ABSTRACT
The Japanese farmer holds his estate by a sort of copyhold tenure. The same glebe descends from father to son uninterruptedly so long as the rental is paid, and where adoption gives all, or nearly all, the rights of birth, the farmer need never be without a legitimate heir. As a class the farmers have in Japan the same comparative good repute for a quiet and order-loving people; too public virtue is supposed to reside in rustic bosoms. The ratification by the Mikado, which consists of an order to the Tycoon to execute the treaties, was not obtained without some delay and difficulty. The foreign representatives conducted their negotiations with the Tycoon's ministers, and not directly with any representatives of the Mikado. A native friend from Yedo reports that the forced loan tax levied by the Government has excited much opposition on the part of the smaller tax payers.
