JAPAN. 



391 



llization is triumphant. According to the French 

 mode of dividing the year, it was at the beginning 

 of November that all the preparations had been com- 

 pleted. On the Vth of that month the deputies of 

 the Princes of Satsuma, Tosa, Geishion, and all the 

 other members of the National party, whom you 

 know, and which party reckons among its members 

 some of the vassals and even a brother of the ex- 

 Tycoon (Stotsbashi), proceeded to Nidjo-no-Siro, the 

 residence of the Princes of Yedo & Kioto. From the 

 outset the Tycoon manifested his comprehension of 

 the national movement, and showed an intelligent 

 and unselfish attachment for the general interests of 

 the country. Having explained that the Princes of 

 Yedo (his predecessors) had thought it their duty to 

 deal with the foreigners in their quality of Tycoon, 

 he added that he did not intend to maintain, against 

 the opinion of the Dairnios, the exclusive position 

 which he had inherited. Then he said : " The 

 movement being made around me implies a blame 

 which I accept; and, if the deputies think that I 

 should resign the title in virtue of which the Princes 

 of Yedo acted, I am ready to give in that resigna- 

 tion." The deputies briefly answered: "Act ac- 

 cording to the dictates of your conscience, and do so 

 promptly." The resignation of ^the Tycoon was at 

 once drawn up, almost in identical terms with his 

 declaration to the deputies. Next day, November 

 8th, the Shoshidai (official intermediary between the 

 Mikado and the Tycoon), Matsdaira Estion-no-Kani, 

 was summoned by the deputies. The act of resigna- 

 tion was then placed in his hand, with the usual 

 ceremonial, to be transmitted by him to the Mikado. 

 On the 9th his Excellency the Shoshidai brought the 

 official answer of the Mikado, who had accepted the 

 resignation of the Tycoon, and announced that his 

 programme contained the following resolutions : 

 " His Majesty the Mikado will convoke at Kioto all 

 the Japanese Daimios, who will form a sovereign 

 chamber. That chamber will decide all questions 

 of a general interest. The foreign question is ac- 

 cepted in the Mikado's name upon the basis already 

 existing in the states of Kuanto. The foreign alli- 

 ance is to be extended to the other states, and to be 

 framed on a more liberal basis. The Mikado will 

 make public the resolutions of the Federal Chamber 

 by decrees and proclamations. The Mikado's rela- 

 tions with public affairs will be conducted through 

 two speaking ministers, the Denizo and the Guizo." 



On January 1, 1868, the ministers of all the 

 foreign treaty powers were at Osaca, supported 

 by a large naval force, consisting of nineteen 

 men-of-war. It had been announced that 

 the opening of the port of Hiogo and the city 

 of Osaca, which, according to agreement, was 

 to take place on January 1st, was to be deferred 

 to April 1st, and that the foreign ministers re- 

 mained at Osaca, to urge the speedy opening. 

 There was, however, no need for bringing a 

 pressure to bear upon the Japanese Government, 

 for Hiogo and Osaca were formally opened at the 

 appointed time (January 1st), all the saluting- 

 ships hoisting the Japanese flag, and giving it 

 twenty-one guns; and then the guns in the 

 Osaca forts saluted severally, at intervals of 

 about twenty minutes, the flags of the treaty 

 nations.. The Japanese Government officials 

 then paid visits of ceremony to the various 

 foreign officials, which were returned, and the 

 opening ceremonies were at an end. At noon 

 the American and English consuls almost si- 

 multaneously ran up their national ensigns (no 

 other consulates were ready), and then com- 

 menced the dealings with the natives. United 



States Minister Van Valkenburgh issued a 

 notification of the opening of the new ports, 

 dated January 1st, and published sailing direc- 

 tions and regulations concerning lighters, tow- 

 boats, etc. 



After the resignation of Stotsbashi, the Ty- 

 coon, in November, 1867, a confederation of 

 the Daimios (princes), from the south of the 

 empire, determined to utterly crush him, and 

 exclude him from all participation in the Gov- 

 ernment. The Tycoon was, on January 1st, at 

 Osaca, assisting at the opening of that port and 

 the neighboring port of Hiogo to foreigners, 

 while the Mikado was at Kioto, not far distant. 

 The person of the young Mikado about this 

 time was seized by Satsuma, Ohosin, Tosa, and 

 others of the Tycoon's enemies, whereupon 

 the Tycoon fled from Kioto to Osaca, where 

 he took refuge in his strong castle there, and 

 endeavored to collect his forces and those of 

 other Daimios who sided with him. Mean- 

 while at Yeddo (the Tycoon's capital) the ya- 

 shikis, or palaces of the Daimios, all of whom 

 had been compelled in former years to main- 

 tain establishments there, were being disman- 

 tled and the effects being removed to the re- 

 spective territories of the princes. The re- 

 tainers of Prince Satsuma harbored in his half- 

 dismantled yashiki a horde of Eanins (men of 

 bad character, owning allegiance to no one). 

 The depredations of these men, issuing forth 

 from this stronghold, aroused the Tycoon's 

 lieutenants to remonstrance. The answer de- 

 nying authority was the decapitation of the 

 messenger, and returning his head with abusive 

 messages. The result was a battle, attended 

 with frightful loss of life, and the escape of a 

 portion of the force from the yashiki, who cut 

 their way to a vessel of Satsuma's and ran out 

 into the bay, being pursued and fought in front 

 of Yokohama by one of the Tycoon's vessels, 

 but making good their escape to Satsuma. 

 January 28th, Satsuma sent to Osaca for supplies. 

 The Tycoon refused to allow them to pass out. 

 Satsuma placed himself at the head of his 

 troops and marched out from Kioto to compel 

 their delivery. The Tycoon, learning this, 

 marched out to give battle. The forces of the 

 Tycoon got between two columns of Satsuma's 

 army (really composed of the troops of several 

 of the southern Daimios besides Satsuma's own 

 retainers), and the army of the Tycoon was 

 beaten, Stotsbashi himself sought refuge on the 

 United States steamer Iroquois, and thence 

 transferred himself and officials to one of his 

 own steamers and steamed away for Jeddo. 

 Satsuma, on taking Osaca, burned the magnifi- 

 cent palace of the Tycoon to equalize matters, 

 the Tycoon having burned one of Satsuma's at 

 the same place. January 31st, the town of Kana- 

 gawa, lying between Yokohama and Jeddo, 

 was burned by some of Satsuma's sympathizers. 

 Upward of three miles along the Tocaida (the 

 great government road running all through the 

 empire) was burned, and thousands rendered 

 homeless. Yokohama merchants raised a sub- 



