Approximately fifty passengers left Yokohama on board the American steamer
America on March 26, 1872. Their names were listed on
The Japan Weekly Mail issued on April 6, 1872. But it was difficult to identify them because of the queer romanized spelling of their Japanese names.
On investigation those passengers were able to be classified into five groups.
(1)
Ex-Daimyos who were going to visit foreign countries.
(2) Students despatched by
Kaitaku-shi (Reclamation Bureau of Hokkaido).
(3) Young successors to the Mitsuis, a famous family of wealth.
(4) Students despatched by
Kan-no-ryo (Office of Promoting Agriculture).
(5) Officials of the Ministry of Finance.
In those days various government offices used to send their officials to foreign countries for studying, but many of them could not display their ability to the full. So the projects were not successful.
In 1873 the government changed its policy and called back most of them to Japan.
It was possible in most cases to clarify the dates of their return and the ships they boarded by looking over ' the Shipping Intelligence' on
The Japan Weekly Mail.
What became of those students? Some changed their courses of life and rose up as military officers or diplomats, while many of them are remained unknown. Some of the data about them are available by looking over “
The Meiji Hen-nenshi”, a collection of newspaper articles.
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