Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-12-10

, be excepted by this article, unless it also be
weighed against copper coin.
The foregoing is the sense Of the several
| parts of the treaty of which We have heard
| the Consul speak and if it contain nothing
more at all, this much even is of vast mo.
ment. The single article granting religious
| liberation alone is vast triumph. But it is
a triumph which must be carefully received
/ Japan is not yet ready for the modern mis-
| sionary; nor must it be lost sight Of that il
was to the missionaries of 1000 that her long
soclusion has been owing.
Let commerce, therefore, opon the road foi
/ the missionary, as it has already opened II
/ for the sailor-commorce assisted by the
example of those who settle among them,
and share occasionally their simple hospitali-
| ty. Let us now turn to another subject
that Of coal and coal mines.
When Commodore Perry made our first
treaty. there was but one coal deposit known
/ of in Japan-that near NagasaNe Now
/ thcv arc working second near Hackodadi,
at the Other extreme of the Empire, and quite
/ lately a third mine has been opened near lcd-
/ do. Thus wc have coal in the centre and at
/ each extreme of the Empire. Its quality,
however. is none Of the best, at least so much
of it as has come under our observation. IL
contains sulphur, iron, pyritos, is semi btu
minous, liable to spontaneous combustion
and leaves great quantities Of ashes and olink-
cr Three years since | was so unfortunate
as to have to burn it with small due boilers,
and then we had to "haul fire. every twenty
four hours 90 "clean hucs. it made so much
SCOT Now we find it 20 burn like finder M
these large nuo boilers of ours, but it almost
smothers us with its sulphuric yapor, its
dense black smoke, its showers Of powder
like SCOT For that which We obtained at
NagasaSic we paid SO so the ton, but for an
other lot which is now coming on board we
shall pay SG.37 These prices include the
straw sacks in which il is put up. the labor
Of filling them, and the hire of boats for
bringing il ON board. The reader will be
surprised TO hear how cheap labor is in Japan.
The daily hire of Coolie, ne finding himself
is eight cents Let us now turn from the
subject of coal to that of money. Gold in
Japan does not represent the value that IL
does in other countries, at least not until the
fourth of July next. Sixteen gold dollars i'm
the United Strtcs are exactly equal to sixteen
silver ones, that is, they weigh sixteen dol
lars worth of gold minus the alloy Here,
however, the same amount of gold is only
worth a fraction over $3.50 or in other
words, with us the relative value Of gold and
silver is as one to sixteen, and in Japan as
one to five and one-haf This will account
for the singularity of the following table.
which exhibits the different coins of the coun
try, their value, &c.
Gold Coin of J1pau.-"Cobank or "lour
itzabu piece oval in form about as thick as
a three cent piece; weight rs grains troy
pure gold value S 81 ditto as compared
with American gold coin, about 81 l8.
"IUabu,' oblong in form; about as thick ms
a ten cent piece; weighs 8 grains ; is slightly
alleged value. 33 cents ditto, as compared
with American gold, about 81 75
"IIalf itzabu, oblong in form passes as
gold coin" but is really only silver, plated
with gold weighs % grains value l6 -
cents ditto, as compared with American coin,
undetermined.
Sjccr Coin IN Japon.- Itzabu'- oval in
form weighs 1873 grains pure silver; value
Ia C,
al ltzabu'-Ovalinf form weighs so .
grains value Sl-Ic.
Copper Coin Of Japan 81 Sony '-Round,
with square hole in centre weighs - grains;
value, 1-4Sc. ditto, as compared with Anne
rican copper cent l3c. Heavily alloyed with
! iron.
-Four Tsony piece hound, with square
hole in centre; weighs 70 grains value, lie.
/ ditto, as compared with American cent, abou
| equal alleged.
Zone hundred T'sony piece Oval in form
square hole in centre; weighs 33s grains; sale
to be pure copper value, &c; ditto, as com
pared with American cents, about 2c
Now reader you probably know that in tn,
/ u. - copper is worth from 30 to l0c per 10
just imagine, therefore, that you or l had /
in our power to load ship with these "T
sony,' at about three cents per h., what
speculation we should make. The japanese
/ have tOresecn this, however. as well as yol
and /, and taken care to guard against it.
1t struck me the other day that ] shout,
like to have some of the above coin as spcci
mems | therefore applied to the Governor q
Nagasalde, and got few at their Japanes
value. Upon trying to get some more, how
ever, from the Governor of this place, hc &c
quircd me to weigh gold against gold and sill
yer against silver. Altogether obtained tel
complete sets at a cost of nearly 500. 81
much for Japanese money. After the 4th @
next July, any and every one will be able t
get it upon the same terms.
Now | am going to mention a most inter
csting fact. Day before yesterday, Aug,d Isl
1893, / dHcHded DiriHe seruice upon the soil "a
Ja1an. We had our chaplain Mr.. William
Wood, in a large heather temple, scvera
good voices, and near hundred of ourselves
officers and men from this ship and the Mis-
sissppi. The temple was the residence whic
had been assigned Mr.. Harris, and that gen
tleman and his secretary were, of course
present. We had the Episcopal mornin
service, two hymns. and very appropriut