The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-09-30
JAPS ARE PROGRESSIVE.
INTERESTING NARRATIVE ABOUT
THEIR ODD LITTLE ISLES.

NC country Rapidly Grow
ing In Weath--Rice the Chief Food
and Principal Crop.
Nearly four thousand islands COM
prise the empire of Japan, with a to-
tal area OF 1918 square miles On
~ i've hundred islands. however. are
INHABITED, the remaining isles being
mere heaps of rocks. The chief
islands are the Hondo, or Main
Land area S7.7T square miles: Shi-
: Aoku, south of and separated from
1ondo by shallow channel, area
FlO3O square miles; Kiushin, west of
Snlkoku, with the Bungo channel be.
tween, area 1887 square miles; Yezo,
north OF Hondo, with an area of 3O,143
square miles; and Formosa, off the
coast OF China. area 13.41S square
miles.
The Japanese Archipelago occupies
the same latitude as that part Of Amer
lca between Savannah and Halifax.
ermosa, which Japan obtained as
e result Of the Chino-Japanese war,
hes between the same parallels as
Iampa and Havana. The chief
group is separated from the Philip
pines TO the south by the Bashi chan
mel, from China by the Formosa chan
mel, 80 to hundred miles wide; from
Corea by Broughton channel, less than
20 miles wide; from the Russian island
OF Saghalien by La Perouse strait, %
miles wide. and Kamtchatka by the
Aurile strait Between the Japanese
archipelago and the Asiatic coast of
Corea and Manchuria lies the Sea of
Japan
The population of Japan was esti
mated at 43,152,998, according to the
last census, taken in 1898. There are
four classes in the following proper
tons; Imperial family, So; nobility
1851; gentry, 2,105,69G; common peo-
pie, 41,050,5GS. In these figures are
included 1873 Amos. of Hokkaido,
7O.SO1 Japanese living abroad, and
1864 foreigners. In addition, how
ever, are the 100000 inhabitants of
Formosa, so that the present popula-
ton is estimated at 50,000,000. Hondo
the chief island. is the most densely
populated, having 3S1 to the square
mile. and it's southern districts have
ATS inhabitants to the square mile.
There were rs towns having popu-
lation of 10000 or over
Because of the insular character of
their home the Japanese in recent
years have taken greater interest in
their army so that at the beginning
Of the war with Russia they possessed
ships with total tonnage Of 100000.
Aside from four torpedo gunboats. 20
torpedo boat destroyers, with 10 build
ing, 46 torpedo boats, with many more
building, Japan's fleet has displace-
ment of III ,974 tons. 1t consists of six
battleships, six armored cruisers and
IA protected cruisers. OF the battle.
ships four have a displacement of
more than $4,000 tons each. The re-
mainder are of more than $4,000 tons.
All are supposed to have speed of
10 knots an hour The armored
cruisers are of 10000 tons. The pro-
tected cruisers range from 2700 to
400 tons displacement. One has a
speed of "a knots an hour Japan has
four well-equipped dockyards, capable
of both constructing and repairing
ships. In the Japanese navy in 1902
tnere were two admirals, nine vice-ad
mirals, 1926 rear admirals, 65 captains,
119 commanders. 1877 lieutenant com
manders, 220 lieutenants, 305 sub-lieu-
tenants, besides other subordinate Of
ficers and 316S8 sailors.
The Japanese army has war foot
ing of 421 900 men. Military service
is compulsory, and the army has
adopted Germany as a model. 1t is
divided into three groups, the perman-
ent establishment, Of 1900 officers and
10000 men; the reserve, of $4,000 adj
ditional men; and territorial re-
serve" which would bring another 200,-
900 men into line. The artillery num-
bers 1900 guns, and the cavalry 10000
horses.
Since Japan was opened to the world
1t has been rapidly growing in wealth.
Six great banks and 1902 smaller in
stitutions carry on the banking bust
ness. Inc tnh VI japan, lounueu III
1882 has >oital of $15.500.000. In
the 681 ban6s there were deposits in
1900 amounting to $139,534,390, or
S2.75 per capita. The unit of circula
ton is the yen, worth so cents, which
is divided into 100 sen. Smaller coins
are 5, 10, 20 and so silver sen pieces.
zFivefold has been the increase of the
foreign trade in the last five years. ia
pans imports and exports in 1901