The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-12 00:00:00

JAPAN AT EPSOM.

(From Punch.)

(From Take-No •Ouichi-Skimod-Zuke-No-Kami, &c. &c. 2
Japanese EnVoy Extraordinary, to the Head Daimio of
the Department for Correspondence touching the Barta-

/flans. Nagasaki.)

"Truly these English Barbarians are a wonderful people.
We have already seen the houses and feasts of their Daindos,
their Parliament, or national talking-house, their great
Exhibition, their Woolwich, their wax works, their garden
of wild animals, their coal-pits, and their manufactories,
and we are indeed very Weary, and long much for the time
when we shall return to our beloved Japan. But we had
not yet seen the strangest of all the strange sights here—
what may indeed be called the day of the going forth of the
people of London—the feast of Dar-bee.
"Dar-bee is the name of one of the Cheat Daimios, the
chief of the party opposed to the present Tycoon Par-mer-
stoon. But how this feast comes to be called not after the
name of the reigning Tycoon, but of him who is now plot-
ting to get his place and his power from him, we, your
humble slaves, cannot explain. But it is the opinion of
Matsadaira Iwaime, a man of sagacity and learning, that
the feast is in honour of an ancestor of the living Daimio
Dar-bee, who, according to the religion of the barbarians
being worshipped under the symbol of a horse, is reverenced
with processions and races of horses, such as we yesterday
beheld. The living Daimio Dar-bee ranch loves horses,
and races of horses, as we are told by our attendant Mac-
donald.

" All the Barbarians in their chief toWn of London are
compelled to celebrate this festival, which is held at a place
called Ep-sum, seven li distant from the capital, situated
among hills, and approached by many high roads. Those
who cannot buy or hire a horse to carry or draw them
thither, are compelled to go on foot, and all the inhabitants
of London assemble on the hills of Ep-sum, overlooking a
smooth space of green turf, which is an enclosure sacred to
the great ancestor Dar-bee, and is guarded by police-men
in blue garments. Even the great Tycoon Par• mer-stoon
himself is compelled to take part in these rites, and the
Councils of the Nation are closed, and all the Daimios and
Counsellors, and all their servants, may gowith the Tycoon
to the feast of the great ancestor Dar•.bee.
"We journeyed in two norimons, drawn each by four
horses, wishing to show our respect for the religion of the
Barbarians. For all the seven li the road was full of car-
riages and horses carryingthem that journeyed to the feast.
They recited loud prayers and sang odes to the ancestor,
and played on musical instruments, like to the straight
horns used by the sellers of fried fish in Japan, as they
moved along in procession. For all the seven li these wor-
shippers showed us much respect, liftinguptheir fore-finger
to the nose, and extending the other fingers outwards, which
is their greeting of honour in public, and calling out 'Hu/-
100, cri-keel' meaning,' Oh, beautiful and wonderful They
also expressed aloud their admiration of our persons and our
garments. Our hats, which I and Matsadaira Iwaime
wore because of the sun, which shone this day—a circum-
stance not frequent in the country of England—were much
praised, and many (as interpreted to us by Macdonald)
asked at what place such hats could be purchased (in the
Barbarian language 000-is-your-hatter r) I bade him
(Macdonald) tell these inquiring Barbarians the name of
the merchant in the Street of Hatters at Nagasaki, of
whom we purchased our travelling supply of hats, and
when I see the Daimio Rus-sool, I shall propose to him the
opening of a trade in these hats, which the Barbarians so
much admire. This will give exceeding satisfaction to the
Barbarians, spread our manufactures, and cause great gain
to the hat-makers of Japan. Also, observing us to use our
nose-papersi many asked us if we had sufficient thereof—
the words being in their language, ' How-are-yer-off-for-
pa-per l' the meaning of which words Macdonald taught
us, telling us to answer in the Barbarian tongue, ' You-
bee-blode 1' which means, Thanks be unto you, 0 people,
we have sufficient for our needs.' The Barbarian tongue,
as your serenity will perceive, is brief, and a few words
mean much.

" On their way to this feast the crowd stopped at certain
small temples by the wayside called turn-pike,' where
invocations were tittered in a loud voice, and small pieces
of coin given to the priests, doubtless in payment for
prayers, or for propitiation of the great ancestor DAII-BEE.
At other temples by the way-side meat and drink offer.
ings were made by the Barbarians. Also priests in ragged
mourning garments, with dust upon their heads, and bare-
footed, ran by the way-side, with prayers inscribed on
papers whieh they offered to the people for money. Of
these prayer-papers we have bought some for deposit in the
archives of the department for Correspondence with Bar-
barians.

