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JAPAN. 



amount thereof is perhaps equal to 30.000,000 rios of 

 "ood coin. The foreigners have now addressed them- 

 selves to their representatives, and demand that 

 either this bad money should be exchanged against 

 good at the foreign office, or that they should be 

 indemnified for their losses, which amount, according 

 to their statement, to 6,000,000 rios. 



What shall be done in this matter ? According to 

 the new treaty, article three, the boo is a coin of two 

 nomine bun weight, equal to not less than 134 grains 

 troy weight, and containing not less than nine-tenths 

 of pure silver and one-tenth of alloy. 



As this has been stipulated by the treaty, the boo, 

 although a Japanese article, is, nevertheless, no more 

 something exclusively Japanese, having to be re- 

 garded in the light of a medium of exchange between 

 the foreign and Japanese commerce ; as, per example, 

 a Japanese, being in the service of a foreigner, cannot 

 act any more according to his own free will. Al- 

 though, influenced by this idea, the old Government 

 had faithfully observed the treaties, and more than 

 one-tenth of alloy Avas contained in their coins, never- 

 theless much bad coin has been issued during these 

 last times, and the boos coined at Osaka are of a very 

 bad standard, the niboos have been adulterated 

 equally, and, as before mentioned, these bad coins 

 have now passed into the hands of foreigners. All 

 this has happened because the officials in the im- 

 perial mint nave thought that it was indifferent with 

 what standard and under what form the Government 

 coined money, it being sure to pass as paper money 

 does. 



20. If the foreign representatives now ask us by 

 whom besides by the Government such bad coin has 

 been issued, what shall wo reply to them? 



There exists a rumor that by others, as well as by 

 the Government, bad coins have been issued secretly ; 

 and if one looks at the statement that 30,000,000 rios 

 are in the hands of foreigners, ought one not to be- 

 lieve that besides by the old and new governments, 

 also by others, bad coins had been issued sur- 

 reptitiously ? 



21. The Japanese Government, by issuing bad 

 coins and acting contrary to the treaties, has, by de- 

 ceiving their own people and foreigners, polluted 

 their name in the sight of all the countries; how 

 shall we clear ourselves of this stain ? 



As the preceding points are of the greatest im- 

 portance for the country, and the above-mentioned 

 difficulties cannot be cured by any single individual, 

 we recommend to you an early and thorough discus- 

 sion of them most urgently. 



FOEEIGN OFFICE. 



TJdrd Month (12tk April, 12th, May). 



The Japanese Parliament showed itself very 

 hostile to the Christian religion. Only one 

 member dared to defend it, while 210 voted 

 for a resolution declaring Christianity to be 

 opposed to the state. Another resolution, to 

 inflict severe penalties for bringing back the 

 apostates to one of the religions of the country, 

 was negatived by 176 against 44 votes. The 

 violent denunciations of the Christian religion, 

 and of the treaties, induced the representatives 

 of the foreign powers to address, on June 17th, 

 a joint note to the Japanese Government, in 

 which the latter is reminded that the Parlia- 

 ment has no right to modify the treaties with 

 the foreign powers. 



The representatives of the foreign powers 

 formally announced the termination of the 

 civil war, and withdrew their notification of 

 neutrality. The Mikado intrusted all the im- 

 portant positions in the empire to Satsuma, 

 Chosiu, Tossa, and Nadijena, ignoring alto- 



gether the claims of the other princes, many of 

 whom are very influential. It was further 

 ordered that within a certain period all the 

 daimios must deliver up to the Government 

 their war -material, receiving payment for the 

 same in kinsats (paper). 



A great deal of jealousy continued to exist 

 among the daimios. 



One of the greatest difficulties the foreign 

 diplomatists have had to encounter in Japan 

 has been to acquire a knowledge of those mys- 

 terious laws of Gongensama to which Japanese 

 officials so often refer as containing the basis 

 of their political system, and in which they 

 profess to find precedents for any line of con- 

 duct they may choose to adopt. These laws, 

 variously called the Legacy of lyeyas, the Laws 

 of Gongensama, and the Laws of Japan, were 

 framed by lyeyas, a celebrated Tycoon, the 

 founder of the family of the Tycoon of our 

 own day. lyeyas lived in the beginning of the 

 seventeenth century, and after his death was 

 deified under the title of Gongensama. Many 

 attempts to gain possession of this important 

 code have been made, at last successfully; 

 manuscript copies have now been obtained, 

 and one or two have lately found their way to 

 Europe. These laws consist of one hundred 

 sections, and display throughout how thor- 

 oughly feudal is the Japanese system of govern- 

 ment, how much the power of the sword is 

 respected, how little regarded are the people. 

 The laws begin by claiming exemption from 

 the gaze of all but official eyes. " This manu- 

 script * * * * may not be seen by any 

 but the Gorojiu (Council of State at Yeddo), 

 who, profoundly secreting it even in the pre- 

 cincts of the official residence, in order to con- 

 ceal it from the sight of others, shall reflect 

 upon and regard it in their hearts." After a 

 few recommendations to the practice of self- 

 denial in the performance of duties, the pro- 

 viding "for the widower, the widow, the or- 

 phan, and the lone," and the cultivation of 

 purity of heart, they proceed to the estimate 

 of the revenue of the empire. " The whole 

 amount of the revenue of the empire of Japan 

 is 28,190,000 kokus of rice (each koku equals 

 5.13 bushels). Of this 20,000,000 is to be di- 

 vided among the daimios (nobles) and shomips, 

 who render faithful service ; and the remain- 

 ing 8,190,000 kokus form the public revenue, 

 which should provide for the protection of the 

 Emperor, and for keeping in subjection the bar- 

 barians of the four coasts." 



After an exposition of the rules of govern- 

 ment, follow rules for the selection of magis- 

 trates of the civil criminal courts, who "are 

 the reflectors of the mode of government. 

 Those who are invested with this office should 

 be chosen from a class of men who are upright 

 and pure, distinguished for charity and benev- 

 olence. Once every month one of the Gorojiu 

 should be sent, unexpectedly, to inquire into 

 their mode of administration ; or the Shdgun 

 should himself go unexpectedly and investigate 



