TON 



TON 



AfTentai, who poffefles the intervening fpace, prohibits his 

 inland neighbours from paffing through his country. On 

 the other hand, a gentleman ( Mr. Norris ) who refided many 

 years in Whydah, fays, ttiat there arc other ftates (that is, 

 the Fantees, and their confederates) lying between Aflentai 

 and the fea ; and that the Afientais have often attempted, 

 but without fuccefs, to open a communication with the coaft, 

 from that part of the Niger which forms the fouthern limit 

 of the great empire of Calhna. In the kingdom of Tonou- 

 wah, which is faid to border on the coaft of the Chriftians, 

 and of which, as we have faid, Aflentai, or Afllente, is the ca- 

 pital, a fucceffion of hills, among which are mountains of a 

 ftupendous height, diverfifies, or conftitutes the general face 

 of the country. Some of the lands are cleared, but other 

 diftricls are ilill incumbered with woods of a vaft extent ; and 

 though for the moll part the highlands are paftured by innu- 

 merable flocks of Iheep, and by herds of cows and goats, and 

 the vales exhibit the captivating view of fucceflive villages, 

 encompaffed with corn and rice, and fruits of various kinds, 

 yet thefe are places of native fterility and eternal bar- 

 rennefs. 



TONQUIN, or TuNQUiN, fignifying « the Court of 

 the Eaft," becaufe when this country was a province of 

 China, it was the imperial refidence ; though, with regard 

 to its pofition with refpe£t to China, it fhould rather be 

 called " the Court of the Weft," and denominated by the na- 

 tives An-nam, Anam, or Ngan-nan, i. e. the repofe of the fouth, 

 is feparated from Cochin-china by a fmall river, and may now 

 be conlidered as incorporated with it by conqueft. It is 

 bounded on the E. and N. by Cliina, on the S. by Cocliin- 

 china, on the W. by the kingdoms of Laos and Baos, the 

 latter being unknown to geographers. Tonqiiin may be 

 regarded as confifting of eleven provinces ; that of the 

 North being the largeft ; its boundaries being Laos on the 

 W., China on the N. and E., and Baos on the N.W. 

 With regard to its afpeft and furface, it may be divided 

 into two portions, the mountains and the plain. Towards 

 China, Cochin-china, and Laos, the mountains are exteulive, 

 but neither rocky nor precipitous ; and they are partly co- 

 vered with forefts. In this part are found mines of gold, 

 filver, and iron, and alfo of copper, which h in high efti- 

 mation. The lower part of Tonquin much refembles Hol- 

 land, being partly land and partly water, and interfefted by 

 canals and dykes, and alfo by numerous rivers and lakes. 

 The province denominated "of the Weft" is watered by feven 

 great rivers, which unite about fifteen leagues above the royal 

 city, and form a kind of fea, or large lake, which fends out 

 various branches. The fouthern part of the kingdom, though 

 in the torrid zone, fuperabounds with waters covered with 

 boats. A navigable river, called Songkoy, traverfes the 

 kingdom from N. to S., and receives various ftreams, which 

 are alfo partly navigable ; and canals which ferve for the 

 cultivation of rice are numerous. The rivers of Tonquin 

 rife from the mountains of Yunnan, and in the rainy feafon, 

 from May to September, inundate the adjacent country. 

 The chief of thefe is the Holi Kian, which, after receiving 

 the Li-fien, paffes by Kecho the capital. The popula- 

 tion of this country is faid to be confiderable. Although 

 it has few towns, it has feveral villages which contain many 

 inhabitants. The capital of the kingdom and royal re- 

 fidence is Kacho, Kecho, or KeJIjo (which fee). The 

 next remarkable town is Hean, containing about 2000 houfes, 

 fituated on the right bank of the river, at the diftance of 

 tour or five days from its entrance into the fea. Formerly 

 the French had a faftory in this place, and the trade v\as 

 confiderable. (See Hean.) At the diftance of five or 

 fix leagues from the mouth of the river is another town, 



called Doraea, much lefs than Hean. Thefe towns, as well 

 as moft of the villages, and fonie houfes belonging to per- 

 fons of wealth, are furrounded v^^th hve hedges of bamboo; 

