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Two valuable contributions to our knowledge of Chinese and Japanese Metallurgy are known to us: 1st, Stanislas Julien et Paul Champion’s Industries anciennes et modernes de l’Empire Chinois. Paris, 1869; and 2nd, Dr. Burger’s paper on the copper mines of Japan in the translations of the Batavian Society (Verhandelingen van het Bataafsche genootschap 1836). Burger, the successor of von Siebold, was formerly at Desima in the service of the Dutch Government, and has also contributed very valuable materials to the knowledge of the Fauna and Flora Japonica.
In the following paper will be found partly the results of my own observations, made during five years residence in Japan and partly the translation of Japanese works on this subject. A collection of more than 300 different specimens of minerals, out of different parts of Japan, enables me to give an exact account of many useful minoral products of this country. The Japanese works which I have perused are:—
1.—San-kaï mei-butsu dzu-kuwai. This work was written by Hirase Tatsu-yai and illustrated by Hasegawa Mitsuno. It is published at Osaka and consists of 5 volumes 8 vo. The first volume contains the description and representation of mining and smelting works.
2.—Hon-zo-ko-moku Keï-mo, a large work written by the celebrated Japanese naturalist Ono Kanzan and edited for the second time in 1847 by Ono-Tsune-mori and Te-ken-shi-yeki. It is a kind of commentary and Nomenclator on the famous Chinese work on natural history, called Hon-zo-ko-moku (Chinese.) Pun-tsaou-kang-muh written by the Chinese savant Le-she-chin and published in China in the year 1596. A Japanese edition of this latter work was printed and edited 1714, by Ina-waka-sui. Ranzan’s work gives explanations of Japanese names, synonyms and the places of occurrence in Japan of the numerous natural products, described in the above-named Chinese work. The work is interesting for every one who occupies himself with the natural history of China and Japan. Siebold calls the author Ranzan, who has a
