Yedo and Peking.A narrative of a journey to the capitals of Japan and China.By Robert Fortune.

Front matter

VISITS

CAPITALS OF JAPAN AND CHINA.

BY THE SAME AUTHOR.

Preface

The Empire of Japan has been all but closed to the inhabitants of other nations for more than two hundred years. Except a few Dutch and Chinese, who were kept almost like prisoners at Nagasaki, no foreigners have been allowed to reside or trade in the country since about the year 1636. A great and unexpected change has now taken place; Japan has not only opened some of her ports to foreign trade, but has also sent her Ambassadors to visit many of the principal Courts of Europe and America.

The news of the success which attended the English and French forces in the earlier part of the late war with China was quickly wafted across the “ Eastern Sea ” to Yedo, and, doubtless, had no little effect in inducing the Tycoon and his Ministers (in an evil hour for them) to open their country to foreign intercourse. It is to be hoped that this re-entry into the great family of nations will not bring on those dissensions and wars which marked the period between 1560 and

PREFACE.

1636, when the experiment was last tried ; for it is well known that, ever since foreigners were expelled from Japan, “ the land has had peace.”

This change of policy on the part of the Japanese Government gave me an opportunity which I had long desired of visiting the country.

I was well aware that Japan was remarkable for the beauty of its scenery, and that it was rich in many species of trees, and other vegetable productions of an ornamental and useful kind, unknown in Europe. With the view of making collections of these and other objects of natural history and works of art, I took my departure for the “far East” in the summer of 1860, and reached Japan in the month of October of that year.

The story of my wanderings is now presented to the reader, with the hope that it may add somewhat to the knowledge already acquired concerning this strange people and their very beautiful land. I have confined my descriptions in a great measure to what came under my own observation. The manners and customs of the people are painted as they appeared to me in their everyday life. The natural productions of the country, whether of commercial importance to other nations, or “ pleasant to the eye, and good for food,” I have very fully described; and

PREFACE.

I have endeavoured to show that its export trade is capable of being greatly increased, particularly in those staple articles of tea and silk, which have now become almost necessaries of life amongst ourselves.

The Agriculture of the country was carefully examined ; and, as it is in many respects somewhat remarkable, a full description of it has been given in the following pages. I have also ventured to make a few observations on our political relations with this extraordinary people, which may be of some interest at the present time.

Most of the illustrations were kindly sketched for me by Dr. Dickson of China. I am also indebted to my fellow-passenger, Dr. Barton, for some views in the Inland Sea, and for that of Castle Island, Cape Grotto.

When I had finished my work in Japan, the Chinese war had been brought to a successful termination, and I was enabled to visit the new ports of Chefoo and Tien-tsin, on the Gulf of Pe-chele, and also the capital ciiy of Peking itself, and the mountains which lie beyond it. In the concluding chapters of the work I have sought to give a faithful description of this part of my travels over a country which, until the last war, was almost as little known to Europeans as Japan itself. Mr. Wyndham,of H.M. Legation

PREFACE.

in Peking, furnished me with the sketch of the curious “ White-barked Pine ” of that country.

Having thus given an outline of what may be expected in this narrative of my journey to the capitals of Zipangu and Cathay, I have only to solicit the kindness and indulgence of my readers, trusting that they will overlook the many faults of my imperfect performance.

The Author.

London , February, 1863.

Chapter 1

ret view of Japan — Curious islands — Papenberg — Massacre of Christians — Visit from the officials — Harbour of Nagasaki — Desima of old — Desima of the present day — Japanese factory — Town of Nagasaki — Tea-houses — Salamanders — Buddhist temples — Large camphor-trees — Tombs — Mimic processions — Dr. Siebold’s residence — Excursions — Epunga — Natural productions — Scenery — Trade of Nagasaki — Its capabilities as a Sanatarium Page 1

CHAPTEE IL trade — Foreign houses — Nat

Shops — Bronzes, ivory carvings, and curiosities — Lacquer ware — Porcelain — Rock-crystal balls — Toys — Books and maps — Menagerie — The Gan-ke-ro — Surrounding country — Its geological formation 24

CHAPTEE ID.

Town of Kanagawa — The Imperial highway — Travellers upon it— Princes — Pack-horses — Mendicant priests —Blind men — Beggars, &c. — Visit to the temple of Bokengee — The umbrella pine-tree — Sin too temples — Scenery — Thatched roofs — Valuable elm — The farmer and his chrysanthemums — Tomi — His one fault — Temple of To-rin-gee — Scenery by the way — Thujopsis dolabra ta — Farm-houses — Tea-plant — Fruit-trees — Yedo vine — Vegetables — Trees and Bhrubs of the district — The male aucnha — Geological features 40

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IY.

