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(1871) an engineering school was established for instruction in mining and metallurgy. The immediate result was a remarkable and permanent advance in these branches of scientific knowledge. Having accomplished its object, the Government began releasing its mines, to be worked under private ownership, and these private owners, now backed by adequate experience and scientific knowledge, proceeded further to perfect the system and to expand the field of action.

Minerals and mineral ores as recognised by Japanese mining law are as follows:

Gold (sand gold excluded), silver, copper, lead, tin (sand tin excluded), hematite, antimony, quicksilver, zinc, iron (sand iron excluded), manganese and arsenic, plumbago, coals, kerosene, sulphur, bismuth, phosphorus, peat, and asphalt.

Since 1900 foreigners have been able legally to hold mining concessions in Japan, provided they work under Japanese laws. In the matter of trial boring, the right of priority of discovery is not recognised, this right being granted to the one who has first applied for it. The reasons given for this are, first, the difficulty of proving an alleged discovery, and, second, the belief that an accidental discovery should not be regarded as a claim for special privilege. The concessionaire of rights of trial boring is admirably protected by Government, but the period is only one year, to be extended for another year when considered right and necessary by the authorities. Further, the right of trial boring may not be transferred to a third person, nor given as security in any way.

Permanent boring rights are now not limited as to time, and the concessionaire is free to deal with his equity in the usual ways. The scope of a concession has been limited to a minimum of 10,000 tsubo and a maximum of 600,000 tsubo for coal and 3,000 tsubo to 600,000 tsubo for other minerals.

These arbitrary limitations have been fixed in order to prevent the appearance of too large a number of small concessions, or of a limited number of overlaw concessions on the other hand. But under certain conditions, the combination of two or more concessions is permitted to exceed the maximum of 600,000 tsubo.

Each concessionaire must submit for the approval of the chief of the Mining Inspection Office in whose jurisdiction the consession is situated the working plan upon which he has decided. The Minister of Agriculture and Commerce may revoke a concession upon which work is suspended, and he also requires a semi-annual plan of the existing condition of the mine; his approval must be gained where concessions are to be amalgamated or split up, and if it be discovered that the location and shape of a concession differs from that shown in