PREFACE.

THE LOCATION AND CLIMATE OF THE JAPANESE REALM.

The Japanese Realm, called Nipon or Nifon by the inhabitants themselves, consists of a gathering of very many islands. Of these, one is the largest, two are very large, and the rest are of various, though smaller, sizes; they are situated beyond the furthest boundary of Asia, between Asia and North America, and are found separated from these regions of the world on all sides by the waters of the Ocean.

Japan extends from the 30th to the 40th degree in latitude toward the north, and from the 143rd to the 161st degree in longitude toward the east. On all sides, these islands are surrounded by a washing and exceedingly stormy sea; inland, it possesses few plains, but truly many hills and mountains, often of the highest stature.

The summer heat is very great, sometimes reaching 100 degrees on the Fahrenheit thermometer The author is using the Fahrenheit scale, which was relatively new in the 18th century, to describe the intense humidity and heat of Japanese summers., and would be scarcely tolerable were it not mitigated by the winds. The heat is most intense in the months of July and August. Likewise, the winter cold is quite intense, reaching several degrees below the freezing point, especially when accompanied by winds coming from the north and east—