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"EXPEL THE BARBADIANS." 319
with Mr. Harris, the
American minister, entirely on
his own account, without consulting others, or without
going through the forms which were so properly
observed at the time of the coming of Commodore
Perry, they at once ordered their palanquins, and
going to the palace desired an interview with the Tycoon,
to protest against making treaties with foreign
nations without orders from the Mikado and the imperial
court. According to the native historians
their request for an interview with the Tycoon was
refused by the prime minister, who saw them himself,
insulted them, sent them away, and told them never
to come back into the castle again. Then, so it is
said, he gave himself to pleasure at the expense of
the
public funds, while at the same time he sent his
spies to Kyoto and other places throughout the
country and arrested all the patriots whom he supposed
were interfering with his arbitrary purposes.
These men were not so much opposed to foreigners
as they were desirous of having things done
according to enlightened public opinion and with
some form of representative government. Indeed, a
great many of the more respectable of them " veiled
"
their larger purpose under the cry which now
arose throughout the country, and which afterward
swelled to the proportions of a storm, " Honor the
"
Mikado and expel the barbarians !
Though at
first few, these " Mikado-reverencers " and " foreignerhaters
" gradually enlarged their numbers, until there
were organizations of them all over the empire. In
their ardor to destroy the Yedo despotism, and to