Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1856-08-09

IN the rugged and mountainous parts Of the
country where the roads must pass they make
1t zigzag on the side Of the mountain, and,
where necessary, cot steps in the rocks. Ia
deed, the roads must be kept in order, other
wise they could not accomplish what they do
by their postal arrangements. As among the
ancient Mexicaus and Peruvians. the post is pc
desirian, and very expeditions. Every carrier
is accompanied by partner to take his place
In case Of accident The men run at their Ut.
most speed, and as they approach the end OF
their stage, 6nd the relay waiting to HON. as
soon as they are near enough, they toss the
package Of letters, when the new runners Sc,
oil before the coming ones have stopped. Moth
ing must be inlerposed to delay thcm a moment
on the road. The highes, prince of the empire,
with all his train, must make way for the post
men, II he meet them on the road. Where
necessary and practicable on their roads. the
japanese make good bridges, often Of stone /;
but they do not seem to have arrived al the art
OF tunnel making. Some principles Of civil
engineering they understand and apply, but Of
military engineering they know nothing. But
besides thei' roads, they use their rivers and
inland lakes for internal trade wherever il is
possible; and in those parts Of the kingdom
nearest the sea, probably the greater part Of the
inland trade is carried on by the rivers, which,
though short, are nayipable for some miles into
the interior On the roads, in all parts of the
empire, stables, inns, tea-shops, and other rest
ing-places occur at intervals, and the distances
are regularly marked.
SCIENTIFIC ksowLEDGE AND irs APpltcA-
TioSs.-We have Just said that the japanese
possess some knowledge Of the principles Of
civil engineering. They know something Of
mathematics, mechanics, and trigonomeiry-
Thus, they have constructed very good maps Of
their country they have measured the height
Of some Of their mountains BY the barometer /;
they have made some very good canals; they
have constructed watet-mills, and lalhes moved
by waterpower. They make clocks and here
in' by the way, they have shown remarkable
ingenuity and skill Meylan gives the follow
ing account Of clock which they made, and
exhibited TO the Dnich, while he was an in
mate Of Dezima. The clock, says he, sis
contained in frame three feet high by five feet
long, aud presents fair landscape al noontde.
Plum and cherry trees in full blossom, with
other plants, adorn the foreground The back
ground consists Of hill, from which falls
cascade, skilfully inflated in glass, that forms
softly flowing river, first winding round rocks
placed here and there, then running across the
middle Of the landscape ill lost in wood Of
fr-irees. A golden SUI hangs aloft n The sky.
and, turning upon pivot, indicates the striking
OF the hours. On the frame below the twelve
hours Of day and night are marked, where
slowly creeping tortoise seryes as hand. A
bird, perched upon the branch Of a plum-iree,
by its song and the clapping Of its wings, an.
nounces the moment when the hour expires
aud as the cong ceases, q bell 10 heard TO strike
the hour--during which operation g mouse
comes out Of grotio and runs over the hill.
Every separate part was nicely ex-
eeuted; but the bird was too large for the tree,
and the sun for the sky, while the mouse sealed
the mountain in moment OF time" What
ever may have been tho defects OF taste, the in.
genuity and skill in this piece Of mechanism
are very apparent.
But another more remarkable and far more
credilable instance Of the ingenuity aud talent
Of a japanese fisherman is related in the Dutch
annals Of Dezima. 1t occurred during the
presidency Of NJ. Doeff The Dutch AT Batavia.
during the war, feared the English cruisers too
much to send one Of their own ships on the an.
nual voyage to Japan. They therefore more
than once hired American vessels. One Of
these having taken in at Dezima the usual car
go of copper and camphor, as she set sail in
the night, struck upon rock in the harbor.
filled, and sunk. The crew reached the shore
in boats, and the authorities Of NaRasaki, the
Dutch factory, and the American captain, were
all alike concerned TO devise means of raising
the vessel. Japanese divers were sent down
10 fetch up the copper, bu, The camphor had
dissolved, and the efluvia thus disengaged cost
two of the divers their lives. The idea Of un-
loading her was then abandoned. Efforts were
then made 10 raise her as she was, bu, without
success. A simple fisherman named Kiyemon,
who now, perhaps, for the first time in his life
saw an European ship-for he did not live
in Nagasaki-promised 10 raise the ship, pro-
vided his mere expenses in doing it were paid
If he did not succeed, he asked nothing. lie
was laughed al by the people for his presump-
lion, but, as the case was hopeless, those inter-
esied permitted him to make the attempt. Al
i"W iiuo nc iaSteneu on eitner blue OF tne vessel
fifteen or seventeen boats, such as those by
which the Dutch ships are towed in, and con-
neeied them all together firmly by props and
stays. He then waited for a spring tide, when
he came in a japanese coasting vessel, which
he attached firmly 10 the stern Of the sunken
ship, and at the moment when the tide was
highest he set every sail Of every boat The
sunken vessel was lifted, dsengaged herself
from the rock, and was towed by the fisherman
to the strand, where she could be unloaded and
repaired. Fraissinet says he was handsomely
rewarded for this. The reader will be amused
to learn that his reward consisted in being al
lowed to wear two sabres (Which is the badge
Of elevated rank) and 10 bear as his coat of
arms Dutch hal and hcO Dutch tobacco pipes
We have never read in any narrative of the
circumstance that he received any money with
which to support his rank. The Dutchmen
and the American Captain should have furnish
ed that. II the circumstances had been chang
ed and either IIollander or Yankee had raised
the vessel for The japanese, il would have been