JAPAN. 



JEFFEPvSON, FOKT. 



393 



of 10,000 square miles; and Sikokf about 10,- 

 000 square miles. Beside these. YC--O having 

 an area of 3,000 square miles, was conquered 

 and colonized by the Japanese, who also held 

 until 1801 the southern part of Saghalien, and 

 the Kurile Isles, as well as the important islands 

 of Tsus-sima, in the straits of Corea. These 

 last, together with Saghalien and one of the 

 principal ports of Yesso, have come into the 

 possession of Russia during the past year. The 

 present area of the empire does not probably 

 exceed 150,000 square miles. The number of 

 inhabitants is uncertain, but judging by the 

 density of the population of the islands visited 

 by foreigners, cannot be less than 35,000,000 

 to 40,000,000. They are all of the Mongol 

 race, but possess greater mental activity and 

 capacity for the acquisition of knowledge than 

 any other nations belonging to that race. In 

 many respects they have attained to a high 

 degree of civilization. Their attainments in 

 the useful arts are extraordinary, surpassing in 

 some particulars those of any of the nations 

 of the West. Their manufactures of silk, lac- 

 quered ware, paper, iron, steel, and the precious 

 metals are unrivalled. They imitate perfectly 

 our manufactures, and Colt's revolvers, Sharpe's 

 rifles, Yankee clocks, steam engines, Dahlgren 

 guns, bomb-shells, &c. &c., are made as per- 

 fectly, and, owing to the low price of labor, 

 at a much less cost at Nagasaki than in our 

 workshops here. In literature and science, also, 

 they have made great attainments. The preva- 

 lent religion of the country is Buddhism, though 

 some others are tolerated. After the return of 

 the Japanese ambassadors, who visited the Unit- 

 ed States in the summer of 1860, there were 

 considerable disturbances in the country. The 

 prime minister of the civil Emperor (for they 

 have two emperors, a spiritual sovereign who 

 presides over religious affairs, and a civil em- 

 peror who attends to secular matters) was 

 assassinated, it was believed at the instigation 

 of Prince Mito, one of the most powerful nobles 

 of the empire, who was opposed to intercourse 

 with foreign nations. A few months later, 

 Prince Mito himself was assassinated. An at- 

 tempt was made about the same time to assas- 

 sinate several of the foreign ambassadors : the 

 consul of the Netherlands was killed, and Mr. 

 Olyphant, connected with the British legation, 

 was wounded. The Japanese Government en- 

 deavored to discover and punish the assassins, 

 and a number of them were put to death. It 

 also promised a strong guard to protect them 

 whenever they had occasion to go from their 

 residences to other parts of the city or country. 

 The British minister. Mr. Alcock, was neverthe- 

 less very much dissatisfied with the Japanese 

 Government, and continually appealed to his 

 Government to commence a war against them. 

 The representative of the United States. Mr. 

 Town send Harris, on the contrary, as the result 

 of a long acquaintance with the people, and a 

 disposition to accord to them the same rights and 

 privileges which he sought to obtain from them, 



has uniformly defended their course towards 

 foreign merchants, as in strict adherence to the 

 terms of the treaties they have made with them, 

 and in this position he has been sustained by the 

 representatives of Holland and Prussia. Mr. 

 Harris believed that the surest way of building 

 up an important and mutually valuable com- 

 merce between the Japanese and our citizens, 

 was to secure their confidence in our disposi- 

 tion to treat them honorably and fairly, and not 

 in any case to take advantage of their ignor- 

 ance of western customs, and the results arc 

 demonstrating the correctness of his views. 

 During the year 1861, the Emperor of Japan 

 sent ambassadors to France, and subsequently 

 to England ; in neither case, however, admit- 

 ting in the delegation, as was done in the case 

 of the ambassadors to this country, nobles of 

 high rank. Treaties have been made during 

 the past year by the Japanese Government with 

 Kussia, and with Prussia. A large numbtr of 

 costly and beautiful presents were sent to the 

 Government of the United States, by the Ty- 

 coon or Japanese Emperor, in return for those 

 sent by this Government to Japan, and the gifts 

 of individuals were also honorably acknowledged 

 by liberal presents. Mr. Harris, the able repre- 

 sentative of the United States at the court of 

 Japan for several years past, and the negotiator 

 of the first commercial treaty of any value, in 

 1858, requested his recall in 1861, on account 

 of in health, and was replaced by Robert H. 

 Pruyn. Esq., of Albany. The treaty made by 

 Mr. Harris has been the model on which the 

 treaties of the other nations have been based ; 

 and while in one or two instances reductions 

 in the duties paid on goods imported from 

 western nations have been made, as for in- 

 stance by the English on cotton, -woollen, 

 and linen goods, the treaty contains a pro- 

 vision by which American exports will be ad- 

 mitted on the same terms with those of any 

 other nation. 



JEFFERSON, FORT. This fort, on one of the 

 Dry Tortugas, covers the entire surface of Gar- 

 den Key. and has an area of thirteen and a half 

 acres. It is designed to mount 298 guns, when 

 finished. About the 15th of January, eighty 

 soldiers were first sent to the fort. There were 

 at this time three hundred men on the island, 

 who had been engaged in the advancement of 

 the work. This fortification was subsequently 

 well garrisoned by the United States, and its 

 construction is still going forward, a number 

 of United States Volunteers having been sent 

 thither to work upon it, as a punishment for 

 mutinous conduct. About January 20, while 

 a United States steamer was landing troops and 

 supplies, the steamer Galveston, of New Or- 

 leans, appeared in sight, with a Confederate 

 force on board, for the purpose of taking the 

 fort ; but, upon discovering the steamer, and 

 probably understanding the object of her visit. 

 the Galveston did not approach, or make any 

 demonstration other than to put about and dis- 

 appear. 



