204
river, is now, by these artificial means, rendered valuable agricultural land.
Two ri more brought us to Kasima where we halted for dinner. Thence we travelled 3 ri to Nakamura, the capital of the former daimiate of Soma, a place containing a good many streets, but of poor appearance. It stands in a cultivated plain extending from the sea to the mountains, say 5 to 8 miles. Having a good many trees about it, it does not appear anything of a place from outside. There is a lagoon on the coast not far south of Nakamura, and one or two to the northward. Towards evening we passed out of Iwasaki Ken near a small place called Komanaminae, two and a half ri northward of Nakamura, where we put up for the night within the limits of the province of Miangi Ken, in rather poor quarters.
On the 31st of October being our fourth day, we made a start before daylight making one ri over a rolling country and changed horses. I walked on foot the next stage of two ri, where we have to change again. The headland of Kinkasan, the eastern extremity of Sendai Bay was visible bearing about E.N.E. The next stage was five ri, the road keeping along the foot of some hills on our left hand and passing through a good village called Yamasta. The whole extent of country between the road and the sea is a low lying dead level fiat, entirely rice-cultivated. On the upper grounds I noticed in the gardens, mulberry, beans, tobacco, daikuns, cotton, turnips, buckwheat, and the paper-shrub. The country people seemed poor, and the houses dilapidated. I saw a good many cattle, and many houses kept numbers of tame ducks.
We passed through a long town called Watari, and thence continued on the same plain, which extends more to the East. It is entirely rice covered, but has clumps of trees about the scattered farm houses. The hills to the west become gradually lower. At two ri beyond Watari, we struck the river Abukumangawa, which seems to come out of a deep valley cut through the lower hills and a mass of mountains to the westward, having about an east course. It is at least 250 yards across where we
