Journeys in French Indo-China (Tongking, Annam, Cochin China, Cambodia) Author(s): George N.

Curzon Reviewed work(s): Source: The Geographical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Aug., 1893), pp. 97-111 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1773835 . Accessed: 25/04/2012 02:38
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The

Journal. Geographical
NO.2. AUGUST, 1893. II. VOL.

ANNAM, (TONGKING, IN JOURNEYS FRENCHINDO-CHINA CHINA, CAMBODIA*). COCHIN

By the Hon. GEORGE N. CURZON, 1!ff.P.

by regionswhich are embraced the general title of FrenchIndoTHE and China,and of the tnethods incidentsof travel in the diSerentparts and the comprise southern eastto of whichI propose give someaccount7 as described the Indoarea geographical commonly ern portionsof the India situatedbetween of and peninsula, consisting the territories Chinese and China,or in otherwords,between the basins inclusive of the Irainterest of this country wadi and the Red River. The geoCraphical and riversby which it is intersected, to whose consists in the immense its allllvial bountyit for the mostpart o+res origin,and to the mystery of its whichstill overhangs interiorrecesses;thereon the confines China, wild andlittle knowntribesinhabitthe pathless Annam, Siam,and Burma, ravines. Its thunderdownprofound rilrers and mountains, unexplored bewhichit has engendered interestlies in the competition commercial but to nationsforthe easiestapproaches the remote tweellrivalEuropean it of provinces WesternChina,on whoseborders lies; and the populous to routesconducting whichit is sought but immemorial lengthycaravan by by to supersede the agencyof steamlocomotion river or by land. Its politicalinterestlies ill the fact that within the last thirty years the of omrnership this vast tract,obeyillg the universal law by which the hitherto hidden cornersof the world are graduallyyielding up their secretsto civilisation-has changedand is even now changing hands; of the conquestof the French having p]acedthem in possession the
* The orthography throughout this paper has been made to correspond with the published Rules of the Society. The spelling Cambodia has been adopted on account of its common usage in this country, in preference to Kamboja or Cambogia. The author would prefer the last^named form, as being in stricter accordance both with general acooptance and with local pronunciation. The map to accompany Mr. aurzon's Pnper wi]l be given with the second instalment in the September number. K 1893.] NO.II.-AUGUST7

98

JOURNEYSIN FRENCHlNDO-CHINA(TONGK1NG,

whole of its eastern face from Cambodiato Tongking, and the acquisition of Upper Burma by the British having brollght the latter into similar colltact both with China herself and with the frontiers of the one surviving independent Asiatic kingdom, that now separates EslglandL from Fravlce in the Fal East, viz., Siam. Tile French parts of IndoChina, with xvhichalone I propose to deal in this paper, comprise four separateterritories, in diSerellt stages of political absorption. These arey in order from north to soui;h,Tongking, Annam, Cochin China and Camboulia. Their llnited populationsamount to about 18,000,000; they es:tend along a coast-lirle 1700 lailes in length, and they embrace an area W times as large again as France. I will first deal with the main geographical characteristics presented loy this dominion, the different sections of which possess a phsical unity that facilitates the task of description. I. (;ENERAL GEOGRAPHICALA CHAR CTERISTICS. In no part of the world has water esercised a snorepotent agency in determining the destinies or in providing the livelihood of man. The bulk of the iE renchpossessions owe their existence to the deposits of great rivers, the Red River (Song Koi), Black River (Song Bo or Da Jiang), and Clear River (Song Lo) in the north, and the magnificent volusneof the Mekong in the south, and may be divided throughout into two areas^ -the mountains through which these rivers, rising ia the plateaus of Central Asia arld Tibet, force their way seawards, and the plains oz deltas which they have themselves almost wholly created along the coast. The entire populated and vrealthy part of Tongking consists QF the delta of the Red River with its eonfluents,whieh is 80 miles broad at its base. The whole of Coehin China and mueh of Cambodiaeonsists of the delta of the Mekong. The intervexling territory of Annam, in eo far as it eonsists of plain land lying between the mountains and the sea, is also the ereation of smaller streams flowing down hom the highlands of the interior. In each of these regions, under eonditions diSering very slihtly, the proeess of territorial formation, or eneroaehment upon the sea, ean be oratchedin aetive development. On the maritime fringe the briek or gruel-eoloured strealns, sureharged with alluvium, leave their detritus, whieh the tide is not suffieientlypowerful to remove, and whieh gradually solidifies, and gives bilth to a rank vegetation of marlgroves and other aquatie plants. Sometimes for a while these form foating islets, whieh eventually eoalesce and find a commonanehorage. Sometimes they are eovered vith saline swamps, in whieh ease they are utilised by the natives as salt-pans. A little later, as the sea reeedes, they ean be drained and planted, and in a few years, what began as a muddy lagoon is transformedinto a riee:fieldof cloth of gold. The process of

