Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the Second Session of the Fortieth Congress
Mr. Van Valkenburgh to Mr. Seward
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 27, of the 9th September, covering copy of your correspondence with Bishop Potter rand others representing the Protestant Episcopal church, and also with the Reverend Isaac Ferris and others representing the Evangelical Alliance of the United States.
I transmit herewith, No. 1, copy of a letter addressed to me by the Catholic Bishop Petitjean, covering copy of an account of the recent action of the Japanese authorities at Nagasaki, relative to native Christians in that vicinity, from which you will perceive that the present moment would be ill chosen to urge upon this government, in the earnest and energetic manner which the mportance of the subject demands, the removal of such Christian disabilities as may still exist, more or less, in several provinces of this empire.
With deep anxiety I have watched the progress of missionary labor in this country, and I beg to assure you that if a fitting opportunity presented itself for promoting an object of such immense importance as the extension of the blessings of Christianity to this interesting people, I would not hesitate to take prompt [Page 69] action, even in anticipation of instructions, provided, of course, that by so doing no doubt could possibly be entertained of a further improvement in our political relations with the country being attained at the same time.
My letter to the minister for foreign affairs, copy of which formed enclosure No. 1 of my despatch No. 44, of the 23d August last, informed you of the action I then took, of which I trust you have been pleased to approve.
In conclusion, I can only say, in further reply to your despatch No. 27, now under acknowledgment, that her Britannic Majesty’s minister has not received any instructions from his government on this subject.
I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
[Untitled]
Sir: I should wish very much to present verbally to your excellency the new expression of our gratitude for all you have kindly done in behalf of our unhappy prisoners, but being unable to go to Yedo, I am obliged to desist of that desire of mine. However, before I return to Nagasaki, I make amends by taking the liberty of addressing your excellency with this note a succinct account of matters referring to the prosecution against the Christians of Urakame. Accept, sir, this relation and this note also as a testimony of the respectful thankfulness of all the Catholic missionaries in Japan, and particularly of him who has the honor to be,
Yours, respectfully,
His Excellency E. B. Van Valkenburgh, Minister Resident of the United States in Japan.
An account of the persecution of the Christians in Japan, in July, 1867, by the Abbé S. M. Girard.
The blood of martyrs is everywhere the seed of the church, but nowhere, perhaps, shall it have been more fertile than in Japan, where the church of Christ has been found living after two centuries of such persecutions, as no one is ignorant of.
The first Christians who made themselves known, and, indeed, were the first to come to us for instruction, live in a valley called Urakame, near the town of Nagasaki. About 700 families—that is, 4,000 persons—are there gathered together. For about two years all of them have been busy for the salvation of their souls, and the number of those who have been admitted to the sacraments exceeds 1,200.
Nevertheless, up to the day on which the Japanese government determined to strike such a blow as to cause a sensation, everything went on very smoothly, and to many a European resident of Nagasaki the first news of these existing native Christians near them was the news of their arrest. However, the Japanese officers had for a considerable length of time been aware, and their government informed by them, of all that was passing, and their silence might lead one to hope for tolerance at their hands in a short period of time. But it was nothing but dissimulation and disguise on their part, for the persecutors were only calculating their steps and waiting for some pretext which the natural order of things and the laws of conscience were forcibly to raise soon. They availed themselves of it and at once the persecution began.
The law of the country obliges each head of a family who happens to lose any person of his kindred to go first and inform the civil officers, whose duty it is to come and verify the decease and then to send for some of the bonzes to perform religious ceremonies over the deceased. Accustomed as they had been for a long time to content themselves with an inward faith, our Christians had not understood at first all that which the law of God required of them, but as they got better instructed they saw they had necessarily to choose between a complete Christianism and apostacy. For many of them there was no doubt or hesitation thought possible about the choice, and in fact, assisted by the grace of God, they have proved it since.
One of them happened to die in April last. His relations went to report the case to the officers, and informed them at the same time that they could no more call for the bonze. Then it was that the governor ordered at once the names of all those who, for the future, [Page 70] would profess Christianity and do without the bonzes. From that moment all things passed on quietly down to the day on which arrests were made upon orders sent from Yedo or Osacca, where the Tycoon is now residing.
