The next few days were full of interest, though there was nothing more to be got out of the Uyésama, who by pertinacious questions about the British Constitution adroitly parried all attempts on the part of Sir Harry Parkes to draw him. In the meanwhile Satow and myself continued our surreptitious visits to the Satsuma Yashiki, where we met important men who had been sent down from Kiōto to confer with us. We had but one doctrine to preach: let the Mikado invite the Foreign Representatives to audience at Kiōto, and himself take over the direction of Foreign Affairs. The news from Yedo was as bad as could be. A Satsuma Princess, widow of the last Tycoon but one, had been spirited away by the Satsuma clansmen in Yedo, upon which the Tycoon’s people retaliated by burning the three Satsuma Yashikis in that city. The clansmen took refuge in a steamer belonging to their Prince and put to sea with the Tycoon’s ships in hot pursuit. This resulted in an insignificant sea action. Two of our student interpreters, Messrs. Quin and Hodges, had been fired upon as they passed in a native boat under the Satsuma battery; but no damage was done. The Tycoon’s ship _Eagle_ was met by H.M.S. _Rodney_ off Cape Ōshima on the 23rd—minus a foreyard arm; obviously the position was acute and fighting there must be. On the 27th of January we saw the sky lurid with fire in the direction of Kiōto and heard that there had been fighting between the Tycoon’s troops and the Daimios at Fushimi. A servant in Willis’ employ came in from that direction; he reported large numbers of clansmen camped round great fires in the streets. On the hither side of Fushimi were a regiment of the Tycoon’s troops and bands of irregulars all eager for the fray. On the 28th the Satsuma Yashiki, where we used to visit our friends from Kiōto, was burned down—either by its inmates or, as some said, fired by shells from the Tycoon’s troops. The Satsuma men escaped in boats, but were fired upon from the banks and two men were killed. News came in that Fushimi was in flames—burnt by the Daimios men who had disputed the entry into Kiōto of the Tycoon’s troops. More soldiers of the latter were going up. All sorts of rumours were flying about, among others a report that the Daimios were tired of Satsuma and his arrogance. This did not stop the fighting, nor alas! the burning of small towns and villages, the flames of which we could see in the distance. It was heart-rending. On the evening of the 29th we heard that the Tycoon’s troops were beaten. At eleven o’clock of the 30th we received an intimation from the Tycoon that he could no longer protect us. The Tycoon’s messenger promised to get us boats to take us down the river, and we set to work to pack up the Legation archives and what we could of our belongings. At four o’clock in the morning a letter came from M. Roches, telling us that he had learned that the clansmen’s troops would enter the town soon after daylight.