Year: 1879

be sure of your old blue you must see that it has
the mark of the Ming dynasty"


CUSTOM HOUSE APPRRHENsIoNs.


The result Of this conversation was that found
came with the kind wishes of my friend and which


shall treasure for the giver. 1t is small vase of
types OF Chinese life and character On the bottom
is the mark Of the Ming dynasty. General
ones enthusiasm tor the antique by crcumstantal
narratives OF certain factory which hourishes in
Newark. n. j., whose owners declare large divi-
dends-a factory devoted the manufacture OF
curios, where they make antique and modern works
of art. especially old blue and hawthorn blue and
blue after the rain and mark them with the Ming
dynasty. But believe in my vase. certainly be-
leve in the reverent and friendly spirit that sent it
to my table; and alhoughifl were buying sold blue"
from my own unaided experience would not give
q largo sum for such vase, ] know that 1t Is the
result OF my ignorance. and that I really
nese artisan labored with loving hand
in the lend days ~ Of Of the & Mings. before the
ideaIize it In various ways, and think myself
the belief that it has poetic beauty OF its own.
wonder whether MIR. Merritt will put the poetic
value upon the it AZ my of
its worth. AS was saying, never knew how much
there to interest you in the revenue laws until
began to look over my ''things," and wonder what
they Will cost in New YORK. AZ to taking them to
California no one would dream OF it. You hear ter
rible stories OF the California Custom House, how
the officers rummage your trunks and break
your vases, and make you pay double
valuation, and have respect for your
word or ever your oath and how one independent
American with temper easily heated took Sat
suma vase. lovely work that cost him $780, and
dashed it to pieces before the eyes the exciseman
rather than be taxed for more than its value am
afraid this is not story but hope it is as like
to read of anything original or eccentric, and you
hear so many stories OF revenue exactons that you
become q free trader. You think about your
'thngs' and talk about them much that they
assume princey proportions. and you begin TO feel
like collector that you have exhausted the bazaars
OF the East and that you have possessions and
not. happens to me, only few odds and ends that
dered along. and will have value when they reach
home but the value Of the memories that surround
them.


HOMIE SICKNESS AND LOVE AFrAIRs


After mature deliberaton and taking everybodys
advce-and on this subject every body anxious to
advise you'll concluded to send my .'things" home
and to go to California in light marching order. and
when tie excisemen came down upon me for curios,
show them only my clothes and q few volumes of
useful information. Somehow, after the
question had been settled and was out of


in talking about your "things." Isuppose tho real
reason was that the talk about the things led in
were all OF us just little honesck. more than We
would care to admit. have observed that people
are apt to treat Inconsistencies as they would love
affair. They like to talk about such emotions in
other people but not in themselves. Take
naval friends for instance. who have been on this
station for some time. You never saw so much for
titudel 'Home"-away with such sentiments
is not home but duty which animates
sailor, and since duty commits them to the
served all the same that when the mail
day drew near, and it was time for the steamers to
come i'll from the seas that strange interest took
possession of naval friends and you heard only
prayers for good weather and impatence at the slow
lingering hours. Our naval friends are the most
patient of men. Weather, climate pestilence-it
makes very little difference whether the winds blow
high or blow low so that the mails come in. fam
cied that we talked about our things" because it
led to talk about home and what people would say,
none Of willing to confess to homesick feeling
except the Colonel, who has been avowedly
homesiok ever since we left singapore. and
has announced that his travels at an
end except the road that leads by the shortest
and most direct route to General Sheridan's head
quarters in Chicago. am sure that not all the old
blue made, either in China under the Ming dynasty
in General Grants Newark curio mandatory, would
keep gallant comrade another steamer from
tho of his duties the headquarters Of
the Military Division OF the Missouri AS we are all
going home together it makes little difference and
because like to sec such spirit among the young
officers in our army. and to hold it up tor public
notice and commcndation.


GENERAL GRANT AND MIR. IwAKuRA.


Our last days in Japan were crowded with Incl
dents Of personal and public character. use the
word personal to describe events that did not hnd
their way into the newspapers belong to public
receptions. There were constant visits to the
General from members of the Cabinet-trom Mr..
Iwakura. especially. who to talk about public
affairs. There were conferences on the LOochoo
question, when General Grant used his best efforts
to bring China and Japan to y good understanding.
What the effect Of these conversations will be his
tory alone can tell but may add that the counsel
which the General has givon in conversations with
Mr.. Iwakura and tho Ministry he has also given in
writing. and very earnestly. to Prince Kung and Ii
Hung-Chang. Since hearing both sides Of the Loo
choo questionable Japanese case and tho Chinese
case-enoral Grant has felt himself in position
speak with more precision than when. in China, he
heard only the Chinese story. Other ques-
tions arose-questions connected with the in
dustrial aud agricultural advancement Of Ja-
pan. The General pointed out to his Japanese
friends the large area OF fertile land awaiting cult
walton. and how much might be added to the wealth
and revenues OF the country II the people were in
duced to develop the whole territory This leads to
q discussion Of the land tax. so heavy burden to
the people. and which the government is compelled
to impose tor revenue. II. instead of taxes land
the authorities could levy tariff for revenue-such
a tariff as We see i'll Germany and France-then the
tax on land could be abated. This led up to the
revision of the treaties, the absorbing question in
Japanese politics. and which is no further advanced
than it was when MIR. Iwakura went to the treaty
Powers on his mission many years ago. The Gem
eral has always given the advice the treaty
iish policy in the East is. that while
England allows her own colonies to do as they
insists that Japan and China shall arrange their i'm
posts and tariffs solely with the view Of helping
English trade. In other words Japan an independ-
ent power is under duress that Canada or Aus
tralia would never accept. This anomalous condition
of affairs will exist SO long the treaty romans.
and England has never shown an inclination to
sent to any abrogation Of her paramount rights
under the treaty. General Grants advice has been
that Japan should make q statement of her case to
the world. She should show the circumstances
under which this treaty was made-how her ignor-
ance was used to put her in AN unfortunate and
humilatng position. She should recall her
own extraordinary progress in accepting and
absorbing the modern civilization; that in doing
this she has opened her empire to modern enter
prise and shown the best evidence of her desire to
be friendly with the world. She should recount
the disadvantages under which this treaty places
hor--not alone moral. but material crlppng and
limiting her resources. She should announce that
the treaty at end, but that she was prepared
to sign the most favorable conventions that could
be devised, provided the treaty Powers recognized
her sovereign independent rights. She should at
the time proclaim her tariff, open her ports and
the interior of her country, welcome foreign capital
foreign immigration. foreign labor and assert her
sovereignty. The objection to this in the minds Of
the Japanese is that fleets may come, and the Eng
lish may lombard Toxic as they did Simonoseki.
1T there il thing more certain than another"
reasoned the General. ''it that England is in no
humor to make war upon Japan for tariff. do
not believe that under any circumstances
Lord Beaconsfeld would consent to such
an enterprise. He has had two wars, neither
OF which have commended themselves to the Eng
lish people An Englishman does not value tho