a large, lofty, and rather dark room, the emperor having in the meanwhile seated himself in the hall of audience, Sino Cami, and the two commissioners, came and conducted our resident into the emperor's presence, leaving us behind. As soon as he came thither, they cried out aloud, 'Now Horranda Capitan!' which was the signal for him to draw near and make his obeisances. Accordingly, he crawled on his hands and knees to a place showed him, between the presents ranged in due order on one side, and the place where the emperor sat on the other, and then kneeling, he bowed his forehead quite down to the ground, and so crawled backward like a crab, without uttering one single word. So mean and short a thing is the audience we have of this mighty monarch." There is every reason to believe, from the tenacity with which customs, humiliating to foreigners, are adhered to by oriental nations, that this abject practice is still continued. On no such terms

must American freemen ever approach even the most powerful of earthly monarchs, much less one despicable for the denial of all exhibition of manhood to its own subjects, and of sympathy to the unfortunate subjects of other nations.

It is not by crawling backward like a crab, that the favor of semi-barbarous despots is to be secured by our people, nor by unworthy humiliations will the true destiny of our country be accomplished. Sooner or later, either by American, or other agency, Japan must become as free to the commerce of the world, as India long ago became, and must be content to yield obedience to that great law of nations, which the civilized world long ago has recognized.

If you ask a Japanese of what race they are, or whence they came, he will tell you, with great pride, that they are lineally descended from the gods,. and had their origin in the islands which they now inhabit. They consider it an affront to be considered of Chinese origin, though such has long been considered the case, by Europeans. They belong to the great Mongol race, which has peopled so vast a portion of Asia, and much of the eastern portions of Europe. The language and pronunciation of the natives is wholly unlike that of China, whose sounds are a confused noise of many consonants, pronounced with a sort of sing-song accent, very disagreeable to the unaccustomed ear, while the sounds of the former, are sharp, articulate, and distinct. The religion of the two countries widely differ. Though Buddhism is now established in both, it is of modern date, while the original religion of the Japanese, by them called sintoo, is peculiar to their own country, and bears no resemblance to the ancient belief of the Chinese. Beside, the Japanese say, that they received Buddhism, not from China, but from Corea.

There are, also, striking differences of physical conformation. The Japanese bear a stronger resemblance to Europeans, and their eyes are not so deeply set in their heads, as the Chinese. Though well-made, and possessed of stout limbs, they are not so strong as Europeans. Their eyes are oblong, their hair black, thick, and shining, their noses are rather thick and short, and their complexion yellowish. The Japanese are a stronger, hardier, and braver race than the Chinese. A Japanese dressed in European costume, might easily pass for a Portuguese, or Southern Italian, or Sicilian. The

higher classes are tall and handsome, in figure and countenance, and are much more like Europeans than Asiatics. The habits of the Japanese, also, differ from those of the Chinese in many of their customs and ways of life, as in eating, drinking, sleeping, dressing, shaving of the head, saluting, sitting, and in other respects.

While the Chinese are peaceable, timid, and much given to a contemplative way of life, cunning, suspicious, greedy, and addicted to fraud and usury, the Japanese are quick, and volatile, daring, fond of an active, exciting life, frank, liberal, and open-hearted, having many of the virtues of the nomadic tribes. They are divided into eight classes, princes, nobles, priests, soldiers, civil officers, merchants, artisans, and laborers. These pursuits are all hereditary, the son succeeds the father, and no degree of merit can elevate him above his class. Women, however, occupy a higher position than is awarded them in any other oriental country. Prudent and skillful as housekeepers, and remarkable for their fidelity, they are the companions, and not the slaves, of man. Skill in the guitar is an invariable accomplishment. Prostitution, however, is carried to a horrid extent, and so little discredit is attached to the occupation, that it is no barrier to admission into the most reputable society.

The government of Japan is peculiar. In addition to the secular Emperor, there is an ecclesiastical one, who occupies the highest place in the veneration of the whole people, while the former possesses all the substantial power. The Dairi, or sacred ruler, claims authority both by inheritance, and by divine right. They are regarded as the representatives of the gods upon earth, and like gods they are worshiped. Thoroughly despotic, they are never addressed by their subjects but on bended knees. To preserve this feeling of holy veneration in the minds of the people, they are obliged to do, or to forbear, many things which seem to us the height of absurdity. Thus, the Dairi must never set his foot to the ground; wherever he goes he must be borne upon the shoulders of others he must never expose his sacred person to the air, nor must the sun ever be permitted to shine upon his head. Even the hair of his head, and the nails of his hands, are too holy to be trimmed.

But to escape the filthiness to which such a habit would expose him, in common with less holy mortals, the device is resorted to, of stealing away his hair and nails, when they become too long, in his sleep, and this is not regarded as derogatory to his sacred dignity. His food must always be dressed in new pots, and served in new dishes, which, though very clean and neat, are made of common clay, in order to avoid expense; for they are generally broken after being once used, as it is thought diseases of the mouth and throat would follow their use, by a layman. The same is believed of the clothing of the Dairi, and that pain all over the body would ensue, if a common person should venture to wear them.

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Women can sit on the throne of the ecclesiastical the female reigns of Japan, have been celebrated; indeed, a preference seems to exist in behalf of women. When a Dairi dies, the council select whomsoever they may regard as the nearest heir, without regard to age or sex. Sa

monotonous, however, is the life of the ecclesiastical emperor, and so destitute of real power, that resignations of the office have not been infrequent. Though allowed a wife, twelve concubines, plenty of pipes for smoking, music, poetry, and opportunities for study, yet this shadow of sovereignty could not give content.

