JAPAN. 



Tho navy in 1879 comprised 10 steam-vessels, 

 of an aggregate of 2,1)30 horse-power, and with 

 4'J guns. Three of the vessels are ironclads. 

 The fleet is manned by 3,500 men, inclusive of 

 200 othVors. 



The foreign commerce in the years 1868 and 

 1874-'7U was as follows (in yens): 





The countries principally concerned in tbe 

 commerce of 1879 were as follows: 





The imports of precious metals in 1879 

 amounted to 11,052,556 yens, and the exports 

 to 2,791,405. 



The movement of sbipping in the ports open 

 to foreign commerce was as follows in 1878 : 



There were besides 29 French mail-steamers 

 of 48,264 tons, 27 American mail-steamers of 

 124,968 tons, and 26 British mail-steamers of 

 25,519 tons. 



The aggregate length of railroads in opera- 

 tion is 105 kilometres. Eight lines of telegraph 

 have an aggregate length of 2,934 kilometres. 



The postal administration of Japan has been 

 rapidly improving since the country, on Juno 

 1, 1877, joined the World's Postal Union. Ac- 

 cording to the annual report of the Postmaster- 

 General, the total number of postal stations on 

 June 30, 1878, was 8,792. The number of let- 

 ters sent was 47 millions, an increase of 23*1 

 per cent, over the preceding year. The num- 

 ber of postal cards was 10 millions. The num- 

 ber of money-orders has increased 21*1 per 

 cent. ; of letters and parcels sent to foreign 

 countries, 10'4 per cent. ; of letters, etc., re- 

 ceived, 16'7 per cent. The postal savings 

 banks, which the Government has introduced 

 but recently, are meeting with great favor, 

 and have attained the number of 292 ; the ag- 

 VOL. xix. 34 A 



gregato number of the deposit* ha* increased 

 r cent., and the aggregate value 270 |,. r 

 cent. The financial year 1877-'78 was the firut 

 in which the receipt* of the department ex- 

 ceeded the expenditures (5*9 per cent.). 



A new educational law was promulgated on 

 September 29, 1879. All educational establish- 

 ments, including public and private school* ami 

 libraries, are to be under tbe care of the Min- 

 ister of Education. The schools are divided k 

 into primary schools, higher schools, colleges, 

 and normal and technical schools. Primary 

 schools are to be established in all cities and 

 villages, but this provision need not be carried 

 out wherever there is a good private school. 

 The school age comprises the sixth to the four- 

 teenth year, and during this period all children 

 are to attend school for at least sixteen months. 

 Corporal punishment is not permitted. 



An important change in the monetary af- 

 fairs of the empire was made in September. 

 According to an official decree of the Govern- 

 ment, the silver yen of 416 grains, and 900 

 fine, is to be accepted in future at par with the 

 Mexican dollar, not only by the Government, 

 but also by the subjects of Japan in all their 

 private transactions. At the same time the 

 two foreign banks in Yokohama, the Oriental 

 Bank and the Hong-Kong and Shanghai Bank, 

 gave notice that in future they would accept 

 the yen at par with the Mexican dollar, and 

 would keep their accounts in dollars. 



The number of foreign residents in 1879 was 

 2,475, or 17 less than in 1877. They were 

 divided among the different nationalities as 

 follows: British, 1,067; Americans, 479; Ger- 

 mans, 300; French, 230; Dutch, 105; Portu- 

 guese, 95 ; others, 209. The nuiuber of Chi- 

 nese in the same year was 3,028. 



The silk season which closed in June, 1879, 

 was not a successful one. The principal fea- 

 tures of the season had been the increasing 

 importance of the trade with America, and 

 the falling off of the English trade. Up to 

 June 19th the export had reached 19,070 bales, 

 as against 21,975 bales in the previous year. 

 The whole production of the silk season of 

 1878-'79 was 63,210 Japanese bales, of about 

 75 pounds each. 



The remaining local autonomy possessed by 

 the Loochoo Islands was suppressed in 1879, 

 and the administrative system which prevails 

 throughout Japan Proper has been extended 

 to these islands. The Loochoo (or Liu Kin) 

 Islands have an area of 808 square miles, and 

 167,000 inhabitants. They formerly paid a 

 tribute to Japan, but they retained a sort of 

 relative independence until 1609, in which 

 year the Daimio of Satsumo, the southwest 

 corner of Japan, obtained permission from the 

 Shogoon to set out on an expedition for the 

 final conquest of the islands. lie succeeded, 

 and from 1609 to 1868 they formed part of the 

 territory of the Princes of Satsuma, being gov- 

 erned by them under the Shogoon. A nomi- 

 nal king was allowed to continue to exist in 



