Some Public Celebrations.

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CHAPTER VIII.

SOME PUBLIC CELEBRATIONS.

Visit to the College of Government Ministers-H. E. Iwakura-Incidents in his History-H. I. H. Prince Higashi-Fushimi-General Ôtori-A Collation-A Droll Official-Opening of the College by H.I.M. the Mikado-Great Preparations-His Majesty's Appearance-Presentation-This contrasted with similar Ceremony in Kämpfer's Time-Changes in Court Ceremonial accompanied by no Diminution of Loyalty-H.I. M. the Kôgô and her Ladies-in-Waiting-A Graduation — Jollity — Illumination at Uyeno-Japanese and European Music-Ancient Dances at the Imperial Academy of Music-Assassination of H.E. Ôkubo, Minister of the Interior-A State Funeral-Story of Ôkubo and the Kariyasu Tunnel-Entertainment to General Grant-The Rising Sun and the Stars and Stripes-Fête Champêtre at Uyeno -Lavish Hospitality-Brilliant Festivities-Dinner to Professor Nordenskjöld-Changes in Ladies' Etiquette.

ON the 6th of May, 1877, the college was visited by all the government ministers then in Tôkiyô (the others having gone with the Mikado to Kiyôto, on account of the Satsuma rebellion), the vice-ministers, first secretaries, etc., about forty or fifty in all. The chief of these were, - Mr Iwakura, Vice-Premier; Prince Higashi Fushimi-no-Miya, a near relative of the Mikado; Mr Terashima, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr Oki, Minister of Justice; Mr Tanaka, Vice-Minister of Education; Mr Sameshima, ViceMinister of Foreign Affairs; Mr Yamaô,Vice-Minister

of Public Works; General Saigô, brother of the leader of the insurgents; General Ôtori, Chief Commissioner of the College,-etc.

H.E. Iwakura is recognized as one of the most able statesmen of new Japan. The Mikado was so impressed with his services in connection with the Restoration, that in 1871 he accorded him the unprecedented honour of a personal visit. On that occasion H.I.M. is reported to have thus addressed Iwakura: Ever since the restoration of our imperial authority to the pristine splendour of our ancestors, you have laboured earnestly and successfully, day and night, in the administration of the affairs of our kingdom. You have spared no toil and known no fatigue in our service, and it is to you, under the favour of the gods, that we owe the flourishing condition of our kingdom. As a special mark of our favour, we have departed from the usual etiquette and visited you in person, to thank you for your services.' Iwakura was head of the Japanese embassy to America and Europe in 1871. On his return in 1872 he took an important part in opposing the project for the invasion of Korea, foreseeing financial ruin as the inevitable consequence of a declaration of war. For his attitude on this and other questions, notably that of the commutation of the Samurai pensions, he incurred the hostility of a section of the people, and on January 14th, 1873, a

An Attempted Assassination.

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desperate attempt was made on his life by nine free-lances, eight from Tosa and one from Satsuma. It was evening, and His Excellency was just returning from an interview with the Mikado at the imperial palace, Akasaka, when his carriage was stopped just outside the castle moat opposite the palace. The coachman and bettô were in an instant cut down, and the carriage was pierced with sword and spear thrusts. Iwakura received only a slight wound, however, and succeeded in leaping down the steep embankment into the moat, where under cover of the darkness and among the sedgy grass he lay concealed until danger was past. His Excellency is an elderly man of medium height for a Japanese, and with a grave and intellectual cast of countenance.

H.I.H. Prince Higashi Fushimi is a man of very prepossessing appearance, very much more so than his relative the Mikado. He has spent several years in Europe, and with his moustache and side. whiskers is so like a European, that on one occasion, it is said, his own countrymen mistook him for one, and the police would not allow him to pass to his place of honour near the Mikado, until some one who knew him interceded.

General Ôtori is hardly less Europeanized. His present position is an indication of the praiseworthy clemency shown by the imperial party to

the partisans of the Shôgun. Ôtori was one of those who made a last stand for the house of Tokugawa at Hakodate in Yezo.

But it is unnecessary to dwell further on the histories, remarkable as many of them have been, of the men who now visited the college dressed in the European attire, civil, military, or naval, of new Japan.

The first item of the day's programme was a baloon ascent, conducted by the students in the recreation grounds. This proved a complete success. Then our visitors commenced their inspection of the college, beginning with the general drawingoffice, passing through the various special drawingoffices, the class-rooms, the library and common hall, the dormitory and kitchen, and then sitting down in the lower hall of the museum to witness experiments in Natural Philosophy conducted and lectured upon in Japanese by some of the best students, who in doing so showed wonderful selfpossession and fluency. An inspection of the different museums followed, after which, the hour being half-past twelve, an adjournment was made to the buildings of the Public Works Department, across the moat, where luncheon was laid for the visitors and college staff. In the absence at Kiyôto of Mr Itô, Minister of Public Works, Mr Yamaô, Vice-Minister, presided. The luncheon was entirely

in Western style. The food was abundant and of excellent quality, there being a profusion of fancy cakes, ice-cream, and wines, such as champagne and sauterne. I noticed that the Japanese seemed very fond of cigars, many of them observing a practice not only allowable but universal at their feasts, by taking a handful with them as they left. We were treated with marked consideration and hospitality, Mr Yamaô and Mr Ôtori, the principal hosts, personally seeing that we were attended to.

Our refreshment over, and a few of the Japanese having got somewhat purple in the face (as is often the case with them, even when they take only a few sips of our wine), a visit was paid to the School of Fine Arts attached to the Public Works Department, and due notice taken of the wonderful progress in drawing, painting, and sculpture, made by the students of both sexes under their Italian professors. Our next movement was to the Chemical Laboratory at the College, where some experiments were shown and described by students. With handkerchiefs displayed, and coughing violently, the company filed out of this abode of choking gases, the booms of some explosions still ringing in their ears, and marched into the workshop.

Here my centre of gravity was completely disturbed. An old soldier who had for some time been cutting rather a comical figure with about an

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