CHINA, CAMBODIA). AN XANI,COCHIN-

99

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100

JOURNEYSIN FRENCHINDO-CHINA(TONGKIN'G,

formation so rapid that Hanoi, the capital of Tongking, which is now 60 miles in a direct line from the sea, was upon it in the 7th century A.D., whilst in the 17th, the Dutch, who traded upon the Red River, had their maritimeport at :Hongyen, now 35 miles in the interior. I visited a place llamedFat Diem, at the mouth of the Dai,on the southern confines the delta,whichhas beenentirely of reclaimed fromthe sea within lieringmemory, is now occupiedby and smilingclustersof villages and lice-plots,irrigatedby numerous canals. In Annamthe growthof the land at the expense of the sea is accelerated by the action of the tides and winds,principallythe north-east anorlsoon, whichpile up long sand-dunes uponthe coast,behindwhich the rivers,unableto pourtheir entirevolunwe the sea,spread into thmselves out in broadand sluggish lagoons,c}lafingidly to and fro, an daily diminishing depth,till they too submitto the inevitable in process andare choked. The sameconditions responsible a phenomenon are for of constant occurrence the Annamitecoast facing eastwards, on viz., the formation sandbars the mouth of almost everyriver without of olf exception. These constitute during many months of the year an impracticable barrier navigation, compelvesselsof anyburdento to and lie out in an offingwhich rarelyfurnishesa secureanchorage. On the bars themselvesthe breakersform successivefiles of plunt,ing foam, whosegrey crestscan be seen tossingskywards, whosethundercan and be heardfor miles. At iEIue, capitalof Annam,I couldalways hear the the moaningof the barat Thuanan, whereis the river embouchure, over 6 miles distantas the crowflies,andat Vinh the roarwas awldible an over even greaterdistance. I crossed bar of the Kua Hoi moutho the the Song Ea Riser near the latter place in a sluall native sampan, built mainlyof bamboo, which chargedthe breakersfull tilt, just after the cresthad broken, which,if it missedthe right moluent a fraction and by of a second, delugedfromend to erld. In CochinChina and Camwas todia, a furtherpllenomenon encountered the existenceof immerlse is in tracts of countrylying;below the river-level, which in times of high waterare convertedinto enormous swampsor lakes,whence only the upperbranchesof the trees emerge. The great lake of Tale Sap,i.e., the Inland Sea,in Cambodia, whichis a depression the soil of this ill character,and is fed by the Mekollg,expeliencestransfolmations so violentthatin the rainyseason length incleasesfrom to 120 miles, its 70 its areais tripled; and while in the low watersthe fish,with which it abounds, almostbe ladled from its shallowtrough,then from 2 to can 4 feet deep,it is swollen by the iloodsbetween June and September to a depthof 30 to 50 feet. In Calnbodia abodes manadaptthemthe of selves to these fluctuantconditions,{or they consist of palm-leafand baxnboo huts,which,if belongingto a station:ryvillage,are raisedUp woodenpiles fronl 5 to 15 feet in height above the ground,or are placedUpO1w floatingraftsmoored long polesto the bed of the stream} by
i8

ANNANi, COCHINCHINA, CAMBOD1A).

