1901.] CQMMEIU^IAL JAPAN. 2225 



Bchools and educational inptitntionp up to 28,479, asrainst 25,611 in 1893; whilo the total attendance was 4,183,507, asrainst 3,459,446 in 

 1893, 3,055,380 in 1888, and 2,833,350 in 1887. In addition to these the universities and institutions of higher grade f->unded by the State 

 inchide tlie Imperial University of Tokyo, with 2,696 students, while there are also superior schools with an attendance of over 5,000, 

 schools of nuisic, schools of art, scliools for the blind and dumb, and schools for instruction in milit^iry and naval matters. Mr. Stafford 

 Ransome, C. E., whose views regarding the effect of the new treaties are quoted elsewhere, discussing the educational conditions in Japan, 

 estimates that 61 per cent of the Japanese of school-going age were, according to the latest available information, receiving at all events 

 an elementary education based on modern princii)leH, and adds that his investigations showed that .so far as the masses are concerned 

 education is making its most effectual progress in the quiet and outlying districts which are undisturbed Vjy foreigners and modem 

 methods. "Roughly speaking," he says, "we may estimate that there are in Japan at the present day 30,000 schools of all sorts, 100,000 

 teachers, 500,000 graduates, 5,000,000 pupils of both sexes, and that the annual outlay in one way and another to maintain them has 

 reached about £1,500,000," or $7,500,000. 



PORTS AND TRADIXG CENTERS. 



Naturally the principal trading centers of Japan are the treaty ports where commerce has flowed in and out and where foreign 

 vessels have been permitted to land and foreign merchants to do business. Especially this is true in view of the fact that the large 

 proportion of the foreign commerce of Japan is conducted by citizens of other countries residing in that Empire, and necessarily residing 

 only at the treaty ports. A table published on another page shows the amount of imports into each of the principal ports of Japan in 

 1900. It will be seen that the largest imports of 1900 were at Kobe and Yokohama, those at Kobe being 137,484,281 yen and those at 

 Yokohama 109,775,317 yen; Nagasaki being next with 15,427,338 yen, followed by Osaka with 9,741,437 yen. Of the 62,761,196 yen 

 imports from the United States in 1900, the value of 37,553,855 yen entered at the port of Kobe, 19,022,004 yen at Yokohama, 3,610,.307 

 yen at Nagasaki, 368,342 yen at Hakodate, and 2,214 yen at Osaka. Yokohama still continues to be the favorite port with imports 

 from Great Britain, as 35,108,611 yen of the imports from Great Britain in 1900 entered at the port of Yokohama, 28,404,815 yen at 

 Kobe, 6,582,257 yen at Nagasaki, and 578,946 yen at Osaka. Yokohama still continues to hold the largest percentage of the German 

 import trade also, the imports at that port from Germany in 1900 being 15,409,225 yen; at Kobe, 12,240,284 yen; at Nagasaki, 211,323 

 yen, and at Osaka, 156,084 yen. 



SHIPPING. 



Of the 6,630 vessels entering Japanese ports in 1900, 2,685 were foreign steamships, 2,645 Japanese steamships, 1,172 Japanese 

 sailing ships and junks, and 128 foreign sailing ships. Of the 9,825,622 tonnage of the vessels so entering, 6,243,095 tons were foreign 

 steamships. Of the total foreign ships entering the ports in 1900, 1,590 ships, of 3,819,804 tons, were British; 411, of 1,068,914 tons, 

 German; 163, of 340,032 tons, American, and 137, of 297,801 tons, French. Of the total shipping in 1900, 1,075 vessels, of 1,974,428 tons, 

 entered Nagasaki; 766 vessels, of 1,850,043 tons, entered Yokohama, and 1,361 vessels, of 2,816,949 tons, entered Kobe. In 1898 the 

 merchant navy of Japan consisted of 1,130 steamers of European type, having a total tonnage of 447,430 tons; 1,914 sailing vessels of 

 European type, of 170,894 tons, and 19,097 Japanese craft above — "koku" each, of 3,320,284 koku (koku equals 180.4 liters). 



CHANGES IN VALUE OF THE STANDARD OF THE CURRENCY. 



In closing this discussion it is proper to call attention to the fact that the value of the yen, in which all statements of the value of 

 imports and exports of Japan are made, has fluctuated with the value of silver during the years under discussion, prior to the date at 

 ■which the gold standard was adopted, and that this fact should be borne in mind in considering the statements of imports and exports. 

 The following gives the value of the yen in United States money on January 1 of each year from 1885 to 1899, as shown by the Annual 

 Report of the Director of the Mint: 



Value of yen on January 1, 1885, in United States money, 85.8 cents; 1890, 75.2 cents; 1891, 83.1 cents; 1892, 74.5 cents; 1893, 66.1 

 cents; 1894, 55.6 cents; 1895, 49.1 cents; 1896, 52.9 cents; 1897, 51.1 cents; since 1898, 49.8 cents. 



Monme=27.0067 grains troy. Picul=133J pounds avoirdupois, catty=lj pounds, tael— IJ ounces. 



