Only the emperor may pass over this bridge. When General Grant visited Japan, the emperor, wishing to pay his distinguished guest the highest honor, ordered this bridge opened that he might cross it. But knowing how the Japanese revered this sacred bridge, and wishing to avoid even the appearance of desecration, the great American soldier thoughtfully declined to accept this honor.

A sail through the Inland Sea is a most delightful experience. Its shores are bordered with charming scenery. More than two hundred miles long, it resembles a wide lake surrounded by wooded mountains. Fleets of Japanese junks are seen lying at anchor, or, it may be, sailing along the course from Nagasaki to Kobé. This brings us to Nagasaki, the most southern port of Old Japan. Its harbor is noted as one of the best in the world.

It is nearly surrounded by mountains, and so is entirely sheltered. It must always be an important port so long as the great coal mines, not far away, continue to yield their enormous supplies. These mines have been putting out five hundred thousand tons annually, and nearly the whole of this enormous quantity has been taken by steamers landing at the port of Nagasaki.

Beyond the harbor is the dock where foreign ships are repaired. The native settlement reaches from the water's edge to the hills, on the sloping sides of which are to be seen many fine foreign residences. The view from these hills is one of surpassing beauty.

Although Nagasaki is a port of small size, if com

pared with Yokohama or Kobé, it promises to be of more importance when the branch railway, now building, connects it with the main line, which traverses the island of Hondo. This railroad will make it practicable for travelers to leave steamers at Nagasaki and go by train to Yokohama and Tokio, thus saving several days' sea journey.

The island of Formosa, which the Japanese have recently added to their possessions, lies about one hundred miles off the southeastern coast of China. The name "Formosa" means beautiful, and was given to the island by the Dutch, who once owned it. The mountain sides and valleys are covered with azaleas, lilies, rhododendrons, and other flowering plants. The whole island is remarkable for the beauty and variety of its vegetation. A range of densely wooded mountains extends the whole length of Formosa. To the east of the mountains the land falls very abruptly to the ocean, forming great precipices, some of them a thousand feet in height. On the western side the mountains slope very gradually to a broad and fertile plain. Here it is that the luxuriant vegetation, for which the island is noted, is to be found. The hillsides are green with tea plants, and the natives are seen busily at work raising and preparing the crop for export.

Comparatively little has been known of this far-away island, as it has been so little visited by travelers. Now that Formosa is under the control of Japan, its resources will be more fully developed and it will soon receive more attention from the world.

For a

long time "Formosa tea" has been well known in the United States, where the largest part of each year's crop is sent. It is quite safe to assume that little more than the name has been commonly known of the island.

Formosa is not far advanced in civilization. It has wonderful advantages of soil, and is rich, as well, in vegetable and mineral products. These the energy and skill of the Japanese will soon develop. The island is not only fruitful, but can easily be made a post of great value to Japan in case of war.

The aborigines of Formosa are offering all the opposition they can to the occupation of the island by the Japanese. This, we may be sure, will not prevent the complete victory of the Japanese in the end. With the experience gained by the Japanese in colonizing and civilizing Yezo, as we shall see, it seems not improbable that the same methods will be employed in Formosa.

Just as the Ainos, under Japanese tuition and guidance, have been made peaceful and industrious farmers, so may we expect the native tribes of Formosa to become thoroughly trained in all the arts of agriculture.

On the hillsides of Formosa great numbers of camphor trees are growing, and the preparation of camphor is an important industry. It would be interesting to visit one of the villages where camphor is made. The camphor trees are first cut up into very small pieces, and these are then placed in tubes through which steam is forced. By this process the camphor is driven off as a vapor from the wood, and as soon as the steam con

denses, in a large jar placed above the tube, the crude camphor is removed and sent to the dealers.

The Japanese are very skillful in the manufacture of camphor, and they will surely enlarge this industry in Formosa.

CHAPTER XX.

THROUGH NORTHERN JAPAN.

OUR travels in Japan have thus far been almost wholly on Hondo, but the island of Yezo, not far to the north, is well worth a visit.

Yezo, which is nearly as large as Ireland, is but thinly populated, and the interior is covered with forests and jungles. Near the coast are swamps and fertile plains.

There are many rivers in Yezo, and so the island is well watered. The climate is colder and drier than that of the other islands of the empire. Its northern limit is in about the same latitude as Venice, and yet there is snow here for several months of the year.

In

Some one has called Yezo "Japanese Siberia,” and there appear to be good reasons for the name. many respects it resembles Siberia, especially as to climate and the animals found there. In some past time it is believed to have been a part of the island of Saghalin, which is nearer the coast of Korea. Yezo is the land of exile for Japanese criminals, just as Siberia is for Russian convicts.

The port, and one of the principal towns, is Hakodate, situated at the foot of a rocky cliff which bears some resemblance to Gibraltar. There is a fine harbor here, and vessels sail frequently between this port and Yokohama.

Great quantities of fish, salted, dried, and smoked, are sent from Hakodate to China and southern Japan. The interest of the Japanese in their fisheries should here be explained. It is only natural to expect that, with a seaboard so extensive as that of Japan, a large proportion of the people who dwell near the coasts should be engaged in the fisheries.

Every fish of importance known along our seacoast is known in Japan, and is to be found in the markets of all the treaty ports. Thus we shall see our wellknown cod, salmon, herring, halibut, trout, smelts, lobsters, oysters, crayfish, and shrimps in all the fish markets. Many varieties of fish not known to our people are also to be found in Japanese waters. In addition to the bonito, one of the rarer sorts, highly prized by the Japanese, we shall see the famous tai, a fish of brilliant pink color, without which no feast is considered complete.

The capital of Yezo is Sapporo, a small straggling town, built entirely of white pine houses, and reminding the traveler of some of the settlements as they once appeared on our own Western frontier.

One feature sure to interest the American visitor to Sapporo is the courthouse, as it is a miniature copy of the Capitol at Washington.