hM 





CHAPTEE I. 



ROUND YESSO. 



The Island of Yesso is very little known to Euro- 

 peans. The Japanese themselves until late years paid 

 scarcely any attention to it. 



I first visited Hakodadi in 1855, again in 1863, and 

 now once more in 1871 ; the place had changed very 

 little. The population had increased from about 6000 

 to 10,000 in seventeen years. Export trade was chiefly 

 confined to deers' horns and seaweed, both commodities 



A 



