it
soon appeared that the Bakufu were playing fast and loose with their
visitors and that they had no intention of sanctioning general
foreign commerce, even at Nagasaki. Incensed by such treatment, the
Russians, in 1806, invaded Saghalien, carried away several Japanese
soldiers, and partially raided Etorop and other places. They
threatened further violence in the following year unless
international trade was sanctioned.

The Bakufu had now a serious problem to solve, and their ideas of its
solution were almost comical. Thus, one statesman recommended the
organization of a special force recruited from the ranks of vagrants
and criminals and stationed permanently in the northern islands, A
more practical programme was the formation of a local militia. But
neither of these suggestions obtained approval, nor was anything done
beyond removing the Matsumae feudatory and placing the whole of the
islands under the direct sway of the Bakufu.

For a period of five years after these events the Russians made no
further attempt to establish relations with Japan, and their next
essay, namely, the despatch of a warship--the Diana--to survey the
Yezo coasts, was unceremoniously interrupted by the Japanese. Another
vessel flying the Russian flag visited Kunajiri, in 1814. On that
occasion the Japanese managed to seize some members of the Russian
crew, who were ultimately saved by the shrewdness of one of their
officers. These events imparted fresh vigour to Japan's prejudices
against foreign intercourse, but, as for the Russians, not a few of
them found their way to Saghalien and settled there without any
resolute attempt on the part of the Bakufu to expel them.

COAST DEFENCE

One effect of the events related above was to direct Japanese
attention to the necessity of coast defence, a subject which derived
much importance from information filtering through the Dutch door at
Nagasaki. Under the latter influence a remarkable book (Kai-koku
Hei-dan) was compiled by Hayashi Shibei, who had associated for some
time with the Dutch at Deshima. He urged frankly that Japan must
remain helpless for naval purposes if her people were forbidden to
build ocean-going vessels while foreigners sailed the high seas, and
he further urged that attention should be paid to coast defence, so
that the country might not be wholly at the mercy of foreign
adventurers. The brave author was thrown into prison and the
printing-blocks of his book were destroy