101

andcapable being shiftedfromsite to site aecording the height of of to the waters. Oneotherphenomenon be noticed must thatis common theseregions, to and is repletewith a geologicalas well as geographical interest. This is the existenceof a peculiar rock fornsation, composed a calcareous of stone or marble,superimposed above the Devonianschists, and presentingthe mostpicturesque and fantasticcontoursboth in the sea, at 1logreatdistancefrotnthe mainland, and also at several points along the rivervalleys whichhavein earlierdays been similarlysituated. It consistsof detachedblocksor humpsof rock,rising to a height of from 50 to 500 feet, Wibh scarped sides and faces, but with summitsand ledges coveredwith a superband ,raeious vegetation. The actionof the sea has carvedthe sidesand hollowedthe interiorof theserocks into vast cavernsand grottoes,andhas frettedtheir outlineinto strangeand abnormal shapes. The most remarkable instance of this phenomenon oecursin the Bay of Along,with its prolongation Bayof Fai-tsi-long, the an archipelago thousands islets so formed, of of which friIlgesthe coast of Tongkingfor a distanceof over 100 miles fromthe east border the of RedRiverdelta almostto the Chinese frontierat Cape Pak-luxlg. One mayspendclayssailingin and out of the islets of this astonishing inland sea, which I do not hesitateto characterise one of the wonders the as of world,andwhichfarexcelsthe betterknownbeautiesof the InlandSea of Japan. I,ow tunnelledpassages, aecessible only at low water,eonduct to hiddenbasinsor remoteeavernsin the heartof someof the rocks,and till reeenttimes affordedan impenetrable retreat to the eorsairs who devastatedthese waters. Near Turan, the malitime port of Hue, a clusterof similarrocks,called by the French the MarbleIountains, rises abruptlyfrom the sand-dunes the seashole,and is perforated on with grottoesX whieh have been utilised by Buddhist monks for the establishment one of those retreats wherein they appearuniformly of able to combine aestheticattraetions with devotional needs. Theiraltars are enshrinedin the bowelsof the earth,and the eestaticfaee of the gilded god shinesfaintly from the cavernous gloom. The other plaees in Tongkingand Annam where I noted or was apprised the same of formation aro (1) On a plain to the east of the Kua Eam, that embouchure the Thai Binh,uponwhieh lies the eommereial of port of Haifong; (2) betweenKaobang Langsonon the east frontier;* (3) and betweenNinh Binh and the Catholie settlementof Reshoon the Dai, at a distanceof over 30 uliles fromthe sea; (4) at Dienhoon the frontier betweenTongking and Annam; (5) immediately south of Thanh-hoa, the capitalof the provinceof that name. I have beeninformed that a preciselyanalogous formationis also visible at Lakhonon the middle watersof the Mekong.
* For a descripttonof these,vide a paper on the Hill S]opes of Tongking, by J. G. Scott,in Proceedtngs the R.G.S. 1886 (new series),Vol. VIII., pp. 2345, 240. of

102

JOURNEW FRENCH IN INN-CHINA(TONGEINGs

II.--TRAVEL TONGKING. IN Esrom these general remarks I now turn to a more detailed description of travel in the various territories already named. I shall not occupy myself long with Tont,king, inasmuch as travel in the delta of the Red River is performedalmost entirely by river-boat,whether the steamers of the French Companies,or the Annamite sampan. The latter craft, tihough of modest dimexlsions,is well adapted for locomotion on the countless channels and canals with which, like a network, the country is intersected. In the centre an arched covering or hutch of palm-lea-es or mattillg, shelters that portion of the boat in which the traveller takes his meals and sleeps, the only serious discomfort being the inability to adoptany but a sitting or recumbent position. In the fore and aft parts of the boat stand the rowers, propelling the craft with an oar, attached to a peg by a straw or rattan band, with a motion not unlike that of the Venetian gondolier. The mother of the family very often plies the bow oar,and children of five and sis even lend a hand. When the central part of the boat is occupied by a passenger, the familfr,to whom the sampan their sole home, eithel sleep, cook, and live in a similal is partition adjoining the central hutch or in the open part of the boat forwrard. On the prow is painted, particularly in Annam and Cochin China, a black and white eye one among tnany signs of Chinese inilllence. The landscape in the delta seldom varies, the rivers, streams, canals {lowing between banks which are fringed with areca and palms, bananas, and bamboos,detached rectangular clumps of which, scattered over the surface of the country, invariably indicate the site of a village, whose palm-leaf huts are buried in the interior, and are accessible only by a labyrinth of narrow alleys cut in the thicket, easily defensible, and known to the villagers alone. Save for these interruptions of the-general level, the country is entirely planted with rice, and the peasants working in the sodden patches look like black insects crawlingupona carpet of gold. TRAVEL ANNAM.(1) 1TANOX HUE. IN TO I pass to Annam, a country possessing slightly diSerent anal even more interesting features, both political and geographical; political, becauseit is still administered by an Asiatic government, and contains at lIue, the capital, one of the few remaining courts where a purely Orientaland un-Europeanised ceremonial,modelled, like that of Korea, pon the China of the Ming dynasty, enshrouds the person of an Emperorwhom his subjects regard as the Son of Heaven; geographical, becausethe diminution of water and the prevalexlceof mountains render the aonfiguration of the country more diversified, and lend a greater romance travel. Almost the sole channel of locomotion in Annamto III.

