166 
SOUTHERN STRAIT. 
these quiet and secluded villages came out of their 
houses to look at the strange He-funy , or fire-ship ; 
but the water being rather rough, the wind tem- 
pestuous, and night closing in, none of them 
ventured off from the shore. This evening we 
were therefore allowed to dine in peace, and were - 
not honoured with the presence of yakoneens and 
other “high officers” at our table. 
Next day our progress was slow, as the gale was 
still blowing, and we anchored about eight o’clock 
in the evening. At daylight on the following 
morning the Southern Strait, which leads out of 
the Inland Sea into the Corea Strait and China Sea, 
was visible ahead of us, and distant some ten or 
twelve miles. A large fleet of junks and boats 
was seen coming out from the strait, having, no 
doubt, taken shelter during the gale of the pre- 
vious days. The entrance to this strait is about 
half a mile in width; it is bounded on the north 
by the southern end of Nipon, and on the south by 
Kiu-siu. Two small towns, one on each side, were 
visible on its shores. As we passed along, the 
strait widened considerably; and a large town, 
named Simone-saki, was observed on our right 
hand. A little further on, to the left, the residence 
of a Daimio named Korkura was pointed out, and 
we met that worthy himself in a painted barge, 
going in the direction of Simone-saki. 
The scenery in the vicinity of the strait is hilly, 
the hills being often conical in form, and covered 
with trees and brushwood. Generally the country 
