The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-02-10

exchange the custom house greater smaller
ef dollars at the treaty rate So happens tina. only
unfortunate people who brass buttons, any
Kind Of swords have 10 sacrifice third in every
hundred We hsnge ihe worst about 1t Is, that
change in this matter, and that hope exists for its
being done very The Japanese have, doubt,
decided veneraton or The man OF office And they olga'
to have it, because ii seems II the number Of their Of
ncas comprised wothds or the people you meet ia the
street They are distinguished every ono knows, by
Their badge OF oicethe two swords And in these ar
ticles great extravaganza is carried on. Enormols
are some Of The prices pad r good sword But hsve
seea lew which would really excite my bodys aiInrn
ton, as well in regard to the excellent qualities of the
steel for the extreme beauty OF the handle an scao
bard. japanese acquaintance OF NINE who, by the
way is Jedio,nan, and consequently despse every
born Jeddo-Eence all ans-showed me
sword in whose was display ed the most ex
quisitc piece of lacquer work have II
made OF the bark Of the cherry tree by the father OF the
officer, who indeed the first to prepare and
the bark OF the cherry tree ia this manner.
have noticed that the newspapers have given much
information on the sword question but did
that very small dirklike weapon mentioned, which
fits into place in tho scabbard OF the largo sword ata
mr., and Is called kozuka aud is thown the enemy
soon as no tarns TO ghtthe aim being the back Of the
neck.
said just that certain man from Jeddo despsed
everybody not born there. This Is feature In
all Japanese The native Jeddo considers it the only
great place-its language and customs the only good
ones-whie he looks Down upon all other towns and ci
ties But the very thing occurs all other towns
This shows that Boston not the only city that has
Boston Common and Fancuil Hall. And In
this and a good many Other points in Japan
was quite amused and pleased to find out that the ia
Tanese have the popular custom exists in our
country Of frightening person BY pretending TO have
beard something very derogatory his character when
he is troubled-as japanese we'll as Americans
| with the annoying hiccup.
If desiring 10 Indicate by sign that two persons
very intimate terns hand and glove we they
rub thumb and forenger together TO express enmy or
merely difference they place the backs OF the buyers OF
\ one hand against the other.
At meals they will always refuse be helped before
the host until pressed to suffer IT, when they will do 50
with some expression OF poteness They will also put
On few airs before allowing you to Ill their plates se-
cond time Just have IL at home. But they again
differ from little ways this that with them little
left the plate indicates that they would like 10 take
/ some more while plate from which the last morsei is
taken shows that the who scfupuousy cleared IL
of everything desires nothing more.
IN taking pains little things like these
one is often richly paid by finding at times custom,
uDmportant though it may be- yet that reminds him
Of home, where the same pracsed The pleasure such
home is great indeed but it only be fully APP
precated by men that have lived under similar cir
| In accordance with the manners OF almost all, II
not quite all Eastern nations the Japanese do everything
shoemaker the merchant, the blacksmith, the carpenter
all work sitting II Is rather ridiculous sight to see
man use the plane in such an attitude, and appears
TO make the work more difficult too Nevertheless, II Is
| tho universal custom.
At The foot Of the mountain whose side my dwelling
stands IL almost entirely inhabited mechanics
making needles Everything IS Of course, done by hand
and il s painful TO see how little children are put TO work,
from early late, to the end Of the needle
where the eye rs with fine file, to the grown
drilling the eychoes all day long and often hal tho
night, by miserable light. All the needles that
have them manufacture quite large Ones but
they make some small enough TO tax their powers OF
sight most severely Our modern view that the greatest
possible division OF the several parts of piece OF ms.
nufacture amongst the workmen who have do all
their lives only certain part OF the whole produce the
possible perfection Of this piece OF manufacture,
| ana which, according to the venerable Hcfodotus,
| even known and adopted by the old fsyptans-ths
/ have noticed for example, in the making Of needles
first draw out the soft steel into thcknesses
according to those Of the needles TO be made others cut
these drawn out pieces into smaller and aten
end Of each smaller piece others again sharpen the
points, then the eyes drilled by another number o.
workmen, and, after the part around the eye Is well
rounded of with file, the hardening, in the same man
nor done by mechanics and polishing finishes
the process In some workshops have men polish
each single needle separately, while in others great
number Of them arc finished on together
stranger in walking through the streets OF Japa-
struck by the great number OF conec
tonery stores lac finds. The Japanese are universally
fond Of sweet things and their confectionery stores con
tam the wonderful combinations and preparations
II ia really astonishing to the skill with which they
initiate sugar almost every thing out of the great king
dons OF nature There grows in Japan well AS In China
q persmmon which they especially fond Of initial
ing. and in which they especially successful. This
fruit s the only nice one we can get here II Is quite
different from our American persmmon, growing az
large apple Of moderate size, and not requiring
frost FOR rpening. In China only kind grows, the
soft persmmon in Japan second variety exists hard
II apple, while the soft is OF about the same consis
tency as the American perslmmon, II not softer CRAP
pies | have none, though there are some In the
empire. Pears grow quite abundantly around Nagasaki
but they hard and only good for cooking purposes
For time the greatest quantities Of pnmeos or ga
bans the Japanese call them, have been for sale in
the shops but they by means equal to the Java
fruit The Japanese gather them in when not vet ripe
only when fruit first comes market-that Is to say
when IL ia least good and generally not at all maturct
they buy and set before guest: AZ soon however,
II in in quantities is no longer offered TO a
visiter.
The egg plant grows here most abundantly and is Of
very superior quality while the sweet potato has but an
! Indifferent taste. Carrots also raised, but OF very
small size. The wheat, Of which large harvests are
gathered in y1nds very good -four, and the bread the
Japanese mako it, especially for the OF foreigners,
is though little dark, most excellent. have given
you so far most Of the articles o. FOOD we can OBTAIN
but beef be bought and some OF Il OF very good
quality The natives themselves begin TO eat II and to
admire its taste They are astonishing in Their readi
Cor accepting foreign ways, customs notions and
improvements; and for this very reason .s-y have a
greater future before them than the Chinese Though
present far behind the Chinese in civilization, they
destined 10 rise much above them before very long
while the Chinese in proud but foolish sefco censy
stand stl at point where his ancestors had arrive
centuries ago and while he discans everything that
is offered him for his advancement, the Japsnese
with avidy avas himself of the least thing that could
move him UPWARDS IN the road Of civilization. II s
this point, and this point only that ought to excite our
sympathee for this curious people And If we could give
man excuse IL he become enthusiastic in reg
10 Japan cunt OF this spirit Of progress II IL certain
y worthy Of the highest admiration when people shut
up for centuries within itself then brought n contact
with the rest OF tho world without hesitation LAYS aside
all self compaccncy all sefcoucsit necessarily fo'tcred
by state " secuson and Is ready 70 accept ANYTHING
good from other nations acknowledging thereby its
deloiency and their superiority And this admiration y
ton which assumes such position rawlings about tho
honest japanese and the truthful japanese and The feh
ful Japanese aud VIII, knows what other kinds Japa
nesc certainly at TINS time ind not the gaItest cun
datcn
|
\ Our Jesido Correspondence
| os Bo,Rp FRusTE NIAGARA
| JtDpo Nov 10 1860.
ADfyoig' a, f,njassv-Sccnes at Padi,g-7Ae Cily d
Joodo, d. DC