ORIGIN OF POPULATION OF LEW CHEW. 221 



brain of a writer not very scrupulous of historical truth ; and the account of Doctor McLeod, of 

 the Alceste, is not much nearer to accuracy. Captains Beechey and Belcher, surveying officers 

 of the British navy, have visited Great Lew Chew since those just named, and their statements 

 may be considered as much more worthy of confidence ; but, after all, such are the difficulties in 

 the way, that they had not much, if any, better means of acquiring a knowledge of the history, 

 laws, and civil institutions of this singular people, than had those who preceded them. 

 Difficulties have also beset us in our investigations, and all the facts we may learn are but 

 contributions on a subject yet open to, and demanding more thorough investigation. We throw 

 what we can gather into the common heap." 



As far as the Lew Chewans themselves bear testimony to their origin, they claim, like the 

 Chinese, to have their descent from a divine source. According to Chow-Hwang, a Chinese 

 writer, who was sent to Lew Chew in 1757, as an envoy from China, and who on his return 

 jiublished an account of the island, " the islanders declare that the original progenitors of the 

 Lew Chewans were two, a man and a woman. They had five children ; the oldest was a son, 

 named Teen-Sun, (Offspring of Heaven,) who was the first master or ruler of the nation; the 

 second son acted the part of his minister, and the third constituted the people. The older 

 daughter, for the protection of the country, took the place of the God of Heaven, and the 

 younger personified the God of the Sea. Teen-Sun and his descendants having maintained the 

 government for 17,802 years, were at length succeeded by Shunteen, a branch of the then ruling 

 family of Japan. This occurred about A. D. 1200, when the Ming dynasty arose in China. 

 Three kings ruled in Lew Chew; one was styled ' King of the Central Hills ;' the second ' King 

 of the Southern Hills ;' and the third ' King of the Northern Hills.' All were tributary, and 

 reigned by permission of 'the Son of Heaven.' At length the first became master of the 

 whole country, which has ever since remained under one king, always acknowledging himself a 

 tributary of the Chinese empire."* 



Klaproth, professing to follow Chinese and Japanese annals, gives an account agreeing pretty 

 well with the foregoing by Chow-Hwang, and says further, that the race of kings reigning in 

 Lew Chew is related to the imperial family of Japan ; that both China and Japan claim the 

 sovereignty, and that the Lew Chewans pay tribute to both. 



As to the three kings of the "central," "northern," and "southern" hills, respectively, 

 there is something in the discoveries of our exploring parties that may seem to give countenance 

 to the truth of that portion of the story. It will be remembered by the reader that the explorers 

 reported the discovery of the ruins of a castle or palace at Nagagusko ; the ruins of another 

 were afterwards found, of which an account will be given on a future page, and these were no 

 doubt the residences of the northern and southern kings, while the third at Shui, perfect, and 

 still used as the royal residence, was the palace of the " King of the Central Hills." The tradi- 

 tions of Lew Chew even to this day (as our officers found) preserve the memory of the former 

 existence of distinct sovereignties on the island. 



Chow-Hwang claims, as we have seen, sovereignty over the island at this day for the Chinese 



Emperor ; and one of the points which appeared difficult to determine was the precise relation 



' which Lew Chew bore to China and Japan respectively. Tliat a tribute was sent in Chinese 



junks to China annually from Lew Chew seemed to be an established fact, yet the officials of 



'Chinese Repository for July, 1837, vol. VI. 



