morals；　and　teach　them　to　tell　lies。
  The　climate　of　Niigata　and　of　most　of　this　great　province　contrasts
  unpleasantly　with　the　region　on　the　other　side　of　the　mountains；
  warmed　by　the　gulf…stream　of　the　North　Pacific；　in　which　the　autumn
  and　winter；　with　their　still　atmosphere；　bracing　temperature；　and
  blue　and　sunny　skies；　are　the　most　delightful　seasons　of　the　year。
  Thirty…two　days　of　snow…fall　occur　on　an　average。　　The　canals　and
  rivers　freeze；　and　even　the　rapid　Shinano　sometimes　bears　a　horse。
  In　January　and　February　the　snow　lies　three　or　four　feet　deep；　a
  veil　of　clouds　obscures　the　sky；　people　inhabit　their　upper　rooms
  to　get　any　daylight；　pack…horse　traffic　is　suspended；　pedestrians
  go　about　with　difficulty　in　rough　snow…shoes；　and　for　nearly　six
  months　the　coast　is　unsuitable　for　navigation；　owing　to　the
  prevalence　of　strong；　cold；　north…west　winds。　　In　this　city　people
  in　wadded　clothes；　with　only　their　eyes　exposed；　creep　about　under
  the　verandahs。　　The　population　huddles　round　hibachis　and　shivers；
  for　the　mercury；　which　rises　to　92　degrees　in　summer；　falls　to　15
  degrees　in　winter。　　And　all　this　is　in　latitude　37　degrees　55'
  three　degrees　south　of　Naples！　　I。　L。　B。
  LETTER　XVII
  The　Canal…side　at　NiigataAwful　LonelinessCourtesyDr。　Palm's
  TandemA　Noisy　MatsuriA　Jolting　JourneyThe　Mountain　Villages
  Winter　DismalnessAn　Out…of…the…world　HamletCrowded　Dwellings
  Riding　a　Cow〃Drunk　and　Disorderly〃An　Enforced　RestLocal
  DiscouragementsHeavy　LoadsAbsence　of　BeggarySlow　Travelling。
  ICHINONO；　July　12。
  Two　foreign　ladies；　two　fair…haired　foreign　infants；　a　long…haired
  foreign　dog；　and　a　foreign　gentleman；　who；　without　these
  accompaniments；　might　have　escaped　notice；　attracted　a　large　but
  kindly　crowd　to　the　canal　side　when　I　left　Niigata。　　The　natives
  bore　away　the　children　on　their　shoulders；　the　Fysons　walked　to　the
  extremity　of　the　canal　to　bid　me　good…bye；　the　sampan　shot　out　upon
  the　broad；　swirling　flood　of　the　Shinano；　and　an　awful　sense　of
  loneliness　fell　upon　me。　　We　crossed　the　Shinano；　poled　up　the
  narrow；　embanked　Shinkawa；　had　a　desperate　struggle　with　the
  flooded　Aganokawa；　were　much　impeded　by　strings　of　nauseous　manure…
  boats　on　the　narrow；　discoloured　Kajikawa；　wondered　at　the
  interminable　melon　and　cucumber　fields；　and　at　the　odd　river　life；
  and；　after　hard　poling　for　six　hours；　reached　Kisaki；　having
  accomplished　exactly　ten　miles。　　Then　three　kurumas　with　trotting
  runners　took　us　twenty　miles　at　the　low　rate　of　4。5　sen　per　ri。　　In
  one　place　a　board　closed　the　road；　but；　on　representing　to　the
  chief　man　of　the　village　that　the　traveller　was　a　foreigner；　he
  courteously　allowed　me　to　pass；　the　Express　Agent　having
  accompanied　me　thus　far　to　see　that　I　〃got　through　all　right。〃　　The
  road　was　tolerably　populous　throughout　the　day's　journey；　and　the
  farming　villages　which　extended　much　of　the　wayTsuiji；
  Kasayanage；　Mono；　and　Mariwere　neat；　and　many　of　the　farms　had
  bamboo　fences　to　screen　them　from　the　road。　　It　was；　on　the　whole；
  a　pleasant　country；　and　the　people；　though　little　clothed；　did　not
