The conquest of the Lew Chew [Riūkiū] Islands, by the king of Satsuma, took place about 1610; and, much about the same time, some Japanese made an establishment on the island of Formosa, for the purpose of trading with the Chinese; but in this they were soon superseded by the Dutch. The narrative of Nuyts’ affair, as given in the text (Vol. I, p. 252), is derived from a detailed account appended in “Voyages au Nord,” Tom. IV., to Caron’s Memoir, addressed to Colbert, on opening an intercourse with Japan; but, from a paper embodied in the Voyage of Rechteren (“Voyages des Indes,” Tom. V.), and written, apparently, in 1632, by a person on the spot, it would appear that the conduct of Nuyts, instead of being prompted by personal antipathy, was merely an attempt to exclude the Japanese from the trade with the Chinese, and to engross it for the Dutch East India Company; “a desire good in itself,” so this writer observes, “but which should have been pursued with greater precaution and prudence.” In the Chinese writings, the Japanese figure as daring pirates; but, as the appellation bestowed on them is equally applied to other eastern and southeastern islanders, it is not so easy to say to whose credit or discredit the exploits referred to by these Chinese writers actually belong. NOTE G (From Clement’s “Handbook of Modern Japan”) LIST OF JAPANESE YEAR PERIODS[1] The names of these periods are made by the various combinations of 68 Chinese words of good omen. ────────────────────────┬───────────┬─────────── NAME. │ JAPANESE │ CHRISTIAN │ ERA.[2] │ ERA. ├───────────┼─────────── Taikwa │ 1305 │ 645 Hakuchi │ 1310 │ 650 (Blank) │ 1315-1331 │ 655-671 Sujaku │ 1332 │ 672 Hakuhō │ 1332 │ 672 Shuchō │ 1346 │ 686 (Blank) │ 1347-1360 │ 687-700 Daihō [Taihō] │ 1361 │ 701 Keiun │ 1364 │ 704 Wadō │ 1368 │ 708 Reiki │ 1375 │ 715 Yōrō │ 1377 │ 717 Jinki │ 1384 │ 724 Tembiō │ 1389 │ 729 Tembiō shōhō │ 1409 │ 749 Tembiō hoji │ 1417 │ 757 Tembiō jingo │ 1425 │ 765 Jingō keiun │ 1427 │ 767 Hōki │ 1430 │ 770 Tenō │ 1441 │ 781 Enriaku │ 1442 │ 782 Daidō │ 1466 │ 806 Kōnin │ 1470 │ 810 Tenchō │ 1484 │ 824 Jōwa │ 1494 │ 834 Kajō │ 1508 │ 848 Ninju │ 1511 │ 851 Saikō │ 1514 │ 854