Ix Mr, Consul Troup's report on the trade of Yokohama for 1888 there is a good deal that is worth noting by residents in China, while parts of it would be valuable to the government in Peking. Whey are apt to despise the Japanese for having so quickly given up their} ancient ways and being so ready to adopt the customs and inventions of the outside barbarians; but if they would consider honestly the results that have followed from this open-mindedness on the part of their neighbours to the east, they could not but admire the material prosperity that the country enjoys, and see how much China would ain by adopting a similar course. While they are content with a little experimental line of railway, and are ravely talking of expending eight years in the construction of the first trunk line in the empire, Japan has 752 miles of railway in actual operation, and 671 miles in course of construction, to the eastward of Lake Biwa alone; for it is only the eastern half of the country to which Mr. Troup's survey extends. The names of places in Japan, except those of a few ports and the ancient and modern capitals, make so_ little impression on us in China, that it would be useless to detail the various lines that make up the above total; it is more impressive to take up a recent map of the country, and see how fast its towns are being joined by the iron way.
As we have begun at the end of Mr. Proup's report, we may as well, being in China, continue to read backwards. The population of Kanagawa and Yokohama together on the 31st December last: was 129,034 persons, very much less than that of Shanghai, The foreign population of Yokohama, exclusive of Chinese, was 1,511, of whom 708, or rather less than half, were British. Under the heading of shipping, Mr. Troup gives some figures of the increase during the
jis table is of more interest; and from under the various flags, but here that we find that that the total tonnage entered at Yokohama in 1888 was 2,025,762 tons, of which 1,337,282 were Japanese and 433,175 British, leaving 865,305 tous to be divided among al the other foreign flags, this total being French, and German mail steamers and tactically made up by the American,
the German Kingsin line. Under shipping Mr. Troup mentions the great harbour works that are now being undertaken at Yokohama, and which are to convert the present open roadstead into a harbour enclosed by two breakwaters of an aggregate length of about 12,000 feet, with an entrance 650 feet wide between their extremities. The scheme includes a pier some 2,000 feet long, alongside which steamers will lie to discharge, its land end being close to the present customs establishment, while a line of railway running to the pierhead will bring it into direct communication with the main railway system of the country; and passengers for the interior will in time be brought in the mail steamer alongside the pier and then step direct into the train that is to carry them to their destinations, These and other great works are being undertaken in what has been regard led as @ poor country, but when we turn to what Mr. Troup writes about exports, we see how these works are being paid for. Japan is a very productive country, and its people are very industrious. The quantity of silk Yokohama exported in 1888 amounted to a value of £4,384,927, and it is expected to be larger again this year. We cannot do better than quote the observations furnished to Mr. Troup by one of the leading authorities p in the trade:—* The silk crop of Japan undoubtedly increasing year by year. More land is planted out with mulberry trees, and more seed is put down for hatching. The industry pays the grower and ruler to a very satisfactory extent. The Government is fostering the industry in every direction, and we may look for continually increasing crops every year. 'I'he normal increase for the season 1888-9 was destroyed by climatic {and other causes; but there is no doubt j that preparations have been made for very large crop in the coming seasou—probably if no serious check prevents it—showing in the result an increase equal to the normal one of two years.
"Year by year we see an improvement in the reeling and preparing of Japan silk; the best models for the work are studied, and we have now many filatures which compare favourably with those of Europe. Japan silk is a great favourite with manufacturers in the United States." The Chinese authorities shew themselves every uow and then anxious also to foster the industries of the empire; but the difference is that the Japanese do it in an intelligent way, and with a single object; while when Chinese officials do it, it is too often done really in the hope of increasing the public revenue, and especially the private income of the official. We have dwelt for some little time on silk as the most important of the country's products, but Japan gets a large income also out of her tea, copper, rice and tobacco. Mr. Troup specially wentions the large shipments of silk handkerchiefs, of which over 4,000,000, valued at £187,303, were exported in 1888. Nothing is said by him as to the value of what are generally known as curios exported, but on referring to the table we find that bronze ware (£19,625), lacquered ware(£61,844)and porcelain and earthenware (£99,345), made up a total of £179,814, hile "sundries," which no doubt comprises some other forms of curios, amounted to £228,096.
The business in imports was also generally satisfactory. The total value of the imports into Yokohama for the in 1887, cotton goods having increased about fifty per cent., while woollens shewed a slight decrease, and everything else an increase. To get the proportion of British trade in this is not easy, but Great Britain and the British possessions together account for about ten per cent. of the export and over fifty per cent. of the import trade, or a total of £4,158,317 out of a grand total of £12,668,450, or as nearly as possible one-third.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.