The Boy Travellers in the Far East
ADVENTURES OF
TWO YOUTHS IN A JOURNEY
TO
JAPAN AND CHINA
BY
THOMAS W. KNOX
AUTHOR OF "CAMP-FIRE AND COTTON-FIELD" "OVERLAND THROUGH ASIA""UNDERGROUND" "JOHN" ETC.
Illustrated
NEW YORK
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS
FRANKLIN SQUARE
1880
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by
HARPER & BROTHERS,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
PREFACE.
To my Young Friends:
Not many years ago, China and Japan were regarded as among the barbarousnations. The rest of the world knew comparatively little about theirpeoples, and, on the other hand, the inhabitants of those countries hadonly a slight knowledge of Europe and America. To-day the situation isgreatly changed; China and Japan are holding intimate relations with usand with Europe, and there is every prospect that the acquaintancebetween the East and the West will increase as the years roll on. Thereis a general desire for information concerning the people of the FarEast, and it is especially strong among the youths of America.
The characters in "The Boy Travellers" are fictitious; but the scenesthat passed before their eyes, the people they met, and the incidentsand accidents that befell them are real. The routes they travelled, thecities they visited, the excursions they made, the observations theyrecorded—in fact, nearly all that goes to make up this volume—were theactual experiences of the author at a very recent date. In a fewinstances I have used information obtained from others, but only aftercareful investigation has convinced me of its entire correctness. I haveaimed to give a faithful picture of Japan and China as they appearto-day, and to make such comparisons with the past that the reader caneasily comprehend the changes that have occurred in the last twentyyears. And I have also endeavored to convey the information in such away that the story shall not be considered tedious. Miss Effie and "TheMystery" may seem superfluous to some readers, but I am of opinion thatthe majority of those who peruse the book will not consider themunnecessary to the narrative.
In preparing illustrations for this volume the publishers have kindlyallowed me to make use of some engravings that have already appeared in[Pg 10]their publications relative to China and Japan. I have made selectionsfrom the volumes of Sir Rutherford Alcock and the Rev. Justus Doolittle,and also from the excellent work of Professor Griffis, "The Mikado'sEmpire." In the episode of a whaling voyage I have been underobligations to the graphic narrative of Mr. Davis entitled "Nimrod ofthe Sea," not only for illustrations, but for incidents of the chase ofthe monsters of the deep.
The author is not aware that any book describing China and Japan,