The arrests took place in the night of the 14th of July last, when low officers of the police, accompanied by their servants and by executioners, went to arrest 65 Christians, whom they bound up with cords and chains and dragged into the prison. They aimed at capturing the principal leaders of the movement, in hopes of being able thus to stop it at once, and as they were led by a traitor, who, like Judas, betrayed his brothers, they could not miss their aim. As they entered the houses pointed out to them beforehand, they tied up their victims, who offered no resistance, then went on plundering the houses with such haste and violence as to arrest persons who had not been denounced to them. So, for example, it is asserted that a Pagan who had come to the place for the sake of trade and was taking his rest by the side of the Christians was actually arrested and taken to prison with them.
For a few months a missionary was accustomed to go from time to time and conceal himself among the Christians, in order to administer the sacraments of the church to elderly people of both sexes, who could not of a night come near us for spiritual attendance.
On the day the arrests took place he thought it prudent to take flight, for the sake of not exposing his hosts to an increase of vexations.
Many an object belonging to him has fallen into the hands of those depredators, but he has been in no danger of life, all subjects of the treaty powers being permitted freely to move about within the limit of 30 miles in the territory directly submitted to the imperial sway.
When the prisoners were led through the town marks of sympathy were shown them by the Pagans themselves, and as soon as the news reached the European residents it raised among them a general cry of indignation.
The governor never expected such a demonstration: perhaps he was astounded and frightened by the officious protests of the most part of the consuls; but he had gone too far to retire at once, and notwithstanding all the interest which our Christians had excited, not longer than two days after were they cast into a prison hurriedly constructed for them. There they are even now, and God only knows when and how they shall come out of it.
“I have punished the Christians,” said at first the governor, “because they do not observe the law; but now my power does not extend further, and in order to release them, I must have orders from my government.” Nobody was deceived by that assertion of his punishing only disobedience, and the governor himself had understood that it would not be accepted as a sufficient justification of his conduct, for whilst some of his officers were effecting the arrests, some others were secretly endeavoring to excite the Christians to resist the executioners and to repulse them by force, under the pretext that they had come to seize them, without due orders and authority.
God did not permit that any one should fall into the snare so perversely laid for them, so that, to his great displeasure, the governor had to imprison Christians and no rebels.
However, as it was to be feared lest anxiety and grief should impel those into some imprudent step who were free yet, he whom the sovereign pontiff has intrusted with the care of those souls beloved of God thought it his duty to write them a letter, in order to exhort them to submit in all things to the ever adorable designs of Divine Providence; to obey their officers in all whatsoever would not be contrary to the law of God, and to commit everything to His mercy. They, on their part, addressed a petition to the governor, giving a solemn assurance of their fidelity, and declaring how sincerely they regretted that there were circumstances in which conscience compelled them unwillingly to displease him for the sake of saving their souls.
A few days after the jailers imposed a fine of about $10, that they might be fed, and at the same time it was notified to their relatives that they would be permitted to bring them any aliment they would choose to prepare for them.
Then the children of the victims came near us to look for parents to replace those that had been taken away from them. The mission gladly received the sons of the confessors of the faith, happy to go to any expense and ready to make any sacrifice in their behalf. She sets now every hope in them; they are studying to become her supporters and, God permitting, her glory. God protect them!
Scarcely a few days had elapsed when his excellency the minister resident of the United States, who was then at Nagasaki, kindly using his influence in behalf of our Christians, went and asked their release from the governor. His excellency did not obtain that which his generous initiative truly deserved, and had to wait until he would return to Yedo to entertain more directly the imperial government on a subject which had to so high a point won his sympathy.
The only thing which his excellency could obtain from the governor of Nagasaki was, that the promise already given to the consuls of France and Portugal, viz: that new arrests would not be made, was most explicitly renewed to him. But the Japanese government never shrinks from any promise when they think it will remove any difficulty, though it be for a time.
A few days after, a Christian woman, whose mother had just died, was summoned to the bar of the officers, in order to justify herself for not calling for the bonze. “It was, of course, through forgetfulness, was it?” suggested they to her. “Merely do say and confess that it [Page 71] was through forgetfulness that you omitted to comply with the law.” “No,” answered she, “but it was both to obey my mother’s last will and to save my own soul.” Immediately she was sent to prison. As she left the village, bidding farewell to her friends, “We shall see each other no more,” said she, “for I am going to prison; but I am glad of it; and I will tell all the other prisoners that his lordship the bishop, and all the fathers, and all the Europeans are interested in us and are much afflicted on our account.”
