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Notice in an English Publication of Remusat's
'Description of an Almost Unknown Groupe of
Islands Situated Between Japan and
the Marianne Islands'

      M. Abel Remusat has published in the Journal de Savans, some curious particulars relative to a Japanese geographical work in his possession. It is a description of the parts contiguous to Japan, published at Yedo, in 1785, and was brought to Europe by M. Titsingh, formerly ambassador to China. It is in the Japanese language and accompanied with five maps drawn with great care and having the degrees marked. The first is a general map of the parts adjacent to Japan, representing Kamschatka, Jeso, the island of Tchoka, the coast of Tartary, the peninsula of Corea, the coast of China as far as Formosa, the Japan and Lieou-Khieou islands, with another group which will be noticed presently. 2. The particular map of Yesoo, with the neighbouring part of the continent, and the northern point of Japan. It furnishes curious details respecting the whole southern part of Yesoo, often visited by and since that time subject to the Japanese. The north is not so full of names, and we may perceive the efforts made by the Japanese geographers to reconcile their own information with the notions derived from Europeans concerning the island of Tchoka, the mouth of Sakhaliyan-Oula, &c. 3. The map of Corea. That which d'Anville introduced into his atlas was drawn up by Father Regis from the descriptions given to that missionary by Chinese and Mantchous. It is but natural that the two maps should widely differ from one another. That of the Japanese is very detailed and seems extremely exact: the distinction of capital and secondary towns, villages, fortresses, encampments, &c. is carefully marked by particular signs, and the distance of the principal places from the capitals of each province is expressed in days' journeys. Unluckily the names are written in Chinese only, with the exception of the capitals to which the Japanese names are added: hence we have not the native names which the Corean pronunciation must render very different from the others. 4. The map of the islands of Lieou Khieou, Madjikosima, and Thaiwan, with those of the south west point of Japan. The number of islands composing these different groups

is much more considerable than in our latest maps, and even in that drawn up in 1809 from the journal of the Frederic of Calcutta. The distances between the principal, and the tracks from Japan to the Chinese continent are marked in ri, or Japanese miles. 5. Lastly, the map of a small archipelago which has no name, or rather which has not yet found a place in our maps. They are called by the Japanese Bo-nin Sima, Uninhabited Islands, not because they are at present uninhabited, but because they were long so to their knowledge, till colonists removed thither from the south-east point of Ni-fon. They lie nearly to the south of the latter, apparently between the latitude of 25 and 29 degrees, and occupying about two degrees of longitude. The Japanese description reckons two large, four of middling size, and four small ones. The largest are respectively 7 and 7-1/2 leagues in circumference. The rest 80 in number, have no particular designation, and are mere rocks. The author enumerates the different kinds of trees and animals found in these islands. Among the former he mentions the kian-mou, or hard tree; this, he says, is the most valuable; another very high tree, the Japanese name of which is unknown to M. Remusat, the areca, the white louan, the katsiyasi, the sandal, the camphor-tree, a large tree with shining leaves as if varnished, and many others. Enjoying a very mild temperature the hills and valleys produce all sorts of pulse and corn, wheat, rye, small rice, &c. Birds and fish are equally abundant. The Japanese government has never taken formal possession of this group of islands, but as M. Remusat observes, it is more than probable that it would take umbrage at the formation of an European settlement upon them.

Source:

"[Japanese Geographical Work / Account of a Group of Islands unknown to Europeans.]"
     The New Monthly Magazine.
Vol. 8, No. 44 (September 1, 1817),
pp.141-142.

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