Lewchew and the Lewchewans; Being a Narrative of a Visit to Lewchew or Loo Choo, in October, 1850 by George Smith. Published in 1853.

The Seventh Report of the Loochoo Mission Society for 1851-2 by the Loochoo Mission Society with an appendix from the Journal of Bernard Jean Bettelheim. Published in 1853..

 
Smith, George:
Lewchew and the Lewchewans; Being a Narrative of a Visit to Lewchew or Loo Choo, in October, 1850, London, Hatchard, 1853, 12mo (4 1/2 x 7  in - 11.6 x 17.7 cm), black and white engraved frontispiece showing the "Residence of Dr. Bettelheim, Loo Choo," i~viii, 95 pp. George Smith, D.D. was the Lord Bishop of Victoria (Hong Kong). Probably the most comprehensive English language account relating to Okinawa published prior to the narrative of American Expedition to Japan headed by Commodore Perry which arrived in Okinawa more than two years after Smith's visit. This book is Bishop Smith's account of his efforts, supported by the British Government, to obtain better treatment of Dr. Bernard Bettelheim. Bettelheim, a medical missionary, had been sent to Okinawa in 1846 by the British Loochoo Missionary Society. His presence on Okinawa was unwelcome by the authorities and his activities were constantly limited and hindered. Both Bettelheim and the Okinawan authorities complained about his situation but an impasse had developed. Neither side appeared to be willing to give in. Bishop Smith's visit was intended to show the Okinawans that the full authority and power of the English government supported Bettelheim's continued and unrestricted presence on Okinawa. Bishop Smith's account of his visit, which spanned the period from Oct 3 - Oct 10, 1850, provides exceptional insight into the conditions under which Bettelheim conducted his medical mission. It is an important account of Okinawa as it stood positioned at the leading edge of the relentless push by the Western powers to force Japan to open to outside trade and contacts. In addition to describing Dr. Bettelheim's mission, Bishop Smith provides insight into the geography, culture and political structure he found.

Bishop's Smith's Report contains a 6 page (pages iii~viii) introduction which outlines the circumstance surrounding the mission and the reasons for the visit.

A PDF file containing the introduction and the first 20 pages of text (20 of 95) is here.

To open a PDF file you must to have an Adobe Reader program installed on your system. The current version of the Adobe Reader is 7.0. If you do not have the program installed, or have an outdated version, it can be downloaded free at the Adobe web site which currently is: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Frontispiece

(Bettelheim's Residence in Naha)

 
Title Page

 
Loochoo Mission Society
Bettelheim, Bernard Jean:
The Seventh Report of the Loochoo Mission Society for 1851-2, London, published by the Society, 1853, 12mo (4 1/2 x 7  in - 11.6 x 17.7 cm), 32 pp plus an appendix of 61 pp in very small print. The appendix is preceded by a black and white frontispiece engraving titled "Loochooan Priest and Gentleman" and carries a separate title page which reads: Loochoo Mission: Extracts from the Journal of the Society's Missionary, Dr. Bettelheim, 1850-1852. The Society report examines the state of the society and appeals for continued support of the ongoing mission and work of Dr. Bettelheim in Okinawa. The appendix contains exhaustive, and sometimes exhausting, extracts from Bettelheim's journal for the period from 1850-1852. Bettelheim's journal is a remarkable account of his day to day work on Okinawa and his daily struggles with the authorities to carry on his religious and medical missions. While the journal is, as one would expect, certainly biased to his version of the situation, he also documents the points and objections made by the Okinawan authorities in there opposition to his continued and clearly unwanted presence on the Island. This report, with the appendix, is often found bound with Bishop Smith's narrative of his visit to Okinawa in 1850 in support of Dr. Bettelheim (see above). The consolidated book I have examined has dark blue blind stamped cloth covers with the title "Loo Choo Mission." in gilt on the front board. An Eighth Report was published by the Society covering the years 1853-4 but details are unconfirmed.

A PDF file containing the first 10 pages of the Report and the first 15 pages of the Appendix to the Report which contains extracts from Bettelheim's journal is here.

To open a PDF file you need to have an Adobe Reader. If you do not have the program installed on your computer, the program is free and can be downloaded at the Adobe web site which currently is:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Title Page to Loochoo Mission Society's
Seventh Report

 
Frontispiece to Report's Appendix
with the Bettelheim Journal

(Loochooan Gentleman and Prietst)

 
Title Page to Report's Appendix
with the Bettelheim Journal