PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. J 99 



The trade with Japan appears formerly to have heen 

 hmited at 125 thails (tael of Canton), beyond which 

 nothing was allowed to be sold. The goods carried 

 to that country consisted of silks and other stuffs, 

 with Chinese commodities, and the produce of their 

 own country, such as corn, rice, pulse, fruits, spirits, 

 mother of pearl, cowries, and large flat shells, which 

 are so transparent that they are used in Japan for win- 

 dows instead of glass.* 



Their manufactures do not appear to be nume- 

 rous, and are probably only such as are necessary for 

 their own convenience. I have spoken of the rude 

 hand-looms in use, the spinning-wheel, and the mills 

 worked by cattle ; these were the only machines 

 we saw, though it may be inferred they have others. 

 A short distance to the southward of Napa-kiang 

 I was told there was a paper manufactory, and had 

 a quantity of paper given me said to have been 

 made there. It closely resembled that of China, but 

 appeared to be more woolly. Grass-cloth, of a coarse 

 texture, and coarse cottons are also wove upon the 

 island ; but I believe all the finer ones come from 

 China, as well as the broad cloth of which their cloaks 

 are made. Red pottery moderately good, a bad porce- 

 lain, and tiles, are among their manufactures, and also 

 paper fans, of which the skeleton is bamboo ; pipes, 

 hair pins, and wicker baskets, and two sorts of spirits 

 distilled from grain ; moroofocoo already described ; 

 and another called sackee, resembling the samshew of 

 China ; salt, from the natural deposition of the sea, is 

 collected in pans. 



Supao-Koang mentions, among the manufactures of 

 this country, silk, arms, brass instruments, gold and 



* Kaempfer's History of Japan, p. 381. 



