Townsend Harris Quotes & Sayings (Page 2)

“When the ambassadors of other foreign countries come to Japan to make treaties, they can be told that such and such a treaty has been made with the ambassador of the United States, and they will rest satisfied with this.”

“By means of steam one can go from California to Japan in eighteen days.”

“If war should break out between England and Japan, the latter would suffer much more than the former.”

“The President regards the Japanese as a brave people; but courage, though useful in time of war, is subordinate to knowledge of arts; hence, courage without such knowledge is not to be highly esteemed.”

“The President wishes the Japanese to be very prudent about the introduction of opium, and if a treaty is made, he wishes that opium may be strictly prohibited.”

“If Japan had been near to either England or France, war would have broken out long ago.”

“The President of the United States thinks that for the Japanese opium is more dangerous than war.”

“The United States have no possessions in the east and do not desire to have any, as other countries do.”

“If you make a treaty first with the United States and settle the matter of the opium trade, England cannot change this, though she should desire to do so.”

“Since the invention of steamships distant countries have become like those that are near at hand.”