"non-political institutions" during a period of about a decade and
a half, between 1868 and 1881, and mark their influence upon the
development of representative ideas.


I.--MEANS OF COMMUNICATION.

1. Telegraph. At the time of the Restoration there was no telegraph
in operation, and "for expresses the only available means were men and
horses." In 1868 the government began to construct telegraphs, and
the report of the Bureau of Statistics in 1881 shows the following
increase in each successive year:

Telegraph Number
Year. Offices. Miles. of Telegrams.
Ri Cho.
1869-1871 8 26.04 19,448
1872 29 33.11 80,639
1873 40 1,099.00 186,448
1874 57 1,333.20 356,539
1875 94 1,904.32 611,866
1876 100 2,214.07 680,939
1877 122 2,827.08 1,045,442
1878 147 3,380.05 1,272,756
1879 195 3,842.31 1,935,320
1880 195 4,484.30 2,168,201

All the more important towns in the country were thus made able to
communicate with one another as early as 1880.