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ANNAM, COCHIN CHINA, CAMBODIA).

103

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104

(TQNGKING, INDO-CHINA IN FRENCH JOURNEYS

Hanoi to Eue, of whichthe Frenchtalk a untilrailroadis madefFom futureI greatlydoubtin but lnuch, whoseconstruction the ilumediato This route,which hasexisted PGoad. a is trackknownas the Mandarins' at reconstructed someform or other fromearly times,was entirely in capitalof Cochinthe beginningof the presentcenturyfromSa;g;on, the on the Chinesefrontier,by the EmperorGia Long to China, Langson Empire of founder the reigningdynastyandof a reunitedAnnamite the distance from the coa6t or InAnnam it usually runs at a slight placesit climbsto the traverses lower spursof $hemountains. In four of cols or saddles it crossesby aneans height from the sea,where some angles from the transserseridgeswhich are pushed out at right the sometimes range. These passesare: (1) the Pass of Deo Ngang; Iiwan^, main Hatinhand o betweenthe provinces the called Gatesof Annam, between (2) the Col des Suagesyalso called the TronGates, between Binh; Nam on the road of theprovinces liwarlg Duk and Ewang between and Hue; (3) the pass above the bay of 3iwi Ewik between Turan Ngai: and (4) the Pass of Deo Sa, Namand Ewang Kwang secondof which I The and Fu-;)ren Whanh-hoa. two first of these, the present a great similarity. The mountainis shall shortly describe? of the rock, and at in cut by climbed stairwaiys or constructed the face wall. There a crenellated the thesummit passis closedby a gatewayin at any rate southof Hue? route} to appears be a secondand alternative awareof any one by in amidthe mountaills the interior; but I am not and a travellerwould find it a or it whom has beenmapped explored, aid. task withoutofficial diffioult Road between I travelledllpOI:I ths Mandarins' In the l)artswhers dunug the early Ninh Binh and Hue, it had been in places repaired and was part of the year for the passage of the Governor-General,a bank runningupon ^ commouly fat track about 20 feet wide, either whilst elsewhere, the rice-plots or often over hot sands, between The poles of the after rain, it was convertedinto a horriblebog. its side. The means of locomotion Frenchtelagraphare plantedalong it althoug;h is seldomthat the traveller is at upon it are threefold, pony,a diminutive thoice. The filst is the Annamite libertyto makehis his liorean brotherf of steedof greatpluckand sureness foot,not unlike smallthat in rathera greatergentleman appearance. He is so though too large for his body,but he will a-Europeangirth is almost always him with a wooden carry a light English saddle. The nativas ride narrowiron stirrup,which thay grip in the saddle,and with a very toes 'rheseponiesareless cleft betweenthe big toe andthe remaining they make no diffithan quarrelsome the Eorean andareso docilethat rivers,estuariesor lagoons bace i.e. culty about crossing the numerous be traversedin and with whichthe roadis intersected, whichcan only wouldoverturn of movement the horse wherea single rudenativeboats, had horrid the traft andits contentsin mid-stream. I have sometimes

