A Chapter from Japanese History 22 



entrance to Soya (Japanese) harbor. 

 Here they found four junks, mostly 

 laden with stores for the Soya garrison. 

 These junks they rifled and burnt, car- 

 rying off, amongst other booty, a ten- 

 pounder bronze cannon captured by 

 Taikosama from the Koreans. The 

 officers in charge of the junks reported 

 to their government that they had been 

 wrecked in the storm at Rushin. The 

 Russians sent ashore the prisoners taken 

 at Kushunkotan and Itorup. To one 

 of them was entrusted a message to the 

 Japanese authorities, which was taken 

 down in Japanese and ran as follows : 



" ' To the Governor of Matsumaye : 



" ' The distance between Russia and 

 Japan being but small, our Emperor 

 sent his officers across the sea to request 

 that trade between the two countries 

 might be permitted. If due inquiry had 

 been made and a treaty of commerce 

 concluded, all would have been well, but 

 although our officers went repeatedly to 

 Nagasaki they were sent away without 

 an answer. Then things took an un- 

 pleasant turn, and our Emperor com- 

 manded us to give you a specimen of his 

 power in return for your refusing to 

 listen to his first request. If you per- 

 sist in refusing his offers, we will take 

 all your northern territory from you, 

 and if possible get an answer out of you 

 in that way. The red men (Russians) 

 can always come to Saghalien and Itorup 

 and chase you about. If you comply 

 with our wishes, we shall always be 

 good friends with you. If not, we will 

 come again with more ships and behave 

 in the same way as we have done before 

 this year. 



" ' Oroshiya (Russia).' " 



About the time when Commodore 

 Perry entered the waters of Japan, in 

 March, 1853, and his return there, in 

 February, 1854, the rumors of trouble 

 between the Chinese and European 

 powers were being constantly received 

 through the Dutch by the statesmen of 



Japan with the greatest concern. The 

 incessant and increasing visits of the 

 black ships and the persistent demands 

 of the various powers to open the country 

 to the intercourse of the world deeply 

 occupied the minds of the thinking 

 population of Japan. They never had 

 those awe-inspiring black ships on their 

 side, nor had they any of those magical 

 sailing ships which could steer their way 

 against the head wind. They never 

 heard before such a tremendous roaring 

 of cannon as that sounded on those mon- 

 ster vessels. The years following the 

 conclusion of the first international 

 treaty of Japan, in 1854, are marked 

 with the tremendous agitation over all 

 the Empire, and the question of national 

 defense was a matter of paramount im- 

 portance. 



The Tokugawa government, by the 

 pressure so tactfully brought upon them 

 and by the persuasion so skillfully ad- 

 ministered by the American envoy, were 

 finally compelled to accede to his de- 

 mands, but public opinion was strongly 

 opposed to the opening of the country. 

 It is impossible to say whether those 

 people who advocated the policy of ex- 

 clusion really believed in its practica- 

 bility or not, but it was a policy which 

 had been followed during several centu- 

 ries, and they cherished the quiet peace 

 of seclusion. "Respect the throne and 

 expel the barbarians ' ' was the byword 

 by which public opinion was guided. 

 The pressure of public opinion and the 

 difficulty of the situation compelled the 

 Tokugawa government to openly recog- 

 nize the authoriiy of the Emperor and 

 the Imperial court, around which now 

 thronged the Samurai of the great and 

 ambitious clansof Satsuma and Choshiu, 

 and, further, to submit the treaty to the 

 Emperor and refer the same to public dis- 

 cussion by the Daimios. It was an act 

 which found no precedence in the history 

 of the Tokugawa government. Both the 

 Emperor and the Daimios vetoed the 

 action of the Tokugawa government. 



