There is a General Officer said to be the Superintendent of the Yokohama Harbour Works.Against the above article, "The Japan Weekly Mail" dated July 11, wrote as follows;
He is very enthusiastic about the Japanese game of cards called Hana-Awase.
Not content with sounding its praises, he has minutely explained in writing the method of playing it and added an epitome of its history and an account of the large sums staked on it by the Japanese, in order, as he says, that Europeans may share the enjoyment of the game.
He is known to be <The Times Correspondent in Japan>, therefore, we presume that he will send his manuscript to that journal when his arduous task is completed.
Among the upper class of Japan he has been unanimously praised for his action.
They pronounce it the finest work ever taken up by a foreigner for familiarizing Europeans with Japanese civilization.
We desire to say that we have had quite enough disgraceful events lately - events which credit had been disturbed and many families ruined.
What has been the cause of these miseries?
The thing is more than a passing joke, and we trust that those concerned will reconsider their procedure.
The palm has indisputably belonged to the Nippon during the past three years for a sensitiveness that amounts almost to school-girl hysteria where Japanese things are concerned."The Times" dated March 19, 1892, reported in the article titled "A Japanese Fashionable game of Cards" as follows;
Is it possible to become more thin-skinned than this Nippon?
The Editor must have had some terrible experience with Hana-Awase.
Imagine the foreigner who introduced whist into Japan being written about in this childish, petulant manner!
If Japan has a good game of cards to teach us - and Hana-Awase is an exceptionally good game, better than whist some folks say - why on earth should it not be explained for the information and amusement of Western folk?
Truly the Nippon's hysteria is almost delirious.
We beg to suggest that if our sensitive contemporary is disturbed by the notion of the frivolous side of Japanese character being made known abroad, it can easily remedy the mischief by circulating some copies of itself in Europe.
The last number of the Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan contains an interesting paper by Major-General Palmer R.E., describing a Japanese game of cards, which is said to be "the universal rage" in Japan."The Times," after explaining the gist of the method of the game, concluded this article, utilizing General Palmer's words as follows;
It is called Hana Awase, <pairings or matching of flowers> and after having been confined for nearly two centuries to the lower orders, who played it in secret, it has now come to exercise an extraordinary fascination in all classes of society and General Palmer expresses the conviction that it is entitled to a high place amongst games of cards.
It embodies the features of all first-class games of cards, and demands long training, a good memory, good judgement, and great readiness in counting.While, inside Japan, "The Asahi Shimbun" was preoccupied in reporting, from April to August 1892, on the scandals of which K. Kojima20, the President of the Supreme Court, and other judges were indicted from the inner circle of the same Court on a charge that they had played Hana-Awase on gambling basis, and then, the paper successively reported on the scandal with the following titles;
The element of chance enters into it about to the same extent as in the best Western games.
Those familiar with poker say that the Japanese game surpasses it as one of chance and skill combined.
a. The Judges infuriated.
b. The Minister for Justice embarrassed.
c. The Minister for Justice permitted to hold a disciplinary trial against them.
d. By the Trial, the Judges were acquitted due to the lack of evidence for gambling.
e. The President of the Supreme Court was relieved of his post at his own request.
Numerous floral wreaths and crosses of great beauty, sent from friends in Tokyo and Yokohama, were grouped about the bier and piled on the coffin, conspicuous among them being an exceptionally handsome wreath from the members of the Tokyo Club where the presence of the genial and gifted officer had been a frequent attraction during many years of the Club's existence.From the above article, it can be gathered that Palmer was a regular visitor, liked by every member of the Club as a delightful companion.
Rainy all day. At 11.30 a.m., Went to the Kabukiza with my husband and two others.The paragraph of June 19 reads;
My father was also at the theatre and we sat together at the best seats and comfortably enjoyed the show.
On the way back from the theatre, we went to the Teikoku Hotel as we were invited by Mr. Asano and sat with his guests who happened to be General Palmer, Englishman and his two daughters, and had very pleasant talk with them.
In the evening, two Palmer daughters visited our residence.
