Directory_and_Chronicle_1881 — Page 395

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KOBE (HIOGO).

Kobe is the foreign port of the adjacent city of Hiogo, and was opened to foreign trade in 1868. It is finely situated at the gate of the far-famed Inland Sea. The harbour is good and affords safe anchorage for vessels of almost any size. The town, which is in the province of Settsu, is distant only sixteen miles from Osaka, with which city it is connected by rail. This line, which has been extended to Kioto (the ancient capital of Japan), a distance of 27 miles from Osaka, was formally opened to traffic along its whole length by the Mikado on the 5th February, 1877, and has since been worked with freedom and regularity. A further extension from Kioto to Otsu is now in course of construction. The connection of Osaka with Hiogo by rail has naturally tended to centralise trade at the port of shipment. Among the exports, tea, tobacco, camphor, copper, vegetable wax, and fans take the lead. The value of the foreign import trade for 1879 was $7,051,154; that of the exports $5,466,990. In 1878, the value of the imports was $5,386,091, and that of the exports $6,355,988: the decrease in the latter was due to a large falling-off in the export of rice. The quantity of tea shipped from Hiogo in the season 1879-80 was 13,710,439 lbs., compared with 9,723,186 lbs. in 1878-79, and 8,789,627 lbs. in 1877-78. The whole of this went to the United States of America with the exception of a small quantity for Canada. The population of Hiogo, as given by the last census, was 204,000. The foreigu residents in the port in 1878 numbered 809, of whom 424 were Chinese, 226 Brit.sh, 58 American, and 49 German. A foreign daily newspaper, styled the Hiogo News, is published at this port.

Consulates.

GREAT BRITAIN.

Consul-W. G. Aston

DIRECTORY.

ITALY.

Consular Agent-Dr. H. Stannius

AUSTRO-HUNGARY.

Assistant and Interpreter J. H. Longford Acting Consul--W. G. Aston

Constable H. A. Miles

CHINA.

Consul-Liao Sik Ngan

BELGIUM.-30.

Acting Consul-J. K. Cunningham

SWITZERLAND.

Act. Consular Agent—C. Favre-Brandt

HOLLAND.

Acting Consul-C. Braess

SPAIN.

Acting Consul-W. G. Aston

FRANCE.

Acting Consul-W. G. Aston

Secretaire & Interprète-E. Roquemartine

DENMARK.

Consul Dr. J. Harris

HAWAII.

Vice-consul—S. Endicott

GERMAN EMPIRE.

Consul-Dr. Stannius, Junr.

Vice-consul-A. von Knobloch

Clerk-H. Gutbrod

Constable-R. Bernhardt

UNITED STATES.-2, Concession Consul-J. Stahel

Vice-consul-Dr. J. Harris

Marshal-F. J. H. Nienstead

Interpreter-T. Uyeno

PORTUGAL.

Acting Consul-W. H. Livingston, Junr.

Municipal Council.

The Governor of Hiogo

The Consular Body

C. Rasch

T. Goodison

H. Trotzig, superintendent

POLICE.

J. Peterson, (sergt.), F. C. Rasmussein,

Chinese

$55

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