1827. 



"[go VOYAGE TO THE 



a description of the manners and persons of the inha- 

 bitants ; and I have omitted several incidents and 

 May, anecdotes of the people, as being similar to those 

 which have already been given in the delightful 

 publications above mentioned. 



Loo Choo has always been said to be very popu- 

 lous, particularly the southern districts, and we saw 

 nothing in that part of the island which could induce 

 us to doubt the assertion. On the contrary, the 

 number of villages scattered over the country, and the 

 crowds of persons whom we met whenever we landed, 

 amply testified the justness of the observation. We 

 were, certainly, in the vicinity of the capital, and at 

 the principal seaport town of the island ; but in 

 forming our estimate of the population, it must be 

 borne in mind that we were very likely to underrate 

 its amount, in consequence of the greater number of 

 persons who crowd into Chinese towns than reside in 

 villages of the same size in countries from which we 

 have taken our standard. 



The people are of very diminutive stature, and ac- 

 cording to our estimation their average height does 

 not exceed five feet five inches. As might be ex- 

 pected, from the Loo Chooans being descendants of 

 the Japanese, and numerous families from China hav- 

 ing settled in the island, there is a union of the dispo- 

 sition and of the manners, as well as of the features 

 of both countries. The better classes seemed by their 

 features to be allied to the Chinese, and the lower 

 orders to the Japanese ; but, in each, the manners of 

 both countries may be traced. Their mode of saluta- 

 tion, their custom of putting to their foreheads any 

 thing that is given to them, their paper pocket hand- 

 kerchiefs, and some parts of their dress, are peculiarly 



