314 COIN OF JAPAN. 



niercliiiiit lio^re, and I cai.iiot ex])i-esK niy o-j-alitLule in 

 terms stroni'' enoiiirli f'oi- all tlie kbidiiess and attention 

 showered upon me during a somewhat prolorjged stay, 

 which enabled me to obtain a fair insight into Japanese 

 life and character. 



Yokohama, being a brand-ne^\' place, built in large 

 blocks of rectangular shape, and wide streets, resembles 

 an American city : it is divided into different quarters, 

 one occupied by Europeans, another by bazaars, tea- 

 liouses, etc. The natives appeared wonderfully quiet 

 and well behaved, the only noise that caught my ear 

 during the first day I spent in Japan was a British salute 

 fired from the Admiral's flag-ship, announcing the 

 return of Her Majesty's Ambassador from Osaka, where 

 he had been present at the opening ceremony of the 

 Mint. The new money to be coined is the dollar and 

 cents, in lieu of the pretty, oval, gold cohmi.g and the 

 oblong, silver itzehve ; their copper coin is round, with a 

 square hole in the middle to string them together. 

 They likewise have a pasteboard kind of paper-money, 

 tied in bundles, which ai'e rather bulky to carry about. 

 During my visit the latter formed almost the sole medium 

 of exchange, excepting copper; and to avoid the incon- 

 venience of filling your pocket with large parcels of 

 parchment, the habit of passing chits upon a bank or a 

 mercantile house had been introduced at Yokohama 



