LIFE AND LETTERS OF JOSEPH HARDY NEESIMA

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214 MISSIONARY WORK IN JAPAN. The famous orange growing country is only a few miles away. We came for the purpose of taking the sea-baths, and I find them beneficial. Here we have hired a small villa owned by a quite wealthy fisher­man and are very comfortably situated. Fish and vegetables are plenty. Above all we are enjoying our quiet. I am hoping to go fishing as soon as the rough weather is over. I went up the surrounding moun­tains soon after I came and. found the scenery wonder­fully beautiful. As I was sitting down alone on a high mountain top, looking upon hills, rivers, plains, bays, promontories, islands, and open sea beyond, I could not help reflecting upon my past enjoyments which I had with you at Mt. Desert. Then I bursted out to tears and wept silently. Every enjoyment I had with you seems very dear and sacred. I suppose such enjoyment will never come to me again while I am in this world." Early in 1877 Mr. Neesima had sent, through his brother-in-law, Mr. Yamamoto, some books to the inmates of the prison at Otsu. Among these books was a Chinese copy of Dr. Martin's "Evidences of Christianity," which fell into the hands of a prisoner who became so much interested in it that he undertook its translation into Japanese for the benefit of his il­literate associates. Mr. Neesima gives the following account of what transpired: -"Most of the prisoners are uneducated, and petty thieves. A lamp was allowed for evening study. This was a great concession from the authorities, for the use of lamps had heretofore been forbidden. But ore lamp proved insufficient for the large number of prison students. I believe they were eighty in num­ber. Subsequently one more lamp was granted, then

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