GEOGRAPHICAL AND STATISTICAL.
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its deliberations taking no effect. The local administration in the provinces is in the hands of prefects, one of them resi‹ling in each of the 75 districts into which Japan is divided. The powers and the attributes of these prefects are far more extensive than those of any similar functionaries in Europe. There is, however, a limit to their judicial action, for they cannot carry into execution sentences involving banishment or death until they have been confirmed by the Minister of Justice.
Previous to the last change of government, which placed all power in the hands of the Mikado, a large share of administrative authority rested with the Daimios, the feudal proprietors of the soil, au official list of whose names was published periodically at Yedo, the capital. The list gave the family name and genealogy of each, as well as the fullest particulars of his family, the number of his residences, the extent and value of his territorial and other property, the uniform of his retainers, the design of his coat of arms, and the flag carried on his ships. A list of Daimios, published at Yedo in 1862, stated their number at 266, with incomes varying from 10,000 to 610,500 koban, or from about £15,000 to £915,500. The territory of each Daimio formed a sovereignty within itself, governed, in the case of the more powerful magnates, by a Secretary of State, called Karô, and a number of assistant ministers, and many of them were possessed of large bodies of troops. All these, with their fortified castles, and every attribute of authority, the Daimios surrendered, after more or less resistance, to the hereditary Emperor.
Revenue, Public Debt, and Army.
The total revenue of Japan for 1872 was estimated, in official returns, at £10,375,110, and the total expenditure at £9,707,327, leaving a surplus of £667,583. At the end of 1871, the total public debt amounted to £23,300,200, including a foreign loan of £1,000,000. About one-half of the public debt is represented by paper money, issued by the government in recent years. The foreign loan of £1,000,000 was contracted in 1869, through Messrs. Schroeder & Co., London, at 9 per cent. interest, repayable before 1883, the produce being destined to aid in the construction of a network of railways in Japan.
The armed force of Japan is composed, since 1869, of a single element, the troops kept by the Mikado, who constitute the imperial army. The number of Daimios who formerly had troops in their service amounted to 200, and they together maintained an effective force of 370,000 infantry and 40,000 cavalry, forming the Federal army, and placed at the orders of the Tycoon when the independence of the country was threatened. The imperial army, placed under the command of the Mikado, is very small. Its exact strength is not known, but it probably does not exceed 80,000 men, comprising all arms. The infantry is formed into regiments, manoeuvring like the French soldiers, and armed on the same model. A number of Japanese officers and sub-officers were in recent years instructed by French military men at Yokohama.
Population, Trade, and Industry.
The total area of Japan is estimated at 156,604 square miles, with a population of 32,794,897, or 209 per square mile. The empire is geographically divided into the three islands of Nippon, the central and most important territory; Kiushiu, 'the nine provinces,' the south-western island; and Shikoku, 'the four states,' the southern island. Administratively there exists a division into seven large districts, called 'Dô,' or roads, which are subdivided into twenty-five provinces.
Education is very general in Japan, and is making greater progress than before since the recent change, which made Japan a monarchy. In 1871, the Mikado appointed a Board of Public Instruction, which is reported to be very active. Public primary schools are increasing rapidly, especially in towns; but the movement is far more marked in the western provinces and on the coast than in the interior. Private schools are more abundant still; and any person being at liberty to establish them- subject to a permission which is always given-they spring up with facility wherever they are wanted. In order to facilitate the acquirement of foreign languages, the government of the Mikado engaged, in 1872, several European professors, and also sent, at the public expense, a large number of students to America and Europe.