Journey from Kanagawa to Yedo — Native body-guard — The Tokaido — Civility of the people — Beggars by the wayside — Tea-houses — Kawasaky — River Loga — “ Mansion of Plum-trees ” — The ladies’

platform — Hostess and waiting-maids — Japanese and Chinese ladies compared — Tea-gardens — Sinagawa — English Legation — Hospitality of Mr. Alcock — Large cemetery — Garden and trees — The Yakoneens Page 63

CHAPTER V.

The city of Yedo — Hill of the god Atango — Magnificent view of the city from its summit — “ Official quarter” — Broad streets — Castles

— Clumps moats and :

“ Belle Vue”- i or guns visible — Use of the Regent or Gotiro — Fate of the of the Emperor — Ksempfer’s lation of Yedo — Size of the .. .. .. 77

CHAPTER VI.

The country round Yedo — Hill and valley — Trees — Autumnal foliage — Views of Fusi-yama — Cottages and farm-houses — Flowers and vegetables — Signs of high civilization — Public baths — Beautiful lanes and hedges — Avenues and groves — Civility of the people — Dogs and their prejudices — Street dogs — Lapdogs — Fire at the British Legation — Mode of giving alarm — Organization of Fire-brigade — Wretched engines — Presents from foreign governments — More suitable ones pointed out 91

CHAPTER VII.

A journey in search of new plants — Japanese College — Residence of Prince Kanga — Dang-o-zaka — Its tea-gardens, fish-ponds, and floral ladies — Nursery-gardens — Country people — Another excursion — Soldiers — Arrive at Su-mae-yah — Co untr y covered plants — Ogee, the Richmond of Yedo — Its tea-house — The Tycoon’s hunting-ground — Fine views — Agricultural productions — A drunken man — Intemperance of the people generally . . 103

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VIII.

ssidence of the AbW Girard — Singing-birds — C of Yedo — Shops — Paper, and the uses to which it is applied - Articles of food — Monkeys eaten — Fire-proof buildings — IT Bas — Ah-sax-saw — Its bazaars, temples, and tea-gardens — chrysanthemums — Tea-plant — The Yedo river — The city t site Yedo — Temple of Eco-ying — Its origin — Crowds of peop Curious scene in the temple — Earthquakes — Their frequenc How they are dreaded by the natives — Straw shoes of men

CHAPTER IX.

Leave Yedo — Mendicant nuns— Place of execution — Its appearance in the days of Kaempfer — Visit to a famous temple — Field crops by the way — Begging priests — Pear-trees — Holy water — Temple of Tetstze — Its priests and devotees — Inn of “ Ten Thousand Centuries ” — Kind reception — Waiting-maids and refreshments — Scenes on the highway — Relieved from my yakoneen guard — New plants added to my collections — Names of the most valuable — Ward’s cases, their value — Plants shipped for China — Devout wishes for their prosperous voyage 136

CHAPTER X.

a — Views of Mount Fusi — The Kino Channel and Inland Sea — Presents for the Queen — The port of Hiogo and town of Osaca — Important marts for trade — Good anchorage — Crowds of boats — Islands — Charming scenery — Daimios’ castles — Towns and villages — Gorgeous sunset — Village of Ino-sima — Terraced land — “The pilot’s home ” — River-like sea— Scenes on shore —

.e of wind — Extraordinary harbour — Southern Channel — Ship ashore Two Jonahs

on board — Nagasaki in winter —Arrival at Shanghae — Plants shipped for England 119 ill ?m

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XI.

Return to Japan — Kite-flying at Nagasaki — Spring flowers — Field crops — Gale of wind in Van Dieman’s Strait — Arrive at Yokuhama — Insect and shell collecting — Reported difficulty in getting assistance from the natives — How to manage Orientals — Rare beetle — Dr. Adams’s account of its capture — Curious mode of catching fish — Visit Kanagawa — Agriculture in spring — Paddy cultivation — Mode of manuring the land — Winter crops nearly ripe — Trees and flowers — “ The Queen of the Primroses ”

CHAPTER XII.

