the name of certain islands of Asia, subject to China; but hitherto little known to geographers, who have been satisfied with marking their existence and latitude in their charts. They, however, form a powerful and extensive empire, the inhabitants of which are civilized, and ought not to be confounded with other savage nations dispersed throughout the islands of Asia. Father Gabil, a Jesuit, has furnished us with some interesting details respecting these islanders, which he extracted from a Chinese relation, published in 1721, at the end of a voyage that was undertaken on the following account. The emperor Kang-hi having resolved, in 1719, to send an ambassador to the king of Lieou-kieou, chose for this purpose one of the great doctors of the empire, named Supao-Koang. This learned man departed from China in 1719, and returned to Peking in 1720, where, in the year following, he caused a relation of his voyage to be published in two volumes. It is in the first of these that he gives an accurate and particular description of the isles of Lieou-kieou; and whatever relates appears to be worthy of the greater credit, because, being on the spot, he examined, as he himself says, according to the orders of the emperor, whatever he found curious or interesting, respecting the number, situation, and productions of these isles; as also the history, religion, manners, and customs of the people who inhabit them.
These isles, situated between Corea, Formosa, and Japan, are in number 36. The principal and largest is called Lieou-kieou; the rest have each a particular denomination. The largest island extends from north to south almost 440 lys, and 120 or 130 from east to west; but on the south side, the extent from east to west is not too lys. The south-east part of the island, where the court resides, is called Cheouli; and it is there that Kint-ching, the capital city, is situated. The king's palace, which is reckoned to be four leagues in circumference, is built on a neighbouring mountain. It has four gates, which correspond to the four cardinal points; and that which fronts the west forms the grand entry. The view which this palace commands is most extensive and delightful; it reaches as far as the port of Napa-kiang, at the distance of ten lys, to the city of Kint-ching, and to a great number of other cities, towns, villages, palaces, temples, monasteries, gardens, and pleasure-houses. It stands in longitude 146° 26' east, and in latitude 26° 2' north.
If we believe these islanders, the origin of their em- pire is lost in the remotest antiquity. They reckon up 25 successive dynasties, the duration of which forms a period of more than 18,000 years. It would be useless to employ a single moment in pointing out the absurdity of these pretensions. It is however certain, that the existence of the country called Lieou-kieou was not known in China before the year 605 of the Christian era. It was in the course of that year, that one of the emperors of the dynasty of Soui, having heard of these isles, was desirous of knowing their situation. This prince at first sent some Chinese thither; but their expedition proved fruitless, as the want of interpreters prevented them from acquiring that knowledge which was the object of their voyage. They only brought some of the islanders with them to Sian-fou, the capital of the province of Chen-fu, which was the usual residence of the emperors of the dynasty of Soui. It fortunately happened, that an ambassador of the king of Japan was then at court. This ambassador and his attendants immediately knew the strangers to be natives of Lieou-kieou; but they spoke of these isles as of a miserable and wretched country, the inhabitants of which had never been civilized. The emperor of China afterwards learned, that the principal island lay to the east of a city called at present Fou-tcheou-fou, which is the capital of the province of Fo-kien; and that, in a passage of five days, one might reach the large island where the king kept his court.
On this information, the emperor Yang-ti sent skilful men, accompanied by interpreters, to summon the prince to do homage to the emperor of China, and to pay him tribute. This proposal was very ill received. The king of Lieou-kieou sent back the Chinese, telling them, sternly, that he acknowledged no prince to be his superior. This answer irritated the emperor, who, to obtain revenge, caused a fleet to be immediately equipped in Fo-kien, in which he embarked 10,000 men. This fleet set sail, and arrived in safety at the port of Napa-kiang. The army, in spite of every effort made by the natives, landed on the island; and the king, who had put himself at the head of his troops to oppose the enemy, having fallen in battle, the Chinese pillaged, sacked, and burnt the royal city, made more than 5000 slaves, and returned to China.
The emperors of the dynasty of Tang, those of the short dynasties that followed, and those of the dynasty of Song, although they were fully informed of every thing respecting the Lieou-kieou isles, made no attempts to render them tributary. In 1291, Chi-tou, emperor of the dynasty of Yuen, was desirous of reviving the pretensions of his predecessors. He fitted out a fleet to subdue these islands; but schemes of conquest had become disagreeable to the Chinese, since the disaster that befell their army in an expedition against Japan. The fleet of Chi-tou went no farther than the isles of Pong-hou, and the western coast of Formosa, from whence, under divers pretences, they returned to the ports of Fo-kien.
It was only in 1372, under the reign of Hong-you, founder of the dynasty of Ming, that these islands submitted voluntarily to the Chinese government. Hong-you had sent one of the grandees of his court to T'ay-tou, who was then reigning at Lieou-kieou, to inform him of his accession to the throne. The Chinese nobleman had received particular instructions respecting this commission, and he acquitted himself of it with all the prudence and address of an able minister. In a private audience which he had with T'ay-tou, he exhorted this prince to declare himself a tributary of the empire, and laid before him the advantages he would derive from this step. His reasoning, supported by the power of his natural eloquence, made so much impression on the mind of T'ay-tou, that he embraced the proposal made him, and sent immediately to the emperor to demand the investiture of his titles.
