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already had the Corean campaign fixed in their minds. Nor were there wanting reasons for it, for the Coreans not only persisted in their refusal to recognise the new Imperial Government, but they also openly compared the Europeanized Japanese to lower animals, sentenced to death those guilty of having had intercourse with the Japanese, and even threatened to attack our settlement in Fusan.

Hence, shortly after the return of Soyejima to Tokyo, in July, 1873, the Prime Minister, Lord Sanjo, agreed to the policy of war with Corea, subject to Lord Iwakura’s approval; and both Saigo and Soyejima offered their lives to be sent as ambassador to Corea to remonstrate with the Government, which would surely insult or attack the mission, and thus create for Japan an indisputable casus belli.

Lord Iwakura finally returned in September, and the Government immediately split up into two portions. Among its leading members, Soyejima, Goto, Itagaki, Eto, advocated war, while Lord Iwakura, Kido, Okubo, Ito, and the rest of his mission, unanimously opposed it. Okubo thus enumerated the reasons against war as follows: (1) The discontented elements among the Samurai and the common people, that had lost their means of living in consequence of the political and social change since the abolition of the Shogunate, might find occasion to assert themselves in ways injurious to the accomplishment of the great work of reorganization. (2) The new Imperial Government has already incurred great expenses for the many bold works of reform, so that war can only be carried on by increased taxation, foreign loans, or paper money; but if the taxes increased the people will hate the new Government. As to foreign loans, if once raised, there is no hope of redemption; and if paper money be issued, prices of things will rise. (3) The various productive enterprises already begun by the different branches of administration can only bear fruit after a certain number of years, but if war begins everything will have to be stopped midway. (4) Imports much exceed exports, and gold flows out of the country in consequence; but if war begins, the balance must become still more unfavourable on account of the purchase of foreign ammunition and the decrease of home produce. (5) Of all the foreign Powers, Russia is the one to be most feared, and her southward movement is well known; so that if Japan and Corea fight with one another, both would fall easy prey to Russia. (6) England is also a powerful nation, from whom Japan has already borrowed much money, so that if we cannot pay the interest in consequence of the war, she would make it a pretext for interfering with our internal affairs, thus making Japan another India. (7) Japan not being yet on the footing of