734 



J E S S O. 



Jt. vity than the men, who seem tinctured with jealousy, 

 ^""""Y"^* 1 if this may be inferred by their withdrawing them from 

 the view of strangers, and never quitting them for a mo- 

 ment while in their presence. Their oldest visitors de- 

 scribe them as very jealous of strangers when approach- 

 ing their wives and daughters. Their salutations are ex- 

 ceedingly humble, approaching the strangers who visit 

 their shores in an attitude of abject submission, sitting 

 down cross-legged, stroking their beards, often stretch- 

 ing forth their hands, and bowing almost to the ground. 

 They speak in a slow and timid accent ; and their 

 language, which is peculiar, is intermixed with many 

 Japanese words. They call themselves Ainos, but the 

 real import of this word is not fully understood, whe- 

 ther simply meaning people, or distinguishing a parti- 

 cular race. 



The Ainos around Endermo harbour, and indeed 

 throughout the island, subsist principally on dried fish, 

 boiled with sea-weed, and mixed with oil. They have 

 also some fruits and vegetables, but excepting about 

 Matzumay, their cultivation of the earth extends no 

 farther than to scanty patches ; and subsistence, on the 

 whole, seems precarious. According to the older East- 

 ern authors, all the tame bears are killed in winter, 

 the flesh ate, and the liver reserved as medicinal 

 against poison, and various diseases. But they have 

 little skill in medicine ; and in cases of small-pox, or any 

 contagious disorder, they are said to send the sick person 

 to the top of a lofty mountain, or to some remote place. 

 Their houses are built of wood, thatched with reeds, 

 and are generally of an oblong form : The whole family 

 sleep on mats or skins, on a platform around the fire- 

 place, which is in the middle. Small openings to car- 

 ry iff the smoke are made at e'ach end of the roof. 

 Both sexes are very fond of smoking tobacco, yet that 

 plant is not cultivated among them. 



The men occupy themselves in the more laborious pur- 

 suits of hunting and fishing, while the women are enga- 

 ged in domestic duties, making cloth of the bark of trees, 

 and sewing and embroidering, which they do very neat- 

 ly. However, the arts are but in a low state, as is seen in 

 their arms, their boats, and habitations. All articles whose 

 fabrication requires any portion of ingenuity, are sup- 

 plied by the Japanese. The men are most expert 

 archers, discharging their arrows with remarkable force 

 and precision. The bow is only 37 inches long, the ar- 

 row 12 inches; feathered, barbed, and poisoned with 

 so deleterious a substance for killing wild animals, that 

 blood immediately gushes from the mouth and nose, 

 and they die in a few minutes. Their other arms are 

 swords, pikes pointed with iron, and a weapon once 

 known in Europe, which consists of a ball attached by 

 a chain to a handle, somewhat resembling a flail. Their 

 shields are made of seal skin, tripled. They are igno- 

 rant of the use of fire arms. The boats of these peo- 

 ple are principally built of fir, sewed together with 

 twisted willows, and sharp at both ends, In rowing, 

 each oar or skuller is moved alternately, which prevents 

 the boat from advancing in a straight line. 



Mannerg The t rans i en * visits of Europeans to Jesso scarcely 



and cus. enable us to speak of the manners and customs of the 



MIDI. inhabitants with any degree of certainty, unless in what 



has casually been the subject of observation ; and there 



is considerable risk of error in misinterpreting what 



the natives of Japan have written regarding them. 



Polygamy is said to be practised here without any 



regard to consanguinity : a brother marries his sister, 



and the men have from four to eight wives, accord- 



ing to their circumstances. Adultery is punished by Jso. 

 cutting the hair off the offender. The infringement of ^'"'Y" 1 "" 

 ordinary contracts is attended with the forfeiture of 

 something exceeding the value of the engagement. A 

 tree is planted on the graves of their dead, and blood 

 is then spilled either by mutual encounters somewhat 

 similar to the practice of the savages of New Holland, 

 or by voluntary lacerations, as are frequent in other 

 parts of the world. No external demonstrations of reli- 

 gion have been observed among the Ainos, in temples 

 or places of public worship ; neither does it appear that 

 they adore supreme or intermediate deities, though be- 

 fore eating and drinking they offer up a prayer, and 

 likewise pray during sickness. 



In regard to the political state of this island, the Ja- Political 

 panese seem to be masters of the whole, and to employ 5tate * 

 the natives exclusively for their own benefit. It is di- 

 vided into five districts, and the government is commit- 

 ted to the prince of Matzumay, but whether he is resi- 

 dent here, or on a neighbouring island, or in Japan, is 

 not explained. We should rather infer that the execu- 

 tive is committed to a viceroy, who lives in the town of 

 Matzumay. It is certain that the Ainos are tributary 

 to the Japanese, and among themselves they have no 

 form of government. Each district is under a chief, t 



whose consideration is proportioned to its extent and 

 population. The inhabitants always add the name of 

 their district to their own name; another peculiarity 

 coinciding with the practice of the New Hollanders. 

 Probably they are collected chiefly towards the coast, 

 where a number of their villages appear ; but it is not 

 likely that the island is populous. 



It is difficult to form any precise opinion regarding 

 the degree of civilization which has been attained by the 

 Ainos. They are considerably removed from the state 

 of savages, not only in the absence of ferocity, a gene- 

 ral attribute, but both in food and clothing. Yet they 

 seem to have undergone only the slightest changes 

 since they are first mentioned in history. A Japanese 

 author of 1 720 compares the condition of the Ainos to 

 that of his countrymen 660 years before Christ : " They 

 are ignorant of all ceremonies and social ties, and differ 

 but little from brutes: they eat raw flesh, and drink the 

 blood of animals, nor are they aware that viands cook- 

 ed are more savoury than raw. Nevertheless, at differ, 

 ent places on the east coast they have for some time 

 learned the cultivation of the earth, and to sow grain, 

 from the Japanese; but they are unacquainted with the 

 two seasons for planting rice." 



Besides the aborigines, it rather appears that there is a 

 different race dispersed in scanty numbers in the island, 

 of which no correct intelligence is yet obtained. But 

 the Japanese have been long settled here in different 

 establishments on the coast, the principal of which is 

 Matzumay, said to signify the town of firs. It is situ- Matzumay. 

 ated towards the south-west extremity of the island in 

 Lat. 41 32' north, and Long. 219 56' east, extending 

 along the margin of an open bay about four miles wide 

 at the entrance, and ascending the rising grounds be- 

 hind, interspersed with trees and gardens. This town, 

 which has not been visited by modern Europeans, is of 

 considerable magnitude, built of wood and fortified. 

 There are a light-house or observatory on the west side 

 of the bay, which is much frequented by shipping, and 

 two small islands opposite to the town. Between Matzu- 

 may and Japan constant and regular intercourse is car- 

 ried on, but it would seem that the Ainos have always 

 had some channel of communication with Corea or 



