The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1860-03-22
Commercial Advertiser.
The japanese Empire.

which Is contained one Of the most interesting
accounts Of JaTan that we have ever read. Il
was a lecture delivered in Shanghai, October 2G,
1858, before that Society, by Mr.. ;. Wells Viii
liams. We transfer to our columns a part of
thi- lecture
The word japan, IA it comes to Us is Of Chi
nese origin, and IN Its meaning Is Identical with
Nippon the native name of the largest island in
the group; the word means e. Suns Origin or
the Ddy-prng; the people themselves, however
do nOt recognize th,. word :. JAPAN The other
two islands hltlSH, j. e. the Nine Departments
and SfkoE, or the Four Kingdoms, lie south Of it,
The area Of all that the Japanese claim Is esti-
mated by SiebOld at l5S ,23J square miles Of
which the three principal islands measure 49,
sol square miles.
IJ will enable us u form "A better idea Of the
Japanes.. empire If we compare it with other
countries Of the world. Its position. as YOU are
all aware, Is in that line of islands which Outlies
this great continent itc shore stretch
ing from kamtschatka along through the islands
Of karuftO. YesO, Nippon. Kiusiu. FOrm0s;.
Luzon, and thence down to New Holland The
japanese empire includes all between FOrmOsaI
and karafto and by recent arr;ingemc either
with the Chinese Russians, its border passes so
to include the southern third Of this last-named
island There are four large islands in the king
dom, VIZ: Nippon, kiusIu- SIkOk and YesO, and,
the JaTanese reckon, over three thousand small
ones and islets. The three first named are inhab-
tied entirely by the Japanese, but the Amos still
occupy large part of Ieso.
The ports which have recently been or are to
De. opened to foreign residence and commerce. are
YeddD, SimOda, OhO-aka, Nagasaki and Hako-
dadi. Yeddo (t should not be written Jeddo)
lies at the southeastern part Of Nippon, nearly
the latitude of Naples, at the head of fine
large bay. The name means Rivers door; and
by those who have means of knowing, the city is
reckOned to contain two and Il half millions of
inhabitants Peking is estimated, on good author
Ity too, to be equally as large and as pOpulous
MA. Nafl4. d.
point Of population, far in advance of all other
cities in the world. Yeddo is the center of every
thing which is desir" ble in the eyes of Il japanese
far more than Pelling is to Il Chinese, or perhaps
even than Paris is to Il Frenchman, Berlin to a
PrtIssIan luxury, arts, power, and ADJUSTMENTS
all are found there in their highest degree
Simoda d. a. the Lower Field) is Il of
about 1000 inhabitants, lying the entrance
to the bay of YeddO.
OhOsaka (i. e Great BOard) is situated nearly
half way between Sinoda and Nagasaki it is
Of the largest cities in the empire, and the |
entrepOt of Miyako, but has not yet been visited
by any foreign ships.
Nagasaki lies at the southwestern extremity of /
the country in kiusiu, and has long been asso- /
ciated IN our minds with Japan, Canton used |
To be with China,-a place where few mer-
chants were willing to submit to almost any indig-
nifty and privation for the sake of gain. 1t lies
nearly on the same latitude as Nanking, Malta,
and Norfolk IS isbeautifully situated at the ex-
tremIty of q safe harbOr; and contains over Co.
900 inhabitants. The name means Long Cape,
given To t from the point of land stretching south
of It,
Hak0dadi is in the island of Yeso, and has been
the resort Of many whaleTs since it was opened to
them in 1855. Its means Box Shop, per-
haIs from its position the entrepOt of most of
the trade of that island.
The surface of Japan l. rough and no contrast
in scenery can be greater than Is presented when
leaves the flat region of Shanghai and crosses
over to the bold headlands of Nagasaki- Ii is
probable that this town may by and by become
sanitarium for the residents here in Shanghai
The most striking object in the whole country
Is the ancient volcano Of Fusi, which rises in a
regular cone to the height of nearly IL 900 feet,
or about the same as Ararat, and Is visible from
the city and bay of ledGO. Its top Is bare in
summer and eruption has occurred for ages
This magnificent mountain forms u EIvorite sub
ject for eInbeIlishing the wares of the Japanese,
and identifies articles with that country
Another volcano. about 3 800 feet high. still
IN action. and well known in the annals of the
nation the scene of the suiferings of the Christ
lIrs, Il Unzen-daki, visible from Nagasaki. An
eruption OF this volcano in 1892 deso. o.Ired the
country at It's foot and DESTROYED over 50 900 in
habitants. Nor should the beautiful cone of
kaimon-daki, 1T the entrance of the bay Of kago-
sima, southeast of Nagasuki. be overlooked, for
when once seen 1t is always remembered.
SiebOld reckIns the population Of Japan at
thrtv-tiye millions ; but, Judging from cOmparl-
sons with other countries, am not inclined to put
IL higher than eighteen or twenty mil ions. The
enumeration Of tire people is carefully made IN
each prIncipality. but no one has the power TO
demand the several censuses and combine them
into one satisfactory table. The northern part of
Nippon. In the principalities Of Dcwa and Mutsu,
i rough and sterile. and cannot support half the
number of people that the fertile valleys of kiu-
su easily maintain. By the help of these facts
and comparisons we can form reasonable con-
cIusiJn respecting the total census.
The greatest part of the inhabitants of Japan
are agrieuItursts and genial, healthy climate
encourages them in their tillage by developing
the fertility of the soil The extent to which ter
racing is carried. is almost unequaled in other
parts Of the world and no one who visits the
neigbborhood Of Simoda or Nagaslki can restrain
his admiration ut the natural beauty OF scenery,
Ornamented and improved by the careful culture
of the farmer or cease TO wonder at the labor
which he has expended in terracing the hll-sides.
The rate of wages Of the day labOrer in the
workshop the farm Is about the same as IN
China,-twelye cents or slxpence Per day,-and
his condition in the two countries does not materl-
ally differ. As index of their security 1t may
be remarked that their farmsteads and hamlets
are scattered over .iie country, not always cus-
tered in large villages
The government Of such people as the Japan
presents Il very interesting topic of inquiry TO
US, owing in a great measure to their insOlatIon,
and the persuasion that every feature Is OF naive
growth, modified slightly if at all by the institu-
tons Of other countries. Like that OF the early
Chinese dyuasties. it took the form OF IA teudal
Ihohirchv- there being an emperor suPpOseu ~
be Of divine origin. and sixtysix princes, each
acknowled5 5ng him their sovereign, but retain
ing the power over their own domains OF these
sixty-six principaIties, five the peculiar
possession Of the emperor, the remainder We're
grouped into seven dn, circuits, but no general
authority over the do seems ever To have existed.
in process Of time, and in consequence of the de-
cay OF imperial power and course OF revolutions,
the pure feudal form of government became modi-
he'd, and the authority centralized at feddo in
the person of acknowledgement or lord high
constable. From him it has since gradually