JAPAN. 



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Japaa 



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tame year ; but luckily neither the year of discovery, 

 nor the nation of the discoverer, is affected by this dis- 

 pute. Japan was soon after visited by the Spaniards, 

 and (what is a singular circumstance) their first visit, 

 like the original discovery of the island, was owing to 

 a shipwreck. The governor of Manilla, on his voyage 

 from New Spain, being wrecked in 160$ on the Japan- 

 ese coast, was sent with his attendants by the Emperor 

 of Japan to Acapulco. An embassy, with rich presents 

 from the Spaniards to the emperor, followed in 101 1. 

 But all Christians being extirpated from his dominions, 

 both Spaniards and Portuguese were excluded ; nor has 

 an intercourse been again attempted, although, from 

 the vicinity of the Philippine islands, a commerce mu- 

 tually advantageous might be expected. The Dutch, 

 from their enterprising .spirit of trade, could not fail to 

 regard Japan with a longing eye ; and as no Europeans 

 had acquired a permanent footing there, they were ea- 

 ger to push their commercial interests in that quarter. 

 An accident favoured their views. In 1600 a squadron 

 of five ships, which sailed from the Texel for the East 

 Indies, was lost in the straits of Magellan, with the 

 exception of one Dutch ship, steered by an Englishman 

 of the name of William Adams, which reached the har- 

 bour of Bungo in Lat. 35 SO*. Adams was fortunate 

 enough to ingratiate himself with the Emperor of Ja- 

 pan, who loaded him with presents, but would not 

 consent to his returning home. The accounts he sent 

 of the to Batavia, with the pmaipuli he held out of a benefi- 

 cial commerce between the two countries, induced 

 the Dutch East India Company to dispatch a ship 

 thither in 1609; and thus, through the interven- 

 tion of an individual, are the Dutch indebted for their 

 establishment at Japan. They are the only people that 

 have contrived to retain the favour of the Japanese, 

 who, under humiliating restrictions, permit them to 

 carry on a trade, limited to the dispatch of two small 

 ship* annually from Batavia to Japan. Nearly about 

 the same time, the English also, by means uf their 

 mill JIM in Adams, had permission to build a factory 

 on the island of Firando ; but though they were well 

 received, and allowed to traffic on advantageous terms, 

 the trade was abandoned for reasons hitherto unex- 

 plained. The Dutch thus rsnMJnrd the only I European 

 merchant! in Japan. In conformity with their policy, 

 they endeavour to throw a veil of secrecy over the 

 wane) of their commercial pnisniu, being probably ap- 

 prehensive Ust their transactions should be viewed in 

 too stnmg a light. Notwithstanding this prohibition 



A - .r 



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of intelligence, we have been furnikhed with full and 

 pretty accurate details concerning the state of the Ja- 

 ialands. In addition to the corrected accounts 

 us by Kannpfer and Thunberg, Captain 



i, who was selected by the present Emperor 



of Russia to carry the Kussian nag for the first time 

 round the world, and on board whose ship an embassy 

 was conveyed to Japan, has given us valuable informa- 

 tion boa* the Japanese cioasts and harbours. 



Although it appear, that Japan has been visited for 

 Him si dsof two centuries by different European nations, 

 and the harbour of Nanneaky, one of the best in the 

 world, has been annually frequented, yet no plan of it 

 has been taken, nor have even the latitude and longi- 

 tude bean correctly ascertained, until it was explored 

 by Kmeanstem in 1804. The entrance of the harl>our 

 of Nangasaky is in 32 43' 45" N. Lat. and 230 15' 

 U . 1.11;.^. in the middle of the bay of Km-m, which 

 is formed by Cape Nomo to the south, and Cape Seu- 



rote to the north. The entrance bears 51 miles E. by 

 N. from Cape Gotto in 32 34' 50". I is necessary to 

 ascertain correctly the true entrance ; for, by steering 

 on Cape Nomo, there is danger of being becalmed, or 

 driven by the tides on the rocks, and of mistaking ano- 

 ther entrance in Lat. 32 40', which has not been ex- 

 plored. The safest course is to keep midway between 

 the Gotto islands and Kiusiu, steering N. E. until the 

 parallel of the entrance, and then, due east The har- 

 bour contains three roads, all perfectly secure. The 

 outermost is to the west of the island of Papenberg, 

 the second in the middle to the eastward of the same, 

 and the inner road at the bottom of the harbour in front 

 of the city. The outer road is well defended from 

 every wind but the N. W. and W. N. \\. which, how- 

 ever, never blow very strong. The anchorage is ex- 

 cellent, over a bottom of fine grey sand, in depths va- 

 rying from 33 to 1 8 fathoms. The middle road is sur- 

 rounded on all sides by the land, and has better an- 

 choring ground than the inner, but not so good as the 

 outer road. From the middle to the inner road the 

 course lies N. E. 40, and the distance is about two 

 miles and one-third, the depth of water decreasing gra- 

 dually from 18 to 5 fathoms. About half way, where 

 the channel narrows to 400 fathoms, are placed the im- 

 perial batteries or Emperor's guard, as they are styled, 

 a number of buildings without a single cannon. From 

 the narrowness ,of the approach, the city of N'angasakjr, 

 if well fortified, could defy any assault ; in its present 

 state it would fall before a single ship of force. The 

 anchorage here is not equal to either of the other roads, 

 the bottom being a thin clay, and the S. W. channel 

 open to the sea. Krusenstem was the only person, ex- 

 cept La PeroMse, who navigated the western coast be- 

 tween Niphon and the Corea; and although the state 

 of the weather was unfavourable to his making obser- 

 vations, yet he appears to have reached the northern 

 point of Jesso, the extreme limit of the Japanese em- 

 pire, without much difficulty. Of the Japanese coasts 

 it may be observed generally, that they are in most 

 places rocky and precipitous, presenting a chain of 

 bold promontories, deep bays, and rugged peninsulas, 

 abounding with shoals and islets, the whole invested 

 with a turbulent sea ; whence the navigation is intri- 

 cate and dangerous. 



The climate of Japan is variable throughout the year. 

 The heat of summer would be insupportable, were it 

 not moderated by the sea breezes. The rainy months 

 begin at midsummer, when abundance of rain falls, 

 and to which is to be ascribed the fertility of the coun- 

 try. In winter, the wind blowing from the Arctic 

 Ocean, makes the cold severe. Snow falls in quanti- 

 ties, and is followed by intense frost. Hurricanes and 

 earthquakes are not uncommon, and thunder storms 

 also frequently occur. At Nangasaky, the thermometer 

 was never in August higher than 98, nor in Janu- 

 ary lower tha n 35. 



As the geography of Japan has not been fully illus- 

 trated, we can give but an imperfect account of the ri- 

 ven, lakes, and mountains of this country. The lar- 

 gest river is said to be the Jodo or Yodo, which rises 

 from the great central lake of Oitz, and pursues a south- 

 west course. The L'jin, Aska, and Oomi, figure in Ja- 

 panese history. This last is said to have burst from the 

 ground in one night. Over the Nogofa and Jedogawa 

 are projected cedar bridges from 300 to 360 feet long. 

 There are various other rivers, of which we know lit- 

 tle except the name. The above mentioned hike of 



Injun. 



Jajuuiete 

 coast*, ge- 

 neral cha- 

 racter of. 



ClilMIIU. 



State of 

 thermome- 

 ter. 



Riven. 



