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that professed it were in a few years’ time entirely exteminated.” (p. 204.)
With the above extract the time allotted to me for this evening compels me to conclude my observations on Dr. Kaempfer’s History of Japan. They only relate to a portion of his entire work, but I shall place the remaining portion of my abstract of it in the hands of the Secretary, and I am happy to add that, in the event of the Council wishing it, Mr. Satow will append notes to this abstract, showing to how great an extent he is disposed to assent to the statements advanced in Kaempfer’s work.
I would say that no one could rise from a careful perusal of Kaempfer’s History without feeling disposed to pay an ample tribute of respect in reference to the large and valuable compilation of scientific facts which are in the volumes before us bequeathed to the world. The world which more immediately became the heir of this bequest was scarcely in a position to estimate the value of its possession, since in those days none could dispute many of the assertions of Dr. Kaempfer; but at the present day we are in a different position. The pages which were presented to the public one hundred and forty-six years ago have been now subjected to the full scrutiny of the scientific world. It would be beyond the purpose of this paper to examine minutely the exact correctness of Kaempfer’s assertions or speculations in one or other of the fields in which his investigations were conducted. My object has only been to do something towards bringing to the notice of this Society the varied contents of a Work which has in a great degree supplied modern writers on Japan with suggestive materials towards their respective compositions.
