All the Liuchiu Islands are connected, by certain geomantic signs in the earth, with the province of Satsuma in Japan.' The 48 characters of the Japanese alphabet are in use in Liuchiu, having been communicated to the Liuchinaus by Minamotonotametomo. As regards language, they uso a mixture of Chinese words and the Japanese alphabet in their literature. They call their own kingdom Ohina, or, otherwise, Okinawa; their original ancestor was Amamico, and Amamico was of the race of Heavenly descendants, As regards religion, the islanders worship Yi Shih, the Great Spirit of Japan; besides Hatsiman, Tem-man, Kumano, and other divinities. In their banquets, they observe the ceremonies bequeathed to them by Ogasawara; their other customs have been noted by envoys from China—such as sitting on mats spread upon the ground, the arrangement of their feeding utensils, the practice of eating separately, and so on. Nothing is in uso among them but what is Japanese, Now, according to japanese history-books, it is found that the Southern Islands first presented tribute at the end of the Sui and beginning of the T'ang dynasties; corresponding to the seventh year of Ten-pei in Japanese reckoning. In the 28rd year of K'ai Yuen of the T'ang dynasty, and the 735th after Christ, the Dazaifu' sent a mission to the Southern Islands to put up a stone tablet, inscribed with the names of places, the distances between each, the anchorages of vessels, and the places where water could be procured. At this time the Dazaifu administered the affairs of the Southern Islands, and the offerings they presented as tribute consisted of red wood. Linchiu was then already under the government and subject to the instruction of Japan, In the time of Hu-gen in Japan and Shao Hing of the Sung dynasty in China, about eleven hundred and forty years after Christ, Minamotono-tametomo, who resided. at Idzu Oshima, went over the seas to make an inspection of all the islands. When he arrived at Liuchiu he married the younger sister of an island-chief named Osato Andsu, who gave birth to Tsun Twén, Ho subsequently returned to Idzu Oshima, having established his son as King of Liu-chin; who was afterwards called the Shuntien Wang. This is all to be found in the Chung Shan Chuang Sin Lu, written by sit Pao-kuang.
Two hundred years after these events, the Tycoon Ashikaga Yoshinori bestowed the Liuchiu, Islands upon Shimadzu Tadakuni Prince of Satsuma, as a reward of merit. Ever since the first year of Kakitsu in Japan, the Gth of Chen Tung of the 'Ming dynasty, and 1441st of the Christian era, Liuchiu has formed part of the possessions of the Shimadzu family, who have held it as their appanage, or fief; the inhabit ants ever and anon' sending complimentary messages and presents, en Toyotomi organised a military to Corea, he levied contributions of stores and provender for his army upon Liuchiu but Shio Nei {the king] gave him no more than half what he demanded; wherefore Tokogawa, having superseded' Toyotomi,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.