The account of Japanese administration in Formosa pub- lished in
the Times of Saturday last is probably a little too favourable, but it is worth study, for the Japanese will, if they are victorious, unquestionably try to colonise new depen- dencies. According to this account, they have done wonders. After a year or two of extreme difficulty they have succeeded in taming the peculiarly savage tribes of the island, which was a kind of Alsatia. for Chinese bandits and Malay pirates, and have thus relieved the peaceful section of the people of all external terrors. They have built a thousand miles of road, and a hundred and twenty-five miles of light railway ; have sunk an immense number of artesian wells—eight hundred in one district alone—have established a complete postal service, which includes a system of savings-banks, already popular with the people; and have set themselves to teach improved methods of agriculture, forestry, and mining, all of which have succeeded. The production of camphor, for instance, has more than doubled, and that of camphor-oil increased fourfold; while the gold, silver, and coal mines have been scientifically worked, so that the output of the first-named metal has increased sevenfold. The general revenue has been enlarged from 2275,000 to 21,270,000, and the local rates from 074,000 to 2195,000. Great attention is paid to sanitary improvements ; hospitals have been set up everywhere, and two hundred Japanese doctors are now practising in the island; while the use of opium is discouraged, both by taxation and strict police supervision, the idea being to prevent the addition of any new victims to the habit. Finally, the Japanese educational system has been introduced, and eighteen thousand natives are being regularly instructed. The consequence of all this increased work, and of the absence of disorder, has been an increase of the population to three million and eighty-two thousand, partly, no doubt, from a considerable Chinese immigration. The Japanese, in fact, are able, even among savage populations, to introduce a pax Japonica which allows of the accumulation of wealth.
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