  look　either　poor　or　very　dirty。　　The　soil　was　very　light　and　sandy。
  There　were；　in　fact；　〃pine　barrens；〃　sandy　ridges　with　nothing　on
  them　but　spindly　Scotch　firs　and　fir　scrub；　but　the　sandy　levels
  between　them；　being　heavily　manured　and　cultivated　like　gardens；
  bore　splendid　crops　of　cucumbers　trained　like　peas；　melons；
  vegetable　marrow；　Arum　esculentum；　sweet　potatoes；　maize；　tea；
  tiger…lilies；　beans；　and　onions；　and　extensive　orchards　with　apples
  and　pears　trained　laterally　on　trellis…work　eight　feet　high；　were　a
  novelty　in　the　landscape。
  Though　we　were　all　day　drawing　nearer　to　mountains　wooded　to　their
  summits　on　the　east；　the　amount　of　vegetation　was　not　burdensome；
  the　rice　swamps　were　few；　and　the　air　felt　drier　and　less　relaxing。
  As　my　runners　were　trotting　merrily　over　one　of　the　pine　barrens；　I
  met　Dr。　Palm　returning　from　one　of　his　medico…religious
  expeditions；　with　a　tandem　of　two　naked　coolies；　who　were　going
  over　the　ground　at　a　great　pace；　and　I　wished　that　some　of　the　most
  staid　directors　of　the　Edinburgh　Medical　Missionary　Society　could
  have　the　shock　of　seeing　him！　　I　shall　not　see　a　European　again　for
  some　weeks。　　From　Tsuiji；　a　very　neat　village；　where　we　changed
  kurumas；　we　were　jolted　along　over　a　shingly　road　to　Nakajo；　a
  considerable　town　just　within　treaty　limits。　　The　Japanese　doctors
  there；　as　in　some　other　places；　are　Dr。　Palm's　cordial　helpers；　and
  five　or　six　of　them；　whom　he　regards　as　possessing　the　rare　virtues
  of　candour；　earnestness；　and　single…mindedness；　and　who　have
  studied　English　medical　works；　have　clubbed　together　to　establish　a
  dispensary；　and；　under　Dr。　Palm's　instructions；　are　even　carrying
  out　the　antiseptic　treatment　successfully；　after　some　ludicrous
  failures！
  We　dashed　through　Nakajo　as　kuruma…runners　always　dash　through
  towns　and　villages；　got　out　of　it　in　a　drizzle　upon　an　avenue　of
  firs；　three　or　four　deep；　which　extends　from　Nakajo　to　Kurokawa；
  and　for　some　miles　beyond　were　jolted　over　a　damp　valley　on　which
  tea　and　rice　alternated；　crossed　two　branches　of　the　shingly
  Kurokawa　on　precarious　bridges；　rattled　into　the　town　of　Kurokawa；
  much　decorated　with　flags　and　lanterns；　where　the　people　were　all
  congregated　at　a　shrine　where　there　was　much　drumming；　and　a　few
  girls；　much　painted　and　bedizened；　were　dancing　or　posturing　on　a
  raised　and　covered　platform；　in　honour　of　the　god　of　the　place；
  whose　matsuri　or　festival　it　was；　and　out　again；　to　be　mercilessly
  jolted　under　the　firs　in　the　twilight　to　a　solitary　house　where　the
  owner　made　some　difficulty　about　receiving　us；　as　his　licence　did
  not　begin　till　the　next　day；　but　eventually　succumbed；　and　gave　me
  his　one　upstairs　room；　exactly　five　feet　high；　which　hardly　allowed
  of　my　standing　upright　with　my　hat　on。　　He　then　rendered　it
  suffocating　by　closing　the　amado；　for　the　reason　often　given；　that
  if　he　left　them　open　and　the　house　was　robbed；　the　police　would　not
  only　blame　him　severely；　but　would　not　take　any　trouble　to　recover
  his　property。　　He　had　no　rice；　so　I　indulged　in　a　feast　of
