The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-09-18


criminal cases; and all others which are OF
Importance must first be examined ana decided
by this body before they can come before the
Council of State These two branches OF the
Government. form the Legislative authority OF
the Empire; they are, however, III many OF tneir
measures very much influenced by the couraers
of the SeOgoon, who are entirely the creatures
of his will
The public affairs of Japan are assigned to
eight Central Administrations or Boards:
/. The General Central Board
3 The Board of Legislation and Public In
struction.
3. The General Board of the Interior
4. The Board for the Affairs OF the People,
or General Police.
5. The General Board of War.
6. The Board of Criminal Affairs.
7. The Treasury Board.
s. The Ministry of the Imperial Dwelling.
The city of Yedo is situated on large PLAIN,
on the eastern coast Of the Island OF Nlphon, In
latitude thirty-six degrees thirty-nlne minutes
north, and longitude one hundred and forty
degrees east. 1t lies in the form OF a crescent
around the bay of the same name, at the mouth
of one of the largest rivers OF the island The
circumference of the city is said to be over nifty
miles, and its population is estimated at up
wards of two millions. 1t contains the reslden-
ces of the Princes and great Lords, who are
compelled to reside there half the year. None
of their mansions are more than two stories
high, and most of them only one story, OF u
simple style of architecture, and generally sur
rounded by wide enclosed courts and extensive
gardens
The palace or residence of the SeOgOOn, rs
built of freestOne, and is encompassed by wall
said to be fifteen miles in circumference, lnclud-
ing wide interior area, occupied by the spacious
mansions of the Princes and other High Minis
tiers of his Court. The palace contains great
apartment called "The Hall of Hundred Mats
brilliantly adorned by pillars Of cedar, painted
walls and gilded ceilings In this hall the
presents brought by the Dutch Mission for the
Imperial Court are displayed; and it is here
the Envoy is admitted to brief audience with
the SeOgoon and the grand dignitaries of the
Empire After being compelled to make many
degrading Obeisances, to crawl on his hands
and knees to place shown him between the
presents arrayed in due form on one side, and
the place where the Seogoon sits on the other,
and then kneeling, he bows his forehead to the
ground and rstires, crawling backwards, with
out being permitted to look up, or utter "a single
word. On some occasions the Envoy and his
suite have been required TO dance, sing, play on
musncal instruments, and practice ban0Ohers,
for the amusement of the SeogoOn and his
Court
Such degrading acts of homage and submis-
sion, together with the servile obsequiousness of
the Dutch Residents to the Japanese Officials on
all occasions for upwards of two hundred years,
with the object of maintaining their paltry trade
at Dezima have inspired the Court Of ledo
with profound contempt for foreigners of the
Western Nations. This will in great meas
ure, account for the invariable assumption OF
its naughty and arrogant bearing towards
strangers who have visited the country as well
as for its barbarous treatment of shipwrecked
mariners.
fedo is the seat of various branches of indus
try, and the mart of an extensive trade with the
whole Empire The wares of the merchants
and shopkeepers are said by Fisher to be most
beautiful, infinitely better and much cheaper
than are to be found at Nangasaki. Across the
river, in the centre of the city, stands the cele
brated bridge called Nippon Bas, from which
distances to all parts of the Empire are meas
ured.
In a Japanese map of Yedo, on large scale,
six feet square in the possession of Mr.. S. Wells
of Canton, which have been per-
mitted to examine, every part of that vast
metropolis is infinitely delineated; the resi-
dences Of the Court, Princes, and Nobility, are
distinctly indicated thereon, each bearing the
arms of it's owner The city appears to be in
tersected by great number of canals all COM
with the river There is sufficient
depth of water in the bay for vessels of the lar
gest class to approach and anchor off the city.
In April, lS45, Capt. Mercator Cooper, of the
whale-ship Manhattan with twenty
two Japanese seamen on board whom he had
rescued from shipwreck, was allowed to 60 up
and anchor within a furlong of the city, where
he remained four days, and was supplied, by
command of the Seogoon, with wood, water,
rice, rye, vegetables of various kinds, and some
crockery composed of the lacquered ware of the
country He was recruited with everything Of
which he stood in need, and all remuneration
was refused The Japanese seamen were per-
mitted to return to their homes, but neither the
captain nor crew of the ship were allowed to
90 over her sides All communication with the
shore was rigidly interdicted and the ship was
surrounded and guarded by three circular bar
riers of boats. She was visited by great
number of people of all ranks, including the
of the Court arrayed in golden and gorgeous
TUNES. All were filled with an Unsuitable
curiosity to see the strangers, and inspect mi
nutely everything on board.
Captain Cooper represents the Governor of
ledo to be grave and elderly looking person,
somewhat gray, with remarkably intelligent
and benignant countenance, and of very mud
and prepossessing manners. He was greatly
interested with Captain Cooper's account of the
people and civilization of our country, and the
latter spared no pains to leave good impress
sion of the American name and character,
as commercial people, on the minds
of those high officers whose position might carry
them into audience with their sovereign.
The harbor of iedo presented maritime
population as numerous and industrious as that
which appeared to exist on land Vessels of all
sorts and sizes, from mere shallops to large
junks were under sail or at anchor wherever
the eye turned on the bay. The port seemed
to Captain Cooper to be the mart Of prodi-
gious coastwise commerce, and the whole bay
was alive with the hustle and activity pertain
ing to it. The day before he left, the Seogoon
sent him his autograph as the most notable
token of his own respect and consideration for
his humanity in the rescue and return of the
shipwrecked seamen but ut the same time or
dered him never to return When he signifed
his readiness to depart, at the command of the
Governor of iedo the anchor was weighed, an
immense number of boats were attached to the
bows Of the ship, and in this manner she was
towed twenty miles out to sea, against head
wind, when the Japanese took courteous leave
Of her officers and crew.
On the occasion of Capt Sir Edward Belcher's
visit to Nangasaki, in Her Britannia Majesty
hipSaMmrang. the same year, during his voyage
for photographed surveys and magnetical OBJ
servations in the Eastern Seas, no Edict was is
sued, as il customary, forbidding his return, but
on the contrary, his promise to revisit the port
was received with apparent satisfaction, and the
chiefs who came on board, including several
Young men of family EXPRESSED the hone that