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At San-nohe, which is a considerable place, we changed horses, and then took the road following the left side of the valley, which runs to Hachinohe, formerly the capital of a small daimiate situated near the sea at the month of the river, 712 ri distant in an easterly direction. One road, however, soon branched off and ascended the mountains to the northward, and thence ran along an elevated wooded ridge, from whence a very extensive view is gained embracing the mountains near Awomori, the whole eastern section of the great gulf known as Awomori Bay, Ando o-yama mountain on its north side, the Yokohama hills, and the narrow neck of low land intervening between the bay to the eastward of Nohitsze and the Pacific Ocean. All the nearer valleys and ridges run eastward. This mountain path descends into a deep valley at Asamioso, there crossing a small tributary of the Nachinohe river. Continuing over more ridges, but not nearly so high, we reached Gonohe in the middle of the day, which is a considerable place for this part of the country, and has a business-like appearance. Goods are transported on pack animals from Hachinohe, distance five ri.
From Gonohe a rolling country but little wooded, with villages in the hollows, is passed over. At Fujusima we were ferried over a river running East. Thence a gradually rising plain extends to Sampongi, a place which has some importance as having been selected as the site of a settlement of former Aiozo officials (lately known as Tonami Han) which the Government has established. In one long street there are ninety small houses built for these settlers, and at or about this place there are altogether 300 of such dwellings. To call them houses suited to the rigorous climate of Northern Japan would be an error; as they are but wretched contract shanties, which have probably allured the contractors and officials to divide a handsome squeeze at the expense of the Government, in the books of which they doubtless figure very large. In fact, as far as I could learn, the Aidzu settlement is something on a par with the doings of the Kaitakushi in Yezo.
In most of the villages of Nambu and Northern Sendai