Invitation from the American Minister to visit Yedo — Inland road — Nanka-nobu tea-garden — Extraordinary Glycine — Pleasant lanes and hedges — Civility of the people — Arrive at the American Legation — Guard and spies — Large tree — Unpleasant diplomatic correspondence — Nursery gardens in the country visited — Summer flowers and new plants — Return to Yedo — A ride in the country — Mr. Heuskin’s tomb — “Temple of Twelve Altars” — Poets’ Avenue — How a drunken Japanese makes himself sober — Shoeing horses — Departure from Yedo — General remarks on the city and suburbs 187

CHAPTER XIII.

Return to Kanagawa — Moxa and acupuncture — Mode of performing these operations — Their supposed value — Prospects of better medical and surgical knowledge in Japan — Roadside *altar — Ladies at their prayers — The conclusion of the ceremony — Field crops and spring flowers at' the end of May — Commencement of rains — Beautiful rainbow — A violent earthquake — Burning rape-stalks for manure — An English strawberry found — New plants discovered — Vegetables and fruit in the markets — Entomological notices — Land shells — A Buddhist congregation — Their mode of worship — Amusing visit from interval in the service — Its conclusion . .

CHAPTER XIV.

CONTENTS.

in front of the inn — Their manners and customs — Japanese bedrooms — Natural productions — Uncultivated land — Remarks on the extent of population in Japan — Fine views — Kamakura the ancient capital — An insane woman — Her extraordinary conduct — Our inn at Kamakura — Large bronze image — Its interior — Crowds and their behaviour — A tiffin and a siesta' — Visit to the temples of Kamakura — The sacred stone — YuritoMo’s tomb — A page from Japanese history — Return to Kanagawa .. Page 221

CHAPTER XV.

pposed causes — The innocent suffer for the guilty — Japanese desire for revenge — Midnight attack on H. B. M. Legation — The scene next morning — Supposed reasons for the attack — Document found on a prisoner — Its translation — Opinions of Japanese ministers — True reasons for the attack — Instigators known — Weakness of government — Causes of its weakness — Its sincerity — The difficulties it has to encounter — Murder of Mr. Richardson — News of a revolution in Yedo .. 241

CHAPTER XVI.

ate of Japan — Dr. Hepburn’s tables — Hottest and coldest months -Monsoons — Gales of wind — The rainy season — Earthquakes -Agriculture — Rank of the farmer — Rocks and soil — Cultiva-

— Summer crops on dry land — Mode of planting — Manures — Crops requiring irrigation — Cultivation of rice — Other crops — Animals few in number — Waste lands — Crops and

CHAPTER XVn.

Other productions of Japan — Silk, tea, &c. — Silk country — Value of silk — Tea districts — Curious statements on tea cultivation — Value of exports from Kanagawa in 1860-61 — Means of increasing the supplies of silk and tea — Prospects on the opening of the new ports — Japanese objections to the opening — The Tycoon’s letter to the Queen — Ministers’ letter to Mr. Alcock — Their recommendations considered — Danger of opening Yedo at present — Remarks on the other ports — Trade probably overrated — Japanese raer-

CONTENTS.

chants compared with Chinese — Prejudices against traders in Japan — Foreign officials and these prejudices — War with Japan not improbable Page 281

CHAPTER XYIH.

Narrative resumed — Exciting times— Supposed attacks on M. de and others — "V isit from the Governor of Kanagawa — Object o visit — He inspects my collections —A question regarding safety — A cautious and consolatory reply — Fences repaired spiked — Guards stationed round the foreign dwellings — M3 searches in Japan come to an end — Plants put into Ward’s cast- Curiosity of the natives — Kindness of Captain Yyse — Adieu 1 Japan — Arrival in China 29

CHAPTER XIX.

Leave Shanghae for Peking — Port of Chefoo — Agricultural and natural products — The Pei-ho river — Arrival at Tien-tsin — Salt-mounds — Suburbs — Mean buildings — Active trade — Noisy coolies — Shops — Large warehouses —Hawkers — Gambling propensities of the people — The city — Ruinous ramparts — Filthy streets— Surrounding country— Salt plain— Gardens and nurseries — Winter houses for plants — Fruit-trees cultivated in pots—

Tien-tsin 305

CHAPTER XX.

The people of Tien-tsin — Visit to a gentleman’s house — Reception — Street beggars — Begging musicians — Civil hospital established by the English — Dr. Lamprey’s report — Chinese poorhouse — Fat beggars — Climate and temperature — Dust-storms — Remarkable size of natural productions — Large men and horses — Shantung fowls — Gigantic millet, oily grain, and egg-apples — Jute — Vegetables in cultivation — Imperial granaries — Use of millet and jute stems — Foreign trade — New settlement for foreign merchants — The future of Tien-tsin as a centre of trade .. . .. 326

1 ? is i!

