414 



JAPAK 



being found to be of no nse whatever, it was 

 dropped so thoroughly out of sight, that it has 

 not been called together since the Council of 

 State was formed. The idea of an elective 

 Parliament is now actively discussed, and the 

 ministry is very desirous of seeing it realized. 

 Japan is at present divided into seventy-five 

 districts, each one being governed by a prefect. 

 The powers of these functionaries are very 

 extended; for, not only do they govern, but 

 they collect taxes, manage the police, and sit 

 as judges civilly and criminally. But they can- 

 not carry into execution sentences involving 

 punishment of death, until they have been 

 confirmed by the Minister of Justice. A seri- 

 ous and carefully-calculated budget has, for 

 the first time in the history of Japan, been pre- 

 pared for the year 1872, showing both receipts 

 and expenditures of the year, and series of 

 detailed explanations are appended to it which 

 testify the care used by its compilers. The re- 

 ceipts and expenditures are as follows: 



RECEIPTS. 



Rice, at $4.50 per koku 11.444,556 



Customs 298,350 



Internal revenue (excise duties, etc.) 225,675 



Miscellaneous 260,950 



Total receipts 12,229,531 



EXPENDITURES. 



Imperial household 113,050 



Ministry of Foreign Affairs 112.200 



Army 1,700,000 



Navy 382.500 



Colonization of Yesso 418,888 



Justice 16.150 



Education 73,312 



Finance Department (including cost of col- 

 lecting taxes) 369,962 



Public works 1,763.112 



Municipal and provincial governments 1,386,987 



Miscellaneous 452,412 



Cost of manufacturing new bank-notes and of 



establishing the Mint 210,375 



Pensions to daimios and retainers 4,024,112 



Balance of indemnity to European powers on 



the Simonosaki affair 318,750 



Interest on the English loan 78,625 



Total expenditures . . 11,420,385 



Surplus 809,146 



The public debt consists at present of 27,- 

 412,000, of which 15,204,000 are represented 

 by paper currency, 10,412,000 are debts in- 

 cuofed to Japanese subjects by former local 

 governments, and the balance, 1,796,000, is 

 due to foreign creditors (the Simonosaki indem- 

 nity included). The old bank-notes are about 

 to be replaced by very handsome new ones, 

 which have just been manufactured at Frank- 



fort. The debts of the former local govern- 

 ments are of three classes, each constituting 

 about one-third of the whole amount. The 

 first class is considered as being in no way 

 binding upon the Government ; the second is 

 to be repaid at the rate of 10,000 a year; and 

 the third is to be converted into bonds at 25 

 years' date bearing interest at 4 per cent. In 

 1871 a Ministry of Instruction was created, 

 the results of which, in the short space of time 

 which has since elapsed, are extraordinary. 

 Public primary schools are increasing rapidly, 

 especially in the towns ; but the movement is 

 far more marked in the western provinces and 

 on the coast than in the interior, where the 

 eagerness for improvement is less felt. Pri- 

 vate schools are more abundant still ; for, as 

 anybody can establish them, subject to a per- 

 mission which is always granted, they spring 

 up with facility wherever they are wanted. 

 Books, especially translations of foreign works, 

 are much sought after; newspapers and print- 

 ing-presses are rapidly increasing, and an ear- 

 nest desire for knowledge is everywhere seen, 

 throughout the middle and higher classes. The 

 Government, to facilitate the acquirement of 

 foreign languages, has brought out several pro- 

 fessors, and has sent at its own expense over 

 500 students to America and Europe. Until 

 now they were chosen by the ministers and 

 provincial governors. But the demands for 

 admission into the envied class of state stu- 

 dents has been so large of late, that henceforth 

 they will be chosen by competitive examina- 

 tion. The students, in addition to a free pas- 

 sage out and back, receive an annual allow- 

 ance of 200. 



The movement of commerce at the principal 

 ports open to foreign nations was, in 1870, as 

 follows : 



The following table shows the number and 

 nationality of the vessels entering the Japanese 

 ports in 1870, as well as their tonnage: 



In March, an attempt was made by a party 

 of twelve persons to assassinate the Mikado. 

 It proved unsuccessful, and the guards in at- 

 tendance succeeded in capturing two of the 



party. The other ten escaped. It caused great 



uneasiness on the part of the Government, and 



orders were issued forbidding foreigners to^go 



*ln Mexican dollars: 1=1 1 \ dollar! 



