J A 
is the only moveable.- The Japanefe {it always upon their 
lianas. Before dinner begins, they make a profound bow, 
and drink to the, health of the gueils. The women eat 
by thenafelves. During the courfes, they drink a glals 
of fakki , which is a kind of beer made of rice kept con- 
■ftantly warm ; and they drink frequently. Tea and iakki 
are the molt favourite drink of this people; wine and 
fpirits are never tifed, nor even accepted when offered by 
the Dutch. Sakki, or rice-beer, is clear as'wine, and of 
an agreeable taffe ; taken in quantity, it intoxicates for a 
few moments, arid caules head-ach. Both mem and wo¬ 
men are fond of tobacco, which is in univerfal vogue, 
and fmoked continually. The gardens about their houfes 
are adorned with a variety of flowers, trees, verdure, baths, 
terraces, and other embellifhments. The furniture and 
decorations of the houfes of perfons of diftinction conliit 
in japari-workof various colours, curious paintings, beds, 
couches, Ikreens, cabinets, tables, a variety of porcelain 
jars, vales, tea-equipage, and other velfels and figures, 
together with fwords, gun's, fcymitars, and other arms. 
Their retinues are more or lei's numerous and fplendid ac¬ 
cording to their rank; but there are few of the lords 
who,have lefs than fifty or fixty men richly clad and arm¬ 
ed, fome on foot, but molt on horfeback. As for their 
petty kings and princes, they are feldom feen without 300 
or 200 at leaif, when they either wait on the emperor, which 
is one half of the-year, or attend him abroad. 
When a prince or great man dies, there are commonly 
about ten, twenty, or more, youths of his houfehold, and 
fu.ch as were his greatefl: favourites, who put themfelves 
to a voluntary death, at the place where the body is bu¬ 
ried or burned ; as loon as the funeral pile, confiding of 
odoriferous woods, gums, fpices, oils, and other ingredi¬ 
ents, is let on fire, the relations and friends of the de- 
ceafed throw their prefents into it, fuclr as clothes, arms, 
victuals, money, fvveet herbs, flowers, and other things, 
which they imagine will be of ule to him in the other 
world. Thofe of the middle or lower rank commonly 
bury their dead, without any other burning than that of 
fome odoriferous woods, gums, &c. The fepulchres into 
which the bones and allies of perfons of rank are depoiited, 
are generally very magnificent, and lituated at fome dii- 
tance from the towns. 
The Dutch and Chinefe are the only nations allowed to 
traffic in Japan. The chief merchandife is Japanefe cop¬ 
per and raw camphor. The wares which the Dutch 
company import are, coarfe fugar, ivory, a great quantity 
of tin and lead, a little call iron, various kinds .of fine 
chintzes, Dutch cloth of different colours and finenefs, 
ferge wood for dyeing, tortoife-lhell, and coftus Arabicus. 
The little merchandife brought by the officers on their 
own account, conlifts of faffron, theriaca, fealing-wax, 
glals-beads, watches, &c. See. About the time when the 
Dutch fiiips are expected, feveral outpofts are ftationed 
on the highell hills b)' the government; they are provided 
with telelcopes, and long before their arrival give the go¬ 
vernor of Nagafaki notice. As foon as they anchor in 
the harbour, the upper and under officers of the Japanefe 
immediately betake themfelves on-board, together with 
interpreters; to whom is delivered a cheft, in which all 
the Tailors’ books, the mutter-roll of the whole crew, fix 
fmall barrels of powder, fix barrels of balls, fix muikets, 
fix bayonets, fix piitols, and fix {words, are depoiited ; 
this is l'uppofed to be the whole remaining ammunition 
after the imperial garrifon has been Yaluted. Thefe things 
are conveyed on ihore, and preferved in a feparate ware- 
Iioule, nor are they returned before the day the {hip quits 
the harbour. Such is the refult of an attempt to propa¬ 
gate religion by fraud and force. 