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXI.

Leave Tien-tsin for Peking — My passport —Mode of travelling— Carts and wretched roads — Hotel at Tsai-tsoun — Towns of

Hoose-woo, Nan-ping, and Matao — Hot*

Poor accommodation — Moderate charges — Appearance country — Crops and cultivation — Mountains in the di Walls and ramparts of Peking — Foreign embassies —

Legation — Medical missions — Chinese observatory — Views from it — Tartar and Chinese cities Page 344

CHAPTER XXII.

The streets of Peking — Imperial palaces — Lama mosque— Western side of the city — Portuguese cemetery — Marble tablets — Tombs of Catholic priests — Ricci and Verries — Visits to the Chi city— Scenes at the gates — The cabs of Peking — Shops merchandise — Vegetables and fruits — “Paternoster Row Jade-stone and bronzes — Ancient porcelain — Temple of Agr ture — South side of Chinese city — Nursery gardens and plants — Country people — South-west side of Chinese city — Waste lands — Royal ladies expected — A September morning in Pek i n g — Northern part of the Tartar city — The An-ting gate — Graves of English officers — The Lama temple — Chief features of Peking . . 357

CHAPTER XXIII.

A journey to the mountains — Long trains of camels and donkeys - Pagoda at Pale-twang — Large cemetery — Curious fir-tree - Agricultural productions — Country people — Reach the foot of tl hills — Temples of Pata-tsboo — Foreign writing on a wall — j noble oak-tree discovered — Ascend to the top of the mountain — Fine views — Visit from mandarins — Early morning view- Retum to Peking — Descend the Pei-ho — Sail for Shanghae- Arrange and ship my collections — Arrive in Southampton .. 37

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

f Yokuhama, f s behind the town .. Frontispiece.

. View of Castle Island, Cape (lotto 1

, View of Fusi-yama — From a Japanese sketch 28

. Street in Kanagawa. — The Tokaido or Imperial

Highway To face p. 42

. Packhorse, with grass shoes 44

. Umbrella Pine ( [Sciadopitys verticittata) To face p. 47

Farm-houses near Yedo, with Iris on the Roofs .. To face p. 57

Plan of Central Portion of the City of Yedo . . . . To face p. 81

carrying Sword, and

Japanese Heads, showing the mode of dressing the hair . . 119

Bridge Scene in Yedo.— -From a native sketch .. To face p. 125

Bikuni, or Mendicant Nuns 138

Nursery Maids 143

Ino-Sima, “ Our Pilot’s Home ” To face p. 161

Entrance to Kamino-Saki Harbour To face p. 165

Remarkable Beetle ( Damaster blaptoides) I. 179

liners 218 ze Image 231

Sturdy Beggars. — From a Photograph .. .. 329

. Street Musicians.— From a Photograph 330

. White-barked Pine ( Pmus Bungeana ) To face p. 376

. Map of Japan and part of China At the end.

YEDO AND PEKING.

CHAPTER I.

Curious islands — Papenberg — Massacre of rom the officials — Harbour of Nagasaki — - Japanese factory — — Buddhist

pies — Large camphor-trees — Tombs — Mimic processions — Siebold’s residence — Excursions — Epunga — Natural protions — Scenery — Trade of Nagasaki — Its capabilities as a

At daylight on the 12th of October, 1860, the swift little barque 1 Marmora,’ in which I was a passenger from China, was rapidly approaching the coast of Japan — a country at the ends of the earth, and well named by its inhabitants “the

FIRST VIEW OF JAPAN.

Chap. I

Kingdom of the Origin of the Sun.” When I came on deck in the morning the far-famed shores of Zipangu lay spread before my wondering eyes for the first time. Having heard and read so many stories of this strange land — of its stormy coasts, on which many a goodly vessel had been wrecked ; of its fearful earthquakes, which were said to have thrown up, in a single night, mountains many thousands of feet above the level of the sea ; of its luxuriant vegetation, full of strange and beautiful forms; of its curious inhabitants; and last, but not least, of its salamanders ! — I had long looked upon Japan much in the same light as the Komans regarded our own isles in the days of the ancient Britons.

