except by time; but as we walked for more than half an hour, the distance traversed must have been at least two miles. More than half of this was through the straggling town, along narrow streets absolutely deserted. Every house had been closed by order, no living soul was to be seen, not even a light glimmered through the shutters. It was a brilliantly clear, starlight night, so that I could see enough to observe that the place differed in no respect from an ordinary Japanese thirdclass town; so we tramped silently along, the stillness only occasionally disturbed by the barking of a dog, until we emerged into what seemed a straggling suburb, when we turned suddenly into a gateway, went along a short avenue, and entered a building the external characteristics of which I have forgotten, if, indeed, it was light enough to see them; and so along a passage, the walls of which were formed of paper screens, to an apartment in which stood a group of two-sworded officials. One of these, who proved to be the first minister himself, now advanced to receive me. He was an agreeable, intelligentlooking man of about five-and-forty, very dignified and self-possessed in manner, and altogether a good specimen of his race. After introducing me to his colleagues, of whom there were four, if I remember rightly, forming, I imagine, a sort of privy council to the prince, I was conducted into another long, narrow room, the walls of which were also of paper, and which had evidently been arranged with the idea of meeting the requirements of foreign taste. Down the centre of this room was a long, low table, about two feet broad and twenty feet long, covered with red cloth, and on both sides were high benches, almost as high as the table, also covered with red cloth. The first minister invited me to sit at the head of this table, which I declined to do unless he sat by my side. This point of etiquette decided, the other functionaries, the captain and one or two officers of the Ring dove, seated themselves, and tea was brought in. In the centre of the table was the usual smoking arrangement, looking not unlike an inkstand, with a receptacle for the tobacco on one side, a fire-ball on the other, a pot to receive the ashes of the pipes in the middle, and the pipes themselves, with their diminutive bowls, lying like pins in the tray. As it only takes two whiffs to smoke a pipe, one smokes at least twenty in the course of a moderate visit. If my hosts were anxious to know the nature of my business, they manifested no impatience. We drank several small cups of tea, smoked several pipes, and made a great many inane and complimentary remarks, before I felt that I could approach the subject at issue, which I did at last with the incidental observation that I believed we were not the first strangers who had come to Tsusima, but that they had already had a visit from the Russians. To my surprise the minister opened his eyes with well-feigned astonishment, and made the interpreter repeat the remark, as though he must have misunderstood it. “No,” he said, when it was repeated; "no Russians have ever been here." I was fairly non plussed. "Will you explain to him," I said to the interpreter, "that I have had positive information that the Russians are now in Tsusima, and I have come here to see if it is true?" "It is not true," he said; "they are not here, and have never been here." This was the promising way in which our interview began. It lasted for more than two hours. At the expiration of that time, I had, as the result of a laborious confidence-inspiring process, into the details of which it is not necessary to enter, extracted from this same discreet and reticent functionary the fact that the Russians had been established in the island for six months; that they had built houses for themselves; that they had had a fight with the inhabitants, in the course of which one of the latter had been killed; and that the prince and all his court were living in a chronic state of panic and despair. My informant further admitted that they had been desired by the Russians to keep their presence in the island a secret, under penalty of the gravest consequences; and that the reason he had denied that they were here was from the dread of punishment. Nothing could exceed the delight and gratitude manifested by all present at the prospect of being relieved of the presence of these unwelcome vis itors; but they were still too timid to compromise themselves by giving us a guide to lead us to where they were. All they would say was, that if we went round to the other side of the island we should find a large harbor, and if we looked for them there we should find them. At that time this island had not been surveyed, and so our expedition partook largely of the character of one of exploration. The dawn was almost breaking when our nocturnal interview came to an end; but the streets were still silent, and the houses still hermetically sealed, as we passed be- | some fresh direction. At last, in one of tween them once more on our way back to the ship. these, our attention was suddenly attracted by some tapering spars that seemed to shoot out of the branches of a tree; and rounding a corner, we came upon the Russian frigate, moored literally, stem and stern, to the branches of a pair of forest giants, and with a plank-way to the shore. Steaming out of Fatchio harbor, we coasted round the southern end of the island and along its western shore. As we did so, the highlands of the Corea were distinctly visible, and one could not but be struck with the commanding position which this island occupies strategically, If we were startled to come upon her situated as it is in the centre of the straits thus unexpectedly, our surprise can have which separate the Corea from Japan, and been nothing to that of those on board at which afford access into the Yellow Sea. seeing an English man-of-war's boat pull We had coasted along half the length of into the sort of pirate's cove in which they the island, which is about sixty miles long, had stowed