of the curiosities of Kioto written
by a native:--

"Mimisuka, or the grave of the noses and the ears, was
erected by Hideyoshi Taiko, who lived about A.D. 1590. When
the military chiefs of this famous man attacked Corea with
a hundred and fifty thousand soldiers, he gave orders that
they should bring home and show him all the ears and noses
of the enemies who were killed in the contest, for it was
an old practice in Japan to cut off the enemies' heads to
show them to the king or the commander of the army. But it
was now impossible to bring the heads of the dead Corean
warriors to Japan, because the distance was too great.
Hideyoshi therefore gave the above order, and the ears and
noses, which were brought to Japan, were buried together at
that place. The grave is 730 feet in circumference, and is
30 feet high."

Kioto is one of the principal places for the manufacture of
_faience_, porcelain, and _cloisonne_. The productions of the
ceramic art are, as is well-known, distinguished by their tasteful
forms and beautiful colours, and are highly valued by connoisseurs,
on which account they are exported on a large scale to Europe and
America. The works are numerous and small, and are owned for the
most part by families that for a long succession of generations have
devoted themselves to the same occupation. The articles are burned
in very small furnaces, and are commonly sold in a shop which is
close to the place where they are made. The making of porcelain in
Japan, therefore, bears the stamp rather of handicraft than of
manufacturing industry. The wares gain thereby in respect of art to
an almost incredible degree. They have the same relation to the
productions of the great European manufactories that the drawing of
an artist has to a showily coloured lithograph. But the price is
high in proportion, and the Japanese porcelain is too dear for
every-day use even in its own country. Nearly all the large sets of
table porcelain that I saw in Japan were, therefore, ordered from
abroad. The cups which the natives themselves use for rice, tea, and
_saki_ are, however, of native manufacture; but even in a
well-provided Japanese household there is seldom so much porcelain
as would be required for a proper coffee-party at home.

In the evening the Governor had invited us to a dinner, which was
given in a hall belonging to a literary society in the town. The
rooms were pa