Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1853-02-12
From the New-York Tribune.

American States, are scattered multltudes OF
volcanic islands. They extend irregularly from
Behring's Strairs to Ceylon. Some four thou
sand of them, more or less, lying over against
the Chinese seaboard, constitute the Empire OF
Japan, the object of an expedition about to
leave the ports of our country; and IN view OF
the interest impaired to this terra incognaG by
the anticipated opening of commercial rela-
tions, the Times volunteers trihe of desulto-
nv information. 1t may be prudent to know a
little about the people to whom we propose to
teach SO much. Some slight knowledge of their
institutions-and all our knowledge of this in
sular monarchy is but slight-may not be super
f1uous, before we materially alter, and perhaps
destroy them.
The whole empire of Japan is said to contain
population of 30,OOO,O0O inhabitants. Nj
ph6n, the largest of the island group, boasts an
extent about equal to, and population rearly
double that of ireland. The Chinese have cor
rupted the name into Jihpun, and the English,
by an easy transition, make Japan oft. Upon
this Niphon, among temples and camphor
groves and rice fields and hills cult ated to the
SUBMITS, stand the capital towns of Miaco and
Jeddo. The latter ranks among the first class
cities in the world. Its low, one-story buildings,
shelter population of 100000 souls, all cheer
fully laborng at the mechanic or finer arts, or
living in as much aristocratic elegance and
ease as European nobility of measureless pedi-
gree. At Jeddo, too, resides the civil Emperor
or Siogoon of Japan; and there the princes who
rule in the multtudinous islands spend half their
time; thence all the reins of Government di-
verge; and there the imperial council holds its
sessions. The commerce of the Archipelago
all centres at Jeddo. At Miaco, on the other
side of the islands, lives the Mikaco, or religious
Emperor, in other times the sole ruler OF the
realm in all its interests civil, naval and super
sttious. Revolution, however, did its work
centuries since, and the Siogoon, an upstart
from the lower orders, made himself nominal
regent and actual autocrat of the Empire
Time has in turn crippled the power of the Sio-
goon, who is actually governed by his council;
retaining, however, a sort of veto not at all SIM
liar to the veto of the American Constitution
If any act of the council fail to meet the views
of the Siogoon, it is referred to three of his
nearest relatives. they sustain the objections
of the chef, the council is obliged to adjourn
and disembowel themselves; each member de-
liberately cutting himself open. On the other
hand, should the act of the council be approved
the Siogoon is bound to abdicate, pretty much
on the same principal that the English Cabinet
Minister resigns when voted down in the Com
MONS The Mikado inhabitS temple at Nj
AGO. and spends his time in receiving alteration
As he has to dress daily in new garments, and
eat daily from new crockery, his fare is said to
be tolerably hard. He generally resigns in ia
vor of his son, after few years deifcation, and
rctires to private life.
The island of Kiusiu is next in order of di
mension to Niphon. Nagasaki, the port town,
is the only one to which foreigners are admitted
The Dutch have their island fort of Dezima
in which they remain locked up two-thirds Of
the year. until the pair of vessels, the only ones
japanese jealousy allows to European commerce
arrive. Then the annual pilgrimage, with pres
ents to the Siogoon, at Jeddo, takes up three
months; and six weeks of the year are left, in
which to dispose of the cargoes of species, and
load up the return burdens of copper and cam
phor. The various tables and stands and cabi
nets and enamelled work, for the exquisite man
ufacture of which the Jap; ese are so famous
are never permitted to leave the islands. A few
samples, enough to furnish models for Eurepear
imitation, alone escape, through the connivanct
of sub-officials.
Japan is as insulated in the manners, habits
government and religion, as in situation. Eve
rything strikes the stranger as anomalous, like
| the animal and Vegetable life of Australia. The
social scheme is entirely subordinate to the pur
poses of government. A more perfect system
of checks and balances never entered the heaC
of the constitution maker. 1t is perfect net
work of espionage. Each private citizen is b,
law spy upon his five nearest neighbors. Th'
commissioned and secret spies of Government
reside in every village. Each magistrate is sur
rounded by spies. The prince, who rules {
million Subjects has his two secretaries appoin
ted at Jeddo, where one resides, while the other
the shadow of victary in his remote Government
transmits constant information to his fellow a
the capital. Even these subordinates are, il
their turn, subjected to surveillance; and fol
better security, the prince is obliged to spend
each alternate year at the Capitol, where HI:
family remain all the while as hostages. Tht
council and the Siogoon are equally watched
and to be detected in error, or dishonor, or neg
lect entails upon the unfortunate officer the duty
of cutting himself open in the presence of his
friends This curious mode of self destruction
is part of the education of every Japanese
child To accomplish it gracefully, and upor
hearing the first whisper prejudicial to ones
| fame is the great object of the national ethics
In scheme so ingeniously tied and knotted up
| it is impossible for any advance or improvement
to be made.
And yet the japanese hunger and thirst TO-
fragments of European learning. They picl
up with the utmost avidity and scrap of knowl
! edge their Dutch Or Chinese visitors may le
drop. Many of the leading French, or Ger
man scientific authors, have been rendered int
the vernacular, and are esteemed standard au
thorities. They have their astronomical instru
ments, calculate their almanacs and eclipses
and know more about every other planet in the
solar system than they do of their own. They
have none of the Chinese supercilious contemp
for barbarian accomplishments Their motto
is "to get all they can, and keep all they get"
But the oldest of the national idiosyncrasie!
is the rooted aversion to outsiders. A glance
at history, perhaps, with the conservative scheme
of checks and balances we have referred to
borne in mind, will serve partially to elucidatt
this peculiarity.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans who
found and landed in Japan. This they did il
! 1912, meeting with cordial and hospitablt
welcome. Commerce at once sprung up witt
! great animation, the Portuguese naturally en-
deavoring to obtain an entire monopoly of it
! The early zeal of the Jesuits, then an uncor
rupted order of holy men, carried a large body
of missionaries to the new land, where the at
! tractive dogmas of Roman Catholicism were
remarkably successful, in displacing Sintooisn
and Buddhism, the prevalent religions of the peo
pie. The converts numbered nearly hundred
thousand souls embracing members of the I'm
pcrial family, and the Makado himself is said tc
have been believer In the course of hun
dred years the trade with Europe had waxed