638 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [^ANNO 1780. 



Their usage of names difFers from that of all other nations. The family name 

 is never made use of but in signing soienui contract ^ and the particular name 

 by which individuals are distinguished in conversation, varies according to the age 

 or situation of the person who makes use of it ; so that sometimes the same per- 

 son is, in his life-time, known by 5 or 6 different names. They reckon their 

 age by even years, not regarding whether they were born at the beginning or 

 the end of a year, so that a child is said to be a year old on the new year's day 

 next after his birth, even though he has not been born many days. 



Commerce and manufactures flourish here, though, as these people have few 

 wants, they are not carried to the extent which we see in Europe. Agriculture 

 is so well understood, that the whole country, even to the tops of the hills, is 

 cultivated. They trade with no foreigners but the Dutch and Chinese, and in 

 both cases with companies of privileged merchants. The Dutch export copper 

 and raw camphor, for which they give in return sugar, ripe cloves, sappan wood, 

 ivory, tin, lead, tortoise-shell, chintzes, and a few trifles more. As the Dutch 

 company do not pay duty in Japan, either on their exports or imports, they send 

 an annual present to the court, consisting of cloth, chintzes, succotas, cottons, 

 stuffs, and trinkets. Dr. T. attended the ambassador, who was intrusted with 

 these presents, on his journey to Jeddo, the capital of this vast empire, situated 

 at an immense distance from Nagasacci, a journey on which 3 Europeans only 

 are permitted to go, attended by 200 Japanese at least. 



They left their little island of Dezima, and the town of Nagasacci, on the 

 4th of March, 1776, and travelled through Cocora to Simonoseki, where they 

 arrived on the 12th, and found a vessel prepared for them; they embarked on 

 board her, and coasted along to Fiogo. They thence travelled by land to Osacca, 

 one of the principal commercial towns in the empire. At this place they 

 remained the 8th and gth of April, and on the 10th arrived at Miaco, the resi- 

 dence of the Dairi, or ecclesiastical emperor. Here they also stayed 2 days; 

 but after that made the best of their way to Jeddo, where they arrived on the 

 1st of May. They were carried by men in a kind of palankins, called norimons, 

 covered, and provided with windows. The presents also and their provisions 

 were carried on men's shoulders, except a few articles, which were loaded on 

 pack-horses. The Japanese officers who attended them provided every thing, so 

 that their journey was by no means troublesome. 



On the 18th they had an audience of the Cubo, or temporal emperor, of the 

 heir-apparent, and of the 12 senators; the day following, of the ecclesiastical 

 governors, the governors of the town, and other high officers. On the 23d 

 they had their audience of leave. They left Jeddo on the 26th of May, and 

 arrived at Miaco on the 7th of June. Here they had an audience of the em- 

 peror's viceroy, to whom they also made presents, as tiiey were not allowed to 



