386
JAPAN.
The
appointed a Board of Public Instruction, which is reported to be very active. number of elementary schools in 1877 was 24,225, of which 21,988 were public schools and 2,237 private schools. Of Middle Schools there are 11 public and 105 private establishments. There are 90 Normal Schools; and Colleges for special studies, such as Law, Medicine, Mining, Agriculture, and Foreign Languages, have been established, and are carefully fostered by the Government. In order to facilitate the acquirement of foreign languages, the Government of the Mikado engaged many European pro- fessors, and also sert, at the public expense, a large number of students to America and Europe.
The total value of the foreign trade of Japan was, according to consular repor as follows in each of the six years 1872 to 1877:
1872 18 3
1874
18:5
1876
1877
YEARS.
IMPORTS.
EXPORTS.
$26,188,441
$24,294,532
27,444,068
20,660,994
24,223,629
20,001,637
29,467,067
18,014,890
24,087,515
27,669,466
25,900,541
21,692,121
The following table shows the imports and exports of each port for the years 1876 and 1877 :-
PORTS.
Kanagawa
Hiogo
Osaka
Nagasaki
Niigata
Hakodate
1876.
1877.
IMPORTS.
EXPORTS.
IMPORTS.
EXPORTS.
$18,841.880
21,431,879
19,490,485
15,628,337
3,748,967
3,401,230
4,313,641
4,518,570
406,089
99,722
518,246
175,340
1,063,199
1,959,673
1,578,169
904,219
Nil.
Nil.
Nil.
24,000
27,308
776,962
Nil.
441,655
$24,087,515
27,669,466
25,900,541
21,692,121
The two staple articles of import into Japan, in the year 1877, were cotton and woollen fabrics, the former of the value of $8,344,531, and the latter of the value of $4,075,155; the value of mixed cotton and woollen goods was $1,302,923. The two staple articles of export in the year 1877 were raw silk, of the value of $9,643,556, and tea, of the value of $4,409,320.
The commercial intercourse of Japan is carried on mainly with two countries, namely, Great Britain and the United States of America, the former absorbing more than two-thirds of the whole.
By treaties made with a number of foreign Governinents-with the United States in March, 1854; with Great Britain in October, 1854; with Russia aud the Netherlands in 1855; with France, in 1859; with Portugal, in 1860; with Prussia, and Zollve- rein, in 1861; with Switzerland, in 1864; with Itly, in 1866; and with Denmark, in 1867-the Japanese ports of Kanagawa, Nagasaki, Hiogo-Osaka, Hakodate, Niigata, and the capital city of Tokio (formerly called Yedo) were thrown open to foreign
commerce.
The first line of railway, from Yokohama to Tokio, 18 miles long, was opened for traffic on the 12th of June, 1872; a line has also been opened from Hiogo to Osaka, was subsequently extended to the city of Kioto, and is now being continued to Lake Biwa and the west coast of Japan.
The ports of Hiogo, Osaka, Nagasaki, and Hakodate are connected with each other, and with Europe, by lines of telegraphs, and the telegraph system has lately been extended to all the principal towns of the Empire.
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