Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/316

 300 INTERCOLONIAL COMMERCE. tious, and the dissemination of their doctrines ap- peared to Taikosama to raise an independent and dangerous authority within the state, hostile to the views he entertained of establishing a despotic au- thority. The second of the circumstances alluded to, as giving occasion to the singular policy of locking up the empire, and exterminating Christianity, was the pride, ostentation, and intemperate zeal of the Catliolic priesthood, and the rapacity of the Por- tuguese and Spaniards of all ranks. The third cir- cumstance which contributed to that event, and which sealed the whole, was the artifices of the Dutch to subvert the power of the Portuguese, in hopes to establish their own. In the year 1638, the last remains of the Christians of Japan, amounting to 40,000 in number, driven to despair by the per- secutions they had endured, rose in arms, and threw themselves into an old fortified place near Simabara. Here they were besieged, and the Dutch basely lent their aid by land and water for their destruction. The place, after a tedious siege, was taken, and 37,000 Christians put to death in one day. This is a brief abstract of the history of the Portuguese connection with Japan. During this connection of near a century, they certainly carried on a great commerce with it. This was conducted chiefly between Macao in China, and Firando and Nangasaki in Japan, and consist-