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News dealer inoiiie qHAS- C. MORSE, Publisher. i Week! j Journal of Local and General News; Devoted to the Interests of Lamoille County. TERMS il,MZ" J"rir pMiti im.' I -- KIOTO lt-.O0ilnt la Advmnoe. volume ,n HYDE PA11K, LAMOILLE COUNTY, VERMONT, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER , IS?4. Numlwr M. i6! u ACj Lamoille Newsdealer : ADVERTISING RATES. I Column, no year, 1 180 , ill month, C0; three ...till Jii monln, ?Vo!)iii un" 6"' ix s-"".i " nhi iiJi on iDjath. $10. J.(,,laii. .in year, " i ' nthi, $M, three a-.ene year. l-t tlx Bnts.$IO-t:,re. tht ii on month, $3 BoVia'ess Cards on tint pa.-, l per line, a year -rTf LVi" "'and Estrays. ll.S0.ae pri)!tenolios, Sl.riOeaoh. notion, 'Ooents par Use for ens, two three insertions. ,"nur- notices ftveeentsporllna. If m as i m Cardn. Attorneys. v H H. KKNK1KI.B. Attorney at Law. Solicitor In Chanoery, and A ' Claim Afent. HYDE PARK VT. Oflloe over Noyei Bros. 8tore. HREttTA. JUMSI. Attornoy at Law, and Muter In Chancery, Morrlsvlile, Vt. elections and all business trusted to him will l 0IR .7 . -..-...I.J ,.. ln..,ni,nAi,r ill tin. I. llClathe best Stock and Mutual Ooinpaulos. f.liw!?" office with Hot. Ilendee. ejM S. i. BUCBA, VTrOHNEY AND COUNSELOR AT LAW, K'sex Junction, Vt. BUlOHAl WATKKMA3, Attorneys at Law and Solicitors in Chancry, ll.do Park, Vt. .1 ... ,a (kAMtllMnt.lnti.tf nil Particular intwiinwu w " , l,l,0, .gainst the Uovurnmont, widow's. Invalid md other ponsions, bounties, back-pay, o WAIDO BlUUHA.. , w. IIKNDKK, ,, ..,. , Attorney at Law w oi Morrlsville, Vt OiTloo over 6. P. Hardy's "tore POffKUSAWLKKD, i..--.. AtUirneys ai taw anu o"i,i,i ..on.j, . . . i. t tu,.a nl.tma frtr mn,lonR. SranoeC, .Etna Ins. Co., Home, Phrenix and twenty oilier oiuiiim'o". 'H'""' OIJco socond story of l-ownr. ' U lead's Block, oor- 31 111 It I U1 blMIIU a. I.O.HKATII. .-.,..., ... Attorney al Law ana acm-nir n "jlinson, Vt, Also warolalm Aaent Physicians. DR. C. A. ,ACIK,3EOPATni8T. Mnn-isvlllo, Vt. Office at trfbrefidenooo' Win. i.uu ng. U.JI.L. POWKItS. v. UJU jrinin;!, tiiiiin""i -iHo.atthe residence of Mrs. H. M. Parmitlco. GROUT, . Woloott. VI. , gl I 1 v . i .v rt uv.tww-... ill DAUI BASDALL. PH v'siClAN AND SURGEON, r.- - 4, LI T)aatfli(nM nil Main street. Will prutioo In Hyae Park and vicinity. ECLECTIC PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON, Office at his ieUonoe,t!.ree douis from tlio Church. Dentists. DENTIST, (vt , m f Thelrsttwo wooks of every month ,1 shall beat myroumsin CnrahrldL. Bore', V t,. and there mnlmlor of each month at Johnson, Vt. Nitrous Oxide Oas aiven wned desired. i t. H. UILBEKT SURGEON DENTIST, Morrisvllle, Vermont. Wliroeas ?ood work will he furnished at reason il"e prices, as can be obtained any '''' 8Uw. And shall hcreatter keep iny olTiee on duriujetbo FIRST TUN DAVS OlF EACH MONTH, wtshallb away from home more or less ol the roniainder of the time. . I have ALL the M.idern Improvements, and war rant entire satlsfaotionin all eases, or no pay will berecinlrod. f. W. J. PECk, DENTIST, Johnson, Vermont. Natural loeth put in the best state of presorva tlo "diseases of the Bnms 'f'''Vttt2' ArtiMal teeth mdo In every style known to the rofission. Deputy Sheriffs and Aucllsmeers. D. C. II A RUT, .,, . Dsnuty Sheriff, Auctioneer and Livery Keopor, Morrisvllle, Vermont. Prompt attention te huslnessls guarttntecd.(7yi) liDEPUTV SI1ER1FF and AUCTIONEER, Hyde Park. Vermont, ralthful attention will be paid to all bnsiaoss )f this nature. Dsputy SheritT, Auctioneer and Deteotive, Hyde P.irk, Vermont. All culls promptly attonded to. Hotels. U. U.8AXDY, Proprietor, Jolmsjon, Vt. Stajes stop at this house, titrlct attentien paw totlie waatsof tuusts. FAIRFAX lieiSE, ,T- S FAIRFAX. VT., W. W. FJSS, Proprietor. Oood Livery Connuoted SHAH'S H0TF.L, Stowe(LowerVIUa2e,)Vt.,- DANIELUHVM, Proprietor. All who stop at this house are ssre of ttlnK Hood interta.a nent.' Conveyance to any PBrt",tn onntrycan be had at shortnotioe, and Dan. will do his best to please his guests. Uinntt'if'if