The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-08-13
TEE ISLAND or TaRAKiY on SACUALIEy.


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Prepared under Disect1 Of ehe SEQ rotary o
sne Navy ha 1859, sor the use ~ Oo'.
ma"d~r Ri"ssoid's Enp,o,i"s nxpsdAssO"-
1he AAnO Language, ny AHAOn Hugh
Palmer.
Ta,sksy Is usually represented on the naps and
dee rbed in geographical works MS saxhalieu. By
the aboriginal int sbitants,-the Ainos-it is ,aIled
Ssndau; by the Msnchus, Saghalien anga ha,s-
The Island OF the Mouth Of tho Black Rives"-be
tle Jspan,s sc, Okn Yeso, Further Ycso," Tchokay,
CLish and Ksafsuto. The Cainese call the natives
Olunchun, Kocyeh and Feyak.
In Grasers General Des ription Of China" II y
called SsghAl IN Ools. and he states that the only
knowledge the ChiIese had OF II WAS derived & ON
the Katcbeil tribes inhab'ting the banks Of tho
Amoor, near its mouth. Ii his maps Of China, Chi
nese TartsV snd the countries conquered by China,
Tarsksy u described as Ssghsiep ooIa uata-"I Island
Of the Blank Rives"-belcngins to Russia.
This island is situated in the Northern Pa ;if,,
and extends from south Of 46 degrees TO 81 degrees
co minutes north atitu re, and between l42 and LIS
degrees east longitude along the eastern coast Of
Muncburia, with which it Is connected, near 81
degrees 80 minutes, by q sand bank, or l,w
narrow neck of land, separating the Gulf Of
1artary from the Gulf of Saghalien. The
latter ID Q circular basin, fifty miles wide,
which receives the waters Of the river Amoor, aud
Is called by Kruzenstern the Limeau ofthe Amoor,
havingsits outlet in the Of Okotsk, by q chan
mel about five miles wide near the north part Of
the island. On the southern extremity 1t il di
vided from the Japanese Island of Yeso by the
strait of La Perouse, about Is miles wide, and in
which the tce runs with great velocity 1t Is near.
ly 600 miles In length, and varies 10 breadth from
rs TO 12O miles.
In l643 two Dutch vessels, the ship Kastrkam,
commanded by Marten Ierrets Devries, and the
yacht Breskens, under the command of Hendrix
Co nelius Schaep, were sent by Anthony Won
Diemsn, Governor General Of Batavia, to EXPLORE
the northern seas Of Japan, and were the first Eu.
ropesn navigators that visited the island. They
supposed to be part Of the continent Of Asia and
originally given to all the islands lying tween
Kamschatka and Japan, and they called the Kurile
Islands " Company's Land" They discovered
and named Aaiva bay and Patience bay. Toe
natives we're friendly and hospitsbe. exchanged
their furs, dsh, oil, &c., with the japanese for
cloth, trinkcts, a.; wore valuable SILVER orna.
ments, and informed them there were several mines
Of that metal in the country.
By the Japanese and Chinese accounts, it would
appear they have very imperfect knowledge Of the
island, which does not form part or dependency
eltheir Of Japan or China. Rensifee SendaI, the
japanese eeographer in his description of the island
Of Yeso, gives tie following count Of Tarakay:-
To the north of Yeso there Is another coun ;ry
separated from its northwestern point by strait
six to seven ri wide la degree at the equator con
tains 2l5 Japanese ri,l called the island Of Kar.
fauto, or Karafto, but its true name is Taraikai OF
Tarakai. There 20 villages on it, an il is 500
ri in circuit. The author cannot however, you h 70,
the accuracy Of this statement, for several ge,gra
piers simply call the country an island on the coast
Of eastern Tappan, (Tartary.) Beyond the inhabited
part there is long rocky promontory trending in
southwestern direction seaward, az may be seen by
tie map. DR.. Faksihf calls this country Tetso, in
bis map of the world; and it Is also called Kara.
fauto and Naroubusi. Towards the northwest Is
rugged chain Of lofty and steep mountains, over
which there ia no practicable route. Beyond this
chain, to the northwest, Ia the country of Sautau
and the Matsiou. We have no precise knowledge
Of the Sautau. The Aassiou are the Manolns of the
Chinese and this country does lot appear to be far
from Karafauto."
In the japanese map Of the world to which Sem
dai refers, Taiakay is represented forming part
Of Manchuria; the Amoor is called the great river
Amurigawa, or Sagarlian, separating Tersppa
(Eurore) from Azlys, (Asia) and is placed several
degrees to the north of this island, leaving the
island of SagsriIsn at its embouchure, and to the
eastward Of Kamsikatta the country of the Ovosya,
(Russians.) He describes Tarakay as entirely in.
dependent Of japan, and states that " the natives
send their young men among the Manchus and Ye-
soitss to learn the languages of those countries,
so as to become qualified to carry on trade
with them. At Karafauto the principal village, the
Yesotes receive in exchange for the productions Of
their country, blue glass, eagles wings, tobacco
pipes, silk stuffs embroidered with dragons, satin
dresses, cloths Of various colors, and cotton goods
The blue glass, as we'll as cages wings, which
come from Kasafauto, are also found in Yeso; the
tobacco pipes, the contrary, are Of Tartar work
mauship, as they bear inscriptions in Manchu let
tiers. These goods are procured from Pekn by the
Manchus, and brought to Karafauto, and arc fro.
quently received at Matsmsy by the Yesoites.
"In the sea between Ksrafauto and Yeso there are
many hidden sand banks and thousands Of rocks,
which make the two routes to it by sea extremely
uiuiVtus, anu Ou siAso 0CCOuns tHC COuAmcICc gC'
tween the two countries has always been inconsideS
able. To the east Of Karafauto Is the high sea; to
the northwest lies Tartary but at what distance is
net positively Known. From thence they bring
green and blue beads, eagles wings, and the stufNs
worn by the Yesoites. The designs Of these stuffs
resemble those manufactured In China, from whence
they probably brought into Tartsry. Karafaut,
although 60 near 70 Ies0, Is separated from IL by
very rapid current rendering the passage between the
two countries extremely dangerous. In the the
east Of Yeso IL the archipelago called by the Japs-
Lt se Tst sima or Thousand Islands, (the Kuriies)
as nay be seen on the map OF that country. IL con-
siAs Of thirty seven islands The inhabitants Of
leso frequent two Of them, which are called Kounar
Eiya, (KunachsirJ and Yedosofu, (IturupC
ono s names Ior uassxay syrS atser vsu
cont<mporaneous maps of Japan, IL Is represented
as forming part Of Tartary, and separated from
Kamtscbatkh by marrow strait. Tne fact OF Yeeo
ful unti l7s7 when La Perouse sailed through the