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318 HONDA THE SAMURAI. While the view we have stated was the honest opinion of many Japanese of the years 1858-60, it must be remembered that to a few progressive men then, and many of them now, it was not a true judgment upon li Kamon no Kami, whose motives were not bad. He sincerely loved his country, and wished to open it peacefully to western civilization. The foreign vessels, British, Dutch, Russian, and French, were now visiting the coast of Japan in increasing numbers, and nearly all of them demanded that treaties should be made. Above all, Mr. Townsend Harris, the American minister, who had come from Shimoda to live permanently in Yedo, visited frequently the headquarters of the premier, and demanded that the Yedo government should hurry up the authorities in Kyoto to take immediate action and make a commercial treaty. The prime minister, being afraid that some accident would happen by which Japan would be involved in war, as were China and India, and be invaded or conquered, determined himself to expedite matters. In fact, he resolved to do this if necessary even at what seemed to be the expense of all propriety, and in defiance of the opinion of men who thought themselves as well able to judge as himself. He therefore put his seal and signature to a new treaty, without the sanction of the Mikado. He knew that the Japanese were not then prepared to resist the pressure brought upon them. When the prince of Echizen, and other lords who were blood relations of the Tycoon, found out that " the swaggering prime minister " had made a treaty
"EXPEL THE BARBADIANS." 319 with Mr. Harris, the American minister, entirely on his own account, without consulting others, or with- out going through the forms which were so properly observed at the time of the coming of Commodore Perry, they at once ordered their palanquins, and going to the palace desired an interview with the Ty- coon, to protest against making treaties with foreign nations without orders from the Mikado and the im- perial court. According to the native historians their request for an interview with the Tycoon was refused by the prime minister, who saw them himself, insulted them, sent them away, and told them never to come back into the castle again. Then, so it is said, he gave himself to pleasure at the expense of the public funds, while at the same time he sent his spies to Kyoto and other places throughout the country and arrested all the patriots whom he sup- posed were interfering with his arbitrary purposes. These men were not so much opposed to foreigners as they were desirous of having things done according to enlightened public opinion and with some form of representative government. Indeed, a great many of the more respectable of them " veiled their larger purpose " under the cry which now arose throughout the country, and which afterward swelled to the proportions of a storm, " Honor the " Mikado and expel the barbarians ! Though at first few, these " Mikado-reverencers " and " foreignerhaters " gradually enlarged their numbers, until there were organizations of them all over the empire. In their ardor to destroy the Yedo despotism, and to
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"EXPEL THE BARBADIANS." 319<br />
with Mr. Harris, the American minister, entirely on<br />
his own account, without consulting others, or with-<br />
out going through the forms which were so properly<br />
observed at the time of the coming of Commodore<br />
Perry, they at once ordered their palanquins, and<br />
going to the palace desired an interview with the Ty-<br />
coon, to protest against making treaties with foreign<br />
nations without orders from the Mikado and the im-<br />
perial court. According to the native historians<br />
their request for an interview with the Tycoon was<br />
refused by the prime minister, who saw them himself,<br />
insulted them, sent them away, and told them never<br />
to come back into the castle again. Then, so it is<br />
said, he gave himself to pleasure at the expense of<br />
the public funds, while at the same time he sent his<br />
spies to Kyoto and other places throughout the<br />
country and arrested all the patriots whom he sup-<br />
posed were interfering with his arbitrary purposes.<br />
These men were not so much opposed to foreigners<br />
as they were desirous of having things done<br />
according to enlightened public opinion and with<br />
some form of representative government. Indeed, a<br />
great many of the more respectable of them " veiled<br />
their larger purpose " under the cry which now<br />
arose throughout the country, and which afterward<br />
swelled to the proportions of a storm, " Honor the<br />
"<br />
Mikado and expel the barbarians ! Though at<br />
first few, these " Mikado-reverencers " and " foreignerhaters<br />
"<br />
gradually enlarged their numbers, until there<br />
were organizations of them all over the empire. In<br />
their ardor to destroy the Yedo despotism, and to