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averring their conviction that the English would never play a second act of the Russian embassy. Indeed one might almost suspect, were not the matter a point so important in Japanese estimation, and the consequences of the unlawful entrance of the English ships so suicidal, that the whole affair had been simply nayboen. But, as before said, this is not the place for discussing the question as mooted between Sir S. Raffles and Opperhoofd Doeff; and the subject may be dismissed with the expression of the wish, that the publication of the president's Recollections may induce some one who possesses, or has access to, the requisite knowledge of the facts, to give a British statement of them to the world.

In 1814, Heer Cassa again appeared at Dezima as appointed opperhoofd, bringing tidings of the great events of 1813 in Europe, especially of the Dutch insurrection in behalf of the House of Orange, and the consequent prospect of the immediate restoration of the Dutch colonies by England. Sir S. Raffles and Heer Cassa probably expected that this information would remove all Heer Doeff's patriotic objections to follow the fate of his lawful superior, Governor Jansens, and obey orders from Batavia, as of old. But Doeff still professed disbelief, and recurring to the measures of the preceding year, inforced compliance by the same threats then employed. He was now

energetically aided by the interpreters, whose lives would be inevitably forfeited should their previous complicity be discovered.

This year, however, Heer Cassa was less unprepared for the conflict-he counter-manoeuvred; and had he engaged no lady-domestics from the tea-houses, might possibly have triumphed. He gained over two of the confidential interpreters, and negotiated through them, although not the disclosure replete with danger to all, yet the procuring from the court of Yedo a refusal of Doeff's request for leave to remain. But some of the women in Cassa's service were Doeff's spies; from them he learned what was going forward, and by threatening the interpreters to lay the whole truth, at all hazards, before the Governor of Nagasaki, he carried his point, and again sent away his appointed successor. Sir S. Raffles did not apparently think it worth while, under the circumstances, to renew an attempt, in which even success could no longer promise permanent advantage to England. He sent no more ships; and as some time elapsed ere a Dutch government was reestablished and in full action in Java, Heer Doeff paid the price of his victory in another interval of years without trade, emoluments, or European comforts. It was not till 1817 that Dutch vessels brought him a Dutch-appointed successor, Heer Blomhoff.

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All that need be added, upon the subject of these attempts, is, that Japan now possesses interpreters understanding English and Russian as well as Dutch, and that, since the year 1830, these interpreters are, according to Siebold, stationed at different points all round the external coast, in preparation for the possible approach of any strange ship. It seems something singular that in Dr. Parker's account of his repulse in 1837, these interpreters are not mentioned; unless we are to suppose that they might be present, but finding Mr. Gutzlaff perform their part, thought it politic to conceal their own knowledge of English, thus preventing the cautious restraint which their presence would otherwise have imposed upon the strangers. If this were the case, they might thus discover the missionary scheme, and hence the virulence of the hostile attack, without the vessel having been first ordered away—the usual milder course.

Dr. Siebold speaks of squabbles in his time with English whalers, that necessarily or unnecessarily violated the Japanese harbours. Yet, as it appears that some of these very offending whalers have since been supplied with wood and water, it may be hoped that the bitterness of animosity to England has subsided, unless revived by Dr. Parker's missionary views, as it must still and ever be difficult for the Japanese to dis

tinguish between English and Americans, without the assistance of the Dutch, which will of course not be given, when the withholding it can help to exclude a commercial rival.

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CHAPTER XI.

LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, AND SCIENCE OF JAPAN.

The language original. —Grammar.— Alphabet. - Variety of written characters.-Their several uses.-Printing.—Books. – Geography. — History. - Moral philosophy. - Encyclopædias.-Poetry.- Specimens.-Science. -Medical.—Acupuncture and moxa-burning.-Astronomy.- Whimsical measurement and division of time.-Cycles.—Year.Hours of the day and night.-Odd system of numbering them.-Cloaks.— Civil engineering and mechanics.

THE Japanese language was long supposed to be, if not a mere dialect of the Chinese, yet as closely connected therewith as the Italian and Spanish languages are with each other, or with their common parent, the Latin. This supposition, not based upon the study of the two languages, was probably deduced from the fact, that the Japanese understood written, though not spoken, Chinese, whilst the Chinese reciprocally understood Japanese, when written in the Chinese character- one of the many used in Japan: a circumstance which, though startling at first sight,

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