﻿nr JAPAN. 



■ad SonUitaleii Bky on the wait ooMt, ii only 20 mile* wide ; but the 

 Mlual itthmiu which join* the peniuiuUr part to the miun body of 

 the UUnd between Slrogonor Bey on the woet, end the head of 

 Edermo Day on the eouth, i* 85 nulee acrou. The northern part of 

 Yeao ia (aid to be rery fertile, its producta comprising wheat, rice, 

 hemp, lobaceo, and fruita. Timber ia abundant. Dried fish are 

 ezchaioged with the Japanese for clothing. Near Uie Strait of Sangar 

 are two oonsideimUe towna, Kokudado and Matamal. The Utter is 

 the capital, and the residence of the governor. Teeo was occupied 

 by the Japanese in oonseqaence of the encroachments of Russia in 

 the Kurile Islands. Its inhabitants retain their own religion and 

 laws ; their offloers are chosen subject to approral by the emiwror. 



The Japanese are not so strong as Europeans ; but they are well 

 made and haTe stout limbs. They are of Mougol origin, and seem to 

 hare derired their civilissUon from China. lu manufactijriug 

 indualiy and in acioutifio knowledge they seem to bo equal to the 

 Chinese, and in some articles the Japanese are superior. Their manu- 

 factures in metals, >ilk, cotton, china, glassy paper, lackered ware, and 

 cabinet-work are highly esteemed. They also make excellent watches 

 and clocks, telescopes, and thermometers. The fine arts are much 

 admired, but the Japanese taste differs from ours, and is like that of 

 the Chinese. The most ancient religion is that of the Sinto, who 

 was the offapring of the suo, the founder of the ancient royal family 

 and of the empire. But the greater part of the inhabitauts have 

 embnice^l Buddhism, which seems to have been introduced from 

 Corea at a very remote epoch. Besides these two religions, a con- 

 siderable numlwr adhere to the doctrines of Confucius, the Chinese 

 philosopher, and are called Syooto. In the 17th century the Roman 

 Catholic religion was introduced by the Portuguese, and made great 

 progress, but it was eradicated by a civil war auil groat persecutions, 

 and entirely forbidden. All travellers who have been acquainted 

 with both nations prefer the Japanese to the Chinese. They find 

 them of a more manly and open character. The Japanese show a 

 great desire for knowledge, and their institutions for instructing 

 the lower classes seem to be not inferior to any on the globe. 

 Indigence and pauperism are said to be almost unknown. 



The government is despotic, but the emperor himself is considered 

 as subject to the laws, which are of long standing, and cannot easily 

 be changed. Formerly, the Dairi Soma, the head of the Sinto 

 religion, was the only sovereign of the empire; but as the public 

 offices are hereditary, the chief general (or siogun) acquired gradually 

 such an authority, that in 15S5 he deprived the Dairi of his influence, 

 leaving him only the supreme administration of ecclesiaatical affairs; 

 still however no enactment has legal force without having been 

 previously sanctioned by the signature of the Dairi. The descendants 

 of the chief general now govern the empire under the title of Kubo 

 Soma. The constitution of the Japanese empire is materially 

 different from that of the Chinese in its hereditary nobility, digni- 

 taries, and offieers. The government of the provinces resembles in 

 some respect the ancient feudal system of Europe. The nobility, or 

 hereditary governors of the provinces and districts are called Daimio 

 (High-named), and hold their offices from the Dairi emperor, and 

 Suimio (Well-named), who derive their authority from the military 

 emperor. The first-mentioned govern the provinces, and the Soimio 

 govern the districts. Six months of the year these noblemen are in 

 their provinces to watch over their government, and six others they 

 must pas* at Te<1o, but their families mvwt remain in that town the 

 whole year round as a security for the loyal conduct of the governors. 

 Aooorduig to Heylan, the population of the country is divided into 

 eig^t daises — the princes or governors, the nobility, priests, military, 

 cItU officers, merchants, artinns, and labourers. All these dignities, 

 offices, and employments are hereditary. 



The Japanese females hare almost as much liberty as European 

 females ; most of them can play on a musical instrument which is 

 like a guitar. 



The inland trade is very considerable. The co-isting trade is much 

 favoured by the great number of small harbours, and the interior 

 communication by well planned and well-maintained roads, which are 

 always thronged with carriages and people. Most of the roads are 

 wide, and ornamented with lines of trees. The foreign commerce is 

 limited to the Dutch and Chinese. The Dutch have a factory on the 

 island of Desima, which is connected with the town of Nagasaki by a 

 bridge. To prevent all communication with the inhabitants it is 

 planked on all sides, and has only two gates, one towards the town 

 andthc other towards the harbour. These gates are strictly guarded 

 during the day, and locked at night. In this indosure are the store- 

 houses, the hospital, and some houses built of wood and clay, and 

 oovered with tiles. The Japanese export principally copper, camphor, 

 and Ucquered wood-work ; with some china, silk-stuffs, rice, saki, and 

 soy. The principal articles of importation are sugar, elephants' -tusks, 

 tin and lead, bar-iron, fine chiutxes, Dutch cloths, shalloons, silks, 

 oloTcs, and tortoiseshell ; with some saffron, treacle, Spanish liquorice, 

 watohea, spectacles, and looking-gUisMs. The Japanese copper does 

 not reach the European market, being disposed of on the coast of 

 Coromandel to great advantage. 



The Chinsse, like the Dutch, are shut up in a small island, but they 

 •re permitted to visit a temple in the town of Nagasaki ; their trade 

 is much more extensive, Aoout seventy junks arrive annually from 



JAVA- 



Sts 



the ports of Amoy, Ningpo, and Sbinghae ; but as the Chinese have 

 no factory they cannot remain during the winter in the harbour of 

 NagaaakL The Chinese junks arrive at three different times in 

 summer. 



