LEAD AND IRON. 303 



poor galena, does not yield enough for the domestic need. Lead 

 is extracted with silver and copper at Kamioka in Hida, Hatlasa in 

 Mino, and Sunagose in Mutsu. Pumpelly mentions the lead mine 

 of Ichinowatari in Oshima on the island of Yezo, which he saw in 

 1863, and reports that at that time it yielded about 80 pounds of 

 lead a day, but three years before 100 pounds daily. 



Tin, Jap. Shaku or Sudzu. What has been said of lead is also 

 essentially true of this metal. It is scarcely found anywhere 

 except on the island of Kiushiu, and only in insufficient quantities 

 as shode. Our map notes Tani-yama in Satsuma, which furnished 

 tin to the valve of ^3,922 in 1882, and Ohira-tetsu-san, in Bungo. 



Iron, Jap. Utsu and Kuro-gane, i.e., black metal. The pro- 

 duction of iron in Japan is still small and not sufficient to meet 

 the home demands. It is extracted chiefly from ferruginous sand, 

 and also from magnetic iron ore. The first is a frequently occur- 

 ring product of alluvium along the coasts, and also inland. It is 

 found oftenest and in largest quantity in the provinces of Iwami, 

 Izumo, and the bordering portions of Bingo and Mimasaka. 



The magnetic iron-ore deposits and iron mines of Kamaishi in 

 the old district of Nambu (province of Rikuchiu), are the most 

 considerable in the country. They are located in lat. 390° i8'N. 

 approximately, 5 ri westward from the bay and town of Kamaishi 

 on the Pacific ocean. They are connected with the harbour by a 

 narrow track. The deposits occur chiefly in the water-shed be- 

 tween Kitakami and the bay of Kamaishi within a circuit of 3 

 ri in at least a dozen places, generally in diabase rock together 

 with granite. Most of these deposits seem to dwindle toward the 

 depth. Near the surface some of them show a thickness of 40-45 

 meters. The magnetic iron ore is often mixed with iron and copper 

 pyrites and a trace of malachite and lapis lazuli. It is then coarse- 

 grained and crumbles easily on exposure to the air. The better 

 sort is free from these admixtures, fine-grained and compact. By 

 roasting, the greater part of the sulphur is expelled and a very good 

 quality of iron obtained. This method has been used for 35-40 

 years at Ohashi and Sahinai, where the ore is said to have been first 

 discovered. I was told that a Japanese, twenty-five years ago, es- 

 tablished blast furnaces here after Dutch drawings. I saw them in 

 operation. The construction was old-fashioned, the top-gases not 

 being made use of The casting is primitive in flat pigs on sand. 

 Ohashi is on the east side, and Sahinai on the west side of the 

 wooded heights which form that water-shed. Fifteen years ago the 

 Japanese government was very hopeful and devised great projects 

 in regard to these iron-ore beds. They wanted to make of 

 Kamaishi another Essen, with or without the help of a Krupp; but 

 nothing has come of it. In autumn, 1874, when I examined the 

 condition of affairs, they were busy with a narrow track 5 ri long, 

 from the mines at Ohashi to the harbour, and erecting two furnaces 

 on the newest principles. These have been for some time in 



