INTRODUCTION.
IEWED in any of its aspects, the
Empire of Japan has long presented
to the thoughtful mind an
object of uncommon interest.
And this interest has been greatly
increased by the mystery with
which, for the last two centuries,
an exclusive policy has sought to
surround the institutions of this
remarkable country. The curiosity
of Christendom has been on
the alert ; and the several votaries
of various pursuits have naturally
longed to add more to the little
that is known of this self-isolated
Kingdom.
The political inquirer, for instance, has wished to study in detail the
form of government, the administration of laws, and the domestic institutions,
under which a nation systematically prohibiting intercourse with the
rest of the world has attained to a state of civilization, refinement, and
intelligence, the mere glimpses of which so strongly invite further investigation.
The student of physical geography, aware how much national characteristics
are formed or modified by peculiarities of physical structure in every
country, would fain know more of the lands and the seas, the mountains and
the rivers, the forests and the fields, which fall within the limits of this
almost terra incognita.
The naturalist asks, what is its geology, what are its flora and fauna ?
The navigator seeks to find out its rocks and shoals, its winds and currents,
its coasts and harbors.