640 GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES IN MALAYSIA AND ASIA, 



The town of Cholen has a population of 10,500 Chinese, 32,000 

 Anamites, besides a floating population of 8,000, which gives a 

 total of about 50,000 souls. It may be here mentioned that 

 though Cholen is the head-quarters of the Chinese, they are 

 pretty well scattered also throughout Cambodia, The first exten- 

 sive arrival of Chinese took place about 1G80, in the west of 

 Cochin China, and was from Canton. A part was established at 

 Bien-hoa, and a part at Mitho. This immigration was followed by 

 many others coming from Fokien and other Chinese provinces. 

 The superiority of their civilization and their wonderful aptitude 

 and talents for trade, their spirit of association, their commu- 

 nity of religion and customs, and of writing with the Anamites 

 gave to the Chinese a great footing in the country. After the war 

 between the rebels of Tay-Son and King Gial-Ong, they quitted 

 their first establishments and came to dwell in Cholen about 1778. 

 Although in 1721 the chief of the Tay-Son rebels had massacred 

 more than 10,000 Chinese, and pillaged their stores, yet they 

 continued to progress. Notwithstanding nine months of frightful 

 famine in 1802, notwithstanding the prohibition to export any 

 produce fi'om the country, the perseverance of the Chinese sur- 

 mounted every obstacle, and in 1830 Cholen was already a market 

 of great importance, which the Chinese had named Taingon, and 

 the Anamites Sai-gon. The only name now in use for the town 

 is Cholen, Cho meaning market and Ion, great. The Chinese are 

 principally aggregated together in hongs or corporations. The 

 chiefs of these congi'egations are responsible for their members as 

 in Java. 



The Chinese generally marry Anamite women. They have very 

 pretty children, and the mixed race forms a very intelligent class 

 amongst the natives, which is named Minh-huong. These half- 

 castes are generally well off. 



The town is divided into five quarters, each having a Chinese 

 chief, a Minh-huong chief, and an Anamite chief. It is found to 

 be very necessary to oblige the Anamites to take part in public 

 institutions, as they are by nature indolent and retiring, or 

 apathetic to a pernicious extent. The town has quite a European 



