The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-02-24

women are remarkably chaste, and adul
terry severely punished; that one man i,
allowed but one wife, and she is not sub
ject to any undue amount of labor, and il
her turn she submits in the old patriarchal
style to the leadership, love and protection
of her lord, with no apparent aspiration.
to grasp greater powers. From what
saw Of these people am convinced that
they are susceptible of high degree Of
moral culture; that in disposition they are
tractable and kind; that were it not fol
their wild mode of life, living as they dc
on the results of the chase, they cannot be
truly called savages. These people are
very numerous, not only in Yesso but in
Saghaha and all of the adjacent islands.
THEIR SKILL AS HUNTERS.
We hunted with them as guide, and
found them to be as bold riders as the
Arab, as quickly sighted and fleet-footed
as the American Indian, splendid shots
with the gun and arrow, and perfectly
trustworthy as companions. visited a
great number of their villages, in many Of
which there were but four Japanese, and
in all cases they appeared to be we'll pro-
vided with foed-fish, deer and bear meat
and saw few instances of suffering from
any sickness or disease.
AN AINo DANCE.
On the west coast, during our home
ward journey, the Governor, who had &C
companied US for two days, managed to
let us see an Aino dance. We seated our
selves in our tea-houses; the sliding doors
on one side were all removed, and the
Amos, under japanese officer, assembled
in little yard adjacent, and were directed
to dance and sing for our entertainment.
The feast commenced by a generous dis
tribution of saki (rice whisky to them to
warm them up to their work. They drank
prodigious quantities of this before mani
Testing any excitement, but when 1t began
to work they cut some eccentric capers in
4 wild style, singing songs that appeared
TO have been buried for long time low
down in their stomachs. Their dance con-
sisted of hopping, howing, clapping their
hands together and then striking their
thighs and breasts. One of their songs was
translated to US, when it appeared to be a
song of thanks to the japanese, from whom
they had learned how to make saki, and
were wonderfully indebted for such civil
LIKING influences. During the singular
performance they initiated birds and beasts
quite we'll
In drinking they were provided with
peculiar shaped sticks; these they laid
first across the bowl, then raised the whole
to their forebeads, bowling their obliga-
t;ons; then, taking the stick and delicately
dipping one end of it in the liquor, they
cast a little out to the ground, saying,
"This is to the EARTH" then little more
was thrown upward with the remark,
This is to the sky again another such
a libation, saying, "This is to our rulers;"
and then, lastly, "This is to ourselves"
Then, using this same wand or stick to
carefully part their mustaches, they drink
with the stick placed carefully across the
bowl, repeating the ceremony with every
fresh draught. We felt conscience-strick-
en- at having been instrumental in infiet-
ing upon these poor wretches the duty of
indulging in such drunken orgie as this
proved to be, and imagined, from the
amount of liquor that they drank; that
they would be "off duty" for week; but
early next morning, when we rode out of
town, we found them all apparently in the
best of spirits, waiting to see us properly
off on our journey.
THE GEOLOGICAL FORMATION OF YEsso.
On the line of the east coast noticed in
many places large deposits Of iron sand on
the beach, and picked up a few quartz
pebbles which were considered strong in
dications of there being gold in the noun
tains. In places where the shore was not
rocky, but still precipitors, another STRAIT
ification of the earth was disclosed, in
which found sea-shells imbedded in the
clay of the solid mountain one hundred or
more feet below the surface, thus indicat-
ing its marine formation and upheaval.
On our fifth day out we reached place
called Sull's Carry, a solitary house by the
sea, and at the foot of very high and
steep mountain that here ended in pre-
cipitous cliff of great beauty overhanging
the water. Here we were compelled to
abandon the beach and climb over the
On the way we saw tracks and
other signs of bear very fresh. After ar
irving at our resting place for the night
we learned that the bears at that point
were destroying the horses of the people
and committing great depredations.
TRAVELLING IN A JUNK.
The next days journey we made mainly
in a junk, rowed for long time by Amos,
until fine breeze sprung up and relieved
them. 1t was curious scene to behold
those wild, long bearded fellows, ian exact
picture of first-class theatrical pirates,
singing to their oars, and chanting a wild
and not unmuscal song.
That night we remained at place call
ed Rosa, near the foot of another volcano
called Oosa. This we at once assembled,
having to tear our way with our Aino
yuides through a very dense growth Of
brush in cottonwood forest, until at last
we reached the steep side of the mountain
proper, and then assembled by a most toll
some march in debris, sinking at each step
TO our ankles until we reached the edge of
the crater. We found it to be an immense
opening, circular in form, as near as we
could judge, and about a mile in diameter.
Within this circle were two rugged peaks
that appeared to have withstood time and
the fury of the flames, and to still be the
theatre of the continued conflagration.-
They were even then emitting smoke and
steam in huge volumes. These peaks we
could not, of course reach or ascend. Be-
yond, and in plain view, was an immense
lake also called Oosa, and within this was
a most beautiful and symmetrical island in
The form of a sugar-loaf. From our stand
point on the mountain our view was su-
blime, as the day was fine and the atmos-
phere very clear. Volcano Bay stretching
,wav IN the one hand with IFS surf heat