JAPAN. 



413 



over $3,000,000, and the latter over $1,000,000. 

 The export of raw silk received a consider- 

 able impetus through the partial failure of the 

 silk crop in France and Italy in 1876. The 

 export of tea decreased from $7,792,244 in 

 1874 to $5,427,218 in 1876. The tonnage of 

 foreign vessels in the Japanese ports showed 

 a decrease of 270,996 tons in 1876. The ton- 

 nage of American vessels showed a consider- 

 able decrease, as the line of steamers between 

 Yokohama and Shanghai sailed under the 

 Japanese flag instead of under the American, 

 as formerly. Exclusive of this line, however, 

 the American tonnage showed an increase of 

 9,000 tons. The number of foreign residents 

 increased 90, while the number of firms de- 

 creased 36. The number of foreign residents 

 and firms, in 1875 and 1876, belonging to each 

 nationality is shown in the following table: 



The number of foreign residents and firms in 

 each of the five open ports and in Yedo (now 

 called Tokio), in 1876, was as follows : 



The aggregate length of the railroads in op- 

 eration is 105 kilometres. There are three 

 lines: Tokio & Yokohama, Hiogo & Ozaka, 

 and Ozaka & Kioto. The six lines of electric 

 telegraph have an aggregate length of 2,832 

 kilometres. The number of dispatches sent 

 in 1874 was 396,289. The number of post- 

 offices in 1876 was 3,691 ; the number of let- 

 ters forwarded, 20,145,645 ; the number of 

 postal-cards, 4,020,957 ; the number of free 

 letters, 644,265 ; the number of newspapers, 

 5,122,456 ; of samples of merchandise, books, 

 etc., 229,291. 



The events of past years, in Japan, seemed 

 to indicate a reaction among the people against 

 the progressive policy of the Government, 

 which, in 1877, assumed the aspect of a for- 

 midable insurrection. A movement of this 

 kind had been anticipated for some time by 

 native statesmen and resident foreign diplo- 

 matists, on account of the rapid and extraordi- 

 nary conformation of the ancient institutions of 

 the country to an extreme pattern of modern 

 civilization. Risings of a more or less danger- 

 ous character had occurred from time to time, 

 but through the vigorous measures of the Gov- 

 ernment they were always suppressed shortly 

 after their inception. In the beginning of 1877 

 a revolution broke out in the southern prov- 

 inces of the Empire, not among the people 

 generally, but among the classes of whom the 

 Samurai, or former armed retainers of the Sat- 

 suma clan, were the leaders. The outbreak 

 was based upon the discontent among the rem- 

 nant of the landholders and others belonging 

 to the exploded system of feudal tenures, who 

 received pensions pro rata from the national 

 Treasury on yielding up their lands and privi- 

 leges to the Central Government. So far thia 

 arrangement was fairly successful, but it so 

 drained the Exchequer of means as to check the 



financial progress of the state ; and the pen- 

 sions were capitalized, the principal to be paid 

 off in June, 1877; the money to be raised chief- 



time drew near toward the settlement, it was 

 calculated that the amount of funds which 

 would come into the hands of the privileged 



ly by foreign loans, part of which was obtained classes, at an approximate estimate, would be 

 through the London Stock Exchange. As the equivalent to 6,500,000. Instead of paying 



