6go JAPAN. 
in. favour of religion,.-were they fo inclined ; but,, as it 
appears, they are very indifferent as to that, and_are in 
but little credit with the Japanefe. 
The fuperiority of the laws of Japan over thofe of Eu¬ 
rope has been loudly proclaimed by Krempfer. The par¬ 
ties themfeives appear, and the caufe is determined with¬ 
out delay. Yet Kxmpfer’s information on this head is 
defective, as he does not rpentionany code of laws. Thun- 
berg informs us that-the laws'are few, but rigidly enforced, 
without regard to perfons, partiality, or violence. Moll 
crimes are punifbed with death, but the fentence mull be 
figned'by the privy-council at Jeddo. Parents and rela¬ 
tions are made anl'werable for the crimes of thofe whofe 
moral education they ought to have l'uperintended. The 
police is excellent, there being not only a chief magiftrate 
of each town, but a commiffary of each ftreet, elected by 
the inhabitants to watch over the property and tranquil¬ 
lity. Two inhabitants, in their turn, nightly patrole the 
ftreet to guard againft fire. The belt proof that the laws 
are falutary is, that few crimes are committed, and few 
punifhments infiiited- The brief code, according to 
Thunberg, ispofted up in every town and village, in large 
letters, on a fpot furrounded with rails. 
The population of the Japanefe empire is faid to be 
wonderfully great; and, though a confiderable part of 
the country be mountainous, yet even the mountains are 
the objedfts of obftinate cultivation. Thunberg oblerves 
that the capital, Jeddo, is faid to be fixty-three Britilh 
miles in circumference, and at any rate ri vals Pekin in fize. 
Many of the villages are three quarters of a mile in length; 
and l’ome fo long that it requires feveral hours to walk 
through them ; and thefe large villages frequently occur 
at very fhort diftances. Koempfer fays that the number 
of people daily travelling on the highways is inconceiva¬ 
ble ; and the Tokaido, the chief of the feven great roads, is 
fometimes more crowded than the molt frequented ftreets 
of European capitals. Varcnius the geographer, who juftly 
efteemed this country fo interefting as to deferve a parti¬ 
cular defcription, has from the belt authorities eftimated 
the Handing army maintained by the princes and go¬ 
vernors at 368,000 infantry and 38,000 cavalry; while the 
cubo-emperor maintains 100,000 foot and 20,000 horfe ; 
thus conftituting in all a regular force of 468,000 infantry, 
and 58,000 cavalry. It is probable that this army does not 
bear a greater proportion to the population than that of 
an European Itate in time of peace; and, as the army 
doubles that of Prance under the monarchy, fo the popu¬ 
lation may alfo be double. Perhaps a more fafe eftimate 
may be formed, by fuppofing the population of Japan to 
equal that of China ; and, the former country being about 
one-tenth part the fize of. the latter, the population will 
be about 30,000,000. 
The revenues of this empire are minutely Hated by 
Varenius, according to princes and provinces, the fum 
total being 2834. tons of gold, on the Flemilh mode of 
computation ; and, taking the ton at only io,oool. fteriing, 
the amount would be 28,340,000-]. fteriing, befides the 
provinces and cities which are immediately l'ubjeft to the 
emperor. Thefe revenues mull not however be confidered 
as national, being only yielded i.n coin to the various 
princes. The emperor, however, befides the large reve¬ 
nues of his provinces, has-a confiderable treafure in gold 
and filver; difpofed in chefts of 3000 taels, each being nearly 
equal in value to a Dutch rix-dollar, or about 4s. 4d. En- 
glilh money, 
Thunberg defcribes the perfons of the Japanefe in the 
following terms: “The people of this nation are well-made, 
active, free and eafy in their motions, with ftout limbs, 
although their ltrength is not to be compared to that of 
the northern inhabitants of Europe. They are of a yel- 
lovvifh colour all over, fometimes bordering on brown,and 
fometimes on white: ladies of diliinition, who leldom go 
out in the air without being covered, are perfectly white. 