iifkTL, - . ; - hUENNAN BIVOs'., Proprietors. Ilardwlek. Vt. i no nunn nu neon rnoroos;niy re ' feyanoe to hny partof the uountryftt short notio MIscAlltntous. SUl-l KTONE, BLACKSMITH. Hyde Park, Vt. ' All wsrk wsrrantod. Espeelal attention paid to rns shoeing In diffloult eases, sneh as the different lucritsakno! Is heir to. Uive him a call. SAPFOItD'H Stesm mil I the place to buy the best Bent relloes there Is f S: aim. Kave trouzht. Ladders, Fenoe Raili . en, Clothes Pins and all kinds of Turned ",'fk. uits-n done to order. Maohlne OH tut Bis. Orders solicited and prompt attention given. yl I. M. 8AFFJRO, Cambridge, Vt. THBCLAREMONT MANUFACTUR INU COMPANY. CLAREMONT. N. H., "wsfactursrs of Paper and Baoki Stereotypers, Job Hook Bindorsatid Printers. Solicit ToosObdibs ' any thing undsr th Bbots heads, ABDOrriR ' fur Old Jttgt ni P'P Poetry, THE OLD HOME. IT WILL WALLACE BAIKIT. An out-door quiet held the earth Beneath the winter moon, The cricket chirped in coij mirth. And the kettle crooned, upon the hearth, A sweet, old-fashioned tune. The old clock ticked, a drowsy race, With the clickiug of the cricket, And red coals in the chimnev-place Peeped out, with many a roe- face, Like berries in a thicket The onine's arm empty, stuck out stiff, And tinware on the shelves Twinkled and winked at every gliff, la the flickering fire-light, as if They whispered to themselves. The good dame, lu her 'ruffled cap, Counted her stitches slowly, And the old man, with full many a g.ip, Read from the Big Book on his lap, The good words, wise and holy. The old clock clicked; the old man read. His deep voice pausing, lowering; The good wife noddwl. dropped her head The lids of both were heavy as lead They were sound asleep and snoring. Oh, Imle old couple' sweet ench dream, While nil the uiilk-paus tilling Puss paints her whiskers in the cream, Till John and the belated team Bring Maggie from the quilting. May Time, I prny, when failing years Mike thin my voice and thrnpplc, Find my lust duys of life like theirs, As sweet with children's love and prayers, And like a winter apple. Scribner't for December. 3Iiscelli.iny. From the Home Journal. Life ill Japan. BY PHOr-.SSOR WILLIAM B. 0IIIFFI8. The longt'st unbroken mrdlcb of water statedly traversed by the keel of steamer or sailing vessel lies between California und Japan. Th floating city which leaves its dock in Fan I'ninci.-co at uoon on the first day of each nionih pulses ticross Toui iboiisatnl miles of ocean, from which l is," no island, harbor, or reef. Kothing amid all tho crowding triumphs of the genius and power of man so imjirei'se? tho reflect in in i ml as the thought of that niighiy ark, which, by thn niagnvt and the stars, is guided iu safety to the desired haven. Without u Noah, without dove cr olive leal, freighted with bird, beast, and fish, and often with thirteen hundred human souls, over a flood of waters that cover a world beneath, alone I'jr weeks, that urk floats on, at the bidding of the master. Twenty-seven days in the solitudes' of the sea seem lung to the boy of this de cade, who crosses the Atlantic's thousand leagues in nine days, and tho New World iu a week. Evan to iho staid adult, whose stomach is seaworthy, whose- appetite is like a whetted saw, who meets u host of genial i'ellow birds of passage and finds officers who will answer questions, who dis covers new and reliable books in theship's library, and who deltghls in the study of steerage ethnology, yearns in his secret soul for the sight of land again. Even iht ocean scenery,' though, like (Jod'n mer cies, new every morning and fresh every evening, palls on the eye, und loses its glory b-ifore the thoughts of the crowded tiiy in which comfort- cluster and pleas ures bloom. The waves that daily cradle the infant sun and pillow his dying splen dor, aDti the eflulgenao of iho cavernous sunsets, would be gladly exchanged for a patch of farm or ihe sober glory of a wide spreading oak. Often, indeed, the mono tony of ihu Voyage is relieved by meeting one of the company's steamers. If tho weather be fair, tho