Ourselves, from the higheft to the lowest, underwent the fame fufpicious fcrutiny whenever we went from or returned on board the ship. Our backs were first ftroked down by the hand of the inspector; our fides, bellies, and thighs, were then in like manner examined; fo that it was next to impoffible that any thing could be concealed.

Formerly they were lefs exact in this vifitation; the chief of the factory and captain of the veffel were even exempted from it. This privilege they used in its utmolt extent: each dreffed himself in a great coat, in which were two large pockets, or rather facks, for the reception of contraband goods, and they generally paffed backwards and forwards three times a day.

Abufes of this nature irritated the Japan government fo much, that they refolved to make new regulations. For fome time they found, that the more dexterity they used in detecting the tricks of the Europeans, the more dextroufly they contrived to evade them at laft, however, by repeated trials, they have fo compleatly abridged their liberties, that it is now almost, if not abfolutely, impoffible to fmuggle any thing.

The complexions of the Japanese are in general yellowish, although fome few, generally women, are almoft white. Their narrow eyes and high eye-brows are like thofe of the Chinese and Tartars. Their nofes, though not flat, are fhorter and thicker than ours. Their hair is univerfally black; and fuch a fameness of fashion reigns through this whole empire, that the head

drefs is the fame from the emperor to the peasant.

The mode of the men's headdrefs is fingular; the middle part of their heads, from the forehead very far back, is clofe fhaven; the hair remaining round the temples and nape of the neck is turned up and tied upon the top of the head into a kind of brush, about as long as a finger; this bruth is again lapped round with white thread, and bent a little backwards.

The women preferve all their hair, and, drawing it together on the top of the head, roll it round a loop, and fastening it down with pins, to which ornaments are affixed, draw out the fides till they appear like little wings; behind this

a comb is ftuck in.

Phyficians and priefts are the only exception to the general fashion; they fhave their heads intirely, and are by that means diftinguished from the rest of the people.

The fashion of their cloaths has alfo remained the fame from the highest antiquity. They confift of one or more loote gowns, tied about the middle with a fafh; the women wear them much longer than the men, and dragging on the ground. In fummer they are very thin; but in winter quilted with filk or cotton wadding.

People of rank have them made of filk; the lower clafs of cotton ftuffs. Women generally wear a greater number of them than men, and have them more ornamented, often with gold or filver flowers woven into the stuff.

These gowns are generally left open at the breaft; their fleeves are very wide, but partly fewed

up.

up in front, fo as to make a kind of pocket, into which they can eally put their hands, and in this they generally carry papers, or fuch light things.

Men of confequence are diftinguished from thofe of inferior rank by a fhort jacket of thin black ftuff, which is worn over their gowns, and trowfers open on the fides, but fewed together near the bottom, which take in their skirts. Some ufe drawers, but all have their legs naked. They wear fandals of fraw, fatened to their feet by a bow paffing over the inftep, and a ftring which paffes between the great toe and that next to it, fixing to the bow. In winter they have focks of linen, and in rainy or dirty weather, wooden fhoes.

They never cover their heads but on a journey, when they ufe a conical cap made of ftraw; at other times they defend themselves from the fun or the rain by fans or umbrellas.

In their fah they fallen the fabre, fan, and tobacco-pipe; the fabre always on the left fide, and (contrary to our European custom) with the fharp edge uppermost. Those who are in public employments wear two, the one confiderably longer than the other.

Their houfes are built with up. right pofts, croffed and wattled with bamboo, plaistered both without and within, and whitewashed. They generally have two fories; but the uppermoft is low, and feldom inhabited. The roofs are covered with pantiles, large and heavy, but neatly made. The floors are elevated two feet from the ground, and covered with planks. On thefe are laid mats

which are double, and filled with ftraw three or four inches thick. The whole houfe confifts of one large room; but may be divided at pleature into feveral fmaller, by partitions made with frames of wood, filled up with painted paper, that fix into grooves made for that purpose in the floor and cieling. The windows are also frames of wood, divided into fquares, filled up with very thin white paper, tranfparent enough to anfwer tolerably well the purpofe of glass.

They have no furniture in their rooms; neither tables, chairs, ftools, benches, cupboards, or even beds. Their cuftom is to fit down on their heels upon the mats, which are always foft and clean. Their victuals are ferved up to them on a low board, raifed but a few inches from the floor, and one dish only at a time. Mirrors they have, but never fix them up in their houfes as ornamental furniture; they are made of a compound metal, and used only at their toilets.

Notwithstanding the feverity of their winters, which oblige them to warm their houtes from November to March, they have neither fire-places nor floves; inftead of thefe they ufe large copper pots ftanding upon legs; thefe are lined on the infide with loam, on which ashes are laid to fome depth, and charcoal lighted upon them, which feems to be prepared in fome man ner which renders the fumes of it not at all dangerous.

The Portuguese, in all pròbability, first introduced the ufe of tobacco into Japan: however, be that as it may, they use it now with great frugality, though both F3

fexes,

fexes, old and young, continually fmoke it, blowing out the fmoke through their noftrils. The first compliment offered to a ftranger in their houfes is a difh of tea and a pipe of tobacco. Their pipes have mouth pieces and bowls of brafs or white copper. The hollow of the bowl is fo fmall as fcarce to contain an ordinary pea. The tobacco is cut as fine as a hair, about a finger's length, and is rolled up in fmall balls like pills, to fit the fmall hollow in the bowl of the pipe; which pills, as they can laft but for a few whiffs, must be very frequently renewed.

Fans are ufed by both fexes equally, and are, within or with out doors, their infeparable companions.

