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in Tokyo with diplomatic notes sent by their Ministers to the Foreign Office on the 23rd of April, 1895—i.e., a week after the signing of the Peace of Shimonoseki. Russia had already been sending out powerful battleships to the Far Eastern waters since the end of March, 1895, and France and Germany joined her in the demonstration. The Japanese Government now considered it necessary to ascertain two things before taking a decisive step: first, whether Russia really meant to fight with Japan, and secondly, to what extent was aid from the side of England to be relied upon. Hence, in order to gain time, Count Mutsu instructed the Japanese Minister in St. Petersburg to see the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and make representation to the effect that the Japanese Government wished the Russian Government to reconsider the question. This was a fatal step, for Russia refused to change her views, and went on increasing her armaments and that of her allies in the East to the point that it was now too late to bring up the fresh demand for assurance that the Powers, too, would not annex Liao-tong in the future. At the same time it became clear that nothing could be expected from England beyond benevolent neutrality. Thus an important chance was let slip.

We now arrive at the last of the great diplomatic problems of the New Imperial Government which baffled the attempts of many a statesman. The extraterritorial jurisdiction which the foreigners in Japan had enjoyed had to be done away with, the disadvantageous tariff rates annexed to the treaties had to be revised, and the application of the most favoured nation clause had to be made reciprocal and not one-sided, as under the old treaties. The 4th of July, 1872, being the date after which Japan could demand the revision of the treaties signed by the Tokugawa Government, the Imperial Government had revised the penal code, and abolished the system of torture in 1871, and sent out the Iwakura Mission for the sake of exchanging ideas with foreign Governments regarding treaty revision. In the project of the revision then adopted by the Japanese Government, the abolition of extra-territorial jurisdiction was made the principal point. The circumstances under which the negotiations were opened in the United States, and the way in which they came to an end, have been already told above. This was the first attempt at revision.

In the absence of Lord Iwakura, Count Soyejima, Minister of Foreign Affairs, was also working for the revision by conferring with the foreign Ministers in Tokyo. His idea was to allow the foreigners to live in the interior of Japan instead of