§ MR. WARNERsaid, he rose to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether any privileges of trade with Japan had recently been acquired by Russia or the United States of America; and if so, whether Her Majesty's Government had secured equal privileges for British subjects?
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONsaid, that Admiral Stirling concluded last autumn a treaty with the Government of Japan, the stipulations of which were to the effect that British ships should be admitted into certain ports of Japan for the purpose of repair and refreshment. There were no commercial stipulations in the treaty, with one exception, which was, that whatever ports might now or hereafter be opened in Japan to ships of any other country, British ships and British subjects should be admitted into them, and should be placed in the enjoyment of any privileges and advantages which were then conceded to the citizens of the most favoured nations. The United States did conclude a treaty last year with Japan, by which certain ports were to be opened to American vessels, with the privilege of commerce in those ports, and therefore, by the treaty concluded by Admiral Stirling we were entitled, in the same ports, to all the privileges conceded to the citizens of the United States. He was not aware of any treaty having been concluded between Russia and Japan. He might add, however, that in our treaty, while we were to have all the privileges and advantages enjoyed by the most favoured nation, these words were added, "with the exception of those conceded to China and to Holland."