11 



mine, which serves as cldniney, is called the " Kerauridashi," .while thelowest 

 adit, which relieves the mine from water, is the " Midzunuki." 



ILLUMINATION. 



For illuminating purposes vegetable oil is burned in lamps made from shells, 

 or well dried bamboo-sticks, about 1 cm - in diameter, which before being used 

 have been bruised by pounding with a hammer ; these require a constant atten- 

 dance to prevent them from going out. Their use has a considerable effect in. 

 fouling the air at the working places, where they are stuck to the rock with clay. 



EQUIPMENT. 



The further equipment of a miner consists in a breech -leather of plaited straw, 

 "Shirishiki," which is carried at a baldric like a sabretasche. 



It not only serves to protect that part of the body, from which it derives the 

 first half of its technical name in German as well as Japanese Miner's language, 

 but also as a mark of rank, in as much as the laborers are only permitted to 

 wear it of quadrangular shape, while an officer may indulge in the luxury of a 

 round one. 



In those mines where protection against cold is not required, the miner's 

 only other pieces of dress are a handkerchief around the head or sometimes a. 

 cap of plaited paper strings to guard against dust, and a pair of straw-sandals, 

 "Ashinaka," which are cut in halves and only reach from the toes to the middle 

 of the foot-sole. This kind of sandals are said to give a surer footing than the 

 ordinary ones ; it is also said to be unpleasant to pass through wet plates with 

 full-length sandals, whose flapping soles send the water against the wearer's 

 legs. 



COAL-MINING. 



It is only since the opening of the country, that the coal-beds are worked to 

 any extent. Formerly coals were only extracted for the use of such salt-pans 

 for the evaporation of sea-water as happened to be situated in the visiuity of 

 the beds, and then only where the seam cropped out, and the winning consequent- 

 ly presented no difficulty. 



IM PEO YEMENIS. 



'■ Although those improvements, which from a technical point of view might be 

 recommended for adoption in the mining industry, are easily inferred from the 

 preceding description of the present condition of affairs, I shall here briefly 

 mention them. 