My first view of these shores, however, did a good deal towards dispelling this delusion. It was a lovely morning. The sun rose from behind the eastern mountains without a cloud to obscure his rays. The Grotto islands and Cape Gotto were passed to the north of us, and with a fair wind and smooth sea we were rapidly approaching the large island of Kiu-siu, on which the town of Nagasaki is situated. The land is hilly and mountainous, and in many instances it rises perpendicularly from the sea. These perpendicular rocky cliffs have a very curious appearance as one sails along. There are also a number of queer-looking detached little islands dotted about ; and one almost wonders how they got there, as they seem to have no connexion with any other

PAPENBERG.

land near them. Some of them are . crowned with a scraggy pine-tree or two, and look exactly like those bits of rockwork which are constantly met with in the gardens of China and Japan. No doubt these rocky islands have suggested the idea worked out in gardens, and they have been well imitated. Others of these rocks look in the distance like ships under full sail, and in one instance I observed a pair of them exactly like fishingjunks, which are generally met with in pairs. Nearer the shore the islands are richly clothed with trees and brushwood, resembling those pretty “ Pulos” which are seen in the Eastern Archipelago. The highest hills on this part of the mainland of Kiu-siu are about 1500 feet above the level of the sea; but hills of every height, from 300 to 1500 feet, and of all forms, were exposed to our view as we approached the entrance to the harbour of Nagasaki. Many of these hills were terraced nearly to their summits, and at this season these terraces were green with the young crops of wheat and barley.

The pretty little island of Papenberg stands as if it were a sentinel guarding the harbour of Nagasaki. Pretty it certainly is, and yet it is associated with scenes of persecution, cruelty, and bloodshed of the most horrible description. “ If history spoke true,” says Captain Sherard Osborn, “ deeds horrid enough for it to have been for ever blighted by God’s wrath have been perpetrated there during the persecutions of the Christians in b 2

ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS.

Chap. L the seventeenth century. It was the Golgotha of the many martyrs to the Roman Catholic faith. There, by day and by night, its steep cliffs had rung with the agonized shrieks of strong men, or the wail of women and children, launched to rest, after torture, in the deep waters around the island. If Jesuit records are to be believed, the fortitude and virtue exhibited by their Japanese converts in those sad hours of affliction have not been excelled in any part of the world since religion gave another plea to man to destroy his fellow-creature ; and may it not be that the beauty with which Nature now adorns that rock of sorrows is her halo of glory around a spot rendered holy by the sufferings, doubtless, of many that were brave andgood ? ” As we passed the island we gazed with awe and pity on its perpendicular side, from which these Christians were cast headlong into the sea.

As soon as our ship rounded Papenberg the harbour and town of Nagasaki came full into view. On each side of this entrance to the hay there are numerous batteries, apparently full of guns. On Papenberg itself, as well as on every little island and headland, fortifications were observed as we sailed along. There is also a flagstaff and telegraph station on one of the hills ; and the moment a ship is seen approaching, a signal is made and passed on to Nagasaki. We were not molested by either guard-boat or customhouse officer, hut allowed to sail quietly in to our anchorage. Here

Chap. I.

HARBOUR OF NAGASAKI.

we were boarded by sundry officials, who immediately began to put all sorts of questions regarding the ship, her cargo and passengers ; and the information obtained was all committed to paper. The commanding officer was then informed that two of these gentry would be left on board, and he was requested to give them shelter and accommodation in the cabin.

The harbour of Nagasaki is one of the most beautiful in the world. It is about a mile in width, and three or four in length. When you are inside it appears to be completely land-locked, and has all the appearance of an inland lake. The hills around it are some 1500 feet in height, and their surface is divided and broken up by long ridges and deep glens or valleys which extend far°up towards the summits. These ridges and glens are for the most part richly wooded, while all the more fertile spots are terraced and under cultivation. The whole scene presents a quiet and charming picture of Nature’s handiwork intermingled with the labour of man.

On the south side of the harbour there has been a portion of land set apart for the subjects of foreign nations whose Governments have lately made treaties with Japan. The various Consuls, most of whom are also merchants, reside at present in small houses or temples on the sides of the hill behind the settlement. It is an interesting sight to see the flags of several Western nations — English, French, American, and Por-

ISLAND OF DESIMA.

Chap. I.

tuguese — flying at this distance from home. A great portion of the land set apart for the foreign settlement was in the course of being reclaimed from the sea, and ere long a town of considerable size will rise on the shores of this beautiful bay.