themselves away. Indeed, when we observed a large opening, as the Russian captain afterwards told me though it were divided in the middle by that he had been so long in solitude that straits, and into this we steamed. To our he could scarcely believe his eyes when amazement we found ourselves in a per- we burst thus suddenly upon them, like fect labyrinth of lanes of water. In every visitants from some other world. Howdirection, to the right and left and in front ever, he was too much of a gentleman to of us, there spread an intricate network betray anything but pleasure and apparof deep, narrow channels, divided by rocky ent gratification at receiving me, when I promontories clothed with heavy timber. stepped upon his deck and introduced Large forest trees sprang from the water's myself. He at once invited me most hosedge, twining their huge roots among the pitably to his cabin; and while he enterrocks, and drooping their foliage into the tained me with refreshments, we spent a water. It was so deep even close to the few minutes in some very amusing diploshore that it was difficult to find anchor-matic fencing. He was here, he said, for age; and our excitement was so great, in hydrographical purposes, and had made a our desire to explore this strange and un- survey of the island, in obedience to inknown water retreat, that we were off instructions. Looking out of the cabin winboats before the anchor was down. We found as we paddled along these singular channels that we were in a harbor in which whole fleets might be concealed from observation hidden away, so to speak, among the trees. Here and there the inlets expanded, so as to form capacious harbors, again narrowing, often to a breadth of scarce a hundred yards. There was no sign of human habitation any where; the only evidence of man were two Buddhist or Sintoo shrines, perched upon pinnacles of rock under the shade of buge, wide-spreading trees, and approached by rock-cut steps. For hours we pulled about in this magnificent haven, never tired of wondering at its capacity, its safety from storms, its freedom from dangers to navigation, the extraordinary beauty of the scenery by which it was surrounded, the richness of the vegeta tion, and the absolute calm and stillness which seemed to brood over the whole landscape. But all this time we saw nothing of the Russians. We passed from one deep creek into another, over the glassy surface of the water, only to exchange their un broken solitudes, and to find some new and unexpected channel winding off in dow, from which was visible a frame-house with a barn-yard, in which was a cow and some poultry, I asked him if he combined agriculture with hydrography, as the one pursuit implied a more protracted visit to the island than the other. He admitted that he had been here for more than six months; that his survey was finished, but that he had received instructions to remain till further orders; and that, to pass away the time, and make himself comfortable, he was doing a little farming. I then went on shore to see his establishment. He had got a hospital for the sick, from which a Russian flag was flying, a dairy and poultry-yard, a Russian steambath, and a little cottage, in which to vary his residence from ship-board. There was a vegetable garden, and all the signs of a very comfortable little naval settlement, at least so far as it was possible for the crew of one frigate to make one. I gently hinted at the existence of treaties and so forth; but he said that he was a sailor, and not a diplomatist, and knew nothing about them. All he knew were his orders. He denied that he had had any dispute of importance with the natives, with whom, he declared, he was on very good terms - though, as their near The Russian captain now came and called and dined with us, and we discussed the situation in the most amicable manner; the result at which we arrived being, that the admiral should himself go to Olga Bay on the coast of Manchuria, at which port the Russian admiral then was, and present the diplomatic view of the situation to that functionary, obtaining from him the necessary orders for the evacuation of the island by the Possadnik and her crew. The captain of that ship assured the admiral that he would receive these orders with delight, as he was heart ily sick of his exile. est village was at some distance, he saw and itself would make it a most valuable very little of them. acquisition to any power which might be The captain of the Possadnik turned lucky enough to obtain possession of it. out such a charming companion, and Fortunately the Japanese are fully alive seemed so delighted to have his monot- to its importance; and under existing ony varied even by an inquisitive diplo-treaties it could only be obtained possesmat, that I was quite sorry when the late- sion of by an act of war, as the Japanese ness of the hour warned me that I must government would certainly refuse to part return to my own ship, in which, as I ex- with it for any pecuniary consideration, plained to him, I should be absent for a and the powers which have treaties with day, so that it would be useless for him Japan are pledged to ensure its integrity to attempt to return my visit at once, as against each other. From the cool which, however, I promised to repeat. way in which the Russian paper mentions That night we steamed out to the offing, the possible annexation of the island, no where the admiral was cruising in his flag- objections on this score seem to have ocship, and the next morning I went on curred to it. "It would seem, therefore," board and reported my discovery. Soon it says, "unavoidable to preserve Vladiafter the admiral transferred himself to vostock as the base of all serious operathe Ringdove, and we steamed back to tions; but to occupy and fortify Tsusima Tsusima harbor, finally bringing her to as a marine station well armed and proRussian Cove, as we had named the Pos- visioned." By being thoroughly foresadnik's settlement. warned of this intention, the powers interested may possibly make it "avoidable; and it would certainly be a gross breach of faith on their part towards Japan to allow the harbor to be occupied by force. The extreme importance of it to Russia as a winter naval station is indicated by the remarks of the Russian paper; while there is no power more interested than England in preventing Russia from hav ing a port in the Eastern seas open in winter. Our undefended colonies, our enormous commercial interests, would render resistance to such an act a necessary measure of self-preservation in the case of any European power; but it is doubly so with Russia, of whose aggressive tendencies, unhindered by scruple of any sort, we have recently had such ample testimony. Every nation is entitled to consider an aggressive act of another nation, even though it is not immediately directed against its own territory, a casus belli. Thus, if the Russians chose to declare war against England for occupying Port Hamilton, we should have no cause to complain. It is a strategic measure which will undoubtedly strengthen our position against her in time of war; and she is entitled to regard it as of hostile intent even in time of peace. It is simply a question as to whether it is worth her while to go to war about it and she decides that it is not. But the danger to England of Tsusima in Russian hands is far greater than the danger to Russia of Port Hamilton in English hands; and it may be more economical for England to make the occupation of Tsusima by Russia a casus belli now, than to wait till she has turned it into an impregnable naval Meantime our surveying parties had not been idle. It was found that the harbor or sound in which we were nearly divided the island into two; a narrow strip of land, not half a mile wide, alone connecting the northern with the southern half, each section being about thirty miles long and from fifteen to twenty broad. I had no means of ascertaining the amount of the population; but as the island is very fertile, and is well peopled in parts, it probably contains over a hundred thousand inhabitants. From the wooded heights of Tsusima Sound the Corea is very plainly visible, and, in those days the inhabitants of Tsusima maintained more intercourse with that country than did any other part of Japan. The climate in summer was perfect, and even in winter it is extremely mild. Here, as the Russian paper observes, there is no fear of frost closing the harbor, which would form one of the finest naval stations in the world; while the agricultural and other resources of the isl station, in which immense fleets could lie in safety, and from which her cruisers could issue at all seasons of the year to prey upon our commerce and bombard our colonies. That the annexation of this island is as much part of the programme of her government as the annexations of Khiva and Merv have formerly been, there is not the smallest doubt. Their first attempt to effect a quiet and unobtrusive Occupation was, fortunately, frustrated in the manner above described. Admiral Hope at once steamed off to Olga Bay, and the result of his communication with the Russian admiral was an order for the immediate evacuation of Tsusima by the Possadnik. I have thought that this slight narrative of the circumstances under which, in the words of the Vladivostok, "the Russian flag was hoisted but subsequently with drawn" from the island of Tsusima, might be a hint not thrown away in view of future contingencies. LAURENCE OLIPHANT. From The National Review. THE OPIUM-POPPY CULTIVATION OF BENGAL. A NEW account of the origin of opium is to be found in the Folk Tales of Bengal, which have been recently published by the Rev. Lal Behari Day, one of the professors of the Hooghly College in Bengal. A certain rishi, or holy sage, who dwelt on the banks of the Ganges, had a favorite mouse, which he changed, first into a cat, next into a dog, thirdly into an ape, then into a wild boar, next into an elephant, and finally into a beautiful girl, to whom he gave the name of Postomani, or the poppy-seed lady. Of course this beautiful girl married the king of the country. But their happiness was short-lived. Postomani fell into a well, and was drowned. The king was inconsolable. Then the holy sage appeared and said: "Oh, king! grieve not for the past. What is fixed by fate must come to pass. The queen who has just been drowned was not of royal blood. She was born a mouse; I then changed her successively, at her own wish, into a cat, a dog, an ape, a boar, an elephant, and a beautiful girl. Now that she is gone, take again your former queen into favor. As for my reputed daughter, I will make her name immortal. Let her body remain in the well, and fill the well up with earth. Out of her flesh and bones will grow a tree, which shall be called, after her, Posto, that is, the poppy-tree. From this tree will be obtained a drug called opium, which will be celebrated as a powerful medicine through all ages, and will always be either swallowed or smoked as a wonderful narcotic to the end of time. The opium swallower, or smoker, will have one quality of each of the animals to which Postomani was transformed. He will be mischievous like a rat, fond of milk like a cat, quarrelsome like a dog, filthy like an ape, savage like a boar, and high-tempered like a queen." This mythical narrative is presented to the reader for such value as he may be pleased to assign to it. Possibly it may find some merit in the eyes of the Society for the Suppression of Opium, as it shows that the opium consumer is likely to suffer from the evil appetites which were acquired by Postomani in the course of her animal transmutations, although these bad qualities are partly miti gated by the love of milk, and by the possibility of attaining the high temper of a queen. It is, however, not altogether in conformity with the ordinary notions and traditions regarding opium, that the consumer of the drug should be mischievous, quarrelsome, filthy, and savage. Very few persons in England seem to be aware that the poppies growing in their own gardens will