fast we had many visitors, and received letters from Sir
Harry and Lady Parkes, inviting us to go up to Yeddo to-morrow for a
long day, to settle our future plans.

Having landed, we went with the Consul to the native town, to see the
curio shops, which are a speciality of the place. The inhabitants are
wonderfully clever at making all sorts of curiosities, and the
manufactories of so-called 'antique bronzes' and 'old china' are two
of the most wonderful sights in Yokohama. The way in which they
scrape, crack, chip, mend, and colour the various articles, cover them
with dust, partially clean them, and imitate the marks and signatures
of celebrated makers, is more creditable to their ingenuity than to
their honesty. Still, there are a good many genuine old relics from
the temples, and from the large houses of the reduced Daimios, to be
picked up, if you go the right way to work, though the supply is
limited. Dealers are plentiful, and travellers, especially from
America, are increasing in numbers. When we first made acquaintance
with the shops we thought they seemed full of beautiful things, but
even one day's shopping, in the company of experienced people, has
educated our taste and taught us a great deal; though we have still
much to learn. There are very respectable-looking lacquer cabinets
ranging in price from 5_s_. to 20_l_. But they are only made for the
foreign market. No such things exist in a Japanese home. A really good
bit of old lacquer (the best is generally made into the form of a
small box, a portable medicine-chest, or a chow-chow box) is worth
from 20_l_. to 200_l_. We saw one box, about three inches square,
which was valued at 45_l_.; and a collection of really good lacquer
would be costly and difficult to procure even here. The best specimens
I have ever seen are at Lady Alcock's; but they are all either royal
or princely presents, not to be bought with money. The tests of good
lacquer are its exquisite finish, its satiny, oily feel, and the
impossibility of making any impression on it with your thumb-nail. It
is practically indestructible, and will wear for ever. All the poor as
well as the rich people here use it, and have used it for centuries,
instead of china and glass, for cups, saucers, dishes, bowls, which
would need to be often washed in the hottest of water. It is said that
the modern Japanese have lost the art of lacquer making; and as an
illustration I was told that many beautiful articles