It is by their eyes that, like the Chinefe, thefe people are 
diitinguiflrable,. Tbele organs have not that rotundity 
which thofe of other nations exhibit; but are oblong, 
fmall, and funk deeper in the head ; they are dark brown, 
or rather black ; and the eye-lids form in the great angle 
of the eye a deep furrow, which makes the Japanefe look 
Iharp-fighted, and difcriminates them from other nations •. 
the eye-brows are alfo placed fomewhat higher. Their 
-heads are in general large, and their necks fiiort: their 
hair black, thick, and Ihining, from the ufe they make of 
oils. Their nofes, though not flat, are yet rather thick 
and fliort." 
This highly-civilized people mull of courfe difplay great 
diverlity of character ; but* the virtues far preponderate 
over the vices ; and even their pride is ufeful, as it pre¬ 
vents them from Hooping to the mean tricks of the mari¬ 
time Chinefe. In all their tranfaftions, the Japanefe fhow 
great intelligence ; and their'prefent mode of government, 
admirable Ikill in agriculture, fparing mode of life, way 
of trading with foreigners, manufactures, &c. afford con¬ 
vincing proofs of cunning, firmnefs, and intrepid cou¬ 
rage. Here there are no appearances of that vanity lb com¬ 
mon among the Afiatics and Africans, of adorning them¬ 
feives with lhells, glafs-beads, and polilhed metal plates ; 
neither are they fond of the ufelefs European ornaments 
of gold and filver lace. Jewels, &c. but are careful to 
provide themfeives from the productions of their own 
country with neat clothes, well-tailed food, and good 
weapons. 
Economy has its peculiar mode in Japan. It is a virtue 
admired as well in the emperor’s palace as in the meanelt 
cottage. It makes thofe of fmall poffelfions content w ith 
their little, and it prevents the abundance of the rich 
from overflowing in excels and voluptuoufnefs. Hence 
it happens, that what in other countries is called fcar- 
city, and famine, is unknown here ; and that, in fo very 
populous a Hate, fcarcely a perfon, in neceflity, or a beggar, 
fliould be found. 
The names of families, and of Angle perfons, are un¬ 
der very different regulations from ours. The family-name 
is never changed ; but it is never ufed in ordinary con- 
verfation, and only when they flgn fome writing; to- 
which they alfo for the molt part affix their feal. There- 
is alfo this peculiarity, that the l'urname is always placed 
firft; juft as in botanical books the generic name is always, 
placed before the fpecilic name. The prasnomen is always 
ufed in addrelling a perfon ; and it is changed feveral 
times in the courfe of life. A child receives at birth 
from its parents a name, which is retained till it has itfelf a 
fon arrived at maturity. A perfon again changes his name 
when he is invefted with any office; as alfo when he is 
advanced to a higher truft; fome, as emperors and princes, 
acquire a new name after death. The names of women 
are lefs variable ; they are in general borrowed from the 
molt beautiful flowers. 
After marriage, the wife is confined to her own. apart¬ 
ment, whence (he hardly ever ftirs, except once a-year to 
the funeral-rites of her family; nor is (he permitted to 
fee any man, except perhaps fome very near relation, and 
that as feldom as can be. The wives, as well as in China 
and other parts of the eaft, bring no portion with them, 
but are rather bought by the huiband of their parents and 
relations- The bridegroom molt commonly lees his bride 
for the firll time upon her being brought to his houfe 
from the place of the nuptial ceremony ; for in the tem¬ 
ple where it is performed Ihe is covered over with a veil, 
which reaches from the head to the feet. A huiband can 
put his wives to a more or left fevere death, if they give 
him the lealt caufe of jealoufy, by being leen barely to 
converfe with another man, or luffering one to come into 
their apartment- 
The drefs of the Japanefe deferves, more than that of 
any other people, the name of national; fince they are 
not only different from that of all other men, but are alfo- 
of the fame form in all ranks, from the monarch to his 
meanelt fubject, as well as in both fexes; and, what ex¬ 
ceeds all credibility, they have not been altered for at 
kail 
