588 ANNUAL REG ISTER, 1817. 



the kingilom of Cochin Chin.a. 

 His successor extended it to the 

 great i iver of Cambodia, and raised 

 it to a degree of splendor and 

 opulence; the continual wars they 

 were engaged in with the Tonqui- 

 nese, whs considered them as 

 rebels, about one hundred and 

 fifty years ago, induced the Cochin 

 Chinese to build a wall, on the 

 southern extremity of the province 

 of Dingnoi, to prevent the irrup- 

 tions of the Tonquinese. Every 

 communication by sea was for- 

 bidden under the severest penal- 

 ties. Long wars and mutual jea- 

 lousies have rendered the Tonqui- 

 nese and Cochin Chinese invete- 

 rate and implacable enemies. In 

 the year one thousand seven hun- 

 dred and sixty-four, v-hcn tlie 

 Pocock Indiaman was in Cochin 

 China, the country was in a flou- 

 rishing condition, and governed 

 by a piince of abilities ; soon after 

 her departure, his son, whose 

 misfortunes and fate I have briefly 

 given an account of in the fore- 

 going narrative, succeeded to the 

 thi one, and anarchy and confusion 

 ensued. 



The Cochin Chinese bear evi- 

 dent marks of being derived from 

 the same stock as the Chinese. 

 Thc\' resemble them in their fea- 

 tures and in most of their nsan- 

 ners and customs : their i-eligion 

 is the same, their oral language, 

 though different, appears formed 

 upon the same jninciples, and 

 they use the same characters in 

 wilting. They are a courteous, 

 aifable, inoffensive race, rather in- 

 clined to indolence. The ladies 

 are by far the most active ; they 

 usually manage all the concerny, 

 while their lazy lords sit upon 

 thtir haunches, smoking, chew- 



ing betel, or sipping tea : con- 

 trary to the custom in China, they 

 are not shut up, and if unmarried, 

 a temporary connexion with stran- 

 gers who arrive in the country is 

 deemed no dishonour. Merchants 

 often employ them as their fac- 

 tors and brokers, and it is said 

 the firmest reliance may be placed 

 on their fidelity. 



The habit of the men and women 

 is cut after the same fashion, and 

 is one of the most modest I know 

 of: it is a loose rolte buttoning 

 with a smtiU collar round the neck, 

 and folding over the breast like a 

 banyan gown, with large long 

 sleeves which cover the hands. 

 People of rank, and especially the 

 ladies, wear several of these gowns 

 one over the other ; the undermost 

 reaches to the ground, the suc- 

 ceeding ones are each shorter than 

 the other, so that the display of 

 the different colours makes a gaudy 

 appearance as they walk along. 



Such are the few particulars 

 relative to Cochin China, that 

 occur to me as curious or interest- 

 ing. It now only remains to shew 

 how aconnexion with this country 

 may prove beneficial to my own, 

 anil to conclude the subject. 



Tiie drain of specie from the 

 C'onq3any"s settlements in India is 

 become a matter of such serious 

 import, that I make no doubt any 

 plan which may be ofFeied to re- 

 medy so growing ;m evil, will be 

 deemed worthy of consideration. 

 I am sanguine in my expectations 

 that a settlement in Cochin China 

 would conduce to that desirable 

 end, and also be pioductive of 

 many other advantages. 



Our two little vessels brought 

 fiom Cochin China to the amount 

 of about sixty thousand rupees in 



gold 