pillar of cluud, or the long thin scarf of black smoke afar off, is the harbinger of tho coming ship. The exchange of newspapers and iho sending homeward of letters aro accomplished, to the intense delight of passengers jaded wiih ennui; but the nieet'ng of steamers iu mid-ocean is, strange to say, a matter of dislike to a certain class of porsbns, who. in spite of all preventive precautions, keed up their existence. We rufor to the stow-aways," one or to of whom are found on-nearly every steamer that leaves the shores of either continent, They sneak on board tho big ship while in port, ami are driveu from their lair, wheo at sea, by hunger. ; Whnn first discovered, the inquisitor of the ship the purser uses all bis skill to exort the full passage money If not forthcoming,1 the "stowa way" is consigned to purgatory t. the fire room, and oompellod lo pass coal and feed the fires. This process refines his feelings so far lhat iho -dross" is pro duood, if on the viotiin's person. If he refuses to do duty, his fare being still un paid, he is put in irons, but by passing through purgatory be is ' saved" from further punishment and reaches the pars disc of terra firma. "yet so as by fire." All these incideulsand accideulsof sea life cease to haae any importance after the oracle at the head of the table has an nounced that "e shall sight Cape King a daybreak tomorrow." We try to sleep well dunug our last night on the water ; but sleep, so often won und long embraced thus far, becomes fickle and flies our eye lids. Wuh joyful sleeplessness our thoughts are busy with the morrow, ontil at laHt, in the wee morning hours, repent ing sleep comes to seal our eyelids. We awake early, and from out our state-room window behold the eye-gladdening land within rifle-shot. Hills, crested with timber, line the bay. and the beaches aro dotted with thatohed huts and white storehouses. Fisherman's boats, manned and moving over the bay, are Dear enough for'u to distinguish their oc cupants. Tall, muscular men, with skin o!'a dirly copper color, in long, looso dress, their mid-scalps shaven, and the project ing cue or top-knot, of tho percussion gun huinmor style, are the first natives of Ja pan whom we see at home. Though dif ferent in dress, condition, and us the bar ber left them, from their gay fellow-countrymen who spend plenty of money and study hard in tbe Uuitvd States, they, nevertheless, exactly resemble their breth ren in physiognomy and general appear ance. The dayspring iu tho east sifts enough of sugg:stive light over tbe land to entice us into 'ho belief that thislshind is one of tho fairest on earth r belief which a residence of years has ripened into an articlo of laith. To tho light lie (he two mountainous pro vince of wa and Kndzusa. with their numerous serrated peaks and ytlleys which may be beaut'iTuI, though now they sleep. To tho left is the village of Uraga. oppo site wliieh Commodore Perry anchored with his whole I'quadinn of steamers, on the seventh of July, 1853. lleinuining eight days at this pluco he was uccorded what ho fiist demanded au interview with, and the reccpiion of President Fill more's letter ty, an officer of the highest rank. After the ceremony, ho gave the place the name of Reception Buy, which it still retains. Now we pas? Perry fsl aud, Webster isle, and, on the opposite iide, Oupe Saratoga We must not forget, mournful though the thought be. that here about, beneath us, perhaps under our keel, lies tho United States war steamer Onie da. which was run iuio and sunk by tho British mail steamer Bombay, in Ihe win ter of 1809. This is sad, but the sequel is disgraceful. Down under tho fathoms tho Oneida hus lain, thus far undisturbed, a rich and grateful government having failed to trouble itself to ruiso the jsliip or do honor to the dead. A few Booths ago the hulk was put up at auction and sold, with certuin conditions, to a Japanese, for fifteen hundred dollars. This is the one sad thought that casts its shadow over the otherwise profound memories of which the Gulf of 1'eilo is so suggestive to Ameri cans. The