Mr. Van Valkenburgh to Mr. Seward.
No. 37.]
Legation of the United States,
Yokohama,
April 10, 1868.
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith No.
1, copy of a public notice issued by the Japanese acting governor of
Hiogo in regard to the circulation of the Mexican dollar at that port,
and No. 2, copy of another public notice granting the concession to
foreign merchants to lease or erect buildings in the northern part of
Hiogo, called Kobé, situated in close proximity to the site selected for
the foreign settlement at that port, which, owing to the present
disturbances in this country, will necessarily have to remain
incompletely prepared for foreign occupation for some time.
I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your obedient
servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of Slate, Washington, D. C.
[Translation.]
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that a
notification having been issued by the government to all Japanese
subjects that the Mexican dollar is to pass current at the rate of
three bus per dollar, in future there will be no difficulty whatever
in its circulation at this rate in mercantile transactions between
foreigners and Japanese.
[Page 719]
In this relation I have further been instructed by my government to
inform you that their intention of changing dollars at this port at
the rate of three bus for the future, instead of at the rate at
which they have hitherto been exchanged, was represented to the
ministers of France, England, and Holland by members of the Mikado’s
government at Kioto, on the 28th instant, and that this intention
was approved by the said three ministers.
With respect,
[Translation.]
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that,
in accordance with an arrangement concluded at Kioto on the 26th
instant, between the Mikado’s government and the representatives of
France, England, and Holland, foreigners and Japanese may in future
make arrangements between themselves, and at their own convenience,
for leasing land or houses at this port; and that having purchased
houses, foreigners are at liberty to take them down and erect others
themselves within the following boundaries, namely, from the
Ikuta-gawa on the east to the Uji-Kawa on the west, and from the
hills on the north to the beach on the south.
From this arrangement, however, must be excepted the concession
ground prepared under the convention of May, 1867, for the use of
foreigners, and also a strip of land of one hundred feet in width
along the whole beach to the west of the settlement, which must be
preserved as a public thoroughfare.
This line of beach will be gradually cleared of the timber at present
placed there, and foreigners should also remove the few temporary
constructions they have recently put up on the said beach line as
soon as they are called upon to do so by the Japanese authorities
through their respective consuls.
When a foreigner and Japanese have made an agreement for leasing
ground or purchasing houses within these limits, each agreement must
be reported by the respective parties to the Japanese authorities
and to the consul of the nation concerned, in order that the
agreement may be sealed and registered on both sides, as a proof of
validity.
All foreigners occupying ground or houses within the said limits will
be liable to the payment of the same municipal charges, or
government land tax, as are paid by Japanese.
With respect,
