434
TOKIO.
of nobles' palaces. The district on the South of the Castle, with an average surface of 17 square miles, contains about sixty temples. The most remarkable among them is the Tera of Meguro. In this part of Tokio is situated the Mausoleum of the Shoguns, surrounded by several temples.
Several great fires have during the last few years swept Tokio, more especially that of April, 1872, which led to great improvements and the widening of the streets. Rows of fine houses in brick at d stone, and new bridges, in many cases of iron or stone, have been built, and the city has in many portions been thoroughly modernised. The main streets and those adjacent to them are lighted with gas. Lines of telegraph, amounting in all to 200 miles, connect the various parts of the city with one another, and with the country lines. A terrific tire occurred on the 26th December, 1879, when upwards of 11,000 houses were destroyed. This was followed on the 4th February, 1880, by another fire, involving the destruc- tion of 2.500 buildings. Several great fires occurred early in 1881. The streets are generally broad and well kept, and improvements attend the work of reconstruction after each conflagration. But as the city is in a transition state, it necessarily presents many strange anomalies. Side by side with lofty stone buildings stand rows of rude wooden houses. As with the buildings so with the people; while the mass still wear the native dress, numbers appear in European costume, and the soldiers are dressed in uniform on the Western model. The environs of Tokio are very picturesque and offer a great variety of pleasant walks or rides. Foreigners cannot do better than spend their leisure hours in rambling over the country. The finest scenery is at the northern and western sides of the city, where the country is surrounded by beautiful hills, from which there is a distant view of the noble mountains of Hakone, while beyond rises in solitary grandeur the towering peak of Fusi-yama, covered with snow throughout the year. The population of Tokio was, according to the census of 1879. 1,101,496. The foreign residents numbered 565 in 1879, 449 of whom were in the public empley; they have since decreased.
The native Press is represented by about forty newspapers, several of which are dailies. Among them the Nichi Nichi Shimbun, the Hochi Shimb. the Choya Shimbun, and the Ak bono Shimbun take the lead. Several others are class organs, and two journals, the Yomiuri Shimbun and Kanayomy Shimbun, are the advocates of woman's rights. There are also several comic jouruais, and one illustrated paper called the Yeiri Shimbun. There are 830 schools of different classes, including one university, having an aggregate attendance of both sexes of from sixty to seventy thousand.
DIRECTORY.
Legations.
BRITISH. Koji-machi.
Sir Harry S. Parkes, K.C.B., Envoy Ex- traordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, and Consul-General
W. J. Smith, secretary
G. W. Buchanan, 2nd secretary Ernest M. Satow, Japanese secretary
J. H. Longford, acting vice-consul and
chancelier
F. W. Playfair, W. J. Kenny, R. de B.
Layard, student interpreters
W. Willis, medical officer Rev. A. C. Shaw, M. A., chaplain Ogita Masaichi, linguist
Consulate. Koji-machi.
M. Dohmen, vice-consul (Yokohama) Ernest M. Satow, acting vice-consul E. Dillon, constable
Legation Mounted Escort.
P. Peacock, inspector
A. Aberdien, sergeant
William Wood, constable E. Dillon
do.
FRENCH.
Nagata-cho, Ni-cho-me.
Gillaume de Roquette, Euvoy Extraordin-
ary and Minister Plenipoten
Conte Tony, 1st secretary
Conte de Diesbach, 2nd do.