YOKOHAMA. 313 



turesqiie costume, and now sluike liaiuLs in black hat 

 and coat, sometimes cutting a very comical figin-e in 

 the attempt to look " the thing-." However, as my 

 visit to Japan took place in the spring, 1871, I shall 

 be able to represent it still in all its pristine })ic- 

 turesqueness, although moi-ally a great change had 

 already manifested itself, — minus Tycoon and the 

 Damios without power, having sulkily retired to 

 their ])aternal acres, thus ridding society of those 

 cut-throats, the Samourai, their two - sworded 

 retainers, who had in |)i-evious years connnitted 

 many a bloody deed u[)on inioffending Europeans. 

 The luxurious residences of these princes and nobles 

 were at this period being broken up, and the treasures 

 therein collected, — valuables of every description, — 

 enabled me to acquii-e many a superb specimen of 

 Japanese art, and manufacture in metal, ivory, and 

 lacquei-, that were not to l^e l)ought in ordinaiy times. 



We must now return to the pretty bay of Yeddo, 

 and oin- landing one cold morning on the quay of 

 Yokohama. There being no hotel in the town I was 

 recommended to put up at the club, a tolerably com- 

 fortable establishment ; and after Ijreakfast I sti'olled 

 forth to deliver one oi' two letters of introduction, 

 which led to my accepting the liospitality of the leading 



