200 feet below the ground-or, possibly, below the sea, for these mines run under the sea in places. Tiffin was spread in a chamber hewn out of two very thick strata of coal, one 10 feet and one 8 feet thick, with but 2 feet of earth between. The chamber was connected with the ventilators, whitewashed of course, and lighted with safety-lamps. After luncheon, in order to verify the nature of the chamber, a man was brought in with tools, and opened up the coal in several places. While waiting for the steamer, I climbed the hill near the pit, passing among the houses of the pitmen and pitwomen, both of whom work in the mine all but naked, and on my way down I met a man occasionally who seemed to consider that coal-dust alone was a sufficient attire for a philosopher. On the hilltop was a little churchyard, affording scores of proofs that among even these poor miners a few flowers or a bit of green or a little something in a cup or a vase could be found and carried to the hilltop as a tribute to some dear one dead. As what I have to say about the government establishments upon the shores of Nagasaki harbour is somewhat technical, I cheerfully consign it to a footnote.† I ought to notice, *We are indebted to Mr. Glover and Mr. Martin for much kindness and courtesy on the occasion of this visit. †The following are a few particulars of the government establishments in Nagasaki which are connected with the manufacturing section of the public works department. The engine works, which are situated at Akunoura, in a sheltered position on the west side of the harbour, about a mile and a half from the entrance, were established about twenty-three years ago, and were chiefly constructed and conducted for some years under the superintendence of Dutch engineers. These works cover about six acres of ground, and have during the last four and a half years been entirely reconstructed. The machine and erecting shop is a building 150 feet long by 80 feet wide, in three bays. The centre bay, being 40 feet wide by 30 feet high, will be fitted with a 10-ton travelling crane. The side bays are each 20 feet wide by 14 feet high. The boiler shop is 130 feet long by 70 feet wide, in two bays, one 50 feet wide by 25 feet high, and one 20 feet wide by 14 feet high. In this shop at the time of my visit they were fitting up a hydraulic rivetter and a 16-ton crane, over which the roof is 40 feet high. The ivetter and crane will be worked by the same accumulator, and when these are complete they will be able to construct both land and marine boilers of any size up to 13 feet 6 inches diameter, and of plates 1 inch thick. The foundry is 130 feet long however, here in the text, the very large stone gravingdock, one of the finest in the world, which the Japanese government are building, and which is now rapidly approaching completion. At Nagasaki I had the pleasure of again meeting the Rev. Mr. Andrews, of the Church of by 46 feet wide by 21 feet high, supplied with two cupolas, four brass furnaces, one 10- and one 5-ton crane. The forge is 130 feet long by 50 feet wide by 18 feet high, and contains sixteen blacksmith's fires, one 5-cwt. and one 2-ton steam hammer, with suitable furnace and cranes. The coppersmith's shop is 50 feet long by 25 feet wide, with a small galvanising shop attached. The store, which is 270 feet long by 25 feet wide, is well stocked with all necessary materials. The office, gate-houses, two landing places, and the sea-walls are also new. On the wharf there is a pair of sheerlegs capable of lifting 40 tons. In front of the wharf there is about 18 feet of water at low tide, and it can easily be increased to 25 feet if necessary. The works employ 475 men at present, not including officers, clerks, etc., or contractors' men employed on improvements. The principal work done in the factory up to the present has been repairs to steamers, at an average of about two per month. With regard to new work, during the last four years and a half they have constructed thirty marine and land boilers, one or two pairs of small marine engines, two pairs of hauling engines, with pumps, etc, for mines. They had in February, when I saw the works, orders for two pairs of hauling engines, four special pumps, a pair of simple marine engines of 500 indicated horse-power, and a pair of compound of 1000 indicated horse-power, with boilers, etc. In connection with this department the government are constructing at Tatagami the large dry dock mentioned in the text, under the superintendence of Mr. Vincent Florent, who was kind enough to show us over it. The dock was commenced about twelve years ago, but very little was done until Mr. Florent was engaged to complete it six years ago. The dock is 460 feet long by 89 feet wide at the top, with 29 feet of water on the sill. The caisson was sent out from England in pieces, and is being built up in the dock. The pumping machinery, which consists of four 13-inch centrifugal pumps driven by two horizontal engines, was made at