But alas ! neither she nor the other prisoners had the mutual consolation of meeting in the same prison. She was sent to a separate one. On being requested to explain how it was that he had not dealt with her as he had made her expect, he answered that Clara Iake was not in prison; that she had only undergone an examination, but no penalty. But the fact is, that since that time she has not been heard of; and such is the case with several other persons also.
Here we have an example of the politics of the Japanese government, and the measure of the dignity which they bring in their relations with the representatives of foreign powers. They boast of going to them for the sake of studying true civilization, of copying their industry, &c., &c., and, in a word, they apply to them for light, and they persecute their faith. They apply to their missionaries for the instruction of their interpreters, and they send to prison those who come to them for religious instruction.
In the mean time the Prince of Omura having heard what was going on at Nagasaki, wished in his turn to show what he could do against the Christians, who were found in his dominions principally in the two villages of Coba and Kitamura. The heads of the families are first summoned and commanded to sign with their blood a formula of apostasy laid before them, and then drink of a water over which a bonze had said superstitious prayers. The Christians of Coba refused to comply with the injunction, and consequently were immediately sent to prison. Those of Kitamura, on the contrary, mistaken about the significance of the act which was demanded of them, obeyed at first, unconscious of its import; but as soon as they heard of what had taken place at Coba their doubts vanished, and then deeming it necessary to make a reparation for their apparent failing, they spontaneously went and energetically protested, saying that the officers had surprised their simplicity, and that they never meant to abandon the Christian religion, to which they would adhere still, though it would cost them their lives. Their courage was immediately rewarded by being sent to prison, which they occupied with their brothers at Coba.
There remained yet the women and children under 15 years of age, whom the Christians of Urakame were taking care of during the absence of their husbands and parents who were in prison. But as they were no less Christians than the others, neither their sex nor age could justify them of the same guilt, so they were soon put together to confess Christ conjointly. There are found amongst them sucking children, whose mothers are suffering from hunger.
In the town of Nagasaki a tender child had been sent at first to prison with its mother; but soon after, the officers, seeing him on the point of death, sent him back to the other members of his family, keeping the mother in prison still.
The prisoners of Omura shall not have the same resource, for they have no more members of their family out of prison, where those confessors of the faith are stowed away very close together to the number of 110 persons.
Our hearts felt wearied in the presence of such griefs, incessantly renewed, and of anxieties daily increasing. We nevertheless entertained hopes of seeing better days.
The representative of France had been duly informed by us, from the very beginning, of what was going on, and his excellency’s sympathy for our holy cause, his formal promises, and high influence with the Japanese authorities, were to us a guarantee that he would not shrink from making the necessary representations to those authorities, and that his generous efforts could not fail to be crowned with full success. And indeed on the 14th of August we received from his excellency a letter in which we read as follows:
“It has proved an easy task to me to obtain the complete and immediate release of the prisoners, together with the forgetting (l’oublie)of the past. The official orders which are to guarantee the fulfilment of these promises will soon reach Nagasaki, and I entertain not the least doubt but they shall be faithfully put into execution.”
After such a declaration from the pen of his excellency, no more doubt could appear possible; and indeed France would have been happy to hear the tidings of the delivery prayed for, as an homage offered her from the Japanese authorities on the day of her national fete.
Vain expectation! Four weeks have elapsed since, and the prisoners have not been released yet. In the meantime, death having visited several of our Christians, caused the loss of their liberty to the heads of their families, who preferred the prison before forfeiting their faith by calling for the priests of idols. That was not all; instead of taking steps towards releasing the captives, as it was generally believed in the town, the governor was on the contrary devising a plan calculated to compel all the Christians to make a general apostacy. This is the regard he pretends to show to their liberty of conscience.
