14
Notices of Japan. No. V
JAX.
Lest the princes should, even at the sacrifice of all that is dear to them. confederate against the siegoan, neighboring princes are not allowed to reside simultaneous- ly in their respective dominions, unless, indeed, ill-will should be known to exist between them, in which case their mutual jealousies are sedulously fomented, by affording them occasions of collision. But the plan chiefly relied upon for insur- ing their subjection is to keep them dependent by poverty. To reduce them to the required state of indigence, many means are employed.
Nearly the whole military duty of the empire is thrown upon the princes; they are required to maintain troops rateably, according to the extent of their domin- ¡ons, and to furnish even those required for the imperial provinces, the admin- istration of which is avowedly in the bands of the Yedo council. Thus, at Naga- saki, which during the last two centuries has been the only seat of foreign com- merce, the whole profit of which is devoured by the siegeun, council, governors, and their understrappers, and which for that very purpose was dismembered from a principality, and coverted into an imperial city, the duty of guarding the bay falls altogether upon the princes of Fizen and Chikuzen, whose dominions the bay divides. The two centuries of profound peace, which Japan has enjoyed since the adoption of the exclusive system, have naturally lessened the need of troops. The consequent diminution of expense is felt to be a great object; but neither the princes nor their subjects are the persons destined to profit by the saving thus effected. The number of troops to be maintained by each prince is, indeed in just proportion to that originally allotted them; but the sum which the troops so dispensed with would have cost them, they are required to pay into the treasury at Yedo.
Other modes of impoverishment there are, to which, when necessary, recourse is bad. One is that of obliging the princes to display extravagant pomp and magnificence during their residence at Yedo, involving them in every imaginable expense. Should these ways of draining his exchequer prove insufficient with some extraordinarily opulent or prudent prince, two resources are kept in reserve, which have never yet failed. One of these is the mogoun's inviting himself to dinner with his inconveniently wealthy vassal, at his Yedo palace; the other, the obtaining for him, from the mikado, some highly coveted post at the daīri. The expense of duly entertaining the siegoun, or of receiving the investiture of an esalted datri office, is such as no Japanese fortune has yet proved able to stand.
Of the lordships, it may suffice to say, that they sɛem to be merely very inferior principalities, the government of which is managed and controlled in a manner perfectly analogous to that just described.
The provinces and towns retained as imperial domains are administered by imperial governors, appointed by the state council at Yedo, and whose fidelity is similarly secured. To every government, two governors are appointed; one of whom resides at Yedo, the other at bis post, his family remaining as hostages at court, and he himself being subjected to the same restrictions and annoyances as the princes in their principalities; the two governors annually relieve each other in their government. Their authority in their governments is equal to that of the princes, or rather of the princes' secretaries in the principalities; except that a governor cannot inflict capital punishment until the sentence has been ratified at Yedo, whilst the princes may freely exercise this act of sovereignty. But neither prince nor governor likes to pronounce sentence of death, lest the