In our previous Numbers we have endeavoured to give our readers some information respecting the religious state of the Japanese. It is a very meagre outline; for so imperfect is our knowledge of that singular people, that it is like seeing an object through a dense mist: it is but dimly and indistinctly visible. Before we proceed to review the social condition and habits of these islanders, we would introduce into our pages a sketch of a Japanese town which we have found in the pages of the American "Missionary Herald" for March 1855-the town of Hakodadi, on the southern coast of the island of Yesso, and one of the two ports which have been recently opened to American traffic. It is a place of considerable native commerce, and contains about 8000 inhabitants, living in 1000 or 1100 houses, stretching along for three miles in one main thoroughfare, near the sea-side, with two or three parallel ones higher up the hill. Behind the town are groves of pines, maples, and fruit-trees, which invest it with a pleasing aspect. As the gentleman who gives the description-Mr. Williams, of the American Canton Mission-was himself an eyewitness of what he relates, our readers may rely on the fidelity of the sketch presented to them.

The buildings are of one story, with an attic or loft of different heights, occasionally making a commodious upper chamber, but usually forming only a dark cock-loft, where goods are stored or servants lodged. The height of the roof is seldom over twenty-five feet from the ground; the gently sloping sides are covered with pine shingles, not much larger than one's hand, which are kept in their places by bamboo nails and long slips of board, and over these are laid rows of cobble-stones, sometimes so thickly spread as to cover the entire surface. One object in using these stones, it was said, was to hasten the melting of the snow from the roofs. This heavy covering is supported by a framework of joists and tie-beams. The singular appearance which this tiling gives the houses is increased by the tub of water placed on the gable-peak, which, rising above the porch, fronts the street in Dutch style. The tub has a broom or two stuck in it, with which to wet the house in case of fire. A foreigner landing and seeing these for the first time, however, thinks that he has at last reached the end of the world, and has fairly got to the land where the witches take their nightly rides on broomsticks, perched up here for their convenience. In the street, the many rows of buckets and tubs filled with water near the houses, with a small fire-engine and hose seen here and there, showed the dread of fires, and the precautions taken against them. Fire-alarms, made of a thick piece of plank hung under a little roof on posts at the corners, to be struck by watchmen, exhibited the mode of arousing the inhabitants when a fire broke out; while the charred timbers and heaps of ashes still lying about, where a hundred houses had stood only a few months ago, proved the need there was of all these precautions.

A few of the better houses, and the temples, are neatly roofed with brown wedge-shaped tiles, laid in gutters like the Chinese; while the. poor are content to shelter themselves in thatched hovels. The thatch, in many cases, is covered with a crop of vegetables and grass, growing

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[JULY,

from seeds planted by crows and other birds, and presenting sad evidence of the poverty or unthriftiness of the inmates. The abundance of crows flying about the town reminds one of Bombay and other places in Southern India. Other birds were seen in great variety, both land and sea fowl, but not in large numbers, except gulls and sparrows.

The raised floor, which occupies nearly the whole area of the house, is covered with stuffed mats, and can be partitioned off into two, three, or more rooms, by sliding panels and folding screens, according to the wants of the inmates. In the centre is a brick fire-place, about three feet square, tiled around the edge and filled with ashes: the charcoal and wood are commonly brought in thoroughly ignited, and then burned on a brazier or handiron in the centre of this fire-place. There is not much smoke when it is burned in this manner; but in the cottages the annoyance from the smoke is almost intolerable. In a few houses, a hole in the roof or side allows the escape of some of the smoke; and then cooking is carried on in the same place. It may easily be imagined what gloomy abodes these are in rainy, wintry weather, having no glass windows to admit light, or chimneys to carry off the smoke, and the wind whistling through every crevice and panel upon the shivering inmates. The poor spend much of their time in winter cuddling around the fire-place, while the rich are unable to make themselves comfortably warm with it, and lade themselves with clothes to protect their bodies from the cold. In the largest establishments there are small open courts between the rooms, sheltered from the wind, by which a dim light can be admitted through the windows; but the best houses in this town are cheerless abodes, compared with even the glazed, warm, comfortable cottage of an English peasant; and one is surprised to see, among a people who have carried many arts to a high degree of excellence, so little progress made in the art of living comfortably. Connected with the greater part of the dwelling-houses is a yard, either in front or rear: in many of them a kitchen or stable is seen: it is also used for storing wood, for rearing vegetables, or cultivating a few flowers: sometimes a kitchen-garden, with fruit and shade trees, indicated the greater taste as well as wealth of the occupant. In the houses of the officers there was an arbour or fancy rock-work garden at the entrance, which showed invitingly to the passer, and did credit to the tenant.

