ed by
the state. The total cost of these roads was $880,000,000.

In Asiatic Turkey the first line was opened between Smyrna and Trianda
on the 24th day of December, 1860. This line was in 1866 extended to
Aiden, and in 1882 to Sarakio. There are at present five lines with a
total extent of 446 miles, all owned by English companies. New lines,
covering in all 3,952 miles, have recently been projected.

The first line in Persia, only seven miles long, and extending from
Teheran to Schah-Abdal-Azzim, was opened on the 25th day of June, 1888.
Another line, from the Caspian Sea to Amol, is now in process of
construction. A line was opened last September between Joppa and
Jerusalem. It is 53 miles in length.

Japan may be said to be already thoroughly familiar with the European
system. The first and principal line was opened on the island of Napon,
between Tokio and Yokohama, on the 14th of October, 1872. Two other
short lines followed in 1874 and 1876, when the total extent of the
Japanese roads was about 135 miles. In 1883 the construction of the
Grand Trunk Railroad, from Tokio to Kioto, was commenced, which line has
been in operation for the past five years. Other lines, aggregating over
400 miles, will soon be opened for traffic. The total extent of road in
operation in 1888 was 580 miles, 310 of which were controlled by the
state, and the remainder by private companies. In 1890 the total number
of miles exceeded 900. The total average cost per mile was $58,000.

No nation has probably opposed the introduction of the railway as
stubbornly as the Chinese. The first railroad, scarcely seven miles
long, was built by an English company near Kaiping to facilitate the
transportation of coal from the mines in that vicinity. In 1886 a
Chinese company purchased this line and has since extended it to
Tientsin, making its present length about eighty-four miles. The Chinese
government has recently authorized the further extension of this line to
Yangchou, a place but a few miles distant from Pekin.

Of the Asiatic islands Java has the largest and oldest railroad system.
On the 10th of August, 1867, the first line was opened between Samarang
and Tangveng. Other coast lines have since been constructed, but
communication is still sadly neglected in the interior. In 1889 there
were operated on the island nearly 800 miles of road, the greater part
being the property of private companies.

A road was opened upon the island of Ceylo