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who is his lieutenant or generalissimo. Following the Tycoon comes the Kokushi, a council of eighteen or twenty-four (the number is uncertain) of the most powerful and wealthy Daimios, or hereditary princes, which apparently takes no active part in the government, but acts as a consultative council in questions of commanding importance. This council is sometimes increased to two hundred or more, forming a great council of state, and exercising the right of removing the Tycoon as well as his ministers and councillors. Next in order comes the Goeregio, or administrative council, consisting of five members of the third class of Daimios, forming the cabinet of the Tycoon. Subordinate to this council is another, of eight members, Daimios of the third and fourth class, with small revenues, Whose functions are purely administrative, Below these again are the Bunios, a very numerous class, and with various functions, as governors, consuls, and secretaries, The lowest class of government offices is filled, not by Daimios, but by vassals directly dependent on the Tycoon.

The Daimios are a very powerful class, some of them having larger revenues and more men-at-arms than the Tycoon himself. Each is practically independent of the Tycoon in his own territory, having the power of life and death over all his dependents and retainers, these numbering sometimes as high as ten thousand. The only way by which the Tycoon retains any semblance of authority over them, is by requiring them to reside, six months in the year, at his capital in Yeddo, within the limits of which he is supreme, and keeping their wives and children as hostages during the remainder of the year.

Their laws are very severe, most crimes being punished with death; and this inflicted. even for slight offences, on the ground that he who would break one law, would equally break another, providing there were a motive. Fines are regarded as repugnant alike to justice and reason, as the rich are thereby freed from punishment. There is one law—of honor, simply—more binding, perhaps, than any statutory law, that 'when the subjects or vassals of one prince affront those of another, the latter would be dishonored, if he did not avenge it.' As a matter of course, this must lead to frequent and interminable quarrels, in order to prevent which, one of the Daimios hit upon a very ingenious and effective plan. He made a law that if one of his retainers felt himself insulted by a subject of another prince, he should be permitted to avenge the insult by slaying his enemy, provided he committed suicide (hara-kiru) immediately after, which proviso was rigorously carried into effect. We can easily believe 'the people generally treated each other with the greatest politeness.'

In regard to their religion, the very little that can be gleaned, leads to the belief that it is not of a very high order. The substance is, that 'the more immediate end they propose to themselves is a state of happiness in this world;' having only a very vague idea of the soul's immortality and a state of future bliss or misery. Even this only exists among the lower orders, the educated classes being generally unbelievers in a future existence, They deify certain great men and sovereigns, and worship foxes as the incarnations of the Evil One.

'A Japanese, quite at his ease, as naturally drops on his knees and squats, with no more solid support to his person than his legs or heels can afford, as an Englishman drops into a chair when he is tired. If the Japanese are on ceremony, then they sink on the mats, resting jointly on heels and knees,' maintaining the uncouth, and, to an European, impossible position for hours without apparent inconvenience. On retiring for the night, 'they throw themselves down full length on the mat, with a little padded rest, just large enough to receive the occiput or the angle of the jaw, and sleep as soundly as the most fastidious with a