(Two daughters of Palmer are Evelyn Mary, and Katherine Palmer who came to Japan on May 1890)
A gentleman travelling from Tokyo to Yokohama on Thursday had a curious experience of Japanese pickpockets' dexterity."The Japan Weekly Mail" dated January 20, 1894 reported in the article titled "Troublesome Police" as follows;
When approaching the ticket stile at Yokohama he found himself involved in a somewhat closely packed throng of fellow travellers, and his attention was accordingly directed to parcels which he carried in both hands.
Scarcely, however, had he passed through the wicket when he perceived that his watch-chain was dangling before him, and that his watch was no longer in his pocket.
This, after all, was not so very wonderful.
A London pickpocket would have utilized a similar occasion with great readiness.
But the point was that, instead of cutting the chain, or breaking it by twisting, the thief had deliberately pressed back the spring of the swivel on the chain, and detached the watch without using any violence whatsoever.
It is almost inconceivable that an operation requiring such delicate manipulation could have been performed under such circumstances.
Even when using both hands and working with undistracted attention, one does not detach one's watch from the chain without a little time and trouble; but to detach another man's watch so as not to attract his attention or the attention of any one among several bystanders is truly a neat feat.
Information was immediately given to the Japanese police, who expressed confidence in their ability to recover the watch, as it bore its owner's coat of arms on the cover.
Some years ago, the late Major-General Palmer, when passing through a railway wicket, has his watch cut from the chain and carried away by a pickpocket.
The thief was evidently a well-equipped rascal, for within two or three days he managed to reduce the watch to a nugget of gold.
There ought to have been little difficulty in disposing of a shapeless and unidentifiable mass of metal, but for all that the pickpocket could not convert his booty into coin, so closely did the police stick to his heels.
Finally, in despair, he enclosed the gold and the dismembered works in an envelope, and dropped the parcel into a pillar-post under address to the nearest police-station, so that the property was finally recovered, though in a somewhat dilapidated form.
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(A)
Yokohama, Japan,
21st November 1890
My dear Harry,
Your letter of 1st Oct. was very welcome to every sense, first as the first I have had from you since I left, secondly, as giving a satisfactory account of yourself & your progress, and, thirdly, as being remarkably well written and expressed, far better than I ever was equal to at your age.
I am truly glad to find you doing so well with your German and French, & it is a credit to you that you were able to write in German to Mr. Ash.
I am so gratified by your assurance of earnest effort to do me credit, by hard work at this important epoch of your life.
Keep it up my son, right along, and add to it steadiness of conduct and wise heed to the hints I lately sent you from Mr. Ash.
If you do well, we may be welcoming you out here a couple of years or so from now.
But, remember that everything depends on the way in which you acquit yourself meanwhile.
I am glad you did so excellently well at cricket.
To be a good cricketer, & c, helps a fellow along in the world - almost as well as to be a good musician.
We were interested also by your accounts of your visits to old friends at Eccles & c.
I only wish poor Charlie had not had his serious illness.
Thank God he is so much better, but the mischief of blighting his prospects of Woolwich is alas! done & past mending; and it is no easy matter to hit upon another profession for him.
You will, of course write to Fred or Connie about Xmas, asking whether they are ready to receive you on Dec. 31.
That settled, write to Mr. Birch to ask on what day & at what hour he would like you to present yourself at the office, which, by the way, is 10 & 11 Queen Street Place, E.C.
You went there with me, you remember.
His name is John Grant Birch Esq.
(Don't forget the <Grant>.)
Young Heather is in the office, son of my old coach (now dead) who was a Professor at Woolwich, & who trained me splendidly in mathematics. &c.
The widow and son are not well off.
I allowed them 20 pounds a year for three years, for his education, & end by getting him his present place, for which he is of course grateful.
Mother and son write to me now and then.
I told him you would be his friend.
Mr. Birch himself, I am glad to find, he made the discovery only the other day, is a sort of connection of mine; that is to say, my step-mother's (William Freke Palmer's) niece married Mr. Birch's uncle, the vicar of Ashburton in South Devon.
As I am writing to all the family at Waterlooville (except Claud) I have no message to send.
But I wish you, my boy, a very happy Xmas and New Year.
You have a bright look-out before you if you will keep your shoulder to the wheel.
My girls join in best love,P.S.
Always v. aff. Father
H.S. Palmer
Love to Fred and Connie
Be sure to take every opportunity of keeping up your German after your return.
