schists of the Noui-soak
Peninsula in Greenland, now so bleak.

[Illustration: FOSSIL PLANTS FROM MOGI.
1, 2. Beech Leaves (_Fagus ferruginea_ Ait., var. _pliocena_, Nath.).
3. Maple Leaf (_Acer Mono_, Max., var. _pliocena_, Nath.). ]

[Illustration: FOSSIL PLANT FROM MOGI. Leaf of _Zelkova Keakii_
Sieb., var. _pliocena_, Nath. ]

After our return from Mogi I made an excursion to the coal-mine at
Takasami, situated on an island some kilometres from the town. Even
here I succeeded in bringing together some further contributions to
the former flora of the region.

After the inhabitants of Nagasaki, too, had given us a grand parting
feast, at which speeches were spoken in Japanese, Chinese, English,
French, German, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Danish, and Swedish, a
proof of the mixture of nationalities which prevailed there, the
_Vega_ again weighed anchor on the 27th October, in order to
continue her voyage. We now left Japan to commence in earnest our
return, and on our departure we were saluted by the crews of two
English gun-boats anchored in the harbour, the _Hornet_ and the
_Sylvia_, manning the yards and bulwarks. It was natural that the
hour of departure, after fifteen months' absence from home, should
be looked forward to with joy. But our joy was mixed with a
regretful feeling that we were so soon compelled to leave--without
the hope of ever returning--the magnificent country and noble people
among whom a development is now going on which probably will not
only give a new awakening to the old cultured races of Eastern Asia,
but will also prepare a new soil for European science, industry, and
art. It is difficult to foresee what new undreamed-of blossoms and
fruit this soil will yield. But the Europeans are perhaps much
mistaken who believe that the question here is only that of clothing
an Asiatic feudal state in a modern European dress. Rather the day
appears to me to dawn of a time in which the countries round the
Mediterranean of eastern Asia will come to play a great part in the
further development of the human race.

[Footnote 383: The number of the works which the collection of
Japanese books contains is somewhat over a thousand. The number of
volumes amounts to five or six thousand, most of the volumes,
however, are not larger than one of our books of a hundred pages. So
far as can be judged by the Japanese titles, which are often little
distinctive, the works may be distributed among the various bra