  delicious　cucumbers。　　I　never　saw　so　many　eaten　as　in　that
  district。　　Children　gnaw　them　all　day　long；　and　even　babies　on
  their　mothers'　backs　suck　them　with　avidity。　　Just　now　they　are
  sold　for　a　sen　a　dozen。
  It　is　a　mistake　to　arrive　at　a　yadoya　after　dark。　　Even　if　the　best
  rooms　are　not　full　it　takes　fully　an　hour　to　get　my　food　and　the
  room　ready；　and　meanwhile　I　cannot　employ　my　time　usefully　because
  of　the　mosquitoes。　　There　was　heavy　rain　all　night；　accompanied　by
  the　first　wind　that　I　have　heard　since　landing；　and　the　fitful
  creaking　of　the　pines　and　the　drumming　from　the　shrine　made　me　glad
  to　get　up　at　sunrise；　or　rather　at　daylight；　for　there　has　not　been
  a　sunrise　since　I　came；　or　a　sunset　either。　　That　day　we　travelled
  by　Sekki　to　Kawaguchi　in　kurumas；　i。e。　we　were　sometimes　bumped
  over　stones；　sometimes　deposited　on　the　edge　of　a　quagmire；　and
  asked　to　get　out；　and　sometimes　compelled　to　walk　for　two　or　three
  miles　at　a　time　along　the　infamous　bridle…track　above　the　river
  Arai；　up　which　two　men　could　hardly　push　and　haul　an　empty　vehicle；
  and；　as　they　often　had　to　lift　them　bodily　and　carry　them　for　some
  distance；　I　was　really　glad　when　we　reached　the　village　of
  Kawaguchi　to　find　that　they　could　go　no　farther；　though；　as　we
  could　only　get　one　horse；　I　had　to　walk　the　last　stage　in　a　torrent
  of　rain；　poorly　protected　by　my　paper　waterproof　cloak。
  We　are　now　in　the　midst　of　the　great　central　chain　of　the　Japanese
  mountains；　which　extends　almost　without　a　break　for　900　miles；　and
  is　from　40　to　100　miles　in　width；　broken　up　into　interminable
  ranges　traversable　only　by　steep　passes　from　1000　to　5000　feet　in
  height；　with　innumerable　rivers；　ravines；　and　valleys；　the　heights
  and　ravines　heavily　timbered；　the　rivers　impetuous　and　liable　to
  freshets；　and　the　valleys　invariably　terraced　for　rice。　　It　is　in
  the　valleys　that　the　villages　are　found；　and　regions　more　isolated
  I　have　never　seen；　shut　out　by　bad　roads　from　the　rest　of　Japan。
  The　houses　are　very　poor；　the　summer　costume　of　the　men　consists　of
  the　maro　only；　and　that　of　the　women　of　trousers　with　an　open
  shirt；　and　when　we　reached　Kurosawa　last　night　it　had　dwindled　to
  trousers　only。　　There　is　little　traffic；　and　very　few　horses　are
  kept；　one；　two；　or　three　constituting　the　live　stock　of　a　large
  village。　　The　shops；　such　as　they　are；　contain　the　barest
  necessaries　of　life。　　Millet　and　buckwheat　rather　than　rice；　with
  the　universal　daikon；　are　the　staples　of　diet　The　climate　is　wet　in
  summer　and　bitterly　cold　in　winter。　　Even　now　it　is　comfortless
  enough　for　the　people　to　come　in　wet；　just　to　warm　the　tips　of
  their　fingers　at　the　irori；　stifled　the　while　with　the　stinging
  smoke；　while　the　damp　wind　flaps　the　torn　paper　of　the　windows
  about；　and　damp　draughts　sweep　the　ashes　over　the　tatami　until　the
  house　is　hermetically　sealed　at　night。　　These　people　never　know
  anything　of　what　we　regard　as　comfort；　and　in　the　long　winter；　when
  the　wretched　bridle…tracks　are　blocked　by　snow　and　the　freezing
  wind　blows　strong；　and　the　fa