cocoas. The earthenware, manufactured in this country, is very neat; and there are skilful workmen in iron. The internal range of mountains is possessed by an aboriginal tribe of savages. The country is regularly governed, and is divided. into provinces.

Tonquin, divided from the former, by a small river, is said to be at present incorporated with it by conquest. Its climate unites the Indian with the Chinese products.

The manners and appearance of the people are similar to those of their neighbours of China, but with an inferior degree of civilization.

ASIATIC ISLANDS.

JAPAN.

THE groupe of islands, which forms the empire of Japan, surpasses all the other Oriental isles in political and moral importance. Except China, none of the existing monarchies of Asia can claim a superior rank. This people, like those of the British isles, have so well improved the advantages of their insular situation, that they have rendered a country, not extraordinarily favoured by nature, the seat of an exuberant population, cultivating useful and ingenious arts, and with a comparatively high degree of mental cultivation.

The islands, of which the Japanese empire is composed, lie in the eastern ocean, chiefly between the thirty-second and fortieth degree north latitude. The three principal islands are named Kiusiu, Sikoko, and Niphon. Kiusiu, the most southerly is about one hundred and forty miles by ninety; Sikoko, ninety miles by forty-five; Niphon, seven hundred and fifty miles by an average breadth of eighty.

The climate of Japan is subject to those extremes which are usual in similar latitudes throughout Asia. It has likewise the insular mutability of weather, and general preponderance of moisture. Thunder and tempests are frequent, and earthquakes not uncommon. The surrounding seas partake of the turbulence of the atmosphere, and are much agitated with storms.

The sea coasts are rocky, and in all the islands, the land rises into mountains towards the interior. Some of these are so lofty as to be covered with snow during great part of the year. Several of them are volcanic, some extinct, and some still burning. Numerous rivers descend from the mountainous ridges.

The vegetable productions of Japan extend from the common grains, and esculent plants of the colder climates, to the rice, tea, vine, sugar-cane, orange, ginger, indigo, cotton, and bamboo, of the warmer. A species of sumach (the Rhus Vernix) affords the fine black varnish, which distinguishes the Japanese cabinet ware. Various valuable trees and shrubs grow wild in the mountainous parts, among which are the Indian laurel and the camphor tree.

In the animal creation, probably no tract of equal extent is so poor. Not only the wild beasts, but most of the domestic quadrupeds, have been cut off, in consequence of the necessity, in this over-peopled country, of sacrificing every thing to the production of the greatest quantity of human food. This is sought in the vegetable kingdom. It is asserted, that neither sheep nor goats are seen in the whole empire; that horses are few; and horned cattle still fewer; the latter are only employed for labour, and not reared, either for their milk or their flesh. Even swine are mostly rejected, as hurtful to agriculture; and the only animal food in common use is derived from fish and poultry.

Japan is rich in metals. Gold is said to be so plentiful, that the working of its mines is restricted, lest it should lose its value by becoming too common.

The inhabitants of Japan are, in appearance, a kindred race to those of China. In character, they are more manly and

spirited, than the Chinese, having always defended their country with courage, and manifested great contempt of death. They are mild and courteous in their demeanour, when not irritated; but impatient of affronts, and nice in the point of honour; revenging every insult or injury with blood. Even the women, who, as well as the men, constantly wear a dagger, are capable of using it with great coolness and resolution. Suicide is common in both sexes. They have a greater desire of information than the Chinese, and less of that national pride which inculcates contempt of the arts and learning of foreigners.

After the discovery of Japan by the Portuguese, in the sixteenth century, catholic missionaries went thither, who were extremely assiduous in propagating their religion. The first missionaries arrived in Japan in 1549, and soon spread themselves into all the provinces of the empire. The Portuguese long enjoyed the most unlimited freedom to travel, to trade, and to preach, in all parts of the country. In the business, both of commerce and conversion, they were equally successful; the former was exceedingly lucrative. The Portuguese are said to have exported from this country many tons of gold annually, and an immense quantity of silver. Great numbers of Portuguese settled in Japan; and the Christian religion was held in so high estimation, that in 1582, an embassy was sent from the emperor to Pope Gregory XIII. with letters, and valuable presents. It is said, that one of the Japanese emperors, with his court and army, professed the Christian religion. If the Portuguese had acted with prudence, and adapted their conduct to the character of a nation so haughty and so decisive in all its measures, there seems to be little doubt that Japan would have been christianised; but the profits of their lucrative commerce, and the rapid progress of their religion inflated them with pride; and their imprudence brought on their ruin. In proportion as their riches and credit increased, their haughtiness became insupportable; and in 1586, a decree was issued for their extermination. A dreadful persecution was commenced against the Christians; and in 1590, upwards of 20,000 were put to death. The Christian

