The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-06-30
LETTER FROM JAPAN.
An Interesting Letter From the
Land of the Japs.

KOBE, JAPAN, May 18th, 1886.
Some time has elapsed since /
wrote to you, and l have even for
gotten where / then was.
We have long passed the beauti-
full tropic regions, the Palms and
Mangosteens, the large yellow or
anges hanging amid their dark
green leaves, and the wide spread
ing Banyan with its many pillared
roots. We are among gentle and
amiable race, with many serious
faults and failings, but many vir-
tues too. 1t is said that lady can
go from one end of Japan to anoth-
er, alone, by day or night, and meet
nothing but civility and kindness.
1t is great shame that some for
eigners treat this kindly people
with disrespect.
We enjoyed one little visit to
Ceylon very much. You may re-
member / was there when two
years old, and have heard Mamma
speak often of the beautiful island.
l can agree with the old poet who
sang of it, "Where every prospect
pleases," but do not at all see why
he should have added that about
"man is vile," for the people seem
quite up to the average and far
ahead of some we have seen. They
may have boarded the ship he was
in, as they did our steamer, and in
sisted on his buying various arti'
cles. They are very troublesome
there, and a little SO on shore, but
they are very needy and very good
natured, and certainly not such
rogues as the ostrich-feather mer
at Alden. 1t was funny to see the
bushy headed natives rowing about
in their tiny flat boats. They dy'
the hair red at Alden, and the smal
boys row aronpd, calling "t0 throw
a dime" and If you do, in they g
into the clear water and presently
up again with the money, sputter
ing the water from their mouths a
they climb laughing into the boats
At Colombs there are rather to-
many sharks for this to be done
The steamers do not 60 up to tn
shore at most places, but smal
boats carry you back and forth rap
idly. There are nice drives ou
from Colombs, Penang and Singa
pore, with preety, level, smoot
> roads, with the great trees formin
n beautiful avenues, and the luxul
liant vegetation on both sides a dc
light and study to the strange
g Most of these places have fine Bt
tanic gardens, which we visited, a
! so some museums and Buddhi:
d Temples.
We were favored with exception
, ally fine weather, yet not 50 hot
usual at the season; still, ice, e
, pecially in the form of frozen cream
r was very acceptable, not to say e
sential.
Just before reaching Hong Kon
. was our first rough weather
amount to much, but the China Sc
always is uneasy-it made US fe
so, several times.
Hong Kong is quite a pret1
place, though not as fine in the a
proach as Penang, Singapore,
Nagasaki. AT all places where "
have stopped we have found mut
g to interest us in the new peopl
and their habits and dress, b
through the Indians seas we sa
many Chinese who form large &C
3. onies at various points. At Sing
K pore alone there are $4,000.
OF course on long voyage mut
of cur Interest is centered in tho
with us on board, and we met son
very pleasant people. A Colon'
who had served in India maj
years, was returning, there prefe
ing to spend the rest of his days
, the way to which he had been
, customed. His young and han
some wife also enjoyed the free al
active life, even with its possib
dangers, to the more quiet ole
England with all its comforts, al
-stagnation. Another was a fus'
little English woman, who gave
all much useful information as
! how she had managed the eig
children she had taken back
England to school. think thou{
that in those cases one is not q
ways as grateful as might be.
> We saw but few large fishes, b