444 



JAPAN. 



"Daimios," who not ouly claim absolute sway 

 over the territory of their several principalities, 

 but even the right of removing the Tycoon. 

 There are two Councils of State ; the " Gorogio," 

 consisting of live members, and the " Onwaka- 

 duchisri," of seven members. The Gorogio is 

 presided over by " Gotario," or Prime Minister, 

 who occupies the post of regent of Japan, in 

 the event of the minority or during the tem- 

 porary illness of the Tycoon. 



By the treaties with the foreign powers, the 

 ports of Nagasaki (on the island of Kiusiu), 

 Kanagawa (in the bay of Yeddo), and Hako- 

 dadi (in the island of Jeso), were thrown open 

 to foreigners. The total value of the imports 

 at the port of Nagasaki, in the year 1862, 

 amounted to 149,326, and of exports to 

 217,314. But the chief station of the foreign 

 commerce is Kanagawa. Its commerce is rapid- 

 ly increasing. In 1862 the imports were 536,- 

 860, and the exports 1,313,568. On the com- 

 merce of 1863 the following interesting state- 

 ments have been made by the. British Consul, 

 Winchester : 



" The six clearances direct for Great Britain 

 in 1862 rose to sixteen in 1863, in which year 

 one hundred British ships cleared from Kana- 

 gawa ; about four-fifths of the entire trade were 

 conducted under the British flag. The exports 

 amounted to 2,638,503. The imports reached 

 811,146, to which may be added five British 

 merchant steamers, sold for 175,000, none of 

 them considered capable of effective adaptation 

 to warlike purposes. There remained a balance 

 of trade in favor of Japan of 1,652,357, paid 

 in cash and in large supplies of munitions of 

 war, but the amount of the latter cannot be 

 ascertained, it being an object with the Govern- 

 ment to throw a veil over the transactions. The 

 import tables include goods arriving under the 

 British flag to the value of 635,731, including 

 camlets, long ells, flannel lastings, &c., valued 

 at 237,619, and cotton manufactures, 73,731. 

 The goods exported under the British flag 

 amounted in value to 2,149,291. The exports 

 included 19,609 piculs of raw silk of the value 

 of more than 1,000,000 an increase of 3,937 

 piculs over 1862, and a very considerable por- 

 tion of the supply was believed to remain still 

 in store ready to be brought forward when the 

 obstacles presented by the Government should 

 be surmounted. The export of tea increased to 

 ibove 6,000,000 pounds. But the most remark- 

 able feature is the sudden development of the 

 trade in cotton from 4,616 piculs in 1862 to 

 46,697 in 1863. No dependence could be placed 

 on the permanence of this branch of trade, stim- 

 ulated as it has been by high prices, but the fact 

 proves that the Japanese are quite alive to the ad- 

 vantages of foreign trade, and the rapidity with 

 which so great a quantity of a staple largely 

 used by the people for their own garments has 

 been brought to market is no mean proof of the 

 wonderful fertility and resources of the country. 

 It is obvious that foreign commerce has struck 

 deep roots and is acquiring influence. Last 



year, under the contingency of an attack from 

 the most powerful squadron ever seen in those 

 seas, advantage was taken of every pause hur- 

 riedly to conclude large and important trans- 

 actions. Considering the restrictions and dis- 

 couragements interposed, and the general con- 

 servative impression which gives a color to 

 Japanese thought, that Japan was happier in 

 its seclusion, as being less exposed to danger, 

 the wonder is that the progress of trade has 

 been so great. It was much checked by Gov- 

 ernment interference during the last six months 

 of the year. The truth is that there is a strug- 

 gle between the Tycoon and the semi-independ- 

 ent princes, the former trying to secure the 

 highest possible price for opening to the outer 

 world the door of which he is lucky enough to 

 possess the key, and the Daimois struggling to 

 get cheaply through and part with as little as . 

 possible of their profits. The permanent foreign 

 residents at Kanawaga have now increased ta 

 about three hundred, not counting soldiers; 

 one hundred and forty are British subjects, and 

 about eighty Americans and forty Dutch. The 

 lapse of years has improved the tone and standing 

 of the foreign community, and the pioneers of 

 foreign trade have mostly left Japan to enjoy else- 

 where any remnant of their strangely won gains." 



Another British Consul, Howard Vyse, "sent 

 home a report on Hakodadi, but the trade there 

 is much less important, chiefly the export of * 

 seaweed. Hakodadi is situated on an island, 

 where there is little or no cultivation, separated 

 from the continent of Niphon by the danger- 

 ous Sangar Straits. No Japanese can enter 

 Hakodadi, or have commercial intercourse with 

 any foreigner, without permission from the offi- 

 cials, who claim an exorbitant percentage or 

 squeeze on the business transacted. Mr. How- 

 ard Vyse states that an edict of 1637, still in 

 force in Yesso, and, as he believes, in the whole 

 of Japan, makes it a capital offence for natives 

 to travel into other countries; and their seamen, 

 even when accidentally cast on foreign shores, 

 are, on their return, subjected to a rigorous ex 

 animation, and sometimes tedious imprisonment, 

 to purify them from the supposed pollution con- 

 tracted abroad." 



The Tycoon, in 1864, sent another embassy 

 to France to obtain from the French Gov- 

 ernment a modification of the treaty of 1858. 

 After six conferences between the three en- 

 voys of the Tycoon and the minister of for- 

 eign affairs, a convention WAS concluded on 

 June 20, 1864, which provided as follows : 

 1. For the attack made upon the French vessel 

 Kien-Cheng, in July, 1863, in the province of 

 Nagato, the Japanese Government engaged to 

 pay over to the French minister at Yeddo, 

 three months after the return of the ambas- 

 sadors from France, an indemnity of 140,000 

 Mexican piastres, of whom 100,000 piastres 

 shall be paid by the Government itself, and 40,- 

 000 piastres by the authority of the province ot 

 Nagato. 2. The Japanese Government engages 

 to procure and to maintain for the French ves- 



