Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-10-27

liquor, was largely Employed in the picking Of
vegetables. Their most useful woods were the
bamboo, the fir Of siveral species, and the &C.
dar.
They understood in perfection the arts Of
weaving silks and of modng porcelain, and
excelled in gliding, engraving, and especially
in the use Of lacquer or varnsh. They also
were able 10 manufacture sword-hlades Of ex-
cellent ,empeL
AS In othet eastern countries, the greater
mobiles exhibited an extreme magnifcence but
trade and the ats were held in low esteem, and
the r,ass Of The people we're excessively poor.
Their buildings, though they had some few sol
i'd structures ofstone, were principally light
ereciions Of wood, TO avoid the effects Of fre-
quent earihquakes; but this and the varnish
employed exposed hem to conhagrations, which,
in the towns, were very frequent and destruc-
tive. These towns consisted, for the most part,
of very cheap structures, Qike most of those
throughout the East,) so tina, cities were built
and destroyed with equal ease and celebrity.
Their commerce was limite, almost entirely
to the interchange Of domesticproducis, a vast
number Of vessels of rather feible structure be-
ing employed in navigating thl coasts Of the is
lands, which abounded with dep bays and ex-
celent harbors.
Of the sciences, whether mathematical, mix
ed, or purely ply steal, they knew but little
They had, however, a considerable number Of
hooks treating Of religion, medicine, and their
history and traditions The young we're in
structed in eloquence, poetry, and rude sort of
painting and music, and they had great fond
ness for theatrical representations, in which
they decidedly excellej. Their writing, 10
which they greatly studied bfevty, was in col
umns, as with the Chinese rom the top to the
bottom of the page, foi which they gave this
reason that writing o,ght % be true repre-
seniaiion of mems thoughts, and that men nat
urally stood erect. These columns read from
right to leh. They employed, beside the Chi
nese idiograPhic signs a syllable alphabet of
their own, though in many works the Chinese
characters were freely introduced.
Jurisprudence, as in most eastern countries,
was very simple affair. The laws were very
, few. Heads of families exercised great power
over their households. Most private disputes
were settled by arbitration; but where this
failed, and in all criminal cases, decision was
made on the spot by magistrate, from whom
there was seldom any appeal. The sentences
were generally executed at once, and often with
very great severity. Whether from their tenn
permanent or their belief in the doctrines OF
+ transmigraiion and annhilaon, it was observed
that the japanese met death with more courage
, than was common in Europe. II was, indeed,
a point Of honor in many eases to inAict it on
+ themselves, which they did in horrid manner
by cutting open their bowels by two gashes in
the shape Of cross. The criminal who thus
anticipated execution secured thereby the public
sympathy and applause, saving his property
, from con6scaton and his family from death
and upon the death Of superiors or masters, the
same fate was often as a mark Of personal de.
I votion and attachment, selfin1icied and some.
t times, also, in consequence Of disgrace or af-
front, TO escape or revenge which no other
means appeared. The missionaries especially
noted in the Japanese pride, self-respect, q
naughty magnanimlty, sense Of personal hon
, or very uncommon in the East, but natura
} characteristics enough Of a people who had
never been conquered by invaders from abroad
t while the grea; yicissitudes to which they were
exposed-all vassals generally sharing the fat,
, of their superiors-made them look upon the
D goods and evils Of fortune in very philosoph
ical spirit"
At a more recent period, we have descrp
tions Of the domestic habits of the japanese b,
, intelligent travellers, from which Mr. Hidretl
condenses an interesting account Of the
: MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.
"With persons of high rank, marriages arr
: made entirely from family convenience evel