JAPANESE SHELLS. 473 



They all evinced a great repugnance to having their 

 scimitars withdrawn from their sheaths, and showed great 

 aversion when questioned about the operation of ripping 

 up the belly in cases of honourable suicide, but intimated 

 that the short straight sword was the one employed, and 

 the long curved one for fighting. The blades of these 

 weapons were highly tempered, keen-edged, and beauti- 

 fully wrought with figures. The sheaths, in numerous 

 instances, were very splendid. Some were of black po- 

 lished lacquer, with gold figures inlaid ; others of shagreen, 

 and others covered with various devices in silver; the guards 

 were ornamented in an equally chaste and tasteful man- 

 ner. They wear the sharp edge upwards, the reverse of 

 most other nations. On the whole, they appear from all 

 accounts to be more upright, honourable, and at the same 

 time more jealous than the Chinese, more refined and 

 civilised than the Koreans, and more warlike and intellec- 

 tual than the Loo-Chooans. Many of the arts and sci- 

 ences have arrived at considerable excellence among them, 

 more particularly those of an imitative character; their 

 manners are softened and polished to the utmost degree 

 of refinement ; and at the same, if Titsingh and others are 

 to be believed, their morals are at a very low ebb indeed. 



Although surrounded by the imperial guard-boats, 

 which watched all our movements with a jealous vigilance, 

 numbers of interesting shells were procured from a muddy 

 bottom, at about eight fathoms water, by dredging under 

 the stern and in the ship, both coming in and going 

 out of the bay. Among these were species of Nucula, 

 Pandora, Myadora, Area, Necera, Anatina, Mya, and 

 Cardium, obtained in the living state ; and Balanm, 