Ditties are quite unknown, as well in the inland parts 
as on the coalt, nor are there any cuftoms required either 
for exported or imported goods; an advantage enjoyed 
by few nations. But, to prevent the importation of any 
forbidden wares, the utmoit vigilance is obferved ; and 
fome curious particulars of the iufpicious policy of the 
Yoi, X. No, 703, 
» A N. C93 
Japanefe are related by Tlnmberg, which.does not appear 
fiuperfluous when they have to deal with Dutchmen ; as 
the following circumftance will prove: “ We arrived off 
Nagafaki harbour on the 14th of Auguft, (1775,) and 
prelently faw a boat coming from fiiore to meet us. The 
captain therefore drefied Jiimfelf in a blue (ilk coat, trim¬ 
med with iilver lace, made very large and wide, and 
Huffed, and furnilhed in front with a large cufhion. This 
coat has for many years pall been ufed for the purpole df 
fmuggling prohibited wares into the country, as the chief 
and the captain of the fiiip were the only perfons who 
were exempted from being fearched. The captain gene¬ 
rally made three trips in this coat every day from the {hip 
to the factory, and was frequently fo loaded with goods, 
that when he went alhore, he was obliged to be fupported 
by two failors, o^ne under each arm. By thefe means the 
captain derived a confiderable profit annually from the 
other officers, whofe wares he carried in and out, together 
with his own, for ready money, which might amount to 
feveral thoufand rix-doilars. This profitable traffic, how¬ 
ever, was now at an end. Strifb orders were received fro'ni 
court to fearch the captain as well as others, and to make 
him lay afide his furtout. Thefe ltrict orders were if- 
fued from the,court in confequence of a difeovery that 
was made in the year 1772, when the Burg, having been 
abandoned by her crew, had driven alhore on th’e coalt of 
Japan, and, on difehargiug her cargo, was found to have 
011-board a great quantity of prohibited goods, which 
principally belonged to the captain and the chief. The 
Burg was, as before mentioned, in 1772, to leaky in conle- 
quence of the levere gales fuftained on her paflage to thia 
place, that, on a council being held upon her, flie was 
abandoned ; and it was conlidered as lo certain that ihe 
would link in a few hours, that lhe was not let on fire, 
agreeably to the company’s orders in 1 'uch cafes. Not> 
withftandlng this, the {flip drove for feveral days towards 
the ihore of Satiuma, where lhe was found by the inha-., 
bitants, and towed into Nagafaki harbour. The Japanefe, 
having thus the fhip at their dil'pofal, difeovered all her 
corners and hiding-places, as all'o a great number of chefts 
belonging to the principal officers, which were full of tha 
mod; prohibited goods, and marked with their names. 
They were particularly provoked on finding a chelt, be¬ 
longing to the chief, full of ginfeng-root, which is by no 
means^i-llowed to be imported into the country. The 
cheft therefore, with its contents, was burnt before tha 
gate of the faftory. Beiides the dilgrace accruing to 
the chief from being fearched, the captain lofes a confi- 
derable fum yearly that he gained by fmuggling for the 
other officers, and the officers ate deprived of the profit 
they made by their wares.” For many years pall the cap¬ 
tain was not only equipped with the wide furtout above 
deferibed, but alfo wore large and capacious breeches, in 
which he carried contraband wares alhore. Thefe, how¬ 
ever, were fufpected, and confequently laid afide; and the 
coat, the laft relource, was now, to the owner’s great re¬ 
gret, to be taken off. It was droll enough to fee the af- 
tonifhment which the fudden reduction in the fize of our 
bulky captain excited in the major part of the ignorant 
Japanefe, who before had always imagined that all our 
captains were adtually as fat and lully as they appeared 
to be. 
The heat of fummer in Japan is extremely violent, and 
would be infupportable, were not the air cooled by the 
lea-breezes. Equally fevere is the cold in winter, when 
the wind blows from the north or north-eall. The wea¬ 
ther is changeable throughout the year ; and there are 
abundant falls of rain, eipecially in the fatfaki, or rainy 
months, which begin at Midfummer. This copious moil- 
ture is the chief taufe of the fertility or Japan, and it* 
confequent high degree of population. Thunder is not 
unfrequent; and tempefis, hurricanes, and earthquakes, 
are very common. Thunberg has publilhed his thermo- 
metrical obfervations, from which a clear idea may be 
formed of the climate. The greateit degree of heat, at 
SO ‘ Nagafaki, 