CAMBODIA). COCHIN ANS-AM, CHINA,

qualms at the same time. In the four or porliesin the boat to t2; but in the cities,wheretheyare t1 can poniesbe bought for are drivenboth in pairsandfour-in-handa and Frenchofficers, by ridden tI0 to t20. will of specimens fetch frozn or palanquin, fine is of locomotion the hammock of a rude straw secondvehicle The consisting the commoner there which are two varieties; is borneby two or more coolies; and which slung netting upona pole, which is a net of palanquin, officialor Mandarins' more and the elaborate screens, whichis ends)a roofand cords, crimson has richly lacquered Mandarins from the highest rank by four or eight men. All and mostEuropeans follow their carried travelin thesepalanquins, are not downwards ponies cannot march,or Being especiallyin parts where example, tall man they are insupportable. a But procurable. for a they cannotaccommodate to holdthe diminutiveAnnamite, fashioned of my lowerlimbs contraction and Englishman, the mosttelescopic for longer than an hour. 6-foot occupyone along, it impossiblefor me to rendered being carried however,sleep in them,while which enables them travellers, Seasoned at rnarch a jo,,-trot, ease. The coolie-bearers rapidity, and to accomplishat least with great cover the groundwith to the East in 4 miles the hourX is the light chair,knownin The thirdmeansof locomotion and foot-rest which are attached of chair,the backseat shouldersof the as IIongkong carriedby poles upon the Frenchmen cords,and whichis by by together almost exclusivelyemployed or four eight men. It is and Hue, but is not indigenous to the travellingbetween Turan noneof the tran". in and that which country, will be found nameleadsme next to describe latter Thementionof the As long ago, it institutionof travel in Annam. extinctempire isthe mostremarkable of duringthe dominion the postalstations issaid,as the eleventhcentury, a systemof government therewas founded ofthe Chams, has nothingto do with and (the wordis of courseAnnamite Theseconsist of posts at calledtrams mainhighways. the English tram)alongthe miles apart, to each of which is attached who are held at distancesof from 8 to 15 of the neighbourhood, men numberof able-bodied from the corvee a being esemptedin return the service of the state} and receivinga ration of rice. They are and from military service, hour of the day or night frotn their at any w-ho of liable to be summoned the doi or superintendent the tram, la;srs or fromthe fieldsby houses complyat oncewith his orders, the a drum,and,if they fail to to carry beats a stick. The;yare employed and about him liberally with disposalof the Mandarins, are hiredby being post, are at the government day, a messenger They go night and on Suropeans the march. relay,and everywhere, to trans advisethe to sent on in advance the ne2rt of passage. There beint, no beasts of priority e.g.at ferries,they have

while crossinga

in width, with three bac perhapshalf a mile country these

loD

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JOURNEYSIN FRENCHINDO-CHINA (TONGKING,

burden the country,they are employed in to conveyall baggageas well as to carrythe hanlmocks chairs. or The formerare slung by cords uponbamboo poles,and are bornebetween quite a smallparty will thus frequently two men. The caravanof amount,all told, to fron thirty to forty lllen. The trarnitself consistsof an open house or shed,the side walls of which are made of nsud wattling, and the thatch of the attc6ppalm. (:)nthe floor are usually three low woodenor bamboo platforms raised aboutone footaboveths ground,and spread with strawmats,whereon the travellerlays his couch. Sometimesthere is a table in the centre anda smallancestral altarat the back. The front consists of shutters of palm-leafor bamboo screens, which are held up by polesin the daytimebut are let downat night. In villages wherethere is no tram the traveller commonly is offered hospitalityof the cotnmunal the house- a somewhat similarstructure a rather more on pretentiousscale-+rhich ispart of the systemof local autonomy that has reached high a state so ofdevelopment Annam. It is in the propertyof the village, and the meeting-place the councilof notables;andits of hospitalityis dispensed bythe village headmanor mayor. Under his care,too,is the organisationof the village police and of the night divided into five watches of two hours each; guards. The night is and the vigilant taps of the watchmanupon his mo,or drum,fashioned out of a hollow trunk, are impediment slumber. an to Travelling, I wasdoing,in semi-official as underthe courteous patronage the :Esrench,wa.senabledto fashion of I proceed with greaterrapidity than ordinary the traveller,havingcovered as day, whilst ollrparty alsomet with a sort of muchas 40 miles in the receptionat each village to whichwe came. A drumwould be heard beating,and numbersof men would come out carrying bannersof red,blue? and green Slying from top of bamboopoles. the Escortedby these individuals, by and anbrella-bearers ran behind and held over who our heads the red or green paintedofficial parasol Annam,we of sweeping road clear of dust in front enteredthe village, a coolie the of us. In this fashion we advanced communal to the honse,beforewhich a ta.ble would be placed in open street, sha.dedby an the officia.l umbrella, and supportinga number of platescontaining bananas, oranges, eggs, andotherofferings; sometimes chickensor a kicking pig in a wicker hamper. Eere the mayor be standing, would and,unlessrestrained, wouldkneel downand make las or official his obeisance, three by upon ground. Outsidethe larger times touching his forehead the townswe Rocal governor, Mandarin. lle wouldappear would be met by the or hammockt attended two or three umbrella-bearers in iliS official b.y accordingto his rank; by lictors carryingin a long casethe recognised of (administered same fashionas at an instruments flagellation in the English publicschool,and considered no indignityeven by persons high of position); by his pipe-

ANNAM, COCHINCHINA, CAMBODIA).

