Directory_and_Chronicle_1886 — Page 520

TOKYO.

519

Several great fires have during the last few years swept Tokyo, more especially that of April, 1872, which led to great improvements and the widening of the streets, Rows of fine houses in brick and stone, and new bridges, in many cases of iron or stone, have been built, and the city has in many portions been thoroughly modernised. Tramways have been laid and the cars are usually crowded with passengers. The main streets and those adjacent to them are lighted by gas, and the remainder by oil lamps. A race course has been formed close to Uyeno. 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 fire 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 in general 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 Tokyo are very picturesque and offer a great variety of pleasant walks or rides. Foreigners will find much to interest them in the country round. 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 almost throughout the year. The population of Tokyo and its suburbs was, according to the official census of 1885, 1,207,847, of whom 631,005, were males and 576,842 females. The foreign residents were estimated in 1881 at 634, of whom 519 were in Government or Japanese employ. The number of houses in 1885 was 361,479. The Japanese hope that at no distant date Tokyo will, when new quays have been constructed and the Treaties been revised, become the great centre of the foreign trade with Japan.

The native Press is represented by 107 newspapers, several of which are dailies. Among them the Nichi Nichi Shimbun, the Hochi Shimbun, the Choya Shimbun, the Jiji Shimpo, the Mainichi Shimbun, and the Akebono 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 journals and illustrated papers. There are 1,225 schools of different classes, including one university, having an aggregate attendance of both sexes of 138,332, of whom 70,513 are boys and 87,819 girls, according to the official census of 1881.

Legations.

BRITISH. Koji-machi.

DIRECTORY.

Hon. F. R. Plunkett, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, and Con- sul-General

Hon. P. H. Le Poer Trench, secretary of

Legation

Arthur Larcom, third secretary J. C. Hall, acting Japanese secretary J. H. Gubbins, acting assistant Japanese

secretary

J. H. Longford, acting vice-consul and

chancelier

R. de B. M. Layard, C. S. Hampson, E.

A. Griffiths, student interpreters H. C. Litchfield, legal adviser Dr. E. Baelz, medical officer (absent) Dr. van der Heyden, acting Rev. A. C. Shaw, M.A., honorary chaplain Ogita Masaichi, linguist

Consulate. (Koji-machi.)

do.

J. H. Longford, acting vice-consul

Legation Mounted Escort.

P. Peacock, inspector E. Dillon, constable