MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 



533 



empire not to enter into foreign 

 commerce, the English language 

 has, in obedience to an edict of 

 the Emperor, been cultivated with 

 considerable success by the younger 

 members of the College of Inter- 

 preters, who indeed were found 

 eager in their inquiries after Eng- 

 lish books. 



While the commissioner was 

 at Nanggasaki, there arrived a 

 large detachment of officers of 

 rank, who had been out nearly 

 four years and not yet completed 

 one-fourth of a survey on which 

 they were engaged. These officers 

 were attended by a numerous and 

 splendid retinue, and were em- 

 ployed in making an actual sur- 

 vey of every foot of the empire 

 and the dependent isles. The 

 survey appeared to be conducted 

 on a scientific principle, to be 

 most minute and accurate in its 

 execution and to have for its ob- 

 ject the completion of a regular 



geographical and statistical de- 

 scription of the country. 



In a word, the opinion of Dr. 

 Ainslie is, that the Japanese are a 

 people ivith whom the European 

 world might hold intercourse 

 without compromise of character. 

 For the Japanese themselves, they 

 are wonderfully inquisitive in all 

 points of science, and possess a 

 mind curious and anxious to re- 

 ceive information, without inquir- 

 ing from what quarter it comes. 



In the same spirit let us hope, 

 that now, when 



I'hat spell upon the minds of men 

 Breaks, never to unite again — 



no withering policy may blast 

 the fair fruits of that spirit of 

 research which has gone forth 

 from this hall ; nor continue, 

 under any circumstances, to slvut 

 out one half of the world from the 

 intelligence which the other half 

 may possess. 



NATURAL 



