Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/327

 INTERCOLONIAL COMMERCE. oil tives towards our religion, but that, as they were not ignorant that we were more powerful and dan- gerous than our ancestors, they were fully more jeal- ous of us, politically, than they had been of them. Attempts, in every form, have been made of late by Europeans, but in vain, to open a connec- tion with Japan. Private American merchants tried it in 1801 and 1802. Private merchants from British India made an attempt in 1803 ; and the same year the Russians sent their embassy, the result of which is well known to us, from the can- did and sensible account of Krusenstern. We may certainly calculate, therefore, that every at- tempt to establish an intercourse between Euro- pean nations and the Japanese empire, by fair ne- gotiation, must at present be fruitless. The resi- dence of the Dutch at Nangasaki, on the present principle, must be looked upon as throwing a great obstacle in the way of it. Without proving any benefit to that nation in particular, but the con- trary, the nature of the relation subsisting be- tween them and the Japanese is of a character which tends to make the latter view the whole Eu- ropean race with contempt and ridicule. It may be safely recommended to them as a measure of wisdom, as well as liberality, to withdraw, in the mean time, from all commercial concerns — to re- move themselves from their ignominious imprison- ment at Nangasaki — to confine themselves to send-