 and to the houfes and gardens are annexed alleys of areca 

 trees, which exiiibit a pifturefque appearance. The high 

 roads, wliich are fcarcely paffable in the wet feafon, are 

 maintained at the public expence. The rich ufe horfes, or 

 litters carried by men. In the mountains the houfes are 

 difperfed, and the. people almoft favage. The chief produft 

 of agriculture is rice, which affords two harvefts annually 

 in the low country, but in the high lands only one. The 

 rivers and canals abound with fifti of various kinds : wheat 

 and wine are unknown : the mulberry-tree is common : filk 

 is in general ufe among the poorer people : the fugar-cane 

 is indigenous, but the art of refining the juice is unknown. 

 The plough ufed in agriculture, confifts of three pieces of 

 wood, a pole, a handle, and a third piece, almoft at right 

 angles with the laft, for opening the ground, and they are 

 fimply fixed with ftraps of leather : this plough is drav.-n 

 by oxen or buffaloes. The horfes are fmall, but lively and 

 robuft : but they are little ufed, as the inhabitants prefer 

 travelling by water. Aftes and (lieep are unknown ; goats 

 are few, and fwine abundant. The people eat dogs, cats, and 

 rats : poultry, ducks, and geefe abound, and are found wild 

 in the forefts. The eggs of ducks are heated in ovens, and 

 produce young, which fwarm on the canals and ponds. 

 The foreiis contain deer, boars, peacocks, a pecuhar kind 

 of partridge, and quails. The tigers are large and deftruc- 

 tive ; one of which is faid to have entered a town, and to 

 have deftroyed eighty-five people. The wild elephants are 

 alfo very dangerous : apes are found in thefe forefts, and fome 

 of them of large fize : thefe and the parrots are not a little 

 deftruftive of the rice and fruits. The manners of the people 

 are lefs civilized than thofe of the Cliinefe : they are in gene- 

 ral of middle ftature, with broad faces, not fo flat as thofe 

 of the Chinefe ; eyes and nofe fmall, and long black hair. 

 The men have little beard, and do not fliave. Few of the 

 people are deformed, and the women are rather handfome. 

 The complexion of people of rank approaches that of the 

 Pjrtuguefe and Spaniards. At the age of feventeen or 

 eighteen they begin to blacken their teeth, regarding white 

 teeth as the praife of dogs : like the Chinefe, the fafliion of 

 fuffering their nails to grow is reftrifted to the Mandarins, 

 the men of letters, and other diftinguifiied pei-fons. The 

 ladies tinge their nails with red, and fometimes their hands 

 and feet. The drefs of the men confifts of a piece of filk, 

 feveral yards long, wrapped about the loins, and a long 

 robe with loofe fleeves, thrown off in travelling or during 

 labour. The women of the lower orders are modeftly 

 clothed in a long petticoat, and one or more robes like 

 thofe of the men. They cover their bofoms with a piece 

 of linen or filk in form of a heart : they ufe ear-rings and 

 bracelets of gold or filver. They commonly appear with 

 naked legs and feet, like the men ; but the rich and per- 

 fons of dignity wear long drawers. The moft general co- 

 lour of the filk and hnen is white. Black is only worn 

 by perfons of diftinftion. The men and women fatten their 

 hair behind in a knot ; but in the prefence of a fuperioi 

 they let it fall, in token of refpeft. 



The people are indolent, and loaded with heavy taxes. 

 The pubUc fervices required from them occupy about fix 

 n^pnths in the year. The learned language in Tonquin is 

 that of China, but it degenerates into a kind of dialecl 

 which cannot be underftood by a Chinefe, and the words 

 are all in fingle fyllables, and expreffing different things 

 according to the accents and mode of enunciation. The 

 language of Tonquin, and alfo of Cociiin-china, