for the reply. They stated that Satsuma had no power ' to settle the affair, and that its settlement must remain with the Tycoon. Colonel ISTeale, who was with the admiral, ready to negotiate to the last, now felt that he had d,one all that could be doae in order to avoid hostilities.

He accordingly retired, and left Admiral Kuper to adopt other means of persuasion. During the bombardment which followed, it was satisfactorily shown that the Japanese are not likely to prove, mean opponents. Had they had been matched with a foe less expert in the use of guns than the English tars, it would have been an equal fight, at least. As it was, our fleet suffered to the extent of thirteen killed and fifty wounded. Among the former we deeply regret to mention the names of Captain Jocelyn and Commander Wilmott, who were killed by the same ball while standing on the bridge on board the Euryalus. This is probably the first time for centuries that that the Japanese have really had a serious engagement with any enemy whatever, and it is astonishing that their guns should have been so well served. It need not surprise us, however, that they were evidently worsted after a two days' encounter. Serving guns while exposed to the fire of an enemy must be quite strange to them, and the accuracy of our fire, though it was blowing a tremendous gale all the time, must have satisfied Satsuma's people that we were perfectly at home in naval gunnery. The forts having been silenced, the foundries battered down, and the city set on fire, the fleet returned to Yokohama. Three steamers which Satsuma had - purchased from foreign firms at a total cost of 245,000 dols., were found in the bay and sot on. iire, after the crews had been sent on shore. Such is the punishment inflicted uponthis powerful prince for harboring the assassin of an English subject. It was evident throughout the entire preliminary parleying which took place, previous to the vessels' opening fire, that the Japanese were quite confident that they were about to re-enact the Taku disaster ; and great as our property .\ has been of damage received, it is strange thai, iL sitould not have been still greater. It is not likcl , tiiafc matters will end here. Prince Satsuma's mini must be inflamed and his spirit all on fire until he can show Japan that he has avenged the loss of bis vessels and the demolition* of his factories. If the war spirit kindles throughout Japan, the Japanese will be able to keep their beloved and beautiful, but slightly immoral country to themselves, In chastising Sat- • suma we have punished a man whose name is chaunted in popular song, and who is at the head of one of the wealthiest and oldest aristocracies in the world. He is a foeman worthy of our steel, and it is only to be feared the British valour will burst all the restraints of principle and humanity, and rush to meet this warlike Prince in the field. From ISTagaski we hear of a typhoon which caused some damage to numerous foreign vesels. The Prince of Chosew has taken possession of the forts on the south side of the Straits of Shimonsaki, thereby completely holding the key to the inland sea, or the » Gibraltar of Japan.