prominent geographical points in tho bay echo familiar American tames, which later geographers aod a cosmopoli tan community hae ratified, and which commemorate American genius, skill, and bloodless victory This ship moves on. and the panoramic landscape unfolds before us. Iu the back ground of undulating plains, : uurfor high and close cultivation, uud spotted with villages, rise the crumbled backs of many ranges of mountains; while afar off, yet brought delusively near by tho clear nir uits the queenly mouutuio in ber robes of now, already wearing the uioroiog's crown of light, and hor forehead gilded by the first ray of the yet unrisen sun. Beyond her, in the purple air. still glitter tho jew el stars. whiW her own bosom trembles through many changes of color. Far out at sea, long before land is decided, and from land are of thirteen provinces, the peerless cone is seen and loved. Per haps no iew is so perfect, so ; impressive for a life-lime, so well fitted to inspire that intense appreciation of nature's master- pieces, whoso glory and freshness we cau feel intensely but once, as is the view of Fuji from au inooming steamer. From vast outspread base, through migbty curves, sweeping past snow, and up to its summit, the mountain is visible in queenly solitude and fulness cf beamy. From serene and ancient Fuji we turn to behold ihe bustling upstart metropolis of the for eigners in Japan as it appears in toll day. light. Passing Mississippi Bay . and Treaty Poifit, we arrivo in frout of what wusonoe a little fishing village. Wo count Ihe craft that lie anohored in the barbor. From thirty to fif;y aro usually in fort. Steamers from Hakodate, Shau gbse, and Hong Kong, and the regular mail ttstamers frout Marseilles and South ampton ho at their buoys. Here are war frigates or iron-olads, from which fly the British, French, Japanese, German or American flaire. Coal bulks, store ships, and all the usual evidences of an old harbor are discovered all around us. Tbe town itself seems compactly built of low houses, with tiled roofs. They are usually two-storied, though many are, in tbe language of tho East "bungalows," or one-storied dwellings. The foreign settlement seems to be arranged on a plain about a mile square. The Japanese town spreads out another mile more so to the right. Beyond tho plains is a sort of semi circle of hills, called ' the bluff." It is covered with scores of handsome villas and dwelling houses of all sizes aod var ieties of architecture. To the left the bluff run abruptly iuto the soa. To the right it sweeps away to the southwest. In local parlance tho various parts of Yokohama are distinguished as the "Bluff," the "Settlement." ud the "Na tiyo" or "Japanese" town. Along the waterfront of the settlement run a fine, wide, well-p.vcd street, called the "Bund" with a sea wall on the water side. Pri vate dwelling, gardens aud hotels adore it, facing tho water. There are as yet no docks for the shipping, but there is tbe English and tho French "hatoba." The former consists of a stone breakwater or piers rising twelve feet or so out ot the water, enclosiuj; a irregular quadrangle, with a narrow entrance at ono corner. The land-side of Ihe English hatoba is furuished with steps, and a score or more of boats cau discharge their passengers nt once. Tho Flench hatoba consists of two parallel piers of stone projecting out into the bay. The building of most imposing ugliness from the sea view is the liritish Consulate, and near by it is the American, t'he Japanese Sai Ban Sho, or Court House, is larger than either of the consu late building, and much handsomer. At the other extremely of tho settlement toward the bluff, is the F.'cnch Camp, and near by it the English. Three hundred Fiench soldiers guard as mauy French civilians resident iu 'Japan. Three hun dred English marines are in camp at Yok ahama, they having relieved the Tenth British foot ; the sam? Tenth that served their king cn Bunker Hill. A rapid glance, with un old Yokohama resident to help us, and wo distinguished the French Consulate, tho English ami American