JAPANESE WAIFS IN AMERICA. The question of the aboriginal peopling of the American continent, presumably from Asia, re ceives light from the historic record of ships with men and women, mostly fishermen and boat people blown out to sea and into the Kuro Shiwo (q.v.), whence they would drift or be carried to the shores of the Aleutian Islands, the coast of British America and the United States and thence to Hawaii. From time un recorded, there has existed a current in which boats would be borne northward and eastward and yet for the most part be in sight of head lands by day and be lighted at night by vol canoes, in a part of the Pacific Ocean and in comparatively shallow water, wherein it was not impossible to obtain food. The marine myths of the Polynesians, Filipinos, Formosans and Japanese are reinforced by the numerous traditions of fishermen, sailors and passengers that went out but never returned. So long as the Pacific Ocean was unvexed by the keels of European or other large ships, there could be no record, but as soon as these appeared, which was after the edict of Iyeyasu (q.v.) in 1624, which forbade the building of sea-going vessels and commanded the destruction of those already built, leaving only junks and smacks, the record of waifs picked up at sea begins. From 1782 to 1876 there were collected, by C. W. Brooks of San Francisco, certified instances with dates of 49 Japanese junks wrecked, met or seen on American and Hawaiian shores. Of these, 19 stranded or their crews landed on the Aleutian Islands, 10 in Alaska or British America, 3 on the coast of the United States and 2 on Ha waiian shores. All the others were picked up
in the currents which flow from Japan and via Alaska to California and bend to Hawaii. Some of these junks were black with age, full of live fish, water-logged or out over 18 months. An average crew of a junk is 10 men, not counting passengers. Of the number of live human be ings noted, the average was 14, of those found dead 7; or, when not definitely stated, many, several, or a number. Reports of other instances of men landing from foundered junks are numerous, but without exact data. For several years after 1876 the writer cut out the references in newspapers to other waifs found, and instances still occur yearly; but probably not so often as in the era of non-ocean-going ships. Only a few instances of females found on board were noted, though Japanese women often live upon and go out on fishing boats with their husbands or kinsfolk. Arguments from language, physiognomy, customs, super stitions, implements, flora, fauna, games and coins found are not wanting. Unaltered Japan ese words are found in the Indian vocabularies of the Pacific Coast, and the entire field awaits a competent tiller. Of the waifs rescued, mostly by American captains, some returning to Japan became famous, such as Nakahama Manjiro and Heco (q.v.), who wrote books; Sam Patch, Dan Ketch, Kinzo and others, who acted as interpreters. Consult Griffis, Appen dix to the first edition of (The Mikado's Em pire' (1876) ; Nitobe, (The Relations Between the United States and Japan' (1890).