332 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
show of their authority. Commonly they are, or appear to be, 
young, and all have a gentlemanlike appearance. In a word, they 
appear to be equal to the best European police of the present 
day, and stand immeasurably above the guardian of the peace, or 
rather the raiser of dispeace, as he appeared some decades ago on 
the European continent. During the latest revolt the police 
were employed by the Government as infantry, and elicited 
general admiration by the fire, the gallantry, and the contempt of 
death with which they went into action with their old favourite 
weapon, the Japanese sword. 
A passport is still required for travelling in the interior of the 
country, but this is easily obtained at the request of the consul 
if health or the wish to prosecute researches be given as the 
reason, it being possible perhaps to include common love of 
travelling under the latter head. Commercial travelling is not 
yet permitted in the interior, nor is the right of settling for the pur¬ 
pose of carrying on business granted to Europeans. The foreign 
ambassadors have often entered into negotiations in order to bring 
about a change on this point, but hitherto without success, be¬ 
cause the Government, as a condition for the complete opening 
of the country, require the abrogation of the unreasonable extra¬ 
territorial” arrangement which is in force, and by which the 
foreigner is not subject to the common laws and courts of Japan, 
but to the laws of his own country, administered by consular 
courts. An alteration in this point may however be brought 
about in a short time, as Japan will soon be sufficiently powerful 
to be able to abrogate all the injurious paragraphs in her treaties 
with the civilised countries of Europe. Now, besides, the 
ambassadors of the foreign powers, who in former times all acted 
together, have divided into two parties, of which one—Russia 
and America—wishes, or at least feigns to wish, gradually to free 
Japan from all tutelage and to place it on an equality with other 
civilised countries; the other again—England, Germany, Holland, 
and France—wishes still to retain the guardianship, which 
