280 



C A M B O G E. 



Gamboge.' journal, lately published by Mr Dalrymple, con- 

 i ..-^. ta j ns 8ome additional information respecting this in- 

 teresting country. " Here I also met the ambassa- 

 dor of Camboja, who complained of the usage and 

 trouble the Cochinchinese gave to foreigners, and 

 promised better treatment in his country, where the 

 trade is free of imposition and customs ; a corre- 

 spondence here with the Laws, probably may be a 

 way to dispose of some quantity of our broad cloth. 

 This country is said to be rich in mines of gold and 

 silver, as well as iron and steel, which comes behind 

 none ; such plenty of timber of all sorts, that the 

 Spaniards from Manilla have sent hither to build 

 their galleons. The woods abound with rhinoceroses, 

 elephants, deer, buffaloes, wild hogs, &c. They 

 have rice, and all sorts of provisions, in great abun- 

 dance. The people are given up to superstition and 

 ease." 



The Portuguese for a long time engrossed the 

 whole trade of this country ; but it was afterwards 

 opened, and an extensive trade carried on with the 

 English, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Siamese, Co- 

 chinchinese, and Malays. The Dutch and Portu- 

 guese sent cloths of various kinds from Malacca, and 

 exchanged them for the productions of Gamboge. 

 The Chinese, however, carried on the greatest trade, 

 as will appear from the following tables. 



Goods exported from Gamboge into Canton, in the 

 year 1767, by two junks. 



Pectds. Catty. 

 Bark of a bastard sort of rosewood, 



for dyeing 16 84 



Betel nut - 844 15 



Beecha de Mar, or sea slugs - 292 25 



Black wood .... 939 62 



Cardamoms ... 9 19 



Nutmegs - ... 5 55 



Cotton 58 49 



Dried sea snails - - - - 55 11 



Dried fish . 215 88 



Medicinal drugs - - - 133 33 

 Round flat drug, like a stone, used in 



medicine - 185 63 



Elephants teeth - 10 79 



Gamboge - 6 43 



Long pepper - - 4 72 



Mother-of-pearl shells - - 281 02 



Pepper - 50 50 



Bastard sort of rosewood - - 1.783 53 



Incense wood, like rosewood 8 42 



Sago - - 12 27 



Japan wood - - 2.222 88 



Deer skins .... 7 08 



Tin ... 19 23 



Tortoise-shell - - 5 21 



Wax ^- 36 39 



Goods exported from Canton into Gamboge, in 

 1767, in one junk. 



Peculs. Catty. 



Congo tea ... 8 04 



Dried fruits, leechees, and long yeans 6 57 

 Drugs ... 09 



Peculs. Catty. Gamboge. 



China plants and figs - 33 03 



China plants of another kind - 1 38 



Lackered ware ... 4 23 



Paper kites for children - - 10 15 

 Sticks long and thin, with a mixture 

 of sand and wood, burnt to the 



dead and to idols - 139 47 



Preserved oranges ... 54 



Tinned paper - 4 16 



Tutenague - - . 1.014 89 



The inhabitants of Gamboge are Chinese, Ja- 

 panese, and Malays, who have intermarried with the 

 natives. The men have long black hair, and a dark 

 yellow complexion : they are well made, and wear a 

 long loose robe. This robe is fastened to one foot, 

 and is coiled round the body till it covers the whole 

 of it up to the neck. It descends again on the o- 

 ther side, and leaves nothing uncovered but the feet 

 and legs. The women, who are handsome, but not 

 modest, wear the same dress, and are distinguished 

 from the men by the form of their bodies, and by 

 their having no beard. The Malay language is ge- 

 nerally understood by all the people in this country. 



In this state there are four communes which 

 bear the name of towns. Gamboge, the capital, is 

 situated upon the river of the same name, which is 

 navigable up to the town by large vessels, and a 

 considerable way beyond it by vessels of a smaller 

 size. The town consists of one street ; and at a 

 small distance are seen the ruins of an ancient city 

 built of stone, of an architecture resembling the Eu- 

 ropean. The temple of Gamboge has been much 

 admired. It stands on wooden pillars varnished with 

 black. The foliages and reliefs are gilt ; and the 

 pavement, which is kept covered with mats, is very 

 valuable and curious. The population of Gamboge, 

 since & part of it has been added to Cochinchina, i& 

 1,000,000. For a very full account of the statis- 

 tics, &c. of this country, we must refer the reader 

 to the article TUNKIN, which will contain a very co- 

 pious account of that extensive empire. See Histo- 

 ria de las Islas del Archipelago y regnes de la gran 

 China, Tartaria, Cochinchina, Malacca, Siam, Cam- 

 boya, Japan, fyc. par Fr. Marcello de Ribadeneyra ; 

 Barcelone, 1601. Fernand. Mendez Pinto Peregrt- 

 nagam, em que da conta de muytas"e rmiyto estran- 

 has chusas, que via e orvia no regno da China, no 

 du Tartaria, no du Sornan, fyc. 8$c. ; Lisbonne, 

 1614. Gabriel de S. Antonio, Breve e vererdera 

 Relation de los succsssos del regno de Camboxa ; Val- 

 ladolid, 1614. The History of an Englishman who 

 was shipwrecked on the Coast of Gamboge / Lond_ 

 1612. Relation des Missions et des Voyages des 

 Eveques Fran$ais envoyes aux royaume de Siam, de 

 la Cochinchine, de Gamboge, et de Tunkin, par Fran- 

 cois P^lla ; Paris, 1699. See also Staunton's Em- 

 bassy to China, vol. i. p. 320 ; Dalrymple's Orien- 

 tal Reper'ori/, vol. i. p. 67, 88, 281, &c. ; and Ex- 

 pose Statistique du Tiinhin de la Cochinchine, du 

 Gamboge, du Tsiampa, du Laos, du Lac-tho, par 

 M. M. N. sur la Relation de M. de la Bissachere, 

 Missionaire dans le Tunkin, vol. i. and ii. passim, 

 Lond, 1811. *- 



