Chap. V. VIEW OF THE CITY OF YEDO. 79 
suburb of Sinagawa from which we had just come, 
and gradually and slowly carrying our eyes to the 
south and on to the east, we saw the fair city of 
Yedo extending for many miles along the shores of 
the bay, in the form of a crescent or half-moon. It 
was a beautiful autumnal afternoon, and very 
pretty this queen of cities looked as she lay bask- 
ing in the sun. The waters of the bay were smooth 
as glass, and were studded here and there with the 
white sails of fishing-boats and other native craft ; 
a few island batteries formed a breastwork for the 
protection of the town ; and far away in the dis- 
tance some hills were dimly seen on the opposite 
shores. Turning from the east towards the north, 
we looked over an immense valley covered with 
houses, temples, and gardens, and extending far 
away almost to the horizon. A wide river, spanned 
by four or five wooden bridges, ran through this 
part of the town and emptied itself into the bay. 
On the opposite side of a valley, some two miles 
wide and densely covered with houses, we saw the 
palace of the Tycoon' and the “ official quarter ” of 
the city, encircled with massive stone walls and 
deep moats. Outside of this there are miles of 
wide straight streets and long substantial barn- 
looking buildings, which are the town residences 
of the feudal princes and their numerous retainers. 
To the westward our view ranged over a vast 
extent of city, having in the background a chain 
of wooded hills, whose sloping sides were covered 
with houses, temples, and trees. A large and 
