"Well," I replied, "that is very unexpected. I thought he had to settle Chôshiû's affair first. But his influence must have increased immensely for him to have been able to manage this."
"Yes, indeed"—(emphatically)—"A man who was yesterday no better than a beggarly rônin daimiô is to-day Sei-i-tai-shôgun."
"Who," I asked, "contrived it."
"Itakura Suwô no Kami" (a newly appointed member of the council). "Shitotsubashi is in great favour now with the Mikado, and he could become Kwambaku (grand vizier) if he chose. He has made his brother Mimbutayu, a younger scion of the Mito house, head of the Shimidzu family, which had become extinct, and he is going to send him as ambassador to France."
"On what business?"
"We have not the least idea."
"And for what is Shitotsubashi going to summon the foreign representatives to Ozaka?"
"We have not the slightest idea of that either," said Saigô.
"How odd that he should be able to do these things without consulting the daimiôs."
"The daimiôs ought to have been consulted, as we expected they would be henceforth on all political matters. The Baku-fu have got on so badly of late years that my prince is of opinion that they should not be left to ruin the country as they please. And when certain of the daimiôs were summoned by the Mikado to Kiôto, they expected to have a share in the government. Now they perceive that such is not the intention of the Baku-fu, and they don't intend to be made fools of. So they have one and all refused to attend. Echizen stopped there as long as he could, but went away at last."