Directory_and_Chronicle_1885 — Page 502

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

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JAPAN.

479

one in the bow and stern respectively. Sho arrived in September, 1883. Two more men-of-war are building in England. The navy was mannel in 1883 by 702 officera and 4,511 men.

POPULATION, TRADE, AND INDUSTRY.

The total area of Japan is estimated at 156,604 square miles, and the popula- tion according to census returns for 1882, prepared on the 1st January, 1883, was 86,703,118, namely, 18,59,098 males and 18,101,210 females. The empire is geogra phically divided into the four islands: Hondo, the central and most important territory; Kiushin," the nine provinces," 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 mentioned, the Empire is divided into fu and ken, each ken containing more 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 1882 was 29,081, of which 28,443 were public schools and 693 private schools. Of Middle Schools there are 163 public and 9 private establishinents. There are 76 Normal Schools; and Colleges for special studies, such as Law, Medicine, Mining, Agriculture, and Foreign Languages, and 5 High Female Schools have been established, and are carefully fostered by the Government. In order to facilitate the acquirement of for.ign 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 ten years 1874 to 1883-

YEARS.

EXPORTA.

IMPORTS.

184 18-5

$24,223,629

$20,001,037

29,467,067

18,014,890

:

---

10

r

1876

24,087,515

27,669,406

1877

25,000,54.

21,692,121

---

1

PE

1873

13,334,392

26,469.4.9

LII

1879

HI

---

T

L+I

32,603,838

27,372,976

1-80

36,622,243

27,419,629

1881

+

30,912,412

+0,92,607

ITI

F+

1882

29,300,724

37,240,029

For

...

+

1883

---

27,848,992

35,709,066

The following table shows the imports and exports of each port for the years 1882 and 1883:-

PORTS.

Kanagawa

Hiogo

Osaka

Nagasaki Niigata

1

Hakodate

H

1882,

1889.

IMPORTA.

EXPORT:.

IMPORTS.

EXPORTS.

$20,20,802

$26,601,-89

$18. 18,412

$2,691,215

6,376,783

6,9.15,579

7,0 0,825

5,844,341

1,54,00

1,166,711

417,090 3,718,390

1,367

896,310

No returns.

No returns.

No returns.

7,417

508, 87

4,37-

$27,848,992

$29,300,724 $37,246,029

629,416 3,107,344 No returns. 43,750

$35,709,066

The two stuple articles of import inte Japa in 'he year 1883 were cotton and woollen and mixed woollen fabrics, the former of the value of $9,037,50 b, and the latter of the value of $3,546,948. The two staple articles of export in the year 1888 were raw silk, of the value of $18,287,300, and tex, of the value of 86,106,467. The

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