Travels in Europe, Africa, and Asia Performed Between the Years 1770 and 1779.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1796. Excerpt: ... mained with him on our small ifland the whole year through. The most curious circumstance in this affair is, that when these ladies, after having served a certain term of years in those houses to which they were fold from their insancy, regain their perfect liberty, they are by no means considered as being dishonoured, and often marry extremely well. In other respects, modesty is a virtue to which these people are not much attached j and lafciviousness seems universally to prevail. The women seldom took, any pains to cover their nudities when bathing in open places, (which they sometimes did) not even in such spots where they were exposed to the sight of the Dutch, or where these latter were to pass. As no Japanese has more than one wife, and she is not locked up in the house as in China, but is suffered to keep men's company, and walk abroad when she pleases, it was therefore not difficult for me to get a sight of the sair sex of this country, in the streets as well as in the houses. The single women were always distinguished from the married, and some of them were even painted. The colour with which they paint themselves is called Bing, and is kept in little round porcelain bowls. With this they paint, not their cheeks, as the Europeans do, but their lips,and Jay the colour on according to their own sancy. If the paint is vevy thin, the lips appear red; but if it be laid on thick, they become of a violet hue, which is here considered-as the greater beauty. On a closer examination I found that this paint is made from the Carthamus tinflorius or bastard saffron. That which chiefly distinguished the married women from the single were their black teeth, which in their opinion were extremely beautiful, but in most other countries would be sufficient to make ...