Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-03-26
Letter from Japan.

Mr.. EDITOR: VIII you allow me to
affiict your readers with few items cleaned
from the land of the rising sum-" To
suppose they would be interested by very
many occurrences solely connected with
country whose shortest distance from them
is measured by the diameter of the globe,
would be to pay them compliment of
which very few are worthy, or to charge
them With neglect of which none should
be guilty. And as I am in. doubt as to
which it would be, I will omit all suppose
tons, and proceed at once to introduce
to them one who is CALLED here the Ten
shisama, there, the Mikado or Emperor of
what is termed here Dai Nippon, there, ia
pan. He is by no means what his title, Son
of Heaven, would indicate, but is of the
year of his age, and fifteenth of his reign.
His name is Mutsuhito Gender mercy, his
fathers Komei (famous) From this you
may learn that a son in Japan is no more
like his father In name than in deed-a
cause of gratitude for the boys. He can
boast of what few monarchs of earth can,
that of being the one hundred and twenty
third in an 'unbroken line of descent"
extending throughout five centuries. This,
in the absence of single explanation,
seems incredible, with it, proven. Aside
from his Empress, the Mikado is allowed
| twelve mekqke (concubines), any one of
| whose children may ascend the throne upon
| the death of the Mikado, should there be
! no heirs by the Empress. These concu-
/ bines are selected from the daughters of the
\ chief government officers.
| The present Mikado has surpassed AL of
his predecessors as q revoludonist. One
| year after he assembled the throne, though
! a mere boy, he issued proclamation which
| has not suffered violence in the following
translation
''In order to secure a place of respect
among the most advanced nations of the
earth, and TO establish more firmly the
! foundations of the empire, / most earnestly
| submit to your profound consideration, the
| following changes in the government of ia
| pan:
/. That a deliberative assembly be
formed.
| 2. That all questions affecting the
public interest should be decided by the
| people.
| 3. That the uncivilized customs of our
| ancestors be abandoned and that the imRar-
TALLY and justice displayed in the harmo-
NOUS workings of nature be adopted as the
basis of individual and governmental action;
and,
| L. That domestic and natural wisdom be
sought for throughout the world"
These were bold sentiments that fell like
thunderclap upon the ears of "old Japan, F"
but the boy saw in them the germ of new
empire, which he has zealously nourished
up to the present time. Just ten years after
| this wonderful declaration of independence,
the first installment of representative insti.
tutions was granted by the Supreme Coun.
Gil This was the leaven. and it is rapidly
''leavening the whole lump"
The present Mikado dresses, sleeps, eats
and drinks in foreign style, and is the only
one who has ever appeared in public or
given an audience to foreign devil"
His Danish majesty's consul, Mr.. Fl. NJ.
last week. He came to Japan in 1868, and
sular corps, have devolyed upon him by
right of seniority. The various consular
flags have been lowered to half-mast and 9
meeting of the corps was called, at which
resolutions were passed expressing sympa
thy and coincidence with the relatives OF
their late comrade.
A sad accident occurred few days age
on board the Swatara, an American man
of-war now lying in port here, which resulted
| in the almost instantaneous death of cade
midshipman g. Carbaniss. The particular
gathered are as follows: A party of mer
were preparing to land, with the object Of
target practice. Two of the company, who
had recently joined the ship, were no
skilled in the use Of the magazine rifle
with which the United States Navy is nov
armed, and an officer was explaining tt
them the method of operating the gun. A
cartridge had, by some mishap, got int
the rife from the dummy and exploded
killing the unfortunate man Immediately.
The ball entered the back I'M
der the left shoulder, passed entirely
| through the body, finding egresl
at the right breast and inficting severe
| wound on q seaman. The unfor