THE INDO-CHINESE FAMILY. 49 



about four inches in diameter, the rest being shaved, or clipped very close. A 

 few scattering hairs, w^hich scarcely merit the name of beard, grow^ upon the chin 

 and upper lip, and these they customarily pluck out. 



" The occipital portion of the head is nearly vertical, and, compared with the 

 anterior and sincipital divisions, very small ; and I remarked, what I have not seen 

 in any other than in some ancient Peruvian skulls from Pachacamac, that the 

 lateral halves of the head are not symmetrical. In the region of firmness, the 

 skull is very prominent; this is remarkably true of the talapoins."^ Mr. Finlay- 

 son's observations are to the same purpose. " The head," says he, " is peculiar : 

 the diameter from the front backwards is uncommonly short, and hence the 

 general form is somewhat cylindrical. The occipital foramen in a great number 

 of instances is placed so far back, that from the crown to the nape of the neck is 

 nearly a straight line."t 



The moral character of the Siamese appears to be at a very low ebb. The 

 intelligent voyager first quoted, describes them as suspicious, vacillating and cruel. 

 Cringing and servile to their superiors in the extreme, they are arrogant and 

 tyrannical in regard to those who are below them in rank.J Their virtues and 

 their vices are venal ; and the services of the judge and the assassin have each 

 their price. " I regret," says Mr. Gutzlaflf, " not to have found one honest man : 

 sordid oppression, priestcraft, allied with wretchedness and filth, are everywhere 

 to be met with." They are remarkable, nevertheless, for filial respect, and regard 

 for their rulers. 



The inhabitants of Cochin-China^ or Jlnnam^ are smaller in stature than the 

 Siamese, and they are also less clumsily formed. The general form of the face is 

 round, so that the two diameters are nearly equal. The forehead is short and 

 broad, but the occipital portion of the head is more elongated than in the people 

 of Siam. The chin is large and broad; the beard grisly and thin, the hair 

 copious, coarse and black; the nose small, but well formed, and the lips moderately 

 thick. Obesity is rare. The color of the Cochin-Chinese is usually as fair as 

 that of the inhabitants of southern Europe, yet the dark Malay hue is not unfre- 

 quently met with. They are, nevertheless, a coarse featured people, and render 

 themselves repulsive by the constant use of areca and betel, which reddens the 

 lips and blackens the teeth. 



* Voy. Round the World, p. 299. — In the same work, p. 300, the reader will find some detailed 

 measurements of Siamese heads. 



t Siam and Cochin-China, p. 229. J Voy. p. 301. 



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