866 
Book 1. 
A fuccincl Account 
welcome at any of them all; and the Kings of two of 
thefe petty Blands gave us a formal Invitation. But there’s 
few of them can afford Bufinefs that will turn to account, 
and defray the Charges of a Settlement : Therefore my 
Advice is, that our Ships that come to trade here, would 
not fail to Firando, but to Oringgaco , upon the main 
Ifland, and about fifteen Leagues diftant from Eddo, where 
they will find very good Riding, and a much greater Pro- 
fpeCt of Advantage. This Place indeed is not capable of 
affording fo good an Entertainment as may be defired : 
Provifions are not altogether fo plentiful there as at Fi- 
rando but that Want may be fupplied by a Correfpon- 
dence with the circumjacent Country. 
Chriftianity makes noconfiderableProgrefs comparatively 
any where in this Empire, but at Meaco and Langefaique , a 
Town fituated upon the Sea-coaft, about eight Leagues 
from Firando. It had, it’s true, gotten footing in Eddo ; 
but the Emperor, upon fome Pique taken againft the 
Chriftians, banilhed them all from thence, and confined 
them to Langefaique ; and as a Prevention of its creeping 
into the Court, and rooting itfelf any where near him, he 
made it Death to any who ftiould offer to build a Church, 
or fing Mafs, within ten Leagues of the Place where he 
refided. This Change was but a very little before our going 
to Eddo ; notwithstanding which, the Chriftian Religion is 
otherwife indulged. The Chriftian Japonefe at prefent 
have, as far as I fee, the fame Protection and Privilege 
with others ; and the Jefuits feem to enjoy an unreftrained 
Liberty in the making of Profelytes. The Foundation of 
a FaCtory being now firmly laid in the Emperor’s full 
Grant to that Purpofe, we proceeded to build upon it, 
being the rather encouraged to it, in that we were now 
affured that Englifh Factories were actually fettled at Siam 
and Patana ; as alfo, that the Dutch made fomething of 
their Bufinefs here ; and we had reafon to believe we had 
not a lefs Share in the Good-will and Efteem of this 
Country than they. We therefore appointed fome of our 
Company to refide here upon this Affair, with InftruCtions 
alfo to make what Difcoveries they could upon the Coaft 
of Corea , Fufhmay , and other Parts adjoining, againft the 
next Return of the Ships. By exaCt Obfervations we 
made, during our Stay here, we determine the Latitude 
of Firando to be 33 0 14 N. and the varying of the Com- 
pafs 2 © 50' Eafterly. 
Thus far we have followed exaCtly the Memoirs of 
Captain Saris, who farther reports abundance of Civilities 
received from the King of Firando -, together with a Let- 
ter, written by that Prince, to our King James , expref- 
fing a very earneft Defire to render all the Service in his 
Power to the Englifh Nation ; and highly commending 
their Defign of eftablifhing a Correfpondence between 
their own Country and the Japonefe ; for the promoting of 
which, he profeffes himfelf ready to do whatever lay in 
his Power. Captain Saris profecuted his Voyage to Ban- 
tam, in the Ifland of Java , without any remarkable Ac- 
cident •, and he 'Commends Linfchoten* s Voyages as very 
fmcere, and his Charts as very exact He arrived at 
Bantam on the firft of January 1614, and found things 
there in a very indifferent Condition, owing, as lie con- 
ceived, to their having too many Factories ; however, he 
got his Lading, and in the latter End of the Month of 
May proceeded for England , and arrived fafely on the 
27th of September following at Plymouth. He does not 
appear to have been very fanguine in the Affair of fet- 
tling a FaCtory in Japan, but Teems to have been obliged 
thereto by his InftruCtions ; yet as he was a Man of great 
Obfervation and Reflection, he took all imaginable Pains 
to have a diftinCt Account of what Goods were to be 
Tent there, and what might be expeCted in return. I ap- 
prehend, that the true Reafon of his Diffidence was, our 
not having, at that time, an open Trade with China , 
the greateft Profit refolding from the Japan Trade, being 
made on Chinefe Goods ; but however, Time and Patience 
might have overcome all thefe Difficulties, and have efta- 
-blifhed us as effectually as the Dutch . But the truth of 
the Matter was, that our People were lefs under Com- 
mand, and confequently lefs fit for living in that Coun- 
try, and eftablifhing a Trade there. 
