Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-11-15
The CAPITAL Of Japan.

An0 OdplGdl VI Odptu
have been particularly struck with the vast
distances and dimensions of Yeddo, as city Of
palaces and temples, containing nothing re-
markablc for even the appearance of grandeur
and magnifcence in its buildings, butye form
ing continuous assemblage of beautiful, YER
dant, open, weIl-wooded and we'll watered,
park-iko localities, which prevent a visitor from
realizing the fact that he is in q capital contain
ing some two Or three millions of people. While
everything on the neighboring coast of China
seems to be out of repair and falling into decay,
here in Japan everything wears the air of neat
ness and careful culture. The sloping banks
of the meats around the imperial domain, and
grding the official quarter of the feudal princes,
with some nine miles of clear water fed by
streams, and planted on ita edge with beautiful
coppices of cedar, cypress, and the cryptoneria
japonica of European botanists, form a success
sion of garden scenes, rivalling the parks of
London's west end, !" and render Yeddo one
Of the most picturesque cities in the world
My companion, who has visited every European
capital except Madrid, declared to me it was
the most beautiful city he had ever seen. The
roads are broad, the streets clean, the people or
derby, extreme desitution seldom meets the eye,
and the force of law (that powerful bond in ia
PAM seems everywhere TO prevent unseemly
spectacles of quarreling and fights. Powerful
in their own material resources, and possessing
within their own territory every production
necessary for subsistence and the comforts Of
life, it is not remarkable that the rulers Of ia
pan deem themselves independent Of all imports
from abroad, and in their apprehension Of poliLi-
cal dangers, vigorously exclude foreigners from
traversing the length and breadth of their lands
What weight of cenaurc can be too severe in our
Judgment of these foreign residents who have
lately gained an unenyable notcriety in the
public press of England, and who do moro to
defer the day of Japan's entrance into the fra
ternity of civilized nations, than large band
Of we'll conducted Europeans and missionaries
will be able in many years to neutraize and
recti(y, | am sorry to report that the moral
lives Of foreigners in Japln are generally disre-
putabe in the extreme, and concubinage with
japanese women is q fear) the general ru
The misconduct of unprincipled men is the
great dangerat the commencement of our inter-
national intercourse, and large powers must be
lodged in the Official representatives of Great
Britain, to check the reckless dishonesty and
violence Of some Of the traders who are now
aocking to Japan.
During the first night of my stay here, there &C.
CURED shock Of an earthquake, which shook the
house, and lifted US bodily, upward and down.
Fith oneA inggI g. srtioal motion. IArswoke met
at "A, NJ, and almost jerked me out Of bed, and
was succeeded by a rumbing noise and muir
muring sound below the ground. Thore was q
great panic: the bells of the neighboring tenn
pies were rung the priests rushed to the
shrines prayers were chanted to the Buddhist
idols, and everything wore the appearance of
commotion and distress. There was no return
of the shock Nine years ago the city of Yed,
do was visited by an earthquake, which, either
by falling of houses, or by consequent conaa-
gratious, destroyed an amount of the population
variously estimated from 200, 600 to half mil
lion. No wonder that shock of earthquake
sends vibration Of terrible dispair through the
people, and that all the buildings are adapted
to the insecure nature Of the treacherous foun-
ton bcneath-Letter of Bishop Smith from
YcddO.