CAUSE AND EFFECT IN FAR-EASTERN
POLITICS

THE Correlation between cause and effect may not be so obvious in human affairs as, say, in chemistry, owing to the long periods that often intervene between the antecedent cause and the full development of its effects; the connection exists all the same, and no student of world politics can afford to ignore it.

Thus, when Dom Sebastian, King of Portugal, led his ill-fated expedition into Morocco, 1578-resulting in the destruction of his army, his own death, and, three years later, the forcible seizure of Portugal by King Philip of Spain, a humiliating experience still sorrowfully referred to by patriotic Portuguese as the sixty years' captivity '-this terrible episode was fraught with consequences undreamt of by the wise men of that epoch, the true significance of which has even now been scarcely realised.

Even well-informed writers and careful students of world affairs are still wont to regard Sebastian's crazy escapade— together with its sequel, the Spanish usurpation-as simply a curious matter of ancient history, an isolated event which scarcely influenced the current of human affairs outside the Peninsula, and of insufficient importance to justify any prolonged investigation into its effects on world history.

The more immediate result of the subjugation of Portugal by Spain was the equipment of the 'Invincible Armada' by King Philip II., in conjunction with his helpless tool, Portugal—at the instigation of the Papacy-to crush the growing power of Protestantism in one of its strongholds. The miscarriage of this pseudo-pious project, however, by the destruction of the Armada, reduced the navies of Spain and Portugal for a time to impotence, with results alike in Europe and in the Far East of the most far-reaching nature.

The Portuguese, it may be well to remind the reader, had already, through the enterprise of their adventurous navigators, discovered and opened up an ocean highway to the Far East, thus securing for themselves a very lucrative trade, of which Lisbon became the headquarters as well as the chief distributing centre for the produce of Eastern lands. This naturally excited a desire

amongst other Powers, not only to secure a share in the new source of wealth, but to wrest from Portugal the monopoly she had hitherto enjoyed.

It was in the Eastern seas-strange to relate, on the shores of Japan-that the tidal wave of European politics set in motion by these events broke first of all, with most momentous results. The subsequent events may be briefly described.

First, it may be well to recall the fact that amongst the Jesuit missionaries who followed the Portuguese navigators into the Eastern seas was the celebrated Francis Xavier. And with such remarkable success did that zealous propagandist spread abroad the doctrines of the Christian religion that to superficial observers it seemed as if the whole of Japan was about to be gathered into the fold of the Roman Church.

Scarcely, however, had that persuasive preacher taken his departure, to seek elsewhere the crown of martyrdom denied him in the island kingdom, than its temporal rulers were seized with the suspicion that the so-called 'saving of souls' was not the sole quest of the missionaries; that, in short, they were aspiring to earthly dominion as well. And circumstances presently arose which not only confirmed these suspicions, but brought the alien propagandists into collision with the authorities.

Difficulties had already arisen through the refusal of the missionaries to baptise the Prince unless he consented to give up his harem—a proposal which touched him in the quick. What brought matters to a climax, however, was the naïve admission of a Spaniard, who, on being asked by the Prince : How is it that your king has managed to possess himself of half the world? ' incautiously replied: 'He sends priests to win the people; his troops are next sent to join the native Christians, and the conquest is then easy.' The sequel to this admission, so tradition avers, was an oath on the Prince's part' that not a priest should be left alive in his dominions.' This is certain: that on June 25, 1587, the first edict for the expulsion of the Jesuits was signed; and the date of this edict-mark the coincidence-was the year preceding the destruction of the 'Invincible Armada' off the coast of Britain. The edict of 1587 was renewed in 1596, and resulted in a fierce persecution of native Christians.

This changed attitude of the Japanese was due in no small measure to the arrival of the Dutch, which happened in so strange a manner that, as Captain Sherard Osborne justly remarks:

The hand of Providence seems apparent in a course of events that prevented the Jesuits from acquiring an influence they might have utilised in a manner familiar to all who have studied the history of the Inquisition at Goa.

The advent of the Hollanders at this critical period came about in this wise. In the course of their trade with the Portuguese, the

Dutchmen had been impressed with the immense wealth derived from the island kingdom of Japan, amounting, according to Kaempfer, to 300 tons of gold per annum, besides the unconsidered trifles picked up by the merchants conducting the trade. Deeming themselves as good men and as hardy mariners as the Portuguese, the Dutchmen became inspired with the desire of plunging their own spoon into that same tempting pudding, 'in spite of the hostility of the Dons, the Bulls of the Pope, or the fires of the Inquisition,' as an old writer puts it.

Accordingly, in 1598, a squadron of five ships was despatched by the Dutch East India Company, under command of Master Jaque Mahay, in the good ship Erasmus-a name especially dear to all Dutchmen, and then of deeper significance than might be inferred from the indifference of modern seamen to the names of their ships-the object of the expedition being for the introduction of Reformation principles, in opposition to those promulgated by the Jesuit missionaries, and for the opening up of trade with the East, seeing that Erasmus, to quote an old author, ' had attacked the Pope's crown and the monks' bellies.'

The interest attaching to the voyage is enhanced, moreover, by the fact of the squadron being piloted by an English seamanone William Adams-' born in Gillingham, one mile from Chatham, where the Queen's ships do lie,' according to his own statement. And he goes on to explain his presence on board the Dutchman thus:

I was, from the age of twelve, brought up in Limehouse, near London, being 'prentice twelve years to one master Nicholas Diggins, and have served in the place of master and pilot in his Majesty's ships; and about eleven or twelve years served the Worshipful Company of Barbary Merchants, until the Indian Traffic from Holland began; in which traffic I was desirous to make a little experience of the small knowledge which God hath given me.

