214 



JAPAN. 



thither yearly two vessels from Batnvia, large three 

 deckers, mostly belonging to Zealand. In the middle 

 of the eighteenth century, the profits of the Japanese 

 trade were estimated at 4 500,000 guilders annually. 

 In the seventeenth century, the British founded a co- 

 lony at Firando, and obtained important commercial 

 privileges ; but this commerce was soon lost, proba- 

 bly because the Japanese learned from the crafty 

 Dutch, that the wife of the king of Britain was u 

 Portuguese princess. All proposals for opening a 

 trade with Japan have of late been rejected in Bri- 

 tain, because the return cargoes must consist princi- 

 pally of copper and camphor, and the trade in 

 Japanese copper would prevent the exportation of 

 the British to India. The Russian government 

 has lately tried, but without success, to form com- 

 mercial connexions with Japan. 



The Japanese are a mixture of the Malay and 

 Mongolian races, like the Clu'nese, from whom they 

 have probably derived their civilization. The Japan- 

 ese art, calculation of time, medicine, and astrology 

 are purely Chinese. The present inhabitants origi- 

 nated either from China or Corea, or from both ; but, 

 separated by tempestuous billows from the rest of 

 the world, left to themselves, and free from the subse- 

 quent invasions of neighbouring nations, they became 

 an independent people. Their language is a dialect 

 of the Mongolian; the Chinese is the learned language. 

 The Japanese language has .forty-seven radical syl- 

 lables, with a small number of regular changes. The 

 Japanese are the most civilized and refined nation of 

 Asia, a noble, proud people, intelligent, docile, and 

 desirous of instruction. Art and science they value, 

 even in nations whom they otherwise despise for their 

 unworthy conduct, and the shameful treatment to 

 which they are willing to submit for the sake of gain. 

 Since the arrival of the Europeans, by whom they 

 were taught, they have made considerable progress 

 in severe f sciences. History, astronomy, and medi- 

 cine (in which cautery or burning with moxa, and 

 acupuncture are practised), are pursued with zeal. 

 Their progress, however, in medicine and geography, 

 is comparatively small. Poetry, music and painting 

 are held in estimation ; and, in the latter, the Japan- 

 ese are superior to the Chinese. Like the Chinese 

 they claim the invention of gunpowder and of print- 

 ing. Children are sent to school at an early period, 

 and educated with great strictness. The exporta- 

 tion of books is prohibited, at least, of such as con- 

 tain any account of the government and country, as 

 well as of maps and coins. The importation of re- 

 ligious books is as strictly forbidden. 



The Japanese are active, cleanly and laborious, 

 kind, cheerful and contented, but sensual and re- 

 vengeful. The following represents the female cos- 

 tume : 



Their superstition is encouraged by a priestlv 

 government, opposed to all intelligence, and a 

 numerous clergy. The government is despotic and 

 severe, and the laws very strict. The will of the 

 emperor is the supreme law ; after it, the will of the 

 petty princes dependent on him, who rule their pro- 

 vinces as strictly as he does the whole empire, and 

 notwithstanding their dependence, possess the right 

 of waging war against each other. The greatest part 

 of the inhabitants are oppressed by poverty, since the 

 peasant is obliged to surrender half, and in many 

 places even two-thirds of his earnings to the landlord, 

 who regards himself as the sole proprietor of the soil. 

 In order to prevent conspiracies, each one is made, 

 by the law of the landy the spy, and surety of the 

 others ; so that every one is accountable to the state 

 for those with whom he is in any way connected, and, 

 in case of any offence, must suffer with them. Thus 

 the father is accountable for his children, the master 

 for his servants, the neighbour for his neighbour, 

 every society for its members. A crime is never 

 punished by fine, but always by imprisonment and 

 banishment, or loss of limb or life ; and every 

 punishment is inflicted with inexorable rigour on high 

 and low. All military and civil officers, for example, 

 are bound to slit their belly, when ordered to do so, 

 in consequence of any crime. Such a death involves 

 no disgrace, and hence the contempt of death among 

 all classes of Japanese, who, in general, prefer death 

 to ignominy. 



The original rulers of Japan were called mikadiJo, 

 from their progenitor. The high priest of Japan is 

 still called dairi, which was the title of the Japanese 

 emperors as long as they possessed spiritual and tem- 

 poral powers united. Since the revolution, which 

 deprived them of the secular power, in 1185, when 

 Yori-Tomo was appointed supreme ruler of the nation, 

 the high priest has lived at Meaco. Under the pre- 

 sent reigning dynasty of the Djogouns, his authority 

 has declined still more. He is in the custody of a 

 governor, answerable to the secular emperor. In 

 order to make himself more sure of the descendant 

 of the ancient rulers of Japan, the crafty policy of the 

 secular emperor has transmuted the dairi into a holy 

 personage, who is visible to no human eye, at least 

 to no man who is not in attendance on him. When- 

 ever the dairi, as is very rarely the case, wishes to 

 enjoy the fresh air in his garden, or in the inner circle 

 of his extensive and well fortified palace, a signal is 

 given for all to withdraw, before the bearers raise the 

 holy prisoner on their shoulders. In this palace, 

 where he was born, he lives and dies, without ever 

 going out of its precincts; and not till long after his 

 death is his name disclosed beyond them. He enjoys 

 a rich income, consisting of merchandise and natural 

 products, which the secular emperor increases by 

 considerable additions, and by the proceeds of the 

 sale of titles of honour, which belong to the dairi, as 

 a prerogative. Orders are also issued in the name of 

 the dairi. The secular emperor bears the title of 

 cubo, and resides at Jeddo. Under him, the real, ab- 

 solute sovereign of the empire, are the princes, who 

 are responsible to him. He concedes, however, the 

 first rank to the dairi, accepts from him titles of 

 honour, and rewards the distinction thus bestowed on 

 him by considerable presents. Formerly, the cubo 

 made an annual journey to Meaco, in token of re- 

 spect to the dairi ; by degrees, these visits became 

 less frequent, and now, as a substitute, presents are 

 sent him by ambassadors. The cubo administers the 

 government, with the assistance of a council of state, 

 of six aged men. He derives his revenues, which 

 consist merely of natural productions, from five im- 

 perial provinces, as they are called, and some cities, 

 which are under his immediate jurisdiction ; in ad- 