{Ambatiadf ttemorabU$, to., by Jacob van Meurs ; Kttmpfur, Hii- 

 targ of Japan ; Cbarleroix, JIatoire tl Detcription OintraU d» Ja/tan ; 

 Thunbeig, IVaveU i» Ewropt, Africa, and Atia ; Advenlwru of Vfitlain 

 Gelotenin ; Siebold, Jajtan ; Journal of Sdnealion, Tola, vi., x.) 



JAROSLAV. [Yahosijiw.1 



JARROW. [Durham.] 



JASSY. [Moldavia.] 



JAVA, one of the Qrctter Sunda Islands, the third in extent, but 

 the first in importance, is situated between 5* 52' and 8° i' 8. lat,, 

 105° 11' and 114* 13' K. long. The Java Sea and the Indian Ooeaa 

 form respectively the northern and southern boundaries of the island ; 

 and their connecting straits, Sunda and Bali, respectively separate 

 Java from Sumatra on the west and from Bali on the east The Strait 

 of Sunda, where narrowest, is only H miles across, and the Strait of 

 Bali only 2 miles. The length of Java from Java Head on the west 

 to East Point (Oost Uoek) is 660 miles; its breadth varies from 

 56 to 135 miles. The area is about 50,000 square miles ; including 

 the adjacent island of Uaduro and some smaller dependencies, the 

 area is stated officially to be 51,728 square miles. 'I'he population 

 in November 1849 was estimated at 9,560,380. Those of European 

 descent do not exceed 20,000. 



The island of Madura lies to the north-east of Java, from which it 

 is divided by the Strait of Madura, which in one part is only between 

 80 and 90 fathoms broad. Madura is 91 miles long, and 31 miles 

 wide in the widest part. The area ia about 1300 square miles, and 

 the population about 300,000. It is in parts mountainous and covered 

 with forests; the soil is moderately fertile, the chief products being 

 cotton, cocoa, and ornamental woods. The island is nominally subject 

 to a sultan, who resides in Baukbalan. near the west coast The prin- 

 cipal town however is Sumanap, on the east coast. There is another 

 town, Pamakason, near the south coast. 



Surface and Soil. — The southern coast of Java in its whole extent 

 is high and steep, rising in many places perpendicularly to an eleva- 

 tion of 80 or 100 feet, and in some places much higher. It runs in a 

 continuous line, with few indentations, and those not deep. Still a 

 few good h.^rbours occur; the best are Chelochap, about 109" £. long., 

 and Pachitan, about 111° E. long. 



The hilly country which is contiguous to the southern coast rises 

 rapidly towards the interior, where it attains a mean elevation of 

 more than 1000 feet, and exteuds in elevated undulating plains. 

 This elevated region is traversed by numerous ridges of hills, pro- 

 bably rising to 2000 or 2j00 feet above the sea-level, running mostly 

 in the direction of the island's length, and crowned in many places 

 with conical peaks. It is stated that there are 38 of these peaks. 

 They are all volcanic. Indications and products of their former 

 eruptions are numerous and unequivocal. The craters of several are 

 completely obliterated ; those of others contain small apertures which 

 continually discharge vapours and smoke. Many of them have had 

 •eruptions during the present century. 



The highest and most remarkable of these volcanic peaks are the 

 Pangcrau>;o, south of Buitenzorg, more than 8000 feet high ; Mount 

 Qede, south-east of the former, rising to 9SSS feet; the Dshirmai, 

 south-south-west of Cheribon, mure than 8000 feet high ; the Qede 

 Tegal, near 109° E. long., 10,050 feet ; and Mounts Siodoro and Sum- 

 bing, called tite Two Brothers, near 110° E. long. Throe lai^gs volcanoes, 

 called Ung'draug, Merbidu, and Montpii, lie in a direction almost 

 south and north across the hilly region near 110° 30' E. long. Near 

 the eastern peninsula is the Arjuna, 10,614 feet high, and south-east 

 of it, not far from the Indian Ocean, the Smeero, or Somiru, probably 

 the most elevated of these peaks. At the northeastern extremity of 

 the island near Cape Sedano is the elevated volcano of Tel%awurung. 



The billy region contains some extensive plains and valleys of great 

 fertility, incloMd by the ridges of hills which connect the peaks. The 

 largest of these elevated plains is that of Banduug, which seems to 

 occupy nearly the whole tract from Mount Oede on the west to Mount 

 Oede Tegal on the east It is of great fertility, though somewhat 

 inferior to the two valleys which lie contiguous to it on the east — 

 the Vale of Banyumas, traversed by the beautiful river of Serayu, 

 and the Vale of Kudu, on the banks of the river Elo. East of the 

 Ust-mentioned vale is the eleviited plain uf ,Solo, which extends round 

 the town of Surakerta, and exhibits a great degree of fertility. The 

 elevated plain of Kediri, traversed b^ 112° E. long., is equally exten- 

 sive and fertile. The eastern pcnmsula, whose surface ia mostly 

 occupied by peaks and high ridges cuuuccting them, has only narrow 

 and close valleys. 



The elevated and hilly region terminates to the north in rather a 

 steep slope, and between it and the Java Sea extends a flat country 

 which descends imperceptibly from the foot of the hills to the very 

 shores, where it terminates in some places in swamps. This low 

 tract, which is mostly alluvial, is widest towanls the west, where it is 

 about 40 miles wide between Bantam and Cheribon. Between Chnribou 

 and SamiJnmg it is hardly more than 10 miles wide. This portion 

 of the low lands is not equal in fertility to the iuliuid districts. In 

 Samiirang arc the flats of Demiik, which extend between the elevated 