(B)
August 7, 1892
My dear Harry, Yokohama, Japan
I am very glad indeed to hear that you have begun to earn.
It is gratifying in every way.
Besides easing my pocket, it gives a satisfactory proof that you have been doing your work well and pleasing Mr. Birch; and I sincerely hope this good beginning that you have made will lead you to success and prosperity.
I will continue your 80 pounds allowance to the end of the year as you ask.
The 30 pounds you will receive from Mr. Birch in these six months will thus be a clear bonus, and should set up your finances very thoroughly.
I have not heard from Fred about your leaving him and going into Lodgings from 1st October.
But, as you tell me that he seems agreeable, and also that after your 18 months's experience of London life, you can trust yourself to steer straight, I have no objection to offer.
Remember, however, that you may only be 3 or 4 months longer in England (after Sept. 30), and that it therefore will not be worthwhile to spend any money on your rooms.
The actual time depends (1) on when Mr. Birch reports you ready for Jardines' and (2) on Keswick's taking you on at once and despatching you to the East.
I have yet to hear from Mr. Birch on the first of these two points.
When you do join Jardines', I hope you will be quite independent of me.
You certainly will be when you go abroad.
Meanwhile, existing money arrangements stand up to the end of the year, that is to say, Fred will hand you 25 pounds in December instead of keeping it himself, in addition to your usual 20 pounds payable to yourself in October, as your own quarterly allowance in advance.
From January 1st, your entire allowance from me will be at the rate of 120 pounds a year as long as you stay with Mr. Birch with a salary of 60 pounds.
Further arrangements will depend entirely on Jardines'.
The girls are fit and jolly as usual, up in the hills to escape the heat.
We have written to congratulate Lily on her marriage.
She seems to have done very well for herself.
Once more congratulating you, my dear boy, on getting on so well, and also cautioning you to be steady always.
V. Aff. Father
H.S. Palmer
12 December 1892
Dear General Palmer,
I don't know whether you have heard officially or privately that I have been appointed to superintend the Foreign Department of The Times.
If not, let me introduce myself and let me express the hope that I may hear from you occasionally.
Mr. Buckle has heard through a private channel that you are somewhat disappointed by the fact that some of your letters to the Papers have not been published.
I join with Mr. Buckle in regretting that all your letters have not appeared, because whatever you write about Japan, is sure to be interesting and valuable, but the great difficulty which we have to comply with is to find space for the interesting and valuable material which is sent to us from all parts of the world.
A very large proportion of that material never sees the light.
It is held over, night after night, and week after week, in the hope that space will be found for it, till at last, like other good and valuable things in this world, it gets old and antiquated.
Your admirable letters sometimes share the common fate, but not so frequently as the letters of most of our correspondents, for the record, thus that of 13 letters forwarded no less than 8 were published.
If you could see the records of your colleagues, all able, well informed men, you could perceive that your average is unusually high.
That is, you may say, small consolation for the loss of valuable material which has necessarily cost you much time and labour, and in such a remark, I fully sympathize.
But I do not see how a remedy for this perennial waste is to be found, because we cannot foresee what space will be available at any given time for foreign correspondence and consequently we cannot regulate the supply.
Even if we could determine in advance a final amount of space for foreign correspondence in general, we should not have solved the problem, because we cannot foresee what particular country will be attracting public attention at any given moment.
In short, we have to do our best, from day to day, to meet the wants and humour the caprice of our clients.
Of course, letters like yours are never entirely lost because they help to keep us au courant of what is going on in the countries they deal with, but I am not sure that that fact affords much consolation to our correspondents.
Our common friend tells us also that you have been disagreeably surprised to notice that we have been occasionally publishing lots of news from Yokohama via Vancouver.
The arrangement was made, I believe, with a gentleman in Yokohama because he had special facilities for forwarding by that route, and because it was supposed you would not like to be bothered with work of that kind.
Perhaps, I ought to explain the fact that the letters have lately appeared in Japan by a <Special Correspondent>.
No doubt you will guess who the <special> is.
He was making a tour in the Far East, and as he had already done admirable work for us in another part of the world, we were induced to give him a roving commission.
We did not foresee, at the moment, that he would have trespassed so largely on your province.
Yours very truly,
Donald Mackenzie Wallace