107

bearer; by a domestic carrying a wooden hox in which were stored away his writing, smoking, and chewing materials; and by pikemen and banner-men. His own dress would, as a rule, consist of a tunic of dark figured silk or brocade worn over white cotton drawers and white stockings, and of a neatly folded dark blue, black, or green turban made of native crepon or silk crape. In the lettered class it is fashionable to wear some of the nails long as an indication of superiority to manual labour; and I have seen a Mandarin the nail of whose left thumb describedan aerial parabolanot less than 312inches in length. I met many Annamite officialsand Mandarinein the course of my travels, and was favourably impressed with their polish of manner, their correctness of deportrnent, and the quickness of their intelligence. They are divided into two categories, civil and military; and into two classes, with first and second degree3. The former are entirelJrrecruited by e2ramination, and their rank, precedence,and functions are defined by the rigour of an unbroken etiquette. No inferior Mandarinwill take a seat while his superior is standing, or commencea conversation until the other has spoken. A small ivory plaque, hanging by a coloured cord vlponthe right bosom, indicates their rank; and those who are in the Government employ receive from the State a salary in money, rice, or silk. They seal their letters with a wooden die stamped with a character or sJmbol, which is smeared with a red paste obtained by scraping two potsherds together. I will not describe the incidents of daily travel because they did not vary much from each other; nor are there many differentiating marlrs in the Annamite villages and towns. The traveller desirous of snarching overland to Hue from Eanoi will probably abridge the earlier part of his journey in the delta by taking one of the river-boats to Ninh Binh on the Dai, from which place I append an itinerary of the stoppingplaces and distances as far as :Efue, total distance of about 360 milea a A stranger travelling with official assistance, his arrival being telegraphed in advance, and the tramservice being set in operation so as to cause no loss of time in changing the relays, can cover this distance in about twelve days. Anyone not possessing these facilities would probably take much longer. I diverged myself from the Mandarins Roadto go by boat to Fat Diem, at the mouth of the Dai, where is a remarkable establishment maintained by an Annamite Mandarinknown as Pere VI., who is also a Roman Catholic priest, belonging to ;w family who have for long been Christians. He lives in great state in his patrimony, which he has himself, in the main, reclaimed from the sea, where he keeps a large guest-house for the accommodationof strangers, and where he has erected as many as four churches or chapels, one nearly as large as a minster, rather for the gratification of his own architectural tastes than for the service of his congregation, who are not more than sufficient to fill the smallest of the quartet. I rejoined the Mandarins' Xoad at

Thanh-hoa.... Hoa Mai

. . _ .

.. .. ..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..
.

..

..

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JOURNEYS FRENCH IN INDO-CHINA, (1'ONGKIXG,

labarLh-hoa, capitalof the provinceof that name,whichis situated the near the B:uaGhao, c)fthe numerousmouths of a fine rivercalled one the Song Ma. The provincesthroughwhich one passessubsequently are Ngean,of which the capitalis Vinh,situ5Rted a few rllilesdistance at fromthe Rua Hoi, oxleof the ninomouthsof the Song Ra, anotherconsiderableriver; Ilatinh, with capital city of the samename; Kwang Binh, with capital 3)ong Hoi; SwanfflTri, with capital of the same name. At theseplaces, which are undernative ruleas being partof the Empireof Annam,the French Protectorate represented French is by Residents,esercising general functions of supervision,but no direct administrative control;or bisr detachments the native militiaofficered of by French inspectors The provincesthemselvesembracethe plains lying betweenthe mountains the sea-a stripwhichvariesfrom5 to and 15 milesin wIath- and the moreaccessible mountain valleys. Annamite jurisdictionor French influencecaa]hardly,except in a few places,be said to extend beyond the main crest of the ranbe; the interior being inhabitedby tribes either independentor dependentupon the Siamese, who are stronglyplantedupon the Mekong, who claimfo and e2rert sovereigntyover the entire watershed :; draininginto that river. This claimis disputedby the French who,on their side,are continually despatchingexplorirlgpartiesinto the hills with the ariew drawing of the tribeswithin the radiusof Frenchixliluence.The only pointsalong this line of coastwhereit is possiblefor a steamerto anchordurin^, the wintermonthsare Vinh, Ron,and Dont Hoi.
MANDARINS? ROAHANOI TO IttE.
Wilonletres. .* .. .. .. .. .. 8 12 10

Hanoi vid Hongyen, Fuli, and EEesho Ninh l3inh. to Ninh Binh to Choganh .. .. .. ..
Bmson ....... .. .. .. .. .+ ..

Dolen or Daulill Trinson ...... ..

................ .. .. ..

