Mr. De Long to Mr. Fish
Sir: I have the honor to advise you of my receipt to-day of a note from their excellencies the ministers for foreign affairs, requesting me to invoke your aid to procure for their government a competent legal [Page 596] adviser; and informing me that Mr. Mori, chargé d’affaires for Japan, will be instructed to confer fully with you.
I beg leave to assure you that I consider this a very complimentary and important request; one that I trust will be so fortunately complied with as to secure for this government the services of a gentleman of unquestionable honor and ability, both as a lawyer and as a diplomat.
Such a person, in my opinion, will be in a position in a short time to wield a great power for good with this nation.
His rapid advancement to a highly honorable position, where great reputation may be won, I consider very certain.
I have very earnestly urged upon all of these authorities the great importance, to their government, of their at once selecting and employing such an assistant; as they have constantly to deal with questions of foreign law, of which they know comparatively nothing.
This application proves that I have at least been successful in influencing them to take this step. Guided by my instructions, I have in this as in all other similar matters, refused to mention any person as suitable; but while recommending the measure, I have referred them to you to select the man. The importance to our Government of having one of our own people selected for this position, is that it prevents the selection of some other for that office, who, by being partial to another nation’s interest, might thereby become inimical to our own. It secures to our Government a friend at this court, who while honestly serving Japan, may probably, and doubtless would, prevent erroneous opinions from becoming generally entertained relative to the American Government, its institutions and policy.
I infinitely prefer having this one selection being intrusted to us, than I would to be given the appointment of many persons to minor positions. Such appointments serve a trifling purpose, most often entirely personal, and are not in any way freighted with important consequences; whereas it is not very improbable that the person whom you may select for this place may have almost the whole foreign policy of this government intrusted to him, for management, in time; indeed, his influence may extend further, and when he has once succeeded in gaining the confidence of the government in his ability and honesty, he may be able to do much to get it to open its doors full width to the stream of civilization so anxious to pour in, and thus materially aid in the great work of the moral and political redemption of this people. In this connection I beg to suggest that the person whom you may select, shall be one not indifferent to the cause of religion. I would not desire an enthusiast, but a person who, when he sees an opportunity to help in that cause, will not allow it to pass wholly unimproved.
The president of the government college at Yeddo is an American, and so are many of his assistants. At that institution hundreds of the youths of this land are being daily instructed. Another American gentleman is teaching a class of young men at the foreign office, who are being educated in languages and law, with the intention of qualifying them for positions in the various departments of this empire. Numbers of young Japanese noblemen are leaving here now monthly for America, and entering our numerous institutions of learning. All in my power I have constantly done to stimulate this emigration, and to foster and encourage these schools, believing that in this way, more surely and thoroughly than in any other, these people would become able to correctly judge of matters for themselves, and thus in that way, slow, to be sure, but, as I consider it, certain, the influence of our Government with this nation may be raised from the low position that it now seems to occupy.
[Page 597]All of the treaties with Japan are to be revised next year; that hour will be an important one for this empire, and at that time it will sorely need an able counsellor.
It may be thought that it would be more in the interest of our Government, and that of other civilized powers, that Japan should not at that time have such assistance than that it should, but I dissent from this view. I believe that all advantages foreign powers might gain over them through their ignorance of international law, would be far less in importance, besides being more unworthily gained, than what will result from having them represented by an able advocate, who, while he would prevent unworthy advantages from being taken of this government, would also counsel them against insisting upon unjust and unreasonable things, likely to produce mischief and trouble.
I trust that in contracting, a clause will be inserted giving to this gentleman a rank sufficient to entitle him to meet with the privy council of the sovereign, and not have him at the mercy of any chief of a department who, through ignorance or malice, might by misrepresenting his views at court, ruin his influence.
Trusting to your kind approval of my course in this affair, and earnestly hoping that you will exert yourself to assist in the proper accomplishment of this matter in conjunction with Mr. Mori, I have, &c.,