On the 27th of August a tribunal was erected in the midst of them, and deputies from each village were summoned to be tried and to answer in the name of all. Everything had been combined and calculated in order to obtain an easy success. Those whom the Christians had selected themselves to represent them were refused by the officers, who purposely chose [Page 72] those who, being less instructed than the others and rather hesitating in their faith, seemed incapable of showing any courage. But God is sometimes pleased to baffle the projects and machinations of men. The persecutors only succeeded in provoking a new and more solemn manifestation of Christian faith, and they had to retire, convinced that they would never be able to destroy a religion which teaches and enables, its adherents rather to suffer anything than to repudiate it. Should the persecution succeed in deceiving and frightening the ignorant and weak, Divine grace can in an instant enlighten and strengthen them, as it was seen in Omura.
Whilst these things were going on at Urakame, five of the prisoners were taken to the palace of the governor, undoubtedly to be commanded to renounce their religion, both in their own name and in the name of their companions. It is to be supposed that none of them has apostatized; for they were all afterwards taken back to the prison in their chains. Some Christians met them on the way; they saluted one another; one of the prisoners responded with a merry smile, and we cannot help doing this justice to the Japanese authorities, of stating that the prisoners’ faces did not then bear any mark of excessive privations.
The same scene has been renewed several times, and then the pagans who saw these Christians walk in chains could not conceal their admiration at seeing their noble and firm, yet modest, countenances.
Amongst them some women have been conducted so through the streets, and, contrary to what is practiced with the greatest female criminals, their hands were tied behind their backs in the same way as the men; and their bonds were not even concealed under their dress.
What is most afflicting for us is that the arrests continue to take place as often as any death occurs. The governor was saying lately to one who declined to call for the bonze in such a case, “Will you obstinately disobey the law of our country ? Do you believe that if our bonzes went to France to preach a foreign creed, those who would listen to them should not be punished ? Why, then, what would be done elsewhere should not be done here likewise?”
A short time after arrived at Nagasaki a high officer sent from Yedo to replace the two governors there. Then our consul, at the request of the lord bishop, availed himself of the first opportunity to visit him and ask him to procure the fulfilment of the promises which were made to the minister of France. He was answered that they had not been fulfilled yet, because the Tycoon had not yet notified them that his excellency the minister of France, having seen his Majesty the Tycoon at Osacca, would not be long writing to Nagasaki, after which only the matter could be discussed. As for the immediate release, said the governor ad interim, I can only grant it, if the prisoners only declare their repentance for having embraced the Christian religion, and if an assurance is given me that the French missionaries will go no more amongst them.
A few hours after arrived new statements confirming the first. Then the consul wrote, protesting against the obstinacy which the authorities showed in keeping 47 of the prisoners cruelly stowed in together on the narrow space of four mats, i. e., twelve feet long and six feet wide, in spite of the promise made to himself. From thence the governor ordered the number of those unfortunate persons to be reduced to 33, which is still excessive, but makes us hope their lives will not be so much endangered, although they must have to suffer greatly from such close confinement. Now we hear that 50 more are to be tried.
But what is there going on in the interior of the governor’s palace ? That is a secret which remains to be unveiled in the future. Thus far things went on down to this date.
What will the governor do with those who refused to renounce their religion ? What will he do even with those whom fear caused to recoil or hesitate ? What will the minister of France do at the sight of the evident ill will which the Japanese government show in complying with the solemn promises it made him ?
Our cause is the cause of God. We know that it must triumph, but we do not know how long will our trials last. His holy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. However, we fully expect that what is now taking place at Nagasaki can but be the omen of a religious tolerance, which events must bring on sooner or later. Persons who, wholly dedicated to other concerns, judge not religious matters from a right point of view, will perhaps be astounded at and dread a movement which they expected not and may deem dangerous. They will wonder at the interests shown to our Christians and perhaps blame it; here is not the place of defending ourselves; but to those who in the firmness of those good people would pretend to see anything else than a religious conviction, we must say once for all, that they are mistaken. The Christians have declared it both by word of mouth and in writing, and they are ready to prove it on all occasions. If they can only be allowed, a little liberty in following up the dictates of their conscience, in everything else they will be the faithful observers of the law. The Japanese government may try again, as in the first days, to turn them into rebels and to punish them as such. With the grace of God they will never allow themselves to be led astray from their duty. But should the Japanese authorities deceive for a time their people and Europe, sooner or later truth will triumph, things will appear in their proper light, and then admiration will abide by those who shall have the courage of showing themselves Christians in the midst of the most serious difficulties, whilst craftiness, wile, and base cowardice will gain nothing else but due contempt.