Le gations, an-1 mauy other promiueut build ings. Tbe engines stop, aud the great ship lies uiotiouless at her buoy. Instantly the crowd of boats which have waited, like hounds in the leash, shoot toward tbe stern ports aud gangway, aud the steamer becomes walled in. First of all, the United States mail-boat, propelled by six uativo scullers, is flying swiftly shoreward (o satisfy the eager souls of ihe elect, with its precious freight Friends (brong on board to meet fi tends. ' Eug'ishmen step on deck to find out whether thero is to be war with Russia, and the Muscovites to inquire whether England will fight. Fan cy creatures in velvet und diamonds, with gold on their Cngors, and brass in their faces, hasten to seo whether any of their guild have arriveil from Sau Francisco. - Leaving dock and cabin, we visit the steerage. Tho coal lighters aro crowded with Oirty coollics. They impress us as being the lowest of their class. Their clothing is exceedingly tcauty. , An Amcrioan lady with good eyesight sup posed tr.em to be clad iu very tight tcath- er-colotcd garments. 0" SR:ond sight, woBdeting at the perfect fit of tho dress, she found it to be the only clothing which mother nature provides for ber children. The proprietors of tho native boats have eutered iho ports, and are driving a bri.k trade in oranges and various . articles - of diet, precious only to Asiatics. Huge dried persimmons, which, though shrunk en, are four or five inches long, aud sak, the rioe-beor of the country, are very saleable. A squad of the Chinese so nu merous id Yckohama, are busy in furnish ing small change to !hoe who wish to go ashore. Japanese enipos, iron and cop per cash are exchanged for, American dimes, greenbacks, and Mexicans.; . ; ; With thc( kindly aid of' a friend we Dfenare to go ashore. Safely seated in one of the clean unpainted boats, in which we detect no iron, but only hore and there a cleet of cop)er, we enjoy the glorious beauty of tho situation. In Ihe stern stand Ihe two sendos. who make their keel glide over tho waves as swiftly as a Venetian goudolu shoots under aud out from the Riulto. . ., , SculliDg fs the method invariably in use among the Japanese. The long scull con sists of two pieces tied together. On the handle is a pin, on which a rope is slipped so that the scull is held down to uniform height while being worked. The blade rests near where it joins the stock, on an out rigged pivot. The sweep of tbe stock at the hand end, is nearly two fust. The sendo planting his left foot on an inclined board, sways bis arms and body at right angles to the boat, singing meanwhile one of his owo songs, in his ewn way. We soon skim over a half mile of the blue water, and darting wi thin the stone piers, land on the hatoba, and are in Japan. The Custom Houso and the native of ficials detain us but a few moments. Pas sing out the gate, wo receive our first in vitation to part with some (mall change from three fat little urchius in curious dress, with lion's head aud feathers for a cap, and with red streamors hanging down their backs They run before us and per form all kinds of astonishing tricks, such as carrying their head beneath their feet. making a ball of themselves, and trund ling along, etc. By our financial deal ings with these little street-tumblers wo learn that "shinio" means "gift," aud "arigatto" means "lhank you," which is the beginning of our vocabulary ii Jap anese. The fino wide streets of Yokohama are well paved and curbed. Tbo hard white stone and concrete psvemcnts are able to resist for years tho rutting action of the sharp edged wheels of the native carts. These wheels aro ingeniously constructed, and their fellows are mortised iu segmeuts. They need no tires and have uone. They are propelled by four powerful follows, who work in pairs. The foremost pair push with hands and thighs tho front cross bar, behind which they stand. The other pair supply thoeii aiergo, applying their shouldcrS to a beam which juts ou,t ob- iquely from beneath and behind the cart. The street cries id every couutry attract first tho