Japanese Fragments (Volume 10)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1861. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER III. JAPANESE NAUTICAL ENTERPEISE EARLY EUROPEAN INTERCOURSE CHRISTIANITY INTRODUCED WITH GREAT SUCCESS. Reveeting to the hostilities between China and Japan, which sprung out of the attempt to invade the latter, it soon became evident that the weak mere book-learned civilisation of China was no match for the courage and physical energy of the Japanese islanders. Trained to a seafaring life upon their own storm-swept shores, these bold sailors, returning from successful marauding expeditions against the seaboard of the Chinese empire, awakened a general spirit for adventure amongst the inhabitants of Japan: the Japanese sailor and the Japanese ship became thenceforth formidable throughout the Eastern seas. Apart from the conquest of the Chusan group, and the establishment of military and mercantile posts in Ningpo and other cities on the Chinese seaboard, they ranged in their barks from India to lands situated in the Pacific far to the eastward of their homes. The strong similarity in appearance, habits, and disposition of the Kanaka inhabitants of the Sandwich and Georgian groups leads one to suppose that, if not then, in periods still more MARITIME ENTERPRISE. 27 remote, it was the ships of Japan that carried colonists to those distant isles,--and the passions and nautical hardihood of the Malayan races of the Archipelago doubtless received much of their tone from intermixture with these Japanese freebooters. To the present day there is a strong similitude in the character and appearance of these two Eastern races. Of their voyages to the Asiatic continent and Malayan archipelago we have historical record; but until we master the Japanese language sufficiently to explore their ancient writings, we must be content with mythical information as to their w...