The island of Desima — dear old Desima, where the Dutch have traded and dreamed so long — lies a little further up the bay, and looks in the distance like a small fort or breastwork in front of Nagasaki.* In these days, when Japan has to a great extent been opened to foreigners, it is amusing to read the account of the restrictions which were placed upon the movements of the Dutch during the period when all the trade of Japan was their own. The little island was only separated from Nagasaki by a narrow canal spanned by a stone bridge, but the dwellers on either side were prevented from seeing each other by means of a high wall. The bridge was closed by a gate, beside which was a guardhouse occupied by police and soldiers ; and no one was allowed to quit the island on any pretence without the permission of the Governor. Japanese were not allowed to visit the Dutch without permission, excepting those who were appointed to inspect their dwelling-place, and then only at certain hours. The Japanese servants of the Factory were obliged to leave the island at sunset, and to report them-

* It is about 600 feet in length, and 240 in width.

Chap. I.

ISLAND OF DESIMA.

selves at tlie guardhouse to prove that they had really left the Factory. The only individuals exempt from leaving the island at sunset were women who had forfeited the first claim of their sex to respect or esteem, and no female of good character was permitted on any pretence to set foot upon Desima. A placard set up near the bridge-gate announced this in the plainest and coarsest terms.

When any member of the Factory wished to visit the town of Nagasaki, or the country in its vicinity, for a little recreation or amusement, he was obliged to send in a petition to the Governor twenty-four hours beforehand. Leave was usually granted, providing the captive was accompanied by a certain number of officials, police-officers, and a compradore. These again had their servants and friends, so that the attendants and hangerson of one unfortunate pleasure-seeker usually amounted to some twenty or thirty persons, all of whom he was hound to entertain.

On entering the town of Nagasaki the pleasureparty was soon surrounded and followed by all the boys and idlers within reach, who shouted “ Holanda / Holanda'." or " Holanda Capilain !” in the Dutchman’s ears, and rendered his walk anything but an agreeable one. The excursion into the surrounding country must, however, have fully repaid the unfortunate captive for the disagreeables of the town. The scenery amongst the hills is of the most charming description, and

JAPANESE FACTORY.

must have been fully appreciated by men who were cooped up on a little mud-bank like the island of Desima.

Such was the state of affairs only three or four years ago. At the time of my visit in the autumn of 1860 all this had undergone a wonderful change

certainly wonderful for Japan. The old bridge which connects the island with the town of Nagasaki is still there, and presents a venerable and somewhat ruinous aspect ; the guardhouse is now empty, the gate has been removed, a part of the wall has been thrown down, and the Dutch are no longer the prisoners they once were. Like other foreigners, they can now visit the town when they choose, and roam about the surrounding country to any distance within twenty-five or thirty miles, without any interference from the Japanese.

In my wanderings in Desima I stumbled upon a * large rough piece of rock, on which were carved the words “ JLempfer ” and “ Thunberg.” No other eulogy was necessary. It is pleasing to note that the modem Dutch reverence the names of these men of science who have done so much to make us acquainted with the people and natural productions of Japan.

Opposite Desima, and on the other side of the bay, the Japanese have a large factory in active operation. The machinery has been imported from Europe, and the superintendents are Dutch. The Japanese workmen appear to be most expert hands at moulding and casting, and in the general

TOWN OF NAGASAKI.

management of steam machinery. In this respect they are far in advance of their neighbours the Chinese. Indeed, to adopt everything foreign which they suppose to be useful, however different it may he from what they possess themselves, and to make themselves masters of the mode of working it, is a marked feature in the character of the Japanese people.

Nagasaki, or Nangasaki, as it is sometimes called, is situated on the northern whores of the bay, and is supposed to contain about 70,000 inhabitants. It is about a mile in length, and threequarters of a mile in width, and fills up the space of ground between the shores of the bay and the hills which surround it. The streets are wide and clean, compared with those in Chinese towns ; but as a general rule the shops are poor, and contain few articles of much value. "Substances used as food, eggshell porcelain, lacquer ware of an inferior kind, and modern bronzes, are plentiful and comparatively cheap. Although the houses of the common people have a poor and mean appearance, there are some of considerable pretensions. Curiously enough, the largest and most notable buildings in the town, if we except the palace of the Governor, are what are called tea-houses — places of amusement, where the entertainments are not such as accord with our ideas of morality. They seem at the present day much in the same condition in which Ksempfer found them nearly two hundred years ago.