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of Idzu. There they wished to build some new ships in order to return home. We gave materials, we lent them our shipbuilders, our artisans, and they succeeded in building two schooners, on board of which they sailed away from Japan. This took place, if I remember correctly, after the conclusion of peace.

In 1861 the so-called Tsushima affair took place. Tsushima is, as is well known, an island situated in the mouth of the Japan Sea—a most important strategic point for Japan. In the year in question the Russian fleet suddenly came to that island, landed marines, and occupied part of it, with the evident intention of seizing the island. This was done without any cause or reason whatever, without any prior notice or diplomatic negotiations, in spite of the fact that she had entered into friendly intercourse with us by treaty several years previously, and in spite of our giving them a helping hand in their hour of calamity. Remonstrances were, of course, made by the island authorities, followed by those of the Central Government, but the Russians took no heed. It was then that the English fleet made its appearance on the scene, and demanded the instant retirement of the Russians, which was obeyed, and thus the Island of Tsushima was saved to Japan.

In 1868 the new régime of the Imperial Government was inaugurated. For some years previous to that Japan was divided into two great factions—one for the Imperial cause, the other for the Shogunate cause. At that time England was represented in Japan by the energetic and sagacious Sir Harry Parkes. There were also men like Glover, Lowther, and Ernest Satow, now Sir Ernest, the present worthy British representative in China; they all espoused the Imperial cause, led by Sir Harry Parkes, in opposition to the strenuous support of the Shogunate cause by a certain foreign Power, headed by the equally energetic and adventurous representative of that country. Most of these facts are contained in the unwritten pages of the secret history of diplomacy, so that they are not well known even in Japan, still less in Europe. But one thing is certain—that England has done much towards the consolidation of our empire.

In 1874 we had the so-called Formosan affair, arising from the Formosan aborigines murdering a number of Japanese subjects, which ultimately led to some complication between Japan and China. That complication was amicably settled at last through the good offices of the then British representative in China.

In 1885 the Port Lazareff—Port Hamilton affair took place. The affair, as you know, was briefly this: Russia attempted to snatch Port Lazareff from Corea. England, having objections to this Russian action, instantly occupied Port Hamilton as a counter-check, and thus succeeded in compelling Russia to