new-comer's cars, and the cry of these cart coolies in Yokohama is one of the most peculiar sounds in or out of Ja pan. While tho two mon in the rear save their wind and vocal force, the two fore most coolies utter alternately and inces santly a coarse deep gutteral cry, which, if spelling were possible, would be written hail huida! ho! ho! hai! huida ! wa! ho 1 ho I huidah '. etc. We woro, at first hearing, under the impression that the poor wretches wore suffering a grevious colic, and a benevolent inclination seized us to buy a few bottles of Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup and distribute thorn on the spot. On beiug told, however, that noth ing ws the matter with the men, it being their custom to yell iu this manner, we abandoned our intention. Rows of iron lamp-posts, with lanterns and burners trimed and in cleanly readi ness, tell of well lighted streets at night. Along tbe avenue, on which stand the British-and American Consulates on one side, aud the Japanese court house, bond ed warehouses, and police station on the other, are sidewalks, which, along several blocks, are thickly planted, in a breadth of ten feet or more, with evergreen and flowers. Among these we see the camel- lies in full bloom. Tho main street cros: ses this avenue at right angles, extending from the Jepancso town to tbe canal at the foot of tbe bluff. The sidewalks on it are narrow, but the street pavements are so hard and are kept so clean,' that it is not unpleasant in walk in the street even iu wet ; weather. All the streets in the foreign settlement are paod, curbed, drained, and now, in. 1874. lighted with gas. Main streot is tbo showiest of all the Broadway of the "New York of Ja pan" Here we pass fino stone-fronted store., banks, hotels and restaurants. Tbe mugnifioent show windows and abun dance of plate glass suggest handsome vari ety and solid wealth within. These out sido displays are in most oases, . bat fair indexes, of the varied articles of mer chandize within which are obtainable at very fair prices. Nothing eatable, drink able or wearable, seems to be lacking to suit tho tastes or wishes of au ordinary man, beast or angol j though we have beard that the entire bevy of Miss Flora McFlimsey's cousins in Yokohama assert most strenuously that there is " nothing to wear " ut any time., . Nevertheless to man or beast, the abundance and variety of feminine paraphanelia visible in on of the son; s in which angelio robes are sold is simply 'voolerful ; and one Dotioes that the visit, of tho angols to this place are neither few oor far between, Craftsmen In the finer arts also get their wealth in Yokohama. Several jewellers display tempting wares and ply a brisk trade Young Japan wears n watch oow-a-days, and thousands are sold yearly In Yokoba sua. Barber's poles salute cs on several streets, and one may be shaved in French, English, or Japanese. Photographic establishments tempt our eyes and parse with tasteful albums of Japanese costume aod scenory. First elasa eating saloons await their crowds at the hungry hoar. The several auction rooms seem to be well filled with native and foreign purheaters. Confectioners display their bait for tho palate. News paper offices greet us with their signs, and lawyers' and doctors' and dentists' ' shing les seem to be sufficiently plentiful. Car riages and "traps" add to the bustle; and several knots of Japanese farmers, pil grims and new-comers from the provinces, staring surprisingly at the sights they have long heard of, but which they now for tbe first time behold, are met ns we pass up the street. French Catholic or Russian Greek priests in their cassocks, nuns in their Hack robes, well-dressed Chinese, Jews from every natiou under heaven, French soldiers in blue, British marines iu red coats, and the talkers in a score of different languages, are met with and help to give the town its cosmopolitan character. Main street, however, is only the street of shops, shopkeepers, aud the usual vulgar herd. Let us turn into tbe street of '-Hongs" and "merchants." Be it known that in