LIFE AND LETTERS OF JOSEPH HARDY NEESIMA

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6 EARLY LIFE. every day against his order. Ah ! I could not get out from there to learn Holland, but I got many times to read book at night, and I read through the book of nature at home, taking a dictionary of Japan and Holland. Alas ! the study of night-time caused me weak eyes, and I was obliged to stop it too. After ten weeks my weak eyes recovered entirely, and I began to read the book again ; but I could not under­stand some reasonable accounts in it. Therefore I purposed to learn arithmetic. But I had not any times to learn it. A day I asked to the prince, ' Please get me more time to take know ledge.' Then he let me get out from there thrice a week, although it was not enough to me. I went to some arithmetical school to learn it, and understood addition, subtraction, mul­tiplication, division, fractions, interest, etc. Then I took the book again, and understood some reasonable accounts in it. " Some day I went to the seaside of Y edo, hoping to see the view of the sea. I saw largest man-of-war of Dutch lying there, and it seemed to me as a castle or a battery, and I thought too she would be strong to fight \vith enemy. While I look upon her one re­flection came down upon my head : that we must open navy, because the country is surrounded with water, and if foreigners fight to my country, we must fight with them at sea. But I made other reflection too : that since foreigners trade, price of everythings got high, the country got poorer than before, because the coun­trymen don't understand to do trade with the foreign­ers. Therefore we must go to foreign countries, we must know to do trade, and we must learn foreign knowledge. But tbe government's law neglected all my thoughts, and I cried out myself: Why govern-

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