"When we came to the place where a seat of honour was
prepared for us, we saw that all the Barbarians of London were
indeed here assembled. The crowd was as the crowd of flies
about the honey-pots in the market of Nuku Haim, and the
shouting as the roar of many waters, and the horses and the
carriages more than could be counted. And we saw the
Tycoon, Par-mer stoon, in common garments like other men,
with many counsellors of the Mikado and Daimios, and all the
Parliament of the nation, in an enclosed place, below where we
sat, and many of them had little books in their hands, and they
stood in a ring, and wrote in their books, and uttered invo-
cations in a loud voice, sounding like I—lay—five—to--
one,' 'Six to nine- on—Bucketono' 'T—talro —it--,'
which we believe to have been prayers or religious exclama-
tions, but they were not clearly explained to us, as indeed
one interpreter was not sufficient for the many strange
sights we saw that day.
"After awhile, all the people gathered in two rows, with
an open green space between them, and a dog was let loose,
and the people shouted as if devoting him to the evil powers,
to which indeed we believe the unclean animal to have
been offered as a sacrifice. Then came forth horses of ex-
ceeding height, but more thin than storks or flamingoes,
with men on their backs in bright garments, and the people
shouted, and the horses galloped up and down like the
wind, more and and more joining them, till at last they
all disappeared round the hill in front of us, and by the aid
of the grasses which make far-off things near, we saw
them a mile and a half away. Then of a sudden we heard
a bell, and a loud shouting, and the crowd swayed to and
fro, and we felt our heads go round by reason of the cry-
ing and the multitude, and in two moments after the bell,
we heard a great roaring and a great sound of horses' feet,
and behold something rushed before us, but whether it
was horses or men, or soldiers, or railway carriages, we
knew not, and then the people poured into the green space
which they had abstained from till now, and we were told
the feast of Dar-bee was over, and there arose a noise as of
pistols, and our hearts turned to water, but Macdonald told
us to be of good courage, for it was the corks of the whole-
some medicinal drink called by the Barbarians sham pain,'
of which we have often drunk, for it is gocd for the stomach
in this country. Then all the multitude took food, and the
means of spreading it out before them from their carriages)
and drink, and began eating and drinking much in honour
of ' Dar-bee,' for this is a part of the festival which must on
no account be omitted.
" Wo are told that many Daimios give thousands of taels
at this festival to the priests of Dar-bee, who tend and do
honour to the sacred horses, who are kept for this curious
festival, and that there are many Daimios who keep sacred
horses for the feast, such as we had seen, tall and strong
and exceeding thin, and men in bright garments to ride
upon their backs. But all these things are a mystery to us,
and our heads still ache with all we saw and heard that day,
though we took many bottles of the Barbarian medicine
sham pain' to cool us, and give strength to our bodies.
" Why all the Daimios and the people of all ranks down
to the lowest coolies flock to the festival, unless it be that it
is enjoined by religion, we cannot tell. The way of seven
li is very sore to travel for heat and dust and crowd, and
Matsadaira Iwaime thinks it is a journey of penance, laid
upon the Barbarians by their priests, and I agree that
this is probable, though Macdonald, when we asked, said it
was sport,' a word meaning play' or pleasure.' But how
there can be play or ' pleasure' in suspending the Councils
of the Nation and the business of the capital, and journey-
ing seven li, through heat and dust and crowds, to see many
tall and thin horses galloping madly for two moments like
railway engines that have run away, and in paying many
thousand taels to the priests of the horses, neither I nor
Matsadaira Iwiame can understand. We believe there is
some meaning in this which the Tycoon does not wish us
to fathom. Indeed there are many things just as difficult
of comprehension, about which these barbarians clearly
wish to keep us in the dark. When we inquire, they give
us reasons which would not satisfy children, much more
men of statecraft and learning.
"Of all their strange things, certainly, the feast of ' Dar-
bee' is the most strange. What passed on our road home
is little known to me. The medicine sham-pain,' among
other qualities eauseth sleep to descend on the eyes, and I
think I slept, for when I next remember, I was in my bed
in the Yamun of Claridge, and my head ached exceedingly
by reason of the much thought I had given to the strange
things of this day."

THE " PET" GOVERNESS.—The educated women
are, as a cJss, more clamorous about their trials and
miseries than domestic servants. To do the public justice,
it seems never tired of listening to the wrongs, temptations,
and trials of the governesses. How many novels are
written upon their hardships 1 "The ideal governess,"
says a popular authority, " may thus be described : A lady
above the middle height ; young, and generally handsome ;
her dress simple, but in excellent taste ; her manner timid,
but unmistakeably ladylike; her brow is slightly clouded
by an expression of premature thoughtfulness, but a kind
'osf Pills—Truthful glance or courteous word dispels the gloom as by a charm,
Her voice is low and musical, save when the persistent
naughtiness of her pupils imparts to it an accent of plain-
tive remonstrance."
I—tHestoilmloownai
over more than a quarter of a century, most , extending
peri[AenDeveE.—ltTTihsEel'fiTte
commends these pills as the best purifiers, strongly re-
and the surest restoratives
aperients, the mildest
delusive or merely give tempera— They never prove
delusive relief
head, id but attack all
ments of the stomach, lungs, heart
only safe and legitimate wav—b 4 and bowels in the
removing those imperfections whichepurattng the blood and
support of almost every disease, ar the foundation. and
is wonderful in renovating enfeebled Their medicinal efficacy
action embraces all that is
constitutions. Their
They expel desirable in a household's medi-
cine.every noxious
thus the strength is mut tons and effete matter, and
ured and the energies stimulated, ,