.. ..

.. ..

.. ..
-

.. .*

.. ..

13 9

(Alternative route, Fat Diem to Diellllo, x I kilometres; Hatrung,16; Thanh-hoa,42.)

n

utinh (;ia
.....

.............
.. ..

ww

..

..

..

..

Jo

Thoson

..

..

..

..

..

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10

..

..
..

..
..

..
..

..
..

..
_ti)s

25
11

Fu Dien .. Pagodedes Pnons .. Vinh .. .. Hatinh ... .. .. Eyanh ... .. .. Sudong .. Gatesof Annanl .. Xon .... .. .. iBotrach .... .. .. Dong Hoi ............. hti Daiet .. ..

..

..

..
..

..
..

..
..

..
..

..
..

..
..

24
48

.. .. .. .. .. ..

.. .. .. .. .. .. ..

.. .. .. .. .. .. ..

.. .. .. .. .. ., ..

.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
*

.. .. .. .. .. .. .
**

50 35 13 12 32 23 28

Carried Forward

421

ANNAM, COCHINCEINA, CAMBODIA). MANYDARINS' ROAD HANOITO EUE-continued. Mitho ...... aho Huyen Kwang Tri Fuok ...... Hue ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Brouyht Forward .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Eilometres.

109

.. .. .. .. .. .. ..

421 20 35 31 40 30 577

Total

577 kilometres = 360 miles.

1?hetowns encounteredalong this route differ only from the villages in consisting, as a rule, of a cluster of the latter massed toge3ther, sometimes behind the shelter of a wall) and protecte3d an immense fortified by enclosure, called the Citadel. The villages are composed of houses roofed with a thick thatch of palm leaves, and walled with the3same material or with a watling of bamboosand mud. The interior of the poorer cottages comprises solely a number of low platforms, for purposes of work bv day and slee3pby night, and the cooking arrangements at the back. In the riche3r dwellings the centre is occupied by a receptionroom, corresponding in arrangement vFith the communal hall, which I have already described,and containing a central table and arm-chairs, all altar behind, and sleeping stands on either side. In a Mandarin'shouse the altar will be3 adorned with handsomecensers and with a shrine containing the ancestral tablets; while long boards, inlaid with Chine3se charactersin mother-of-pearlor brightly coloure3d embroideredhangings, Mill hang against the pillars. Life3 among the poorerclasses is mean and squalid, but not dirty; and the3streets, even of the humblest hamlet, have an orderlyand picturesque3 appe3arance, differe3nt very from the filth of China and liorea. Yellonvfow-like3 dogs prowl about; pigs with piebald skins and pendent bellies run in and out of the houses; and naked, shave3n-pated childre3nabound. In the3next superior grade of architecture tiles take the place of thatch, and wood and bricks of the mud walls. Finalliy, the citadel of the capital towns, laid out on the Vauban plan by French engineers at the end of the last and beginning of the present century, in the Gallophil days of Gia Long, or built in imitation of their designs, is a vast quadrilateral space, frequently some miles in circumference,surroundedby a red brick wall, rising from a moat, with projecting bastions and lofty gate-towers. In the interior is usually an of icial residence containirlg a large reception-hall, erected for the Emperor or his oficial representative, and several big granaries for the storage of rice. These great indefensiblo fortresses seem to have been designed to contain the entire population in times of peril, and bef()re the widespreaduse of scientific implements of warfare. From any other oint of view their vast extent is a danger, and they are now useless. One of the exasperating featules of travel in Annam is the confused and confusing nomenclature of places. I have said that the towns are

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JOUP.NEYSIN FRENCH INDO-CHINA(TONGRING,

