A Buve Boox bes just come to hand giving an account of the trade and shipping of the ports of Niigata and Sado from 1879 to the 80th of Jane 1884, The former place has sadly failed to realise the provision of foreign officials and merchants, who, previously to the opening of trade in Japan, saw in it one of the most suitable ports at which commerce was certain to establish itself. These anticipations have so long been disappointed that Niigate has almost passed out of knowledge as a port, and it was with some curiosity that we opened the Blue Book to seo what could now be said of ils trade and shipping. Wo pavo not found much tit is likely to direct the attention of merchants to that part of Japan; the impression of Niigate whiok reading the report has left on us being that, whatever it may have been in the past, it now resembles one of the forlorn, sea abandoned Cinque Ports, Its imports in 1879 amounted to under 24 millions of yen in value, being all in articles we should say of native production, except perhaps some of the euger and cloth of all kinds. Trine appears to be the most valuable import, and at least a gro part of it is of American make; its whole value has reached 44 lacs of yon in one year, The chief article of export is rice which appears in the rotarns at from one million to two million seven hundred thousand yen in different years, the other goods being quite unimportant. The exports from Sado island have never exceeded a hundred thousand yen in any year from 1879. Two foreign vessels loaded at Niigata with rice for Earopein1884, and, astheiroargoes onlyamountedin value to sixty-nine thousand dollare, Consul Quin, of Hakodate, who furnishes the report, is justified in saying that the port as a place of foreign trade has virtually ceased to exist. All the foreign goods which reach it are imported by Japanese merchants of Yokohama, and are sent either overland or by coasting steamers according to the time of the year. Trade in native imports and exports seems to have remained stationary in the years reviewed. There is a bar on the har-hour at Niigats, as at our own Woosung, and the Japanese seem to lack capitalaud energy to try and deepen it, contenting themselves with holding publiomeetings and displaying their oratory thereat. The silk production of the district is unimportant; coal mining has been vir tually discontinued creasing and the visits of the two steamship lines bring up the tonnage figures in the returns. There is in the prefecture a Medical School with 190 students anda female school of midwifery, where some thirty women receive instruction. Soda is an island opposite to Niigata and some thirty miles distant, with a mild climate and over 100,000 inhabitants, who cultivate some 9,000 acres of land with rice and and other articles required for their domestic uses. The Consul gives rather an attractive picture of the country and the people; the general appearance of the homesteads, Lo says, is far above the average of farmora' dwellings, which is accounted for by the fact that there are no largo Ianded proprietors bat each farmer owns the land he cultivates, and thus, though there is no great wealth, there is general comfort, There is o little gold miving in the island, which leaves a los
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.