VISIT TO THE JAPANESE WAR VESSEL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 4325, 26 March 1884, Page 2

VISIT TO THE JAPANESE WAR VESSEL.

An Interesting Interview with % Japanese Doctor.

To New Zealanders, as to all' Englishspeaking people, tho matters connected with the Empire of Japan are extremely interesting topics. One of the last nations to adapt itself to the manners and customs of our Western civilisation, the progress made by the Japanese in the arts and sciences is such as to place them on a par in some respects with most of the notions of Western Europe. That a people possessed of a crystallised civilization of their own should be so willing to cast it off and adopt the new manners and customs of an alien race is exceedingly strange, b„_ the success they have achieved in their endeavours to " walk the diamond ridge " of a higher culture, cannot but prove puzzling to the most recondite ethnologist. The wonderful power of acquiring and retaining knowledge.andtheeosewithwhichtheyadap* themselves to new conditions of life, show that there are excellences in the Mongolian character that comparatively few are inclined to concede. Despite tho interest felt by Europeans concerning these Anglicised Asiatics, the information respecting them at the disposal of the average reader is very meagre,and as yesterday afternoontwo of our representatives stepped on boarda"trim built wherry " for the purpose of paying a visit to the Japanese man-o'-war now lying in our harbour,they experienced some of the eager anticipatory sensations of the explorer of a terra incognita, or the investigator who stands on the threshold of the discovery of a new science. Otfr Reception. The approach of the boat to the ship's side was viewed with interest from the deck t>f the vessel; almond eyes set in oval faces peered eagerly upon us from the open portholes, from which also frowned the threatening muzzles of the great iron dogs of war, while an assemblage of uniforms on the quarter-deck afforded evidence of the facfe that the officers were prepared to accord a. reception to any visitors. As we mount thes gangway, the sailors on duty hastily muster in two ranks, and a petty officer, with a courtesus bow, comes forward and receives our card. He returns in a few minutes with a personage of higher rank who announces himself as a ward-room officer, and informs v. that the captain is absent, bet says the doctor will be happy to receive ue. We are' escorted to the officers quarters, and are ushered into the principal cabin, where Doctor C. Ao-ti awaits us. He is apparently about 35 years of age, pleasant-featured, with an intellectual lookandvery affable manner. His neat uniform sets off his figure to advantage, ond a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles imparts a scholarly look to his face. Hs receives us with a low bow, motions us to a seat beside him at a table covered -with a cloth stiff With gold and silver threads, while at the same time a youthful attendant places cigars and wine before ns. Everything about the cabin betokened great neatness and cleanliness, with quite a European regard to comfort. We open the purpose of our mission, and the doctor smiles and offers to place at our disposal any information in his power. Possibilities of Trade With New Zealand. The conversation was first directed to the possibilities of the opening of a trade between thi_ colony and Japan, and the doctor, forseeing tho necessity of fortifying himself with some statistical authorities, recalls his attendant with the English summons "Boy," which was perfectly understood, and in tho Japanese language gave him his instruction. The result was the production of a pile of volumes neatly bound and clearly printed in Chinese character. Our curiosity being aroused by the introduction of the familiar term "boy," the doctor smilingly informs ns that for purposes of convenience Japanese have thought ib prudent to make use of a large number of technical English words in their Army and navy. Plunging into medias res, the . doctor informs _s that

