never been a man-of-war, but has been specially built for exhibition purposes in the most careless fashion.” A few days later she was left to her fate. [Illustration: JAPANESE WAR GALLEYS AND A PROTECTED GALLEY ‘KIKKOSEN,’ 15th CENTURY. _Photograph by special permission of the Japanese Imperial Naval Commissioners._] [Illustration: PICTURE OF THE ATAKA MARU POSSESSED BY TOKUGAWA SHOGUN THE “ATAKA MARU.” _Photograph by special permission of the Japanese Imperial Naval Commissioners._] The Japanese, who pursued a policy of isolation until they were forced to admit Western influences, were as conservative in their shipping as in everything else. Their trading junks were all built to pattern, externally and internally, decreed by the authorities, and no deviation from it was permitted. In their warships, however, a greater variety of design was allowed. As early as the fifteenth century they had sea-going ships carrying cannon, a weapon derived at some time, perhaps, in the unrevealed past, from the Chinese after the latter conferred upon the Japanese the Chinese system of writing, a religious system, and other evidences of Celestial superiority. There were several types of these war galleys, some of which are here illustrated. The vessels shown were generally very strongly built with a displacement of about 200 tons. They were propelled by over one hundred and fifty oars, and their gun positions had bulwarks about 4 feet high, protected by thick wooden shields. A smaller type of vessel, also in use at that time, may be called a protected galley. They were very small vessels, displacing only about 25 tons each. They were nearly flat-bottomed, but had a top covering, or hood, made of metal sheets, which extended from side to side and almost from end to end, like a turtle back. Their guns were mounted inside the cover and fired through small ports cut through the sides of the vessel itself. These boats were two-ended; that is, of similar shape at either end, so that they could travel either end foremost, and they had a curious tunnel constructed along their bottoms in which a peculiarly shaped paddle-wheel was revolved by manual power for the propulsion of each vessel. The Japanese warships increased in size and ornamentation until the _Ataka Maru_ was built. She is of more than ordinary interest, as she was the last and the largest of the old native warships built for the Japanese Government before the adoption of Western methods. She was 180 feet long by 63 feet beam and 22 feet depth, and was propelled by one hundred and thirty oars. Her armament consisted of five heavy guns and a number of smaller weapons, and her vital parts were protected by copper sheathing. The Japanese, as already stated, probably obtained their knowledge of explosives and firearms from the Chinese, and a few years ago repaid the obligation by giving the Chinese most instructive lessons in the superiority of modern methods and weapons.