MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 



in gold, silver, copper, and other 

 metals J and there are manufacto- 

 ries of silk, cotton, flax, and pa- 

 per. They also build very good 

 vessels, quite large enough to un- 

 dertake voyages to China and Ja- 

 pan, where their barks are much 

 esteemed. They have adopted the 

 Chinese calendar with respect to 

 the division of the month and 

 year. This island produces rice, 

 wheat, and all sorts of vegetables, 

 in abundance. The people of the 

 coast are expert fishermen, and 

 the sea and rivers are well furnish- 

 ed with fish. They are famous 

 dlA'ers, and obtain shells and mo- 

 ther-of-pearl, very much esteemed 

 in China and Japan. 



" They possess many woods pro- 

 per for dying ; and one tree in par- 

 ticular yields an oil which is held 

 in great repute. They have like- 

 wise a great variety of most deli- 

 cate fruits, oranges, citrons, le- 

 mons, long-y-ven, lee-tchees, 

 grapes, &c. Wolves, tigers, and 

 bears, are unknown ; but they 

 have many useful animals, such 

 as horses, water-dogs, black cat- 

 tle, stags, poultry, geese, pea- 

 cocks, pigeons, doves, &c. 



" The camphor, cedar, and ebo- 

 ny, are among the number of their 

 trees ; and they have also wood 

 well fitted for ship-building, and 

 for public edifices. They are re- 

 presented as disdaining slavery, 

 lying, and cheating. They are 

 fond of games and amusements, 

 and celebrate, with much pomp, 

 the worship of their idols, at the 

 end and commencement of the 

 year ; and there exists much union 

 among the branches of families, 

 who give frequent and cheerful 

 entertainments to each other." 

 The dress of these people is as 



423 



remarkable for its simplicity as 

 it is for its elegance. The hair, 

 which is of a glossy black, (black 

 ano}nted with an oleaginous sub- 

 stance, obtained from the leaf of a 

 tree,) is turned up from before, from 

 behind, and on both sides, to the 

 crown of the head, and there tied 

 close down ; great care being taken 

 that all should be perfectly smooth j 

 and the part of the hair beyond 

 the fastening, or string, being now 

 twisted into a neat little top-knot, 

 is thei-e retained by two fasteners' 

 called camesashee and iisisashee^ 

 made either of gold, silver, or 

 brass, according to the circum- 

 stances of the wearer; the former 

 of these having a little star on the 

 end of it, v^hich points forward. 

 This mode of hair-dressing is prac- 

 tised with the greatest uniformity, 

 from the highest to the lowest of the 

 males, and has a very pleasing effect, 

 whether viewed singly, or when 

 tliey are gathered together. At 

 the age of ten years the boys are 

 entitled to the usisashee, and at 

 fifteen they wear both. Except 

 those in office, who wear only a 

 cap on duty, they appear to have 

 no covering for the head, at least 

 in fine v/eather. Interiorly, they 

 wear a kind of shirt, and a pair of 

 drawers, but over all a loose robe, 

 with white sleeves, and a broad 

 sash round their middle. They 

 have sandals on their feet, neatly 

 formed of straw ; and the higher 

 orders have also white gaiters, 

 coming above the ancle. The 

 quaUty of their robes depends on 

 that of the individual. — The supe- 

 rior classes wear silk of various 

 hues, with a sash of contrasting 

 colour, sometimes interwoven with 

 gold. — The lower orders make use 

 of a sort of cotton stuff, generally 



of 



