JAPAN. 



417 



ict to build three hundred miles of rail- 

 a|)h-lino between Yeddo and 

 .'1:1111:1 was rompleU-d, uiul the first official 

 OMNMgo sent over the wires on January 7th. 

 lli,- lin.' has since boon thrown open to mer- 

 cuntilo purposes. The great Northern Tele- 

 graph Cliina and Japan Extension Company 

 commenced the laying of their submarine cable, 

 mid, us lli.' Uuxsian lino from the Siberian sta- 

 tion of Srjotonsk along the rivers Schilka and 

 Atii'Mir to Chabarowka and Wladiwostock was 

 completed, Europe, Nagasaki in Japan, and 

 Honi:-Kong in China, will bo in direct communi- 

 cation over these lines in the beginning of 1871. 



The Japanese budget, for the year 1869, 

 showed a deficit of 2,500,000 sterling, which 

 is equal to one-half the imperial revenue. The 

 Government gave notice to the foreign minis- 

 ters that it will coin new Japanese dollars as 

 soon as it can get workmen from the English 

 Mint. The new dollar is intended to be a trifle 

 finer and heavier than the Mexican dollar, and 

 will, as soon as it shall attain a sufficiently wide 

 circulation, supersede the old coin. 



The rice crop of several of the provinces, in 

 1869, was again a total failure, and the Govern- 

 ment prohibited the exportation of rice, except 

 by special license, as provided by the treaties 

 with foreign powers. 



The Government is well aware of the feeble 

 hold it has on the powerful daimios. In 1870, 

 one daimio called into service all the able- 

 bodied men in his provinces, of twenty yeara 

 of age, and placed them under European in- 

 structors. A large proportion of them were 

 arm i'd with breech-loading rifles, and the rest 

 would soon be similarly equipped. It was 

 stated by another prominent daimio, that he 

 could command, at any moment, one hundred 

 thousand disciplined troops, with a reserve of 

 another hundred thousand less thoroughly pre- 

 pared, but no less devoted to his cause. On 

 the other hand, however, the negotiations be- 

 tween the Imperial Government and several 

 daimios resulted in the surrender by the latter 

 of their war-vessels to the Mikado, who thus 

 obtained control of the whole navy. 



In spite of all the drawbacks of misgovern- 

 ment and intestine strife, the people are in many 

 respects making remarkable progress, especially 

 in those parts of the empire whose inhabitants 

 arc in frequent contact with foreigners. A 

 treaty of peace and commerce was exchanged 

 between Spain and Japan in the month of 

 March. Diplomatic intercourse is now estab- 

 lished with all the principal civilized nations. 



Rice riots were of frequent occurrence in 

 many parts of Japan, the people being in a 

 destitute condition. Large quantities of rice 

 arrived from Saignn, and from 800,000 to 

 400,000 tons wore ordered by the Government, 

 to prevent the outbreak of a famine. 



A great conflagration took place at Yeddo in 



March. The area laid desolate was computed 



at four or five miles in circumference, and every 



wooden building, from the Japanese Foreign 



VOL. i. 27 A 



Office to the outer moat, hod been entirely de- 

 stroyed. A bridge over the Adori was burnt, 

 and the traffic over it suspended. 



A violent earthquake occurred in May, the 

 severest since the great earthquake in 1805. 

 At the great volcano of Assamayama, in the 

 interior of the island of Niphon, which had 

 been quiet for centuries, there wore violent 

 eruptions, accompanied by frequent earth- 

 quakes, destroying villages in the vicinity, and 

 causing terror among the inhabitants of the 

 province. 



The Japanese Parliament met at Yeddo, July 

 21st, and remained in session until the latter 

 part of August. The proceedings were not of 

 great importance. A notification was issued 

 by the municipal authorities of Yeddo, to the 

 effect that all children between the ages of eight 

 and fifteen years must attend the government 

 schools that were established for their benefit. 

 Six schools of this class were open in August 

 in different parts of the city, and others were 

 soon to bo opened. 



A special historical department was created 

 by the Japanese Government, and constituted 

 a branch of the Foreign Office. Two procla- 

 mations made known the fact of its formation 

 to the local authorities, instructing them to 

 search the records of their respective offices, 

 and to forward to the Foreign Office at Yeddo 

 every document, official or non-official, which 

 they considered useful, from its interest or im- 

 portance, for compiling the national annals. 



A field-telegraph, which had been presented 

 to the Mikado by the United States Government, 

 was tried in the presence of the Mikado. A 

 correspondent from Yeddo gave the following 

 account of the trial : 



By the Mikado's desire the apparatus was erected 

 in the grounds of the palace, one terminus being his 

 Majesty's private study, and. the other the pleasure 

 pavilion, which stands in the centre of the Maple 

 Gardens, where were assembled three princes of the 

 blood, the Prime Minister, and a host of members of 

 the Privy Council, to receive and answer the imperial 

 messages. The working of the wires was intrusted 

 to two Japanese, and when all was ready a message 

 arrived at the Pavilion announcing the presence of 

 the Mikado at the terminus in the study. To this 

 announcement a most respectful message was re- 

 turned, thanking his Majesty for his gracious presence. 

 Shortly after the message came, "The Emperor is 

 highly pleased with the wonderful Western inven- 

 tion." At the Emperor's desire the apparatus was 

 left standing in the grounds, in order that ho might 

 learn to work it himself. 



The persecution of native Christians by the 

 Government produced earnest remonstrances 

 on the part of the foreign ambassadors. The 

 Government appeared determined to remove a 

 Christian colony near Nagasaki, established by 

 Catholic missionaries several centuries ago, to 

 a distant part of the empire. Consequently, in 

 1868, three hundred male adults were re- 

 moved, while the women arid children were 

 left behind, with the promise of the Govern- 

 ment to support them. This promise was not 

 fulfilled, and the fate of those who had been 



