PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 215 



his accession his title was disputed hy a nobleman 

 named Li-yong ; but he being defeated and killed, 

 Chun-tien was acknowledged King of Loo Choo by 

 the people. Having reigned fifty-one years, and be- 

 stowed many benefits upon his subjects, whose hap- 

 piness was his principal care, he died at the age of 

 seventy-two. In this reign reading and writing are 

 said to have been first introduced from Japan, the 

 character being that of Y-rofa. 



Very little mention is made of the son and successor 

 of Chun-tien ; but the reign of his grandson Y-pen is 

 marked by the occurrence of a famine and a plague, 

 which nearly desolated the island ; and by his abdica- 

 tion in favour of any person whom the people might 

 appoint to succeed him. The choice fell upon Ynt- 

 sou, the governor of a small town ; but the king, 

 desirous of ascertaining whether he was a competent 

 person to succeed him, first made him prime minister ; 

 and being at length satisfied that the choice of the peo- 

 ple was judicious, he abdicated in his favour, reserving 

 a very moderate provision for himself and family. 

 Ynt-sou ascended the throne A. D. 1260, and reigned 

 forty years. He is said to have been the first to levy 

 taxes, and to have introduced useful regulations for 

 the cultivation of the soil. In his reign Ta-tao, Ki- 

 ki-ai, and other islands to the north-east and north- 

 west came under the dominion of Loo Choo. This 

 reign was also marked by an attempt of the Emperor 

 of China to renew his demand of tribute, which had 

 not been made for so many generations that the Loo 

 Chooans began to consider themselves absolved from 

 the obligation. The Emperor of China, however, 

 determining not to rehnquish the advantages which had 

 been gained by his predecessor Yang-ti, equipped a 