The shops along the main street are often connected with the family residence in the rear, but quite as frequently with a mechanic's room. The goods in shops are packed in boxes or drawers as much as possible, only the coarsest pottery, grains, sandals, and other common articles, being exposed. The ceiling is about seven feet high, and the beams are hung with a large part of these articles. Besides the shops are numerous warehouses, built higher and with more care, and made as nearly fire-proof as possible. Their walls are two feet thick, faced with stone, and made of mud or rubble-stone, securely tiled on top, and entered only by two or three large doors. Some of them have a loft. The window-shutters are of plank sheeted with iron. Some of them are entirely covered with fine plaster instead of stone on the outside, and their substantial appearance stands in strong contrast to the unpainted, flimsy, pine-board dwellings near them..

The shops in Hakodadi are stored with goods, mostly of a cheap sort, such as a poor people require. Coarse, thick cottons, common earthen

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and china-ware, lacquered bowls, cups and stands, durable silks, cutlery, and ready-made clothes, constitute the greatest portion of the stocks. Furs, leather, felted cloths, glass-ware, or copper articles, are rarely seen; nor are books and stationery very common. The provision stores contained rice, wheat, barley, pulse, dried and fresh fish, sea-weed, salt, sugar, saki, soy, charcoal, sweet potatos, and flour, with other less necessary articles, and to all appearance in ample quantities. There is no public market, as neither beef, pork, nor mutton, are eaten, and not many fowls, geese, or ducks: vegetables are occasionally hawked about. The artisans are chiefly blacksmiths, carpenters, barbers, shipwrights, lacquered-ware makers, potters, and stone-cutters. The signs of the shops are written on the paper windows or doors in various well-known devices and cyphers: some were in Chinese characters, and others in Japanese, or a combination of the two.

The streets are about thirty feet wide; and wooden fences, thrown across them at intervals, with gateways, divide off the several neighbourhoods. No wheeled carriages are seen in them, and they are kept commendably clean, sprinkled and swept frequently. The yards are surrounded with board fences, built close and high to conceal the interior: hedges and stone walls are occasionally substituted. The streets present a remarkable contrast to those in Chinese towns, indicating less energy and traffic. No vociferous coolies or stalwart chairbearers here thrust the idler aside; no clamorous dealers claim the preference of the passer-by for their wares and viands; no busy peddlers cry their goods, or industrious craftsmen work their trade along the side of the way; but a quiet reigns through all the streets, broken now and then by a stout horse-boy hallooing to his unruly beasts, an official attendant crying out to the people to prostrate themselves to the great man coming, or the clang of a busy forgeman in a neighbouring shop. Yet the general impression is made upon the visitor, that Hakodadi is a town of considerable wealth and trade; and the droves of pack-horses passing through the streets with their produce, the hundred junks at anchor off the town, their boats and fishing smacks passing from ship to shore and about the harbour, the tidy streets, and gentlemen with two swords riding through them on horseback, all tend to increase and strengthen this impression.

The people are stout, thick-set, more sturdy than those of Simoda, and, if any thing, not so fawning or immoral. Their average height is about five feet three inches: heavy beards are very common, but none are worn. They are mostly engaged in trade and shipping, depending on their importations for their supplies of bread-stuffs. The harbour contained more than a hundred junks, though it was the dullest season, as the south wind had not yet begun to bring vessels up, and the authorities regretted they could not supply what we wanted.

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INQUIRERS IN KASHMÍR.

We promised, in our Number for March, to place before our readers some of those interesting cases of inquiry which occurred while our Missionary, the Rev. R. Clark, was in the valley of Kashmír. They will be found in the following extracts from his letter, dated Srinagar, June 30, 1854

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[JULY,

We have met with two professed inquirers, both of whom came to us at Srinagar. They have each of them been with us nearly a month, living with the native Christians, and taking part in our daily religious services. We have endeavoured to take advantage of their willingness to learn, by paying as much attention as we could to them as long as that willingness remained. They have both of them made considerable advancement in knowledge, and have at times seemed to have some impression made on their minds. One of them is a fakír from India, and not an inhabitant of this country. I have not noticed any thing remarkable in his case. He seems to be diligent, candid, and to be struck with the beauty and manifest truth of inany parts of the gospel, which he has been carefully reading. I have sometimes had hopes that he is a true inquirer, and has already set out on the way to heaven, but I cannot yet speak at all decidedly respecting him.

