The death of the regent was an irreparable blow to the government. There was no one who could take his place and assume his _rôle_. His loss must be reckoned as one of the principal events which marked the decadence of the shōgun’s power. CHAPTER XIV. REVOLUTIONARY PRELUDES. The outrages which now succeeded each other with terrible frequency were not confined to the native members of the opposing parties. Foreigners, who were so essentially the cause of the political disturbances in Japan, were particularly exposed to attacks. On the 14th of January, 1861, Mr. Heusken, the secretary and interpreter of the American legation, when riding home at night from the Prussian legation in Yedo, was attacked by armed assassins and mortally wounded. The object of this murder is supposed to have been the desire of one of the ministers of foreign affairs to take revenge on Mr. Heusken,(281) for his activity in promoting foreign intercourse. The weakness and the fears of the government were shown by the warning, which they sent to the foreign ministers to avoid attending the funeral of Mr. Heusken, lest further outrages might be committed. They did attend, however, and no disturbances occurred. It only remains to mention that Mr. Harris subsequently made an arrangement with the government for the payment of an indemnity(282) of $10,000 to the mother of Mr. Heusken, who was then living at Amsterdam in Holland. The next circumstance which awakened universal attention was an attack made on the British legation, on the night of the 5th of July, 1861. At this time the British minister occupied as a legation the buildings of the temple Tozenji, situated at Takanawa in the city of Yedo. It was guarded by a company of Japanese troops, to whom the government had entrusted its protection. Mr. Alcock had just returned by an overland journey from Nagasaki, and with a number of other Englishmen was domiciled in the legation. The attacking party consisted of fourteen _ronins_ belonging to the Mito clan, who had banded themselves together to take vengeance on the “accursed foreigners.” Several of the guards were killed, and Mr. Oliphant,(283) the secretary of legation, and Mr. Morrison, H. B. M’s consul at Nagasaki, were severely wounded. On one of the party who was captured was found a paper,(284) which set forth the object of the attack and the names of the fourteen _ronins_ who had conspired for its accomplishment.