e furniture is
of the simplest description. It consists of a thick mat spread on the
plank floor, on which the people sit cross-legged; a table, a few
stools, and a teapot, with some cups, and a few mugs and saucers. Their
food is chiefly rice and sweet potatoes, animal food being only used by
the upper classes. The upper ranks use a variety of soups, sweetmeats,
and cooked and raw vegetables. They are a hard-working people, though
they have their festivals and days of relaxation, when, in open spaces
between the trees, they indulge in their favourite foot-ball and other
athletic sports.

I think what I have given is about the full amount of the information I
obtained. One thing I must observe, that although they are now sunk in
a senseless idolatry, from the mildness of their dispositions, and their
intelligent and inquiring minds, I believe that if Christianity were
presented to them in its rightfully attractive form, they would speedily
and gladly embrace the truth.

As our friend Hatchie Katsie was anxious to return to Japan, Captain
Frankland very gladly undertook to convey him there. He and Chin Chi,
accordingly, once more embarked with us on board the _Triton_.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

OUR VOYAGE TO JAPAN.

Our friend Hatchie Katsie belonged to the commercial town of Hakodadi,
situated in the Straits of Saugar, on the south end of the Japanese
island of Yesso, and before it we found ourselves one bright morning
brought up. The harbour was full of junks of all sizes, coming and
going, proving that a brisk trade must be carried on there. The town
seemed of considerable extent, stretching along the sea-shore for a mile
or more, while many of the streets ran up the sides of a lofty
promontory, at the base of which it stands. The mountains rise directly
behind to an elevation of a thousand feet, their bare summits often
being covered with snow. The slopes are clothed with underwood, while
on the plain below wide-spreading cypresses, maples, plum and peach
trees grow in rich profusion. Altogether the scene is a very
picturesque and beautiful one. From numerous stone quarries the
Japanese have supplied themselves with an abundance of building
materials. The appearance of the town, with its well-constructed sea
walls, bridges, and dikes, showed us that the Japanese must be a very
industrious people, and that they have made considerable advance in
civilisation.

One of the first things which struck u