Hong-you received his envoys in a magnificent manner, and loaded them with presents. He solemnly declared T'ay-tou a vassal of the empire; and, after having received his first tribute (which consisted in valuable horses, aromatic wood, sulphur, copper, tin, &c.) he sent to this prince a golden seal, and confirmed the choice he had made of one of his sons for successor. The emperor afterwards sent 36 families, almost all from the province of Fo-kien to Lieou-kieou. T'ay-tou received them, assigned them lands near the port of Napa-kiang, and appointed certain revenues for their use, at the same time that Hong-you made them considerable remittances. These families first introduced into Lieou-kieou the learned language of the Chinese, the use of their characters, and the ceremonies practised in China in honour of Confucius. On the other hand, the sons of several of the grandees of the court of T'ay-tou were sent to Nan-king, to study Chinese in the imperial college, where they were treated with distinction, and maintained at the emperor's expenses.
The isles of Lieou-kieou had neither iron nor porcelain. Hong-you supplied this want; he caused a great number of utensils of iron and instruments to be made, which he sent thither, together with a quantity of porcelain vessels. Commerce, navigation, and the arts soon began to flourish. These islanders learned to cast bells for their temples, to manufacture paper and the finest stuffs, and to make porcelain, with which they had been supplied before from Japan.
The celebrated revolution which placed the Tartars on the imperial throne of China, produced no change in the conduct of the kings of Lieou-kieou. Chang-teh, who was then reigning, sent embassadors to acknowledge Chun-tchi, and received a feal from him, on which were engraven some Tartar characters. It was then settled, that the king of Lieou-kieou should pay his tribute only every two years, and that the number of persons in the train of his envoys should not exceed 150.
The emperor Kang-hi seemed to pay more attention to these isles than any of his predecessors. He caused a superb palace to be erected in honour of Confucius, and a college where he maintained masters to teach the sciences and the Chinese characters. He also instituted examinations for the different degrees of the literati. He ordained, that the king of Lieou-kieou should never send in tribute rose-wood, cloves, or any other production which was not really of the growth of the country; but that he should send a fixed quantity of sulphur, copper, tin, shells, and mother of pearl, which is remarkably pretty in these islands. He permitted, that, besides the usual tribute, he might present him horse-furniture, pistol-cases, and other things of the same kind, which these islanders are said to manufacture with great taste and neatness. It is more than 900 years since the honzes of China introduced at Lieou-kieou the worship of Fo, and the principal books belonging to their feet. This worship is at present the established religion both of the grandees and of the people. There is still to be seen in the royal city a magnificent temple, erected in honour of another idol borrowed from the Chinese, named Tien-fey, which signifies celestial queen or lady.
These islanders do not make promises or swear before their idols. When they have occasion to do this, they burn perfumes, present fruits, and stand respectfully before some stone, which they call to witness the solemnity of their engagements. Numbers of stones are to be seen in the courts of their temples, in most public places, and upon their mountains, which are entirely appropriated to this purpose. They have also among them women consecrated for the worship of spirits, who are supposed to have great influence over these beings. They visit the sick, distribute medicines, and recite prayers for their recovery.
They respect the dead as much as the Chinese, and they are no less ceremonious in wearing mourning; but their funerals are neither so pompous, nor attended with so much expense. Their coffins, which are of an hexagonal or octagonal figure, are three or four feet high. They burn the flesh of the bodies of their dead, and preserve only the bones. They never offer provisions to them; they are contented with placing lamps round them, and burning perfumes.
Different families are distinguished in Lieou-kieou by surnames, as in China; but a man and a woman of the same surname cannot be united in marriage. The king is not permitted to marry but in the three grand families, which always enjoy the highest offices. There is a fourth, of equal distinction to the three former; but neither the king nor the princes contract any alliances with this family; for it is doubtful, whether it be not sprung from the same stem as the royal line.
A plurality of wives is allowed in these isles. Young men and young women enjoy the liberty of seeing one another, and of conversing together; and their union is always in consequence of their own choice. The women are very reserved; they never use paint, and wear no pendants in their ears; they collect their hair on the top of their heads in the form of a curl, and fix it in that manner by means of long pins made of gold or silver.
Besides the vast domains which the king possesses, he receives the produce of all the sulphur, copper, and tin-mines, and of the salt-pits, together with what arises from taxes. From these revenues he pays the salaries of the mandarins and officers of his court. These salaries are estimated at a certain number of sacks of rice; but under this name is comprehended whatever the king gives in grain, rice, silk, cloth, &c. The whole is valued according to the price of the sacks of rice.
There are here, as in China, nine orders of mandarins, who are distinguished by the colour of their caps, or by their girdles and cushions. The greater part of the titles of these mandarins are hereditary in their families; but there are some which are only bestowed upon merit. In the royal city there are tribunals established for managing the revenue and affairs of the principal island, and of all the others which are dependent on it. The latter have agents, who reside at court. Lieutenant.
There are also particular tribunals for civil and criminal matters; for whatever concerns the families of the grandees and princes; for the affairs of religion; for inspecting the public granaries, king's revenues, duties; for commerce, manufactures, civil ceremonies, and for navigation, public edifices, literature, and war.
The vessels that are built in this country are greatly valued by the people of China and Japan. In these the natives go not only from one island to another, but also to China, Tong-king, Cochin-china, Corea, Nangaza-ki, Satsuma, the neighbouring isles, and to Formosa, where they dispose of their different commodities. Besides those articles of commerce which their manufactories of silk, cotton, paper, arms, copper utensils, &c. furnish them, they also export mother of pearl, tortoise and other shells, coral and whet-stones, which are in great request both in China and Japan.