Yokohamr, and the Eastern ports gener ally, the distinction between a merchant and a shop-keeper is dire and radical. With us lay folk outside of the trading woild, the difference is small and not al ways preceptible, a mole bill at the least ; but in these Easteru ports a great gulf is fixed, socially and commercially, between the two castes, and the difference is moun tainous With us, a shopkeeper is a man aod & brother ; in Yokohama, in the eye of the clubs, and with tbe eleet of wealth, fashion, and the professions, ho is bat a heathen and a publioan. Advertising, the use of a sign-board, and such liko im proprieties, are evidences of low caste, and consign the offender to the outer darkness, far away from happy club men and selcot visitors. This relio of English oaste traditions, rank, and class worship, is not so strong now as formerly, . bat is sufficiently potent to cause many a bitter pang and uiacy hesr-burnings to those who first experience it in their new resi dence in the East. , - v , , The street in which the "Hongs" or large business establishments aro situated is rather gloomy, when compared with tbe lively Main street, Most of the buildings are of stone and many of them are fire proof "godowns," or storehouses,- ' From tbe windows of tbe "tea-firing godowns" issue the fragrant aroma of tbe new crop of tea, which is being "fired" or dried in deep tin basins, over charcoal fires, by native girls and women, preparatory tn packing and export, most of tbo largest and wealthiest business houses are owned and managed by those, who were among tbe first comers to Japan. Many of tbe "hongs" are branches of houses in China, or tboy themsolves havo agencies at Nag aski, Hiogo, and ports in China. , From five to twenty young men form thoir cler ical staff, backed by a small army of na tive porters. Coolies, packers, boatmen, etc. These large firms control nearly all the export trade of Yokohama, and,, io deod, of Japan. The tea, silk, copper, rice, ete., is brought from all parts of ihe country, though chiefly from the west and north, and is disposed of by tbo native merchants through brokers and "comp ra dores." In most cases tho native produ cer, or eveo the broker, never sees the foreigner with whom he deals. , The most important man in many foreign firms, the power behind aud before the throne, , is tbe "compradore." This superior being is a Chinaman, especially with the help of the written Chinese character, to deal with the Japanese merchant, producer, or broker. He is the provider and paymas ter of the firm in its dealings with the natives. . Ho arranges, by aud with the advice of the merchant, the purchase, sale, and delivery of merchandise. ; He hires and pays the Japanese employet,vi& boing tho trusted man, is a' creature of imposing pretensions, and a quasi-partuer of tbe firm. His facilities, opportuities, and never-cloyed desire for "squeezes" from his Jieaneso clients aro equally abuudsnt. and he lives up to bis privil eges. Various shifts have been made use of by (he Japanese uierohints to depose this obnoxious middle-man from bis posi tion, and even to eliminnate him entirely from mercantile transactions. ' A bold at tempt of this kind was lately roudo by tho pluoky Governor of Yokohama, ', Oye fakejbut. As the manner of tbo attempt was Jochnically illegal, it failed, and mat' ten still remain as they were before. This aristocrstio and highly antiquated form of doing business, a which tho mer chant practically holds himself aloof from his customers, is an inheritance fnni the foreign merchants iu tbe ports of Chins. Ignorant of the language of that couutry, trusting their affairs to a "compradore" who spoke pigeon-English, they lived and grow rich, without throubling themselves to learn the language of tbo ' pigtails around them. '. Few of the merchants in Jaban, to their discredit let it be said, havo seriously endeavored to 'master the ' spocch of their producer, and, being ig norant of it, the "compradore" is, in such . a state of things, a necessary evil." -This old-fogy method of doing' business must in