Mr. Clark adds, concerning this man, at the end of his letter

July 5-You will be glad to hear that one of the inquirers, the fakír, has gone to Amritsar for further instruction. He left this morning, in company with Shamaun, our Christian reader. It has been thought desirable for Shamaun to return to Amritsar from this place, as he seems to be hardly strong enough for the long journey before us, and the fakír has taken the opportunity to accompany him. May he indeed become a faithful follower of the Saviour!

The second inquirer is a native of Shupeion, a town two marches from Srinagar, on the road from the Pir Punjal. He is apparently about 35 years old, and knows both Persian and Kashmírí, and also a little Urdu. The former, namely Persian, he reads fluently. He is by birth a Mahommedan. His manner is naturally somewhat disagreeable, but he has outwardly manifested from the first a remarkable desire to study the word of God, and in a short time attained considerable knowledge. He was then extremely earnest in desiring to become a Christian at once. He brought forward the command of Christ to baptize all nations; and also, the practice of the apostles to baptize their converts at a very early period, and frequently within a very few days. He declared himself willing to leave his wife and family, and every thing, if it were necessary; and, in the fulness of his zeal and courage, wished to go to his native town, and be baptized there, publicly, before all his friends. In the time of trial, however, he has found himself weaker than he believed himself to be. On our arrival at Islamabad, where many of his relatives live, he was ashamed to confess his convictions before them; and declared that he was only in our service. The real reason of his presence with us was, however, discovered by them; and although he had withstood some trials of a similar kind at Srinagar, his friends at last succeeded in alluring or frightening him away. He promised to follow us to Shahabad, but did not do so. On our return to Islamabad, however, he came at once to see us. He declared that he sincerely believed in Christ, and in Christ alone; and that he looked to Him for salvation. He wished to go with us to Ladak, for further instruction, but said that he thought it right to remain. He has a wife and three little children, together with an aged mother, who are all dependent on him. In his absence, they would not only be deprived of the means of support, but would be subject to the cruel persecutions of the Mahommedans, who, on his account,

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would injure them in whatever way they could. There seemed to be no other course for him to pursue than to remain with them. We could do nothing more than leave books with him, and endeavour to strengthen him in his faith, and commend him in prayer, body and soul, into the hands of Him on whom he believed. He says, that on our return he wishes to be prepared for baptism, together with all his family. He is still, however, but weak in the faith; but we have reason, I think, to have some hopes of him. He is now single and alone in the midst of dangers of every kind. May he mercifully be preserved! We shall use every effort to visit him on our return.

We have had much encouragement, also, in the intercourse which we have had with several other natives. Some have visited us who have appeared eminently qualified to teach, and to exert much influence over others, should the grace of God bring them to the acknowledgment of the truth themselves. I will mention but two instances-one of a Brahmin pundit, and the other of a Mahommedan moulaví, both of them men of considerable talent and education. The pundit was a man of remarkably gentle manners and pleasing address. He stated, that, after many years' strict investigation of his own religion, he had been forced to the conclusion that it was untrue. He then had studied the Mahommedan books, but their religion seemed to pertain merely to outward forms and observances, and consequently was also false. He was then, he said, neither a Hindu nor a Mahommedan. He had practically left Hinduism, but could not receive Mahommedanism. His habit was, he said, to cull from both religions, and from all books, whatever seemed to himself to be beautiful, and worthy of the Deity, and this was his religion. At his first visit he brought forward three questions of a philosophical nature, the true answers of which he had been unable to obtain, and he manifested much research and thought in the long discussion which followed. The next day, however, he stated that his three former questions were merely of a tentative nature, to find out what we knew, and whether we could establish our claim of being worthy of being teachers of others. We had several further conversations with him, and on one occasion he afterwards accompanied us to the bazaar, and stood by us the whole time that we were preaching, watching every thing with great seeming interest. The report, however, was spread abroad that Pundit Tota Ram had become a Christian; and to our great regret we saw nothing more of him. His employment consisted in the daily instruction of about 20 or 30 boys and young men, some of whom occasionally accompanied him, and appeared to belong to a very respectable class of society.

The moulaví was a native of Kishtewar, a hill town on the other side of the Pír Punjal, to the S.E. of Srinagar, in the direction of Chumba. His complexion was almost as fair as that of an European; and his expressive and finely-formed features seemed to pourtray his character at once. He appeared to be well read in both Persian and Arabic; and also, like the pundit, could converse in Urdu. He said that he had thoroughly studied his own religion, and felt a very great desire to become acquainted with Christianity. His object, he said, was to read our books, and compare them thoroughly with his own. We at once gave him the Persian gospels, and also a copy of the Mizan-ul-Huqq; but his Mahommedan friends took them away from him. He then requested, that, if such a thing were possible, we would make arrange