NOTE.—What is said above of Caron’s good extraction, of his having lost his fortune by the chances of war, and of his re-establishment in his former position by the favor of the king, was, it is probable, merely intended to reconcile the Japanese to receiving as an envoy from the king of France a man whom they had known only in the—according to their ideas—low character of a Dutch merchant. In the instructions drawn up for the bearer of this letter, the following curious directions were given as to the answer to be made to the inquiries of the Japanese on the topic of religion: “As to the article of religion you will say, that the religion of the French is of two kinds—one the same with that of the Spaniards, the other the same with that of the Dutch;[136] and that his majesty, knowing that the religion of the Spaniards is disliked in Japan, has given orders that those of his subjects who go thither shall be of the Dutch religion; that this distinction will be carefully attended to; and that no Frenchman will ever be found wishing to contravene the imperial orders.[137] Should they advance as an objection, that the king of France depends upon the Pope, like the king of Spain, you will answer, that he does not depend upon him; that the king of France acknowledges no superior, and that the nature of his dependence upon the Pope may easily be seen in what has happened within two years, in consequence of an outrage at Rome upon the person of his majesty’s ambassador. The Pope not making a sufficiently speedy reparation, his majesty had sent an array into Italy, to the great terror of all the Italian princes, and of the Pope himself, who sent a legate to him charged with the most humble and pressing supplications, whereby his majesty was induced to recall his troops, which already had encamped in the Pope’s territories. So that the king is not only sovereign and absolute in his own domain, but also gives the law to many other potentates; being a young prince, twenty-five years of age, valiant, wise, and more powerful than any of his ancestors; and, withal, so curious that, besides a particular knowledge of all Europe, he eagerly seeks to know the constitution of the other countries of the world.” INDEX Abegawa, River, i., 385. Acorns, Edible, ii., 142. _Acorus_, ii., 124. Actors, i., 212, 360-365; ii., 160, 161. Acupuncture, ii., 145, 202. Adams, ——, ii., 345. Adams, Captain Robert, i., 240. Adams, Thomas, i., 172. Adams, William, i., 169-179, 192, 199-204, 206, 207, 210, 211, 213, 224, 225, 239, 240. Ainslie, Dr., ii., 208. “Ainu and their Folk-lore, The,” ii., 345. “Ainu of Japan, The,” ii., 345. Akechi Mitsuhide, i., 116, 117. _Alcea rosea_, ii., 124. Alcock, ——, ii., 345. Almeida, Louis, i., 93, 95, 96, 153, 165. Alphabets in use, i., 78; ii., 164. Alvarez, George, i., 38, 50. Ambassadors to the Pope, i., 103-115, 121, 122, 126, 128, 132.