produce opium. When the bright scarlet or white petals of the poppy flower have fallen off, and left the seed-bearing capsule bare, if any one will take a knife, and make an incision into the capsule, a viscous juice will exude. That juice is opium. It differs in different countries, and in different plants, in certain chemical qualities; but the opium of commerce should consist only of this juice, manipulated in a particular manner, and entirely free from any foreign substance. Although the poppy will grow in almost every country and climate, it is in certain parts of India that it has been most carefully and extensively cultivated, so as to produce an amount of opium which forms an important item in the finance and revenue of the British Empire in India. There is also a large and in. creasing cultivation of the poppy in Persia. And it has been ascertained that in China the government edicts for the suppression of the growth of the poppy receive very little obedience, so long as the Chinese find that a very large profit is to be made by the cultivation of the plant. The Indian opium revenue is derived from two sources. One is known as Malwa opium, the other as Bengal opium. Administration is a large and compreThe Malwa opium is produced in the na- hensive term. The agency by which the tive states of central India, and is exported affairs of opium are administered may be from Bombay. The British government likened to a co-operative society, or a comlevies a revenue from it by a system of pany of shareholders, in which the power export passes, which are regulated in value of doing what is needed is not always so as to keep the price of Malwa opium quite in conformity with the knowledge of on a certain proportionate level with Ben- what should be done. First, we have the gal opium. The British government has secretary of state for India and his counnothing to do with the cultivation of cil; secondly, there are the viceroy of Malwa opium, but merely taxes it at the India and his council; thirdly, come the highest amount which it can safely im- lieutenant governor of Bengal and his secpose. It is not proposed to treat further retaries; fourthly, we arrive at the Cal. of Malwa opium at present. Bengal opium cutta Board of Revenue; fifthly, there are is the produce of the poppy, as cultivated the opium agents; and sixthly, there are in certain districts of Behar and the north- the deputy opium agents. It is easy to west provinces of Bengal, under the direct see that in this chain of agency the power superintendence of government agents and to command lies in the upper links, whilst other officers appointed for the purpose. the practical knowledge on many points Much has already been written about is to be found in the lower links. The Bengal opium, but there is a present rea- secretary of state and the viceroy ought son for writing a little more. A report to have a superior knowledge of the finan has recently been drawn up, which brings the most copious and detailed information regarding Bengal opium up to the latest date. Although the motto quieta non movere is markedly the rule in the opium department, the local government of India has a wholesome habit of subjecting all its own recognized institutions to periodical inquiry and revision, and the time arrived when it was the turn of the opium department to be examined and dissected by the members of a special commission, who in due course submitted their report to government. The three eminent members of the civil service, who formed the commission, appear to have approached the inquiry without any personal prejudice, or any previously acquired deep knowledge of the opium department. It was their duty to inform themselves about it, and to form their opinion on the information acquired. Their report, therefore, contains a very complete and minute display of every particular connected with opium, from the planting of the poppy seed, to the sale of the drug to the merchants who buy it for export to China and the Straits Settlements. The report is, as usual, ponderous, and not likely to be attractive to the ordinary reader. But it will be our object to extract from it certain information, some of which may be novel and interesting to the English public. It will therefore be convenient to follow the commissioners through the four general headings into which they have divided the report. First, administration; secondly, production; thirdly, manufacture and disposal; fourthly, results. cial and political aspect of the workings of the department, but for the practical conduct of the business of the manufac ture the soundest knowledge is to be found towards the bottom of the executive chain. It is chiefly by the skill and diligence of the deputy opium agent that the cultivat ors under his control may be encouraged to produce thirty pounds of opium where they had previously given twenty pounds per acre. And this difference of ten pounds an acre will have a very consid erable influence on the annual financial results of the department. It is unnecessary to say more of the secretary of state for India, except that, after an interval of about two years, he reviews the proceedings of the department, which have by that time become ancient history. The viceroy of India and his financial advisers are apt to be more meddlesome. They issue peremptory, and sometimes inconsistent orders as to the number of chests of opium to be sold in the ensuing year, or as to the extension or contraction of the area of land to be cultivated with the poppy, or as to the price to be paid to the cultivators for the opium produced by them. The orders of the government of India are communicated to the lieutenant governor of Bengal. With few exceptions, the lieutenant governors of Bengal have been innocent of any previous knowledge about opium; but this does not always debar them from issuing orders, as may hereafter be shown, pregnant with mischief. The lieutenant governor of Bengal is almost entirely dependent on the Board of Revenue for information about opium. The |