. VotCASOBS
-.-Je£an.
Near the lake of^Oitz is the. delightful mountain of Jefan; which
is efteemed facred afid is faid to prefept not., jefs -than 3000
temples,7
Iii the high ftate of cultivation fev^* forefts can appear 5. except thoie
already mientioncd as decorating „the*fides of mountains.
The vegetable treafures of Japan are numerous, and have been ably
explored by Kaempfer and Thunberg: on account however-of the
enormous population of the: country, and ; the abfoluteAneceffity- pf
paying the utmoft attention to the introdu<3;ion of whatever-may contribute
to human fuftenance, it is not eafy to afcèrtain how far feveral
of the efculcnt plants cultivated here are truly indigenous. There are
many points of refemblance between the floras of China and Japan $
and this fimilarity has probably been ftrehgthened by a mutual intern-
change of ufeful vegetables; if indeed- both countries have hot rather
derived' Tome of their moft valuable plants from Cöchih-Ghifla, .or the
Philippine iflands: the'ginger, the foy bean, black pepper, fugar, dötton,
and indigo, though perhaps natives of the more fouthern regions-of
Alia, are cultivated here with great fuccefs and in vaft aburidahceiH Thé
Indian laurel and the camphor tree are found in the high 'central parts
of Japan, as is alfo the rhus vernix, from the bark of which*exdd’es a
gum refin that is fuppofed toybe the bafis of thé exquifitéiyi beautiful
and inimitable black varhifh,. with which the inlaid’cabinets aacr-otner
articles of Indian luxury are covered. Befides the comnlófi fweètj'-or
China orange, another lpecies, the citrus japonica, is found wild;' and
almoft peculiar to this country: two kinds pf mulberry are piet with
both in an indigenous and cultivated ftate, the one ‘valuable, aS.'thjb.-
favourite food of thé jilk worm, the other efteemed for the white fibres
of its' inner, bark, which are manufactured into paper. The larch, the
cyprefs, and weeping willow, found in all. the warm regions between.
Japan and the Mediterranean,“ here arrive at the extremity of their
boundary to the eaft : the fame may be faid of the opium poppy, white
lily, and jalap (mirabilis jalapa).- Among the fpecies peculiar to Japan
may be "mentioned aletris japonica, a ftately bulbous rooted plant,
7 Kasmpfcr, iii. 281
camellia
camellia japonkja,’ akd volkameria japomfcL, The trumpet-fro\yer(b^* ;0TAHT
nonia catalpa) is' cbmmon.fethis part .of Afia and Peru; in whiph cir-,
cumftance it refimbles the epMendktrttt vanilW, * whofe berries form an
article ofeom-rfefceVheirtg largely dfddhlf-the; preparation- of checofetq#
.The mimora arbdfea,- knd taJlbw te e th e plantain, tbe^pcoa^nut tree*' |
and two other palms, theUh&©Y??Ps ’excelfa and" cycas .circinalis,-adorn
the woodland.tradfs, ’ efpeCiall|Mear the fb flurre, -by the vanetylof;their
growth and foliage, while^be-uricultiv^ted-fwampsfiiy.of the
rivers.^ rend^edyfibfeHasnttheft#?
profafion-’ and- magnitude Of-.the \ bamboos, f with, which j | |g | are
covered. 1 ^ •*-" Y | %W■ nHHHHwMjll’_
2 I t l i t t l e remarkable that neitheVfef,- np® goats arefound in, Zo gr*
the w h o le empire ^ f Japan j the ktter • ^ n gl dpi^e^m^hievous to
cultivation j while th'e‘ abundance,,of ^ptto^.^nd -filk r^pmp^fe jfie
want rtf wo?!, £wine axe alfo deemed ^pernicious to ^ag^culture; and
only a few appear in the neighbourhood .of .Nagafakj, probably introduced
by the Chinee.' There are in general but few cpiadrupeds j the
number ofhorfes in the empire being£QW te4 by Thunberg as equal
toUhofe'of i fingle Swedifli town, gpiiewer,cattle are feed g and the
T a p m e f e -neither ufe .their, flelh por. their mijk,-hut emplo| them (m ly
in ploughing, -or drawing .carts, # g> f
fifh and fowl, with yeg^les. , Hems and^ j i
mefticated, chiefly an. acequnt. of‘ their „eggs., A few.dpgs. aft kept
frpm motive?. ,of fuperftitionj and the cats^r^|avo^ntes pf- the*
ladiesnj -. <■ . , •
Y ' The .wolf appears^ in- the northern province?, and .roXes in other ^
Yrrt . tfiefe laft'being univerfally detefted,. and confidered, as -deAions
incarnate! Thq curious 'reader will a tolerably ^ampje account
in Thunbergs vyork of the natural hiftarjrof^^tbh jflngidaT Country;
from which ftiall be extrafted thesfpllowing ide^fiTits miriefalogy.^
‘‘ That the precioks .metal^jold and to b^found irir Minerals^
1 abundance i the' empire“ bf, W M has teen j S M I bofelo the
Portuguefe, whp formerly exported yvKole lhip loads of them, and to*
® Thunberg, iv. &£.'•
'Z ‘r» thé