world. It has workers in bronze, carvers of ivory, and is the home of lacquer work. But it is essentially an agricultural country living by the fruit of its land. According to the last census, taken in 1880, the total population was thirty-six millions, and of these nearly sixteen millions were farmers in almost equal proportion of sexes. Under the present order of things, dating from the revolution of 1868, the people own the land, paying tax for it to the Government. About three-tenths of the tilled land of Japan is in the hand of small proprietors, who, with their wives and children, do all the farm work. Of the balance, though held in larger sections, there is nothing akin to the large farms of England.

In addition to the population returned as farmers, there is a considerable proportion of farm labourers. An able-bodied farm hand receives wages at about the rate of tenpence a day, with board. As he is almost a vegetarian, his food does not cost much, consisting chiefly of rice, barley, peas, beans, and turnips, with occasional relishes in the shape of eggs or salt fish. Rice is the principal product of the empire, being grown in all its provinces. Tea, silk, and cotton come next, and, in addition, there are grown tobacco, wheat, barley, millet, peas, and beans. Of late years

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much attention has been given to the culture of grapes, and the Japanese are not without hope that within the next ten years they may introduce and popularize in Europe a new vintage.

In a barber's shop at Kumagai we saw a man at work in a pink costume of unusual fulness. This was a convict out for the day. It is the custom of Japan to permit convicts under certain conditions to go out and ply their trades, the money received being

credited to them when the term of their imprisonment is complete. At Tokio we saw a gang working as excavators. These, labouring in a populous town, were lightly chained to each other to prevent any mistakes, At Kumagai, being a small place, and opportunities for escape being limited, the convict barber was at large, being simply under bond to return to prison when he had shaved his customers.

We took a short cut out of Kumagai, passing through fields and long hamlets rarely visited by the foreigner. It was terribly rough, though full of interest at every step. Our coolies were in high spirits at the prospect of extra pay and an engagement to last for a week. They rushed along through holes and over boulders, shouting warnings to each

other as they came to a fresh obstacle. At noon we came to a broad river, which we crossed, jinrikisha and all, in a ferry boat. There was a strong current running down, but the boatman using a single pole skilfully punted us across. There was a good deal of traffic, junks sailing down to Tokio with country produce. They had curious sails made in slips, sometimes laced together, but not unfrequently flying loose, like so many ribbons. This kind of sail is in use on all the inland seas of Japan. By its means the force of the wind is regulated. When a Japanese sailor wants to take in a reef he unlaces one or more of these strips and the amount of sail is reduced accordingly.

We stopped for tiffin on the other side of the river and had our first taste of Ito's cookery. He is the guide who served his apprenticeship with Miss Bird, and proved a perfect treasure. In height he is fully five feet, and, according to English reckoning, is twenty-one years old, though habits of reflection and constant searching after fresh knowledge made him look forty. In mentioning his age, with the proviso that it was "according to English way of reckoning," he explained that according to Japanese custom age is counted from the first day of January succeed

ing birth. At that date a child is one year old, whether born the previous January, at Midsummer, or on the 31st of December. Ito made an excellent omelette, which, with a dish of cold tongue and a cup of cocoa, completed a luxurious luncheon. After an hour's rest we were off again, and presently reached the Rei-hei-shi-kaido, the road which used to be followed by the Envoy of the Mikado in his annual pilgrimage to the tomb of the first Shogun at Nikko. This road, one of the great highways of Japan, is in a condition almost as bad as the road leading citywards from the steamboat wharf at New York. I understand that improvement will shortly take place in this respect. Mr. Ito, the Minister of State, recently made a journey over the road, and received a strong impression that the Prefect might find more useful opening for his energy elsewhere. He was accordingly removed, a new Prefect appointed, and already the longdelayed work of road-mending has commenced.

As it was, we were frequently compelled to make détours in the woods and fields that flank the highway. In one of these, seamed with the roots of ancient trees, a young gentleman from Glasgow, companion of our voyage, was pitched out. He took great credit to himself and to his gymnastic training that,

whereas the jinrikisha fell on the left side, he tumbled out on the right. But it is easy enough, for I presently did it myself, and Ito, whom long practice has enabled to bring to high perfection the art of sleeping in a jinrikisha, was frequently picked up by the wayside.

This road is for many miles a magnificent avenue of cryptomeria. Tall solemn trees flank the road on either side, often interlacing at the top. The avenue was planted in a bygone age by a Daimio who desired to do honour to the Shogun. The tombs of the Shoguns both at Shiba and Nikko are surrounded by costly presents from the old nobility, who thereby performed a pious act, and at the same time ingratiated themselves with the ruling powers. This offering of a few thousand puny cuttings planted by the roadside was sneered at at the time as a cheap and inadequate way of performing a duty. Now, there is nothing either in stone or metal that equals this magnificent avenue raised to the glory of the Shoguns.

We spent the night at Tochigi, having done thirty-five miles in the jinrikisha. At the thirty-second mile the leader of my tandem team stopped to tie his straw sandal, The wheeler with a merry laugh bowled on