Japan and the Japanese

PINTO S FIKST VISIT.
principal merchants, the samples were exhibited, and a tariff of
prices agreed upon.
This matter arranged, the prince began to re-question the Portuguese
; to which inquiries Pinto, who acted as spokesman, made
answers dictated, as he confesses, less by strict regard to the truth,
than by his desire to satisfy the prince's appetite for wonders, and
to magnify the king and country of Portugal in his eyes. The
prince wished to know whether it were true, as the Chinese and
Lew Chewans had told him, that Portugal was larger and richer
than China ? Whether (a matter as to which he seemed very cer-
tain) the king of Portugal had really conquered the greater part of
the world ? And whether he actually had more than two thousand
houses full of gold and silver? All which questions Pinto answered
in the affirmative ; though, as to the two thousand houses, he con-
fessed that he had never actually counted them a thing by no
means easy in a kingdom so vast.
Well pleased with his guests, the king caused the Portuguese to
be entertained, by a wealthy merchant, in a house near his own ;
and he assigned also warehouses to the Chinese captain to facilitate
his trade, which proved so successful that a cargo, which had cost
him in China twenty -five hundred taels * of silver, brought him in
twelve times as much .in Japan ; thus reimbursing all the loss he
had lately suffered by the capture of his vessels.
" Meanwhile we three Portuguese," says Pinto, " as we had no
merchandise to occupy ourselves about, enjoyed our time in fishing,
hunting and visiting the temples, where the priests or bonzes, as
they are called, gave us a very good recaption, the Japanese being
naturally well disposed and very conversable. Deigo Zeimoto
went often forth to shoot with an espingarda [a large hand-gun or
musket], which he had brought from Tartary, and in the use of
which he was very dexterous. One day, at a lake where were many
kinds of birds, he killed at various shots six-and-twenty ducks.
* A tael is about an ounce and a third English. The tael is divided into
ten mas ; the mas into ten kandarins ; the kandarins into ten bis ; and
these denominations (the silver passing by weight) are in general use
throughout the far East. Sixteen taels make a katty (about a pound and n
third, avoirdupois), and one hundred katties a picul. these being the mer-
cantile weights in common use.