JAN 



610 



JAN 



Jan Seilnn. women as he can afford to maintain; but it is the privi- 

 -V * lege of the first wife to rule the household. No wo- 

 man is permitted to leave the country. 



The inhabitants are distributed in towns and villages, 

 of which l6are named, but all of them are inconsiderable. 

 Terowa, the chief town, situated on a creek, where a 

 strong current runs, consists only of about 80 houses. 

 A wooden pagoda, covered with palm leaves, stands 

 here, which is served by about 20 talapoins or monks, 

 who live in a state of celibacy, and dwell in small apart- 

 ments adjoining to it. Their heads are shaved and un- 

 covered : they wear a yellow garment, and carry a white 

 rod in their hands, but it appears that they can resign 

 their monastic vocation at pleasure. The governor of 

 Jan Seilan lias also a dwelling at Terowa, and another 

 eight miles inland. 



Tin is the principal export of the island, which for- 

 merly carried on considerable commerce with several 

 Asiatic ports ; but this has greatly decreased since the 

 establishment of a British colony on Penang. Its ex- 

 ports, besides that metal, are elephants "teeth, biche 

 demer, and sayhan. The imports are principally opium, 

 a contraband article, for which there was a great de- 

 mand about the middle of the preceding century ; and 

 after being carried in British vessels from Bengal, it 

 was sold to the Malays and Buggess prows for the tin 

 of the island. Hindostan piece goods, brass utensils of 

 Java, European cloth and cutlery, were likewise among 

 the imports. Commerce is injured, from a practice not 

 unusual in the East, of the government or its officers 

 being the principal dealers. Hence the king's mer- 

 chant sometimes purchases a whole cargo on the arrival of 

 a vessel, and immediately upon its being landed, retails 

 it at a great profit. Thig impolitic interference restrains 

 the competition and consequent pdvantages of unfet- 

 tered commerce. The currency of the island consists 

 of conic frustums of tin, of tv/o or three pounda weight, 

 with correspondent halves and quarters, which cannot 

 be exported without payment of duty. Spanish dollars 

 are the most acceptable money, but all kinds of Indian 

 coinage pass current. 



When the French had much interest at the court of 

 Siam, one of the most powerful and brilliant of the East 

 towards the latter part of the seventeenth century, they 

 proposed to make a settlement in Jan Seilan. It is pro- 



bable, that the benefit which would result from the pre- Jan Seila. 

 sence of a commercial nation could be appreciated by a *" "/" ' 

 native of the Ionian islands, then prime minister of 

 Siara, who was well acquainted with the trade and ma- 

 nufactures of Europe. But the history of this settle- 

 ment, which we believe commenced in 1688, is not pre- 

 served ; and it most probably terminated soon after the 

 fall of that minister in 1689. 



As this island is too small to maintain its indepen- 

 dence, it must necessarily be controlled by the con- 

 tinental powers. It was long in the possession of the 

 kingdom of Siam, and when visited by Captain For- 

 rest in 1784, it was governed by a viceroy from that 

 country, who had three associates or counsellors. Each 

 of these officers had about sixty military retainers arm- 

 ed with a musquet and bayonet, sword and dagger, 

 who, receiving little pay, lived in some respect on the 

 community. The inhabitants being then dissatisfied 

 with the imposts upon them, particularly with that 

 which was laid upon their staple commodity, wished 

 to shake off the yoke of Siam ; but it is not known 

 that they adopted any active proceedings. In the 

 following year, 1785, the Birmans, who had for some 

 time been extending their dominions, had gained so 

 much territory on the continent, that, with the pos- 

 session of Jan Seilan, they could have prevented the 

 Siamese from any other channel of communication 

 with India than the gulf of Siam. In order, there- 

 fore, to effect its conquest, they fitted out eleven ships 

 of war at Rangoon for the conveyance of troops and 

 warlike stores, while an army of 8000 men marched to 

 Mergui, a port on the peninsula, for the purpose of co- 

 operation. Having made a movement against the island 

 in March, they attacked and carried the fort, which is 

 situated on the east side, and found in it much valu- 

 able boaty. But the governor, who had retired to the 

 interior, rallied his forces, and compelled the enemy 

 to retreat, after sustaining great loss. The Birmans, 

 nevertheless, did not abandon their object, and after a 

 long interval returned in 1810, when they effected the 

 total conquest of Jan Seilan, and consigned the whole 

 inhabitants to slavery in Pegu: At a still later period it 

 continued to be the subject of contest between them 

 and the Siamese. East Long. 94 18'. North. Lat. 

 from 7 46' to 8" 9'. (c) 



JAPAN. 



Japan. 



Japanese 

 islands, si- 

 tuation of. 



Empire of 

 Japan, ex- 

 tent of. 



JL HE Japanese islands lie near the coast of Corea on 

 the eastern side of Asia, in the North Pacific Ocean, 

 between 31 and 41 of N. Lat. and 129 and 142 E. 

 Long. 



The Empire of Japan is composed of an extensive 

 cluster of islands, by much the largest and most im- 

 portant of which is called Niphon or Jepuen. This 

 island is of a triangular form, and is upwards of 700 

 miles long, but does not exceed 80 miles in breadth. 

 Adjoining to the south-west point of Niphon are Kiu- 

 siu or Saikoff, 140 miles long by 90 broad, and Sikoff, 

 95 miles long by 45 in breadth. The island of Jesso 

 or Matzumay, on the north of Niphon, from which it 

 is separated by the straits of Sangar, about nine miles 

 in breadth, was conquered from its original inhabitants 

 the Ainos, and is now also included in the Japanese 



dominions ; but though larger than the two last, its di- Japan, 

 mensions are not mentioned by geographers. These S- "V"^ 

 are environed by other islands of inconsiderable size 

 and note. 



The discovery of this extensive insular power, abound- Discovery 

 ing in natural and artificial resources, and of an over- of. 

 flowing population, does not reach farther back than the 

 middle of the 16th century. It appears that we are in- 

 debted to the travellers Rubruquis and Marco Polo for 

 the first mention of the existence of this country. 

 Fernando Mendez Pinto, sailing in a Chinese junk from 

 Macao to the Likeo islands, was wrecked on the Ja- 

 panese coast in 1 542, and he accordingly has the merit of 

 being the first European discoverer of Japan. Three 

 other Portuguese dispute with Pinto this honour, pre- 

 tending that they touched on the coast of Satzuma the 