The whole nation are naturally cleanly; every houfe, whether public or private, has a bath, of which conftant and daily ufe is made by the whole family.

You feldom meet a man who has not his mark imprinted on the fleeves and back of his cloaths, in the fame colour in which the pattern is printed; white fpots are left in manufacturing them, for the purpose of inferting thefe marks.

Obedience to parents and refpect to fuperiors is the characteriftic of this nation: it is pleafing to fee the refpe&t with which in feriors treat thofe of high rank; if they meet them abroad, they ftop till they have paffed by; if in a houfe, they keep at a distance, bowing their heads to the ground. Their falutations and converfations between equals abound alfo with civility and politenefs; to this children are early accuftomed by the example of their parents.

Their penal laws are very fee vere; but punishments are feldom inflicted. Perhaps there is no country where fewer crimes against fociety are committed.

Their ufage of names differs from that of all other nations. The family name is never made ufe of but in figning folemn contracts, and the particular name by which individuals are diftinguished in converfation varies according to the age or fituation of the perfon who makes use of it: fo that fometimes the fame perfon is, in his lifetime, known by five or fix different

names.

They reckon their age by even years, not regarding whether they were born at the beginning or the end of a year, fo that a child is faid to be a year old on the new year's day next after his birth, even though he has not been born many days.

Commerce and manufactures flourish here, though, as these people have few wants, they are not carried to the extent which we

fee in Europe. Agriculture is fo well understood, that the whole country, even to the tops of the hills, is cultivated. They trade with no foreigners but the Dutch and Chinese, and in both cafes with companies of privileged merchants. The Dutch export copper and raw camphire, for which they give in return fugar, ripe cloves, fappan wood, ivory, tin, lead, tortoife-shell, chintzs, and a few trifles more.

As the Dutch company do not pay duty in Japan, either on their exports or imports, they fend an annual prefent to the court, confifting of cloth, chintzs, fuccotas cottons, ftuffs, and trinkets.

I had the fatisfaction to attend the ambaffador, who was intrufted with thefe prefents, on his journey to Jeddo, the capital of this vaft empire, fituated at an immenfe diftance from Nagasacci, a journey on which three Europeans only are permitted to go, attended by two hundred Japanese at least.

We left our little island of Dezima, and the town of Nagafacci, on the 4th of March, 1776, and travelled through Cocora to Simonofeki, where we arrived on the 12th, and found a veffel prepared for us; we embarked on board her, and coafted along to Fiogo. From thence we travelled by land to Ofacca, one of the principal commercial towns in the empire. At this place we remained the 8th and 9th of April, and on the roth arrived at Miaco, thé refidence of the Dairi, or ecclefiaftical emperor. Here we alfo ftayed two days; but after that made the beft of our way to Jeddo, where we arrived on the if of May.

We were carried by men in a kind of palankins, called norimons, covered, and provided with windows. The prefents alfo and our provisions were carried on men's fhoulders, except a few articles, which were loaded on pack-horses. The Japanefe officers who attended us provided us with every thing, so that our journey was by no means trouble. fome.

On the 18th we had an audience of the cubo, or temporal emperor, of the heir-apparent, and of the twelve fenators; the day following. of the ecclefiaftical governors, the governors of the town, and other high officers. On the 23d we had our audience of leave. We left Jeddo on the 26th of May, and arrived at Miaco on the 7th of June. Here we had an audience of the emperor's viceroy, to whom we alfo made prefents, as we were not allowed to fee the dairi, or ecclefiaftical emperor. On the 11th we procured leave to walk about the town, and vifit the temples and principal buildings. In the evening we fet out for Ŏfacca, which town we were alfo permitted to view, which we did on the 13th,

We faw temples, theatres, and many carious buildings; but, above all, the manufactory of copper, which is melted here, and no where elfe in the empire.

On the 14th we had an audience of the governors of this town; after which we refumed our journey to Fiogo, where we again embarked on the 18th, and proceeded by fea to Simonofeki, from whence we arrived on the 23d at Cocota, and from thence were carried in norimons to Nagalacci, and arrived at our little ifland Dezima on the laft day of June, after an abfence of one hundred and eighteen days,

An Account of the Eruption of Mount Vefuvius, which happened in Auguft 779 From Sir William Hamilton's Letter to Mr. Banks, P. R. S.

TH

Naples, Oct. 1, 1779. HE late eruption of Mount Vefuvius was of lo fingular a nature, so very violent and alarming, that it neceffarily attracted the attention of every one, not only in its immediate neighbourhood, but for many miles around; and, con fequently, feveral flight defcriptions of it have been already handed about, and fome (as I am informed) more accurate and circumftantial are preparing for the prefs *.

That on which the Abbot Bottis is actually employed, by command of his Sicilian majefty, will undoubtedly be executed with the fame accuracy, truth, and precifion, as have rendered that author's former publications upon the fubject of Mount Vesuvius fo univerially and defervedly esteemed.

Such a publication, executed with magnificence in the royal printing office, may, perhaps render every other account of the late eruption fuperfluous: nevertheless,

Since the great eruption of 1767, of which I had the honour of giving a particular account to the Royal Society, Vefuvius has never been free from fmoke, nor ever many months without throwing up redhot fcoriæ, which increafing to a certain degree, were ufually followed by a current of liquid lava, and except in the eruption of 1777, thofe lavas broke out nearly from the fame fpot, and ran much in the fame direction, as that of the famous eruption of 1767.

No lefs than nine fuch eruptions are recorded here fince the great one above mentioned, and fome

of