Bice and Wheat

! are the staple cereals of the country, andf that the quantity of the latter product grown formed a proportion of about one* * third of the wheat. He did not think that there was any probability of Japan exporting wheat in large quantities, as the borne consumption swallowed up the wheat supply. Eice, however, was produced in very large quantities, and formed the national food of the people, and doubtless if a remunerative market could be found for it elsewhere, there would _b» scope for a payable trade. Its selling price in Japan was about two and a-half dollars (American> per bushel. The growth of tobacco was also pretty general, but as it differed in some essential respects from the> kinds which Europeans favoured, he did not think tho Japanese article would please our taste. It had a much smaller leaf than American tobacco, and mig&fc not give the same satisfaction. Upon our remarking incidentally that the_ cigars' placed on the table were evidently not Japanese, he laughingly remarked that they were solely kept for the use of European visitors. He further considered if tirade were to be opened up between tho two countries, the first steps would have to be taken on our part, as the mercantile navy of Japan was rarely found further away from the country than Hong Kong or Shanghai. All the ships of the mercantile -marine > are of European build, the Empero having- issued an odicfc forbidding thr further construction of junks. These vessels aro manned by some six or seven thousand men, and the trade is principally of a coastal cbaracter.thconly other avenues of commerce being with the Chinese ports mentioned, whither silk, tea, fireworks, paper lanterns, lacquer ware, porcelain, and fancy goods genorally aro exported. Twoliiirds of the entire population of the country aro engaged in agricultural pursuits. Army and Navy. The army, on a peace footing, consists of 30,000 troops, officered by the Japaneso themselves, Europeans being employed only in tha arsenals and docks. The officers for both services aro selected by a system of competitive examination, open to all classeß, These examinations of students are held periodically at Tokio, formerly Yeddo, tho capital, and their severity maybe appreciated when it is stated that out of 300 or 400 candidates the average number of those who pass is about 17. They require to have a smattering of English, to be well up in mathematics, and to have a knowledge of Jopanese literature,, besides possessing a good theoretical knowledge of military tactics and manoeuvres or of the science of navigation. The Empire possesses 24 men-o'-war of European construction, three of which i are ironclads, and the rest frigates and'l corvettes. Tho latest of the ironclads was recently constructed by Sir. Edward Reed, and it, as well as the other two ironclads, is armour-plated to a, depth of seven or eight inches of iron. Three of the other men-o'-war were built in Japan. There aro two training vessels in tho navy, the Tsukuba being one of them. She has at present 25 cadets _on board. There are two chief naval docks in Japanone, which was built by a Frenchman, Deing at Yokasuka, and the other, which was built by an Englishman, being atNagasaki. All the war vessels are armed withKrupp guns. The Tsukuba's Mission. The principal object of the Tsukuba's visit to these seas is, of course, for the purpose of training the naval cadets; but a minor purpose is to test the efficiency of tho European system of diet and change of air in the treatment of a peculiar disease known as " kalclx" or "berrt-berrt, which affects the nervous and digestive systems particularly. It results from a too rigid adherence to vegetable diet, and tho principal symptoms aro weakness of digestive action, disorders of tho nerves, palpitation of the heart, and numbness of the legs. This is a slow and wasting disease, but there is also an acute form of it in which death takes place from asphyxia. The authorities have come to the conclusion that the only way to counteract the malady and ensure the health of the people will be to effect a complete revolution in the popular regimen. With this object in view they are making tests with the purpose of showing tho superiority of the European system ofdiet, which includes a due admixture of animal fo.od. The Tsukuba is engaged in one of these tests, the men being served with such food as preserved meat, bread, biscuit, and a littlo rice, whilo they also receive brandy and ruin at the rate of one or two ounces per diem. The health of the men has considerably improved since this diet was adopted, and on . the vessel's return to Japan, means will be token* to acquaint the people at large with the result Of the trial. The leading naval training schools of Japan are established at Yokohama aud Chinagitaa, whither the young students who aro desirous of entering upon a naval career resort for the purpose of completing their studies.

The Govornmest and Hygiene. , Tho Government of the country takes quite a paternal interest in improving the condition and health of the people. Boards of health have been established throughout the country, with a central board at the capital, and effective means are taken by them to prevent the ravages of any epidemic, besides attending to general matters of sanitation. A compulsory system of vaccination was adopted 45 years ago, and since then the Japanese have been almost entirely free from small-pox, which was formerly a terrible scourge. Many of the older people have their faces pock-pitted, but among the younger generation such facial disfigurement is uncommon. Leprosy has obtained a foothold in the country, but the Japanese are far less subject to it than their congeners, the Chinese, whose uncleanly habits and unvaried diet make them cosy victims to such a complaint. Religion, Music, and Literature. The nominal religion of the Japanese is Buddhism, but it is now long since it has been disestablished. There is now no State church in Japan, the power of the priests has greatly diminished, and the people as a body take very little interest in religious matters. The educated classes, however, almost without any exception are pronounced materialists, and refard all forms of religion as superstition, hey keep themselves well abreast of the scientific and philosophical literature of the age, and are extremely well acquainted with the works of John Stewart Mill, Jeremy Bentham, Herbert Spencer, Darwin, Huxley, and Tyndall, whose writings have been translated, and whoso repute is very great throughout the country. They regard Darwin with the highest admiration, and many of them are ardent believers in the doctrine of evolution. The Japanese, although readily adapting themselves to all other European usages and tastes, have not been able to enthuse " worth a cent." over European opera or European music generally. Their idea of music, differs ns essentially from thosewhieh obtain in the Western world as do their standards of beauty from ours. Thoy have a great variety of musical instruments with untranslatable names, amongst which a kind of piano, a three-stringed Euitar, and a species of clarionet appear to imd the moßt favour. Some of the naval and military bands, however, have been trained to a knowledge of European music, andean discourso marches and dance music creditably. Chinese is the classical literature of the country, and the works of Chinese moralists—Confucious and Laot-e —are held in the highest esteem and veneration. The Japanese havo, however, an extensive literature of their own, in which works of fiction play a leading part. They have several large public libraries, and the production of native bcoks seems to be on tlie increase, most of them being very tastefully illustrated. The doctor assured lis that to the Japanese the acquisition of a knowledge of the Chinese language was a far harder task than the learning of English, French, or German. The similarity of the Chinese characters to 'their own, of course, was ono advantage, hut the difficulty lay in the pronunciation, Vhieh was ontirely different in stylo and 'character from that of the Japanese. The drama was established in Japan, und native works wero frequently produced, the performances, however, being more tolerable than those of the Chinese, which frequently extended over a week or two for the production of one play. Medicine. The doctor inquired with a good deal of eagerness if there were any homceopathists located in New Zealand, and asked if that system of treatment found favour amongst the, people. Upon being assured that there were many medical practitioners who followed that system, he expressed greatcontempt fori., sayingthat the homceopathic and Chinese systems of treating disease are much the same. He thought they were both far behind the march, of medical science. There was a very effective 6ystem of training young men to a medical career. They haa to pass severe examinations, show their qualification for tho profession, and give evidence of a knowledge of European medical Bcience. Our report of the remainder of tho interview is unavoidably held over until tomorrow.