Despatches from U.S. Consuls in Yokohama, Japan, 1897-1906

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Retrieve imperfect matches to accommodate spelling variations or approximate spellings sometimes found in historical documents.

Overview

Despatches from U.S. Consuls in Yokohama, Japan, 1897–1906

This collection consists mainly of despatches, with enclosures, addressed to the State Department by U.S. consular officials at Yokohama, Japan, between September 1, 1897, and July 26, 1906. These despatches reply to consular instructions and report on a wide range of subjects dealing with economic, political, and social conditions in Japan in addition to routine matters. Many of the despatches are accompanied by enclosures, such as copies of correspondence between consuls and local Japanese government officials, prefecture and national government officials, other consuls, U.S. naval officers commanding vessels visiting Yokohama, and American and other foreign citizens.

Some of the subjects to which the despatches relate are imports and exports, tariffs and duties, problems of operating the consular office, the Sino-Japanese War, Japanese emigration, the Russo-Japanese War, reports on Japanese army and naval activities, extraterritoriality, and civil and criminal matters involving American citizens.

Many of the despatches are covering letters for enclosures of a routine nature forwarded by consular officials to the State Department, such as reports on consular fees received and on trade. In accordance with departmental policy adopted in 1870, most statistical enclosures were removed from their covering letters and distributed among other records of the State Department or sent to other U.S. government departments.

Collection Facts

Date Range:
1897-1906
Extent:
5 manuscripts; 664 items; 2,569 pages
Language:
English
Source Institution:
National Archives (United States)
Yokohama harbor, Japan, late nineteenth century.
© The Art Archive/Art Resource, NY