Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-05-05

gods it is of freestone. as large as St..
Paul's with anarched roof, supported, by
heavy pillars, in which stands an idol. of
copper, which reaches as high as the roof;
and, according to "a description given by
Sir Thomas Herbert, his chair Is seventy
feet high and eighty feet long; the head
is big enough to hold fifteen men, and the
thumb forty inches in circumference
There is another statue, called after the
god Dabio, made of copper, twenty-five
feet high, in a sitting posture, This shows
that the Japanese understand the art OF
working in bronze, and they are far ahead
of Christian nations in this particular. -
They allow pollygamy, and they often
stranple their female children, but never
the males. The nobility extract the two
front teeth, and supply Them with two Of
gold.
The principal rivers are the Ujingava
and Askagaya: the former so rapid and
wide that a bridge cannot be built over
il, the latter remarkable for its depth and
perpetual fluctuations. The chief lake is
called Citz, is one hundred miles long and
twenty-one wide A large valley exists
in the interior, filed with carbonic gas,
and called the Valley of Upas. 1t is coy.
cred with. the skeletons of numerous wild
and tame beasts and birds. The Empe-
ror, it is said, often sent criminals to the
valley to bring away precious gems of in
estilnable value, and the bones of men al
so whitsn its deadly sides. Acidulated
lakes and thermal springs are common
throughout several of the islands.
Their greatest sources of opulence are
their mines of gold and silver, but they
have no anthony, calamine, sal amoniac,
borax, or cinnebar, (quicksilyor.) These
articles are in demand, and bring high
price. Birds and every kind of duck and
poultry are plenty camphor trees are
abundant, and the cedars are the finest in
the world Few countries open so fair
field as the islands of Japan for botanical
and geological research. 1t is not neces-
sary here TO enter into a detailed statisti-
cal account of the commerce of Japan
A direct trade to that empire. would in
crease the commerce of this country about
two hundred millions of dollars annually,
if not more.
1t has always been in contemplation
with this country to make an effort to open
direct trade with Japan. Commodore
Porter, as far back as 1915, addressed a
letter to Mr.. Monroe on the subject
=" This letter has been published IN the Intel
Hgencer." 1t was intended to fit out q
frigats and two sloops-of-war and place
them under his command, but subsequent
events prevented the contamination of
this design, but it has been revived from
time to time, without being carried out ;
but a few years ago the undersigned drew
the attention of the Hon. J. Y. Mason to
the subject by the recommendation of q
steam line to China. with view of Incl
dental commercial Intercourse, and finally
direct trade with Japan. 1t would require
but small efforts to accomplish CONNER
cial intercourse with so shrcwd people
as the Japanese, who are alive to COM
mercial feelings. A steam line direct from
New York to the Isthmus being already
in existence, it is an easy matter to CON
tinue it to the Galapagos, which islands
abound in coal; thence to the Marquesas,
and on to Shanghai of Jeddo.
w. D. PORTER.