tune gire way before the enterprise and energy of the younger firmsj who' fef'usv to employ "compradores," and the mem- "" bers of which ire beginning to acquire the language of the people with " whom they deal. There might huva'bceu eX' cuscs to the first-comers for not learning a langunga for the acquisition of which no teachers or apparatus at that time ex isted ; but at the ' present, thanks to American missionaries and tho gentlemen of tho English civil service, an excellent apparatus of grammars, dictionaries, and ' phrase-books exist. . i The threo great steamship companies at present in Yonkohama are tbe pacifio Mail Steamship Company, the English Penin sular and Oriantial Navigation Compa ny, and tho French Mcsssgerins Maritime Psquot Postes Francais. ' Tho Ocean Steamship Compauy baa also an agency here. Two native lines of mail steamers also make Yokohama their tertaious, Tho ' coining orthodox bridal tour and round-the-world trip will soon be made via Ja pan first, then Asia, Europe, and Ameri ca. Already the circum-mundane tour ists have become so frequent and tempor arily numerous in Yokohama as to be rec ognized as a distinct class. In the easy language of the port tbey are called "globe-trotters," Webster's ponderous "mv.ndivagent" not having as yet obtain. ed currency. The most interesting portion of Yon.0- homo, alike to the new comer and the old resident, is the Bluff. Coming to a port opened primarily for trading purposes on ly, one expeots to find shops and store houses, but few anticipate seeing such dwellings and homes as are to be found on the bluff. In the afternoon, when the business of the day Is over, and the high, grand and mighty event of the day, the dinner, has not yet been consuniated, the , visitor oh the bluff may expect to see very fine speciments of horseflesh, good turn outs, and plenty of pedestrian and cques-" trian humanity out for fresh air. The trim dooryards, lawns, gardens, fences and hedges help to mako a picture of onexpect ed beauty. The villas and dwellings are " ' ' not high, being bungalows of one story, or houses of two. Though not remorkoble as architectural triumphs, they are ' pic turesque without, and full of comfort with-' in. Added to homo attractions fa the icy-' ' er present lovely scenery of the bay,' tho distant mountaini, the peerless Fuji and the smiling valleys, - Nearly all the :' professional, and many of the business '"1 men livo on the bluff, and, whether from "' tho natural oltitude, the inspiring fresh-' ness of tho scenery, or otherwise, the bluff ' ' '" dwellers are apt to consider themselves of ' ' a slightly higher social ordor than the io- ' ' ' habitants ef the plain.' The bluff spreads ' u over on irregular tanglei and its' surface is ' rather undulating Many of iho dwell-' 1 ' ings aro snugly embosomed amid groves, ' or on tho slopes and in the hollows, but ' ' most of them crown its spurs and ridges in '' commanding positions. Tbe legations of '"' tho Treaty Powers are situated io espec- '' ially choice spots. Strange to say the ; ,,; foreign diplomatic representatives, insfcad 1 ": of residing in Tokio, (Yedo) tho : capital, !" 1 " live at Yokohama, preferring society' to ,: "' the doubtful charms of the Japanese cap- " ! ital. Besides tho legations ore the fine r ' American hospital, tho General and Brit- 0 ish hospitals, and tbe public gardens.' On ': ' ' summer evenings one of the bands from " " the flag-sbips stationed io the harbor playi ' -in these gardens ; while flower, beast and ;" " ' bird shows, and various sports and amuse-! ' ' ments, fireworks, eto.', are famished by ' ' the most indefatigable proprietor that ever' :-a"! catered to publio taste. ' Beyond theVfdf.';" " ' eign concession" of land, that is. bufsluY "' ' the limits of foreign dwellings, is tho raccv ' " ' " course.'an ample space of ground, lcvalJ,", ' " fenced, and furnished with buildings and ' " spectators' stands. The races are beld:"- "' i: during three dayt in rpring and nutornu',- ? and on incredible onrottnt of excitement is' '" ' " got up over orieutil horseflesh.