New-York daily tribune., 1856-03-14

lfhD1 OF NlIieOu, was Eicohf
sian frigate then lying in the harbor totally dis
abled. Jeddo was reported to have suffered some
what from that shock: and without putting i'm
rlcit reliance in the extent Of the injury inflicted
BY the present one, We may well believe that it
has been very serious.
In the case of earthquakes in Japan the injury
done il almost always aggravated by hires, common
everywhere On such occasions, but 10 which the
Jspspese are peculiarly liable from The excessively
combustible character of their buildings. which,
with the exception Of few ancient stone castles,
are all built of wood, with windows and partitions
| Of paper, and covered with varnish, which makes
them still more combustible.
Jeddo is a great city; all the princes and mobiles
Of the empire are obliged TO maintain establish
ments there 1t is possible that hundred thousand
houses may have been destroyed, but the alleged
loss of life is, we hope, exaggerated The ia
panese houses are not of kind to crush the in
habitants by their fall, and those who perished
must either have been swallowed up BY the yawn-
ing earth. or have lost their lives in the flames or
in the crash and confusion incident to such an Oc
| currence.
The most recent accounts which we have OF
Jeddo, from persons who actually saw it, are those
eiyen by Herr Headrck DOeF, who resided 10
japan from 1871 to 1915, during which he twice
or three times visited Jedo, and that of J. F. Van
Overmeer Fischer, who went to Japan soon
after DoeG left it; and that Of DIR. Philip
Frans Won Sebold who was at Jeddo
four years sfier Fischer. In bis "RecOl
elections of Japan" DOeff describes terri
bic fire which occurred in JedO in 1oO6, while he
was in the city 1t began at distance from the inn
where the Dutch lodged at about 10 in the morning.
At l the Dutch took the alarm and began to
pack at 3 they fled. "On running into the
"street," says Doef, "we saw everything in
flames There was great danger in attempting
" to escape D. running before the fire; we there
" fore took a slanting direction through street
| already burning and thus succeeded in reaching
I" an open field. 1t was studded with the stand
"ards of princes whose dwellings had been
destroyed, and whose wives and children hsd
fed thher for refuge. We followed their ex-
ample and marked out spot with our Dutch
flags We had now full view of the fire, and
"never did l see anything so terrific. The terrors
80 Of THIS ocean Oi UdlIt NtIt " tHO
Leart-rendng cries Of the fugitive women and
L" children" This fire ragged till noon the next
dsy, when it was extinguished By fall of rain.
The hotel of the Dutch was on fire within five
minutes after they had left it. The palaces OF
thirty seven princes were destroyed. The weight
Of fugitiyes broke down the famous Nipon-bas, or
Bridge of Japan (across river which runs through
the city and from which all distances throughout
the Empire are reckoned) SO that beside those
burned to death, many were drowned, including
daughter of the Prince of Arya. Twelve hundred
lives were said to have been lost On this occasion
the Dutch visitors were greatly aided by wealthy
japanese merchant, who sent forty men to assist
him in removing. He lost his store, and ware
house containing hundred thousand pounds of
spun silk. Yet the day after the fire, with spirit
not to be OutdOne even here in New-lorh, he was
engaged in rebuilding his premises.
Fischer visited Jeddo in I622. The entrance
into it, Notwithstanding the absence of carriages,
reminded HIM from the noise and the thrOng OF
people of the commercial port of London. The
shops had signs, as in Europe, and the goods were
exhibited from the doors ard windows under the
charge of boys who riva ed each other in calling
by loud cries the attention of purchasers. Long
before entering the suburb SinegaYir, the Dutch
visitors found themselves in the midst of vast
crowd, moving along broad streets, paved at the
sides and lined with houses regularly built and
many of great size From the suburb to their
hotel which was in the immediate vicinity of the
Imperial Palace, it was two hours walk; and as
the Palace was said TO occupy space of half
mile diameter in the middle of the city, Fischer es-
tmated the distance across the whole city at five
or six hours walk at an ordinary step, which, at
the most moderate calculation, would be from
twelve to fifteen miles
1t is evident from these accounts which go to
confirm the other and more particular ones of
Thunberg and Krompfer-of whom the first WIS.,
tied Jeddo in 1775 and the latter in 1890, and who
both, especially the latter, have furnished many
highly curious details of their visits-that Jeddo
is a very populous city, and that such ca:as-
trophe as violent earthquake, would be likely to
be attended with great destruction Of property
and of life. Indeed, if we suppose the sea to
have rushed up the bay Of JeddO, as it did into
the harbor of Simoda during the previous earth
quake, so as TO have partially overfowed the
city, the destruction of even thirty thousand lives
would not be improbable.
DOUGLASS LAST.