priests were forbidden to preach. A great number of them were banished from the country; and the Portuguese traders were confined to the island of Desima.

During these transactions, the Dutch were endeavouring to supplant the Portuguese in the lucrative trade of Japan. Being at war with Portugal, they captured a vessel of that nation, on board of which, a letter, containing the particulars of a plot for dethroning the Japanese emperor, was pretended to be found. The government of Japan now came to a final determination to banish all Christians from the empire, or put them to death without quarter. The struggle continued during the space of near forty years, and terminated in the total eradication of the Christian religion, and the final overthrow of the Portuguese trade in Japan. The Christians made their last stand in the castle of Sinabara, where an immense number, after having sustained a siege, were put to the sword. Both the Portuguese and the Spaniards have made several ineffectual attempts to re-establish a trade with Japan. But since that time, no European nation, except the Dutch, has ever been permitted to carry on any commerce with that country. The Dutch, however, could never obtain the privileges which the Portuguese had enjoyed. Their trade to Japan has always been under rigorous and humiliating restrictions. It has been constantly declining, and is now inconsiderable. The Japanese do not seem to desire any connexion, either political or commercial, with any foreign nation.

The causes of the expulsion of the Portuguese, and the extirpation of Christianity in Japan, are involved in some obscurity. The Japanese treated the missionaries with liberality, and embraced the Christian religion with ardor. Nothing could be more promising than the appearances were for some time. But there was a latent seed of corruption in the doctrine, which those missionaries misnamed the Gospel. This springing up, produced a plentiful crop of its ordinary fruits: pride, ambition, violence, and faction. These provoked a persecution, which quickly terminated in the total extinction of that infant church. The blood, shed in this persecution, was not, as in the first ages.

of Christianity, a fruitful seed for producing new Christians. But this can be no matter of wonder. The Christianity of the sixteenth century, had no right to hope for the same favour and protection from God, as the Christianity of the three first centuries: the latter was a benign, gentle, and patient religion, which recommended to subjects, submission to their sovereign, and did not endeavour to raise itself to the throne, by rebellion. But the Christianity preached by the Romanists, to the infidels, in the sixteenth century, was far different. It had contracted a habit of putting to the sword all that resisted it. Fires, executions, the dreadful tribunal of the inquisition, crusades, bulls, exciting subjects to rebellion, seditious preachers, conspiracies, assassinations of princes, were the ordinary methods employed against those, who refused submission to its orders. The particulars are unknown, but the reasons must have been cogent, which produced so total a change, respecting the Christian religion, in the sentiments of a nation so acute, so penetrating, so steady in its measures, and so little liable to be deceived by misrepresentation. Supposing the unwarrantable conduct of the Christians, to be a consequence of their doctrines, the government took every means to prevent the re-establishment of their religion in Japan. In order to discover, whether any Japanese Christians were concealed in the country, various measures were devised, and particularly that of, annually, trampling on the cross, and the image of the Virgin, and the infant Jesus. This, every Japanese, at least in the town and neighbourhood of Nangasaki, is obliged to perform. That the Dutch comply with this ceremony, some have asserted, but without foundation.

Since the expulsion of the Portuguese, Japan appears to have enjoyed perfect tranquillity, unconnected with the rest of the world, free from any desire of foreign conquests, and ever ready to repel any foreign aggression.

The religion of Japan, like that of all enlightened Pagans, is radically Polytheism, in subordination to Theism. There are three principal sects, those of Sinto, Budso, and Shuto. The first consider the Supreme Being as far above all human