frequently composed of several villages, and similarly the villages also consist of several hamlets. One arrives therefore at a place to find that it has four names; (1) the name of the particular hamlet or cluster of houses; (2) the name of the larger unit or village to which it belongs, and which may contain two to three, or even selrenteen to eighteen different hamlets, each with a name of its own; (3) the name of tlle market, which is sometimes outside the village, and ustlally has a title of its own; and (4) the name of the tram which also has a separate designation (recognisable in the province of Eue by the prefis Thua). It may easily be imagined under these conditions how difficult it is to construct a map in the first place, and into wllat a quandary one is often plunged by such maps as alleady exist. Even the French Government map, with which I travelled, but of which I was not able to procurea copy, is frequently incorrect, and offersbut an uncertain guide. The markets to which I have alluded are among the most picturesque and cllaracteristic of Annamite spectacles. They are held on stated days in the week either in an open place in the middle of the village, frequently tiled over or thatched as a protection ag;ainst the sun the site being the property of the commune and being let out in plots or stalls or solnetimesin the open country at a central spot between several hamlets. Marketing is entirely conducted by the female sex, who may be seen for miles walking in single file along the narrow dykes that separate the soaking rice-plots, and carrying their produce in baskets at the end of a bamboo pole. Others will approach ill sampans along the waterways and canals. When business opens there is just such a jabbering as in the monkey-house at the Zoo. The women squat down by the side of their wares, and intersperse a ceaseless chatter with chewing of the betel leaf, and ejection of long splashes of scarlet saliva from their discoloured mouths. Tou will see exposed for sale pigs, chickens, and ducks in hatnpers, fish, fresh, slimy, shell, and sundried, big prawns and tiny land-crabs,cabbages,radishes,the areca nut, vermicelli, cakes, sweetmeats, and eggs. ]3lsewhere will be cheap articles of furniture or raiment, tin lamps for petroleum, potter sr, brasswaree opium pipes, bracelets, necklets, amber buttons, palm-leaf hats, turbans, Bombay cottons and scarves. From the number of temples, or pagodusas they are oalled, which arer scattered throughout the country, in every picturesque or graceful spote on wooded knolls, at the top of mountain passes, on the banks of rivers or amid clumps of trees, one might infer that the Annamites were a people much addicted to religion. Such is not the case. Their faitll is a strange and incongruous amalgam of various superstitious cults and creeds. Buddhism is more or less widely elifused, but in a very attenuated form, barnacled with all manner of corruptions. Chinese ascendency has brought with it the ethics of Confucius,and the worship of a host of demi-gods or glorified heroes. But for the most part spirit-

COCHINCHINA, CAMBODIA). ANNANI,

lll

may be denominatedthe popular creed, worship,or a crude demonolog,y, the majority of the pagodas containing little beyond altars on which a loct, censersmoulders to the gentus to the good spirit or the evil spirit of of the site, to the dreaded tiger, or to the manes some celebrity of the consist of two or three courts, in the hinderpast. The largel pagodas most of which stands the temple beneath a tiled roof, closed round with wooden doors. Fantastic animals, elephants with howdahs, kings and warriors on horseback, or tigers, are painted in fresco or soinetimes fashionedin high relief on the entrance gateway and around the courts; and a bizarre but brilliant eSect is produced by fragments of broken pottery stuck in plaster, and fortning patterns of dragons or fabulous monsters on the walls and roofs. Far away superior however to any other religious sentiment or influence is the worship of ancestors, which is predominant in the organisation alike of the State, the Coult, the communeand the family. At the great annual festival of the Tet or New Year, the outpourings of hilarity are mingled with an elaborato ritual in honour of the dead; and the humblest house contains an altar neatly installed, and often sumptuously arrayed, whereupon tablets are erected to the memory of the departed. Burial is the ordinary method of disposing of the dead, and large cemeteriesare sometitnesencountered; although a more haphazardsystem of interment appears to be general. The site of the grave is usually determined by augury, and may be anywhere, for instance in the middle of a ricefield. The lulotis bought and paid for, and is never afterwards sold. Once a year it is visited by the relatives or descendants, cleanedand decorated. Of the tombs fourvarieties may be distinguished: (1) the Royal sepulchres of the reigning dynasty near Hue, which are among the finest and most beautiful in the world, consisting of hundreds of acres of wooded hill and valley laid out in terraces and lakes, and adornedwith obelisks and sanctuaries; the schelne being borrowedfrom the mausolea of the Chinese Etnperors, but the style being either original, or perhaps imitated from France; (2) the graves of the Mandarins and upper classes, which consist, like those in China, of a horse-shoe or arm-chair enclosure, faoed with stone, and containing sculptured stel and altars; (3) the graves of the middle-classes, thich are sometimes covered with a rectangular stone case not unlike those cotninonin England in the last century; and (4) the graves of the poore which are either small mounds plastered over, or circular grassy heaps. Unlike li:orea,where pines are invariably disposed around or near the graves, no timber is planted about them. There is a ver) extensive cemeterywhere everyone of the above-mentionedstyles may be observed outside E[ue near the Altar of E[eaven, which the French call the Esplanade des Sacrifices. There is also an old and crowded necropolis between Saigon and Cholen in Cochin China.

(To beconttnued.)