Akunoura. I was sorry to see this dock so completely cut off from the engineering establishment; a better site existed close to the latter. Opposite the dock, on the other side of the harbour, at Koski, there is a patent hauling-up slip, also belonging to the government, which is capable of taking on vessels of 1600 tons (gross tonnage). It was built about eleven or twelve years ago by Mr. T. B. Glover of Nagasaki, but was afterwards bought over by the government. At the slip they had orders for building two small coasting steamers for private owners, and one large steamer for the mining department. These three departments are under the control of one director, Mr. Watanabi, and the head office is at Akunoura. The government appeared to me to have a very valuable young officer in the person of Mr. F. R. Storie, the superintending engineer. England Missionary Society, who, with Mrs. Andrews, came out in the same ship as ourselves from Suez. They were good enough to show us the little new church and schools in which they hope to labour for years to come in educating, in more ways than one, such of the resident Japanese adults and children as may be willing to receive their instructions and ministrations. It would be well if missionary authorities could always obtain such services as theirs, which, I feel confident, will be conducted with a wise regard to the exceptional, and often trying, conditions under which they have to work. Their church buildings and residence are situated on the western side of the old Dutch settlement of Deshima (where I am afraid the Dutch did not always set a very Christian example), commanding a beautiful view down the harbour, between the blooming hills on either side of it. Fortunately Pappenberg, down the steep sides of which the Japanese Christians were hurled into the sea by thousands two hundred and fifty years ago, is not within their homeview, and I hope they will not remember too often that it was at Nagasaki that Christians were before their time crucified. May they and their present work prosper ! We embarked at Nagasaki at midnight on Friday, 14th of February, in the Tokio Maru, one of the fine steamers of the Japanese company known as the Mitsu Bishi Steamship Company. The accommodation in these steamers, the largest of which run between Yokohama and Shanghai through the Inland Sea, is excellent, and the speed of the Tokio Maru was most satisfactory. Leaving the harbour at 1 A.M. on the 15th, we were at Shimonoséki by two o'clock the following afternoon, and at Kobé at noon next day, learning, as we passed on to the anchorage, that the projecting land which shelters the bay of Hiogo and Kobé is artificial, having been formed six hundred years ago. We also had a good opportunity, on this bright day of warm sunshine, of observing the fortifications and the lighthouse. Soon after two o'clock we were in a railway train en route for the ancient and historic castled city of Osaka-great for both its military and its commercial importance. 136 JAPAN. [CHAP. VI. Osaka is one of the three largest cities of Japan, having a population of over 600,000 persons. By the courtesy of the governor, Mr. Watanabé, I was able to observe the growth of this city from its foundation up to the present time in a series of maps which have been preserved, and lately reproduced. It is said to have been near the site of Osaka that the first and, as many suppose, the mythic Mikado Jimmu-Tenno landed on his progress eastward, and near here also that he was defeated and induced to reconsider his purposes. By means of suitable consultations and ceremonies, he ascertained that the sun-goddess was displeased with his continual advances eastward, instead of moving, like the sun, the other way, and he prudently turned in a different direction. It was here that Nobunaga, towards the close of the sixteenth century, not only besieged his Buddhist enemies in their strongly defended temple, but gave to the sword some thousands of people, of both sexes and all ages, and sent a boatload of their ears and noses as a caution to the remaining defenders, who ultimately gave way to him. Upon the improvement of this city, as upon that of Kioto, the great Taiko (Hideyoshi) afterwards set to work, deepening the river, digging canals, and building the immense castle which has long been so famous, and the strengthening of which is said to have engaged his last thoughts. It was in this castle that Iyéyasu, the first of the Tokugawa Shoguns, besieged the Taiko's son, Hidéyori, in the year 1615, burning the citadel, and slaying Hidéyori and thousands of his supporters. It was from Osaka, in January 1868, that the last Tycoon, Keiki, started for the great battles near Kioto which determined the fate of the empire and assured to Japan its present form of government, and it was to Osaka Castle that his beaten and shattered army retreated for dear life, only, however, to burn its citadel and to finally flee from it before the victorious forces of the Mikado. |