The voyage proved disastrous, only one vessel, the Charity, with Adams on board, reaching her destination:

On the 11th of April, 1600, we saw the high land of Japan near Bungo; many country barks came aboard us, the people whereof we willingly let come, having no force to resist them; and at this place we came to an anchor,

the voyage having lasted one year and ten months.

As a matter of fact, the Charity was not the first Dutch ship to arrive in Far-Eastern waters. In 1594, the King of Spain, who ruled in Portugal during the sixty years' captivity,' having closed the port of Lisbon to Dutch shipping-for the double purpose of injuring Portuguese trade and punishing the Hollanders for their heretical back slidings-one Cornelius Houtman, a Dutchman who had been employed by the Portuguese as a pilot in the Indian

seas, and had suffered punishment at the hands of the Inquisition, navigated a Dutch squadron round the Cape of Good Hope to the East Indies.

Reverting to Will Adams. The advent of a strange ship having been reported to the Emperor, commands were issued for Adams and another sailor to be brought into his presence; and the interview is thus described by the Kentish man : 'I showed him the name of our country, and that our land had long sought the East Indies'; and having explained the purely mercantile object of the expedition, the Emperor, Adams tells us, asked if 'our country had wars, to which I replied, "Yea, with the Spaniards and Portuguese,1 being at peace with all other nations."

What is not very clear is whether Adams was speaking as an Englishman or as an employee of the Dutch when he referred to our country' and 'our land' in reply to the Emperor's question, both England and Holland being at war with the Spaniards, and their helpless tools, the Portuguese.

The appearance of trade rivals on the scene in the shape of the Dutch, naturally incensed the Portuguese; while the anger of the Jesuits was aroused by the fact of the new-comers belonging to what they charitably styled an 'heretical nation.' Under such untoward conditions the Hollanders could scarcely expect to be received with open arms; and there is nothing surprising in the statement of Will Adams that,

After we had been at Bungo from five to six days, a Portugal Jesuit, with other Portugals, and some Japanese that were Christians (in name), came from a place called Nangasaki, which was ill for us, the Portugals being our mortal enemies, who reported that we were pirates, and were not in the way of merchandising.

The Portugals, in short, took care to paint the new arrivals very black indeed.

The Emperor, undecided what to do, sent Adams and his companion off to prison, where they were kept under observation for thirty-nine days; the Jesuits and Portuguese in the meanwhile, with nice Christian charity, used their best endeavours to have them treated as thieves and rascals, declaring, wrote Adams, that, if justice was executed upon us, it would terrify the rest of our nation from coming there any more; and to this intent they daily sued his Majesty to cut us off.'

The pagan, however, proved less bloodthirsty than the priests, 'for, praise be to God tor ever and ever,' piously exclaims the Kentish man, 'the Emperor answered them, that because their two countries were at war was no reason why, to please the Portugals, he should slay Dutch and English.'

1 During the Spanish usurpation the Portuguese suffered for the crimes of their masters.

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Eventually the two seamen were liberated, and permitted to rejoin their ship. In course of time, Adams, who must have been a man of tact and address, albeit a sailor, acquired great influence at court, so that when, a few years later, more Dutch ships arrived, they were well received by the Japanese, and, through the good offices of Will Adams, were granted certain trade privileges, together with the use of the port of Firando.

Though happy enough in the land of his involuntary adoption -which he was fated never to leave-Adams was not unmindful of his native country, and wrote home, from time to time, urging his countrymen to open up trade with the island kingdom. And when, on June 11, 1613, a vessel bearing the red cross of England arrived, his joy was great. This vessel was the Clove, of London, one of the pioneer ships of the newly formed East India Company, commanded by Captain Saris, bearing a letter from King James, along with presents for the Emperor, who received the new arrivals very graciously on presenting themselves at Yeddo. Before quitting the country a treaty, embodying the most important privileges hitherto conceded to a foreign Power, was obtained; and Captain Saris carried back with him a letter from the Taikoon, expressing a desire to cultivate the friendship of King James, with a promise that his subjects should be heartily welcomed, and applauding much their worthiness and skill as navigators. An English factory was established at Firando, and all the omens were favourable to the opening up of the island empire to foreign. trade and friendly intercourse.

Captain Saris returned to England in a very optimistic frame of mind, bringing home, it is recorded, so highly coloured an account of the Japanese, and the prospects of trade, that a merchant of the city of London was induced to read that account to King James, who, after listening to it, 'roundly declared that he did not believe a word of it.'

What then, it may be asked, dashed all these bright hopes to the ground, and, worse still, sealed up the island empire to foreign intercourse to a time almost within living memory? The story is writ so large in the annals of European intercourse with Japan that he who runs may read; it may be epitomised as follows:

The year after the arrival of the Clove, of the East India Company's service, a most relentless persecution of priests and Christian converts broke out (1614), terminating in the expulsion of the Jesuits, and the virtual imprisonment of the Portuguese traders on the island of Decima, off Nagasaki (1635). In this degrading situation, the Portuguese, at the instigation, so they declared, of their successful rivals, the Dutch, who would be nothing loth to pay off old scores, were subjected to every sort of indignity.