282 SILK COUNTRY. Chap. XYII. 
other medicines, with salt fish and seaweed, are 
largely exported to China. 
Silk and tea are, at present, the most important 
and valuable articles of export to Europe and 
America. I am indebted to Mr. Keswick, of the 
well-known house of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, 
and Co., one of the earliest settlers at Yokuhama, 
for the following information regarding these 
articles of export. As Mr. Keswick was daily in 
communication with merchants from all parts of 
the country, .and as he had considerable knowledge 
of the language, his means of acquiring informa- 
tion of this kind were greatly superior to my own. 
u Silk is more or less produced in almost every 
province of the island of Nipon north of Osaca, 
but the four districts in which it* is found in the 
greatest abundance are Oshue, Joeshue, Koshue, 
and Sinshue. Oshue produces the largest quan- 
tity, but the silk does not equal in quality and 
fineness of size that of the other districts. Joeshue 
and Sinshue are noted for the fine size of their 
silk ; and even in the London market, when the 
best China silk was selling at 25s., it brought as 
high a price as 30s. per lb.” These districts are 
situated in the northern part of the island of 
Nipon, and I believe are nearer to the port of 
Hakodadi than to Yokuhama. Japanese silk is 
more carefully reeled than Chinese, and is gene- 
rally of better quality. At present it is nearly all 
bought for the Continent, and much more would 
be consumed if it could be obtained. 