of the Adventures 
As a Proof of Captain Saris' s great Merit in examining 
every thing carefully, and recording from time to time 
what Notices he received, I think it may not be ami is to 
annex to this Account of his Voyage the Report he received 
concerning the Land of Jeffo", or Tedzo , which was then, 
and ftill is, a Place very imperfectly known, and on the 
abfolute Difcovery of which, hang many Points of Im- 
portance, but more particularly the Decifion of the great 
Point, whether there be, or be not a Paffage into thefe 
Seas by the North-Eaft. I the rather infert this Account, 
becaufe, for any thing I can perceive, it is as likely to be 
true as any we have yet received, only! fufpeCt, that either 
our Japonefe Traveller was miftaken in calling this Coun- 
try an Ifland, or elfe there is both an Ifland and a Conti- 
nent of the fame Name, which is indeed agreeable to what 
we find relating to this Country in the freffieft Accounts 
we have received from Japon. I muft likewife beg leave 
to add, that if we refleCt on the Stature and Complexions 
of the Northern Tartars , the Laplanders and Samoeides, we 
fhall have the lefs Caufe to fofpeCt this Writer, either of 
Credulity or FiCIion. 
Intelligence concerning Yedzo, received at the City cf Eddo 
in Japon, from a Japonefe that had been twice there . 
“ This ingenious Traveller fays, that Tedzo is an 
tc Ifland lying on the North-weft fide of Japon , and about 
“ fome ten Leagues diftant from it. That the People are 
cc of fair Complexion, good-natured enough, far more 
“ humane in their Temper and Conditions than their our- 
“ ward AfpeCt and Appearance, being all over rough and 
“ hairy, almoft like Monkies ; yet their Skin (as before 
“ hinted) white and clear. The Weapons ufed among 
“ them are Bows and poifoned Arrows. 
“ Thofe in the Southern Parts are very underftanding 
<c People, and fit for Commerce, having the Knowledge 
“ of Weights and Meafures, which in the middle Parts 
“ of the Ifland they are entirely ignorant of. Thofe in 
“ the Northern Parts are a People which feem to be dif- 
“ ferent from the reft of the Ifland, and of quite another 
“ Race, being fo extreamly ffiort, that they may be called 
“ Dwarfs in a ftriCt and proper Senfe ; whereas the 
“ Tedzoes are commonly of the Stature of the Japonefe. 
“ They have none of them any fort of Apparel but 
“ what is brought from Japon , and fo the moft Part of 
“ their Rice (if not all they are fupplied with) is brought 
“ from thence too ; but then they have that amongft 
« them which will make other People think it very well 
“ worth their while to come and bring them thofe Necef- 
“ faries, viz. a great deal of Silver, and a fort of fandy 
“ Gold, in which they make all their Payments to the 
“ Japonefe for what they take of them. 
“ The Commodities moftly tranfported hither are Rice, 
“ Cotton, Cloth, Iron, and Lead ; but all things ne- 
“ ceflary for the Back and Belly, are the moft welcome 
“ and acceptable to thefe People ; particularly Rice car- 
“ ried from Japon to Tedzo has yielded four hundred per 
“ Cent. 
“ The chief Town where the Japonefe refide for Trade 
“• is called Matzuma , where they have alfo a Fort, and 
“ at leaft five hundred Families of that Nation conftantly 
“ dwelling there. In September the Natives come down 
“ in vaft Numbers to buy and lay in their Winter Stores » 
and in March they bring Salmon, and feveral forts of 
“ dried Fiffi, befides other Wares, which they barter 
“ with the Japonefe. This Matzuma is the chief Town 
“ for Bufinefs known to the Japonefe upon the whole 
“ Ifland, and they have no manner of Concern or Settle- 
“ ment any where but here.” 
14. When I firft entered upon this Subject, I muft confefs 
it was not my Intention to have profecuted it fo largely, 
but upon mature Reflection, that I could never have a 
more proper Gccafion to infert the Hiftory of our Accefs 
to, and Retreat from Japon , which is in itfelf a very cu- 
rious SubjeCt, and hath this farther to recommend it, that 
it was never handled before, I thought I could not do 
better, than to throw all I have been able to learn upon 
this Head into this SeCtion ; by which means it would be 
better 
