. William H. Seward's travels around the world. ned that Mr. Sewards appointment had fallen on one of thenumerous national holidays. The foreign office is in the centre of a paved court, which isenclosed by a stone-wall twelve feet high. The gates were wideopen; Mr. Seward and his friends were received by hundreds of JAPANESE PRIME-MINISTER. 55 official persons, with profound demonstrations of homage. Theinner building is of wood, one story high, surrounded by a broadcorridor. The corridor itself is separated from the court by slidingsash-doors, with oiled-paper and silk instead of glass. On t
. William H. Seward's travels around the world. ned that Mr. Sewards appointment had fallen on one of thenumerous national holidays. The foreign office is in the centre of a paved court, which isenclosed by a stone-wall twelve feet high. The gates were wideopen; Mr. Seward and his friends were received by hundreds of JAPANESE PRIME-MINISTER. 55 official persons, with profound demonstrations of homage. Theinner building is of wood, one story high, surrounded by a broadcorridor. The corridor itself is separated from the court by slidingsash-doors, with oiled-paper and silk instead of glass. On the innerside the corridor opens into a succession of chambers constructedlike those of the monastery we have before described; the apart-ments small, the ceilings low and the partitions movable floors are-covered with matting. We were conducted through the corridor to a room a littlelarger than the others, perhaps eighteen feet square. Some furni-ture had been extemporized here. There was a European centre- f _^,mB Ai „ 1 .:, JAPANESE OFFICER OF STATE. 56 JAPAN, CHINA, AND COCHIN CHINA. table covered with an ornamental cloth, a small Brussels rug spreadunder the table, and upon it a lacquered box filled with cheroots,and a rich bronze brazier containing live charcoal. We sat onstools in the order indicated by the Japanese usher, Mr. Sew-ard being next the seat reserved for the host. Presently, withgreat rustling of silks, Sawa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, bowed many times very low. He then gave his hand to in the American fashion, and afterward to the. other visitors,as they were formally presented, manifesting, however, some slightembarrassment in exchanging this form of courtesy with the he might, for be it known unto all to whom these presentsshall come that they are the only women, of whatever nation orrace, who, within the memory of man, have been received in anofficial circle in Japan. The Japanese Government is not
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Keywords: ., bookcentury180, bookdecade1870, booksubjectvoyagesaroundtheworld
