Directory_and_Chronicle_1881 — Page 390

376

JAPAN.

the south-western island; Sikoku, "the four states," the southern island; and Yesso' the most northerly and least developed. The former three islands are sub-divided into eight large roads, containing sixty-six provinces, and the latter (Yesso) is divided into eleven provinces. Administratively, as before mentione 1, the Empire is divided into fu and ken, each kn containing more than one province.

Education is very general in Japan, and is making greater progress than before the revolution which made Japan a monarchy. In 1871, the Mikado appointed a Board of Public Instruction, which is reported to be very active. The number of elementary schools in 1880 was 25,459, of which 24,281 were public schools and 1,178 private schools. Of Middle Schools there are 31 public and 358 private establishments. There are 98 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 sent, 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 reports, as follows in each of the six years 1872 to 1879:-

1872

18 3

1874

1875

1876

1877

1873

1879

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

53,334,392

26,259.419

32,603,838

27,372,976

The following table shows the imports and exports of each port for the years 1878 and 1879:-

PORTS.

Kanagawa

Hiogo

Osaka

Nagasaki

Niigata

Hakodate

1878.

1879.

IMPORTS.

EXPORTS.

IMPORTS.

EXPORTS.

$26,011,300

$16,092,921

$23.326,010

$18,880,272

5,386,624

6,355,988

452,527

193,902

7,051,154 547,563

1,484,468

2,398,501

1,674,652

5,466,990 351,172 1.982,027

Nil.

688,940

Nil.

Nil.

524,167

4,459

Nil. 692,515

$33,334,392

$26.259,419

$32,603,838

$27,372.976

The two staple articles of import into Japan, in the year 1879, were cotton and woollen fabrics, the former of the value of $12,111,886, and the latter of the value of $4,171,534; the value of mixed cotton and woollen gools was $1,307,478. The two staple articles of export in the year 1879 were raw silk, of the value of $11,148,640, and tea, of the value of $7,445,489. 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 Governments-with the United States in March, 1854; with Great Britain in October, 1854; with Russia and the Netherlands in 1855; with France, in 1858; with Portugal, in 1860; with Prussia and the German Zollverein, in 1861; with Switzerland, in 1864; with Italy and Belgium, in 1866; with Denmark 1867; with Sweden and Norway and Spain in 1868; with Austria in 1867; and with China in 1871-the Japanese ports of Kanagawa (Yokohama), Nagasaki, Hiogo, Hakodate, Niigata, and the cities of Tokio (formerly called Yedo) and Osaka were thrown open to foreign commerce.

Page 390 Page 390

Page 390Page 391