The Cuboe, or temporal Emperor of Japan, is in theory an absolute monarch; but in practice his authority is restricted, by that law of custom and usage which tyrannizes equally over the ruler, and over his subjects. The provinces, also, are ruled, not by satraps appointed and removed at pleasure, but by princes, once warlike and independent, and only reduced after a hardstruggle, to bend to the will of a conqueror. Thus, they form a sort of feudal aristocracy, residing in strongly-fortified castles, but have no right to meet in council, nor any legal control over the actions of the monarch. They retain, however, lofty sentiments of independence, to guard against which, the most rigorous precautions are taken. They are compelled to leave the greater part of their family at court, as hostages, and to reside there themselves, for a great part of the year. When discovered in plots against the government, or even suspected of them, death is the invariable penalty, and the only mitigation ever granted, is that of being permitted to inflict it by their own hands.

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An old Dutch sailor, who has written upon Japan, has said that "there are twelve religions in Japan, and eleven of them are forbidden to eat meat. Liberty of conscience, as far as it does not interfere with the interests of ernment, or affect the peace and tranquillity of the empire, was allowed, until the success of the Portuguese Jesuits alarmed the authorities, and caused severe enactments to be made against the propagation of Christianity. Even now it exists, to a remarkable extent, with that single exception; Sintooism, the ancient religion of Japan, has in a good measure been supplanted by Buddhism, the prevailing faith of Asia.

Sects abound, and as a proof of the tolerance granted them, the following anecdote may be told: When in the early part of the seventeenth century, the priests of all the different sects concurred in a petition to the reigning emperor, to expel the Jesuits, and other Roman monks from Japan; the prince, annoyed by their importunities, inquired how many different religions there were in Japan? Thirty-five, said the priests. "Well," said the Emperor, "where thirty-five religions can be tolerated, we can easily bear with thirty-six; leave the strangers in peace." If it be asked, whence this tolerance originates, and by what it is maintained, it may be replied, that worshipers of all denominations, in Japan, acknowledge one superior, in the Dairi, or spiritual emperor. Regarded as the representative of God upon earth, he is, himself, an object of worship, and as such, he protects, equally, all whose object is to venerate the Deity, the mode of their doing so being indifferent to him.

Every Japanese possesses the right of changing his religious faith, except to Christianity, as often as he pleases, and no one troubles himself to inquire into his reasons for doing so. Indeed, it not unfrequently happens, that the members of one family belong to different sects, nor does this difference of belief disturb the domestic harmony. Could the Japanese be made to appreciate

the difference between the Romish and the reformed faith, and especially, could they be satisfied, that no project of conquest, or annexation, was connected with missionary exertions, it is not improbable that Protestant missionaries might gain admittance to the country, and exert a wide influence over a people, who need only a better religious faith to make them a highly civilized and powerful nation.

Among the eight classes, into which the people of Japan are divided, there is one class regarded as so base as not to be set down in the list; they are the very Pariahs of Japan. All tanners, curriers, leather-dressers, and, indeed, every man connected in any way with the manufacture of leather, or its sale, lies under this prejudice. They are compelled to live in villages by themselves, or in detached huts. The census of the empire never enumerates them. Entrance to all taverns, tea-houses, and places of public amusement, is prohibited them. When traveling, and in want of refreshments, they must wait patiently outside, and be served in their own dishes, as no one would eat or drink from a vessel which had been polluted by the use of any of this despised class. They also serve as public executioners, and jailers, in most parts of the empire. It is conjectured that this contempt for a particular occupation, results from the Sintoo doctrine of defilement by contact with any dead body.

Though there is no such thing, in Japan, as a code of laws, edicts are issued from time to time, expressed in the most concise terms, which are made public by the magistrates assembling the people, and reading aloud the new law, by circulating printed copies, and by posting them in great numbers in public places. As most of the people can read, this is an effectual mode of promulging the laws. The penalties are severe, generally, being death to the offender, and not unfrequently, to his family. Homicide of every kind, is invariably punished with death. When imprisonment is the punishment, the wealth or poverty of the criminal makes no difference in his treatment. Should the friends of an offender of rank wish to supply him with better food than the prison allowance, it can be done, only on condition that they furnish every other prisoner with food of the same quality.

Japan is rich in metals; gold and silver are found in immense quantities. In sixty years, while the commerce of the country was open to Europeans, it is supposed that from two to three hundred millions of dollars, in gold and silver, were exported from these islands. But what is of the greatest im portance to our countrymen, is the mineral coal which abounds in the country. and without access to which, the great chain of steam navigation which is to encircle the world, cannot be completed. This is indispensable to the new mode in which trade is developing itself, and no great regard can be due to a nation which isolates itself from the rest of the world, while possessing the means of contributing largely to the wealth of other nations, and to the general happiness of mankind.

SKETCH of Switzerland-Mountainous Character-Glaciers-Avalanches-Lakes-ValleysHistory Social condition-Watch Making-Free Trade-Swiss Melodies-Scenes around Lucerne Beauty of this region-Lake of Lucerne-The Story of William Tell-Pictorial Bridges-The Swiss Guards-Heroism of Arnold de Winkelreid--Slide of Alpnach-Ascent of the Righi-Extraordinary glory of the view-Catastrophe of Goldau.

SWITZERLAND, in size, is a little less than the two states of Vermont and New Hampshire. It is a very high and rugged country, and is traversed by ramifications of the Alps and Jura mountains. The word Alp, signifies a mountain. The immense masses of these mountain regions exhibit a perfect chaos, and present on all sides inaccessible rocks, and everlasting snows. The intervening valleys, however, contain extensive districts, fertile and beautiful, and forming a singular contrast with the mountains that overshadow, and seem ready to overwhelm them. The gradations of animal and vegetable life, are singularly marked at different elevations; and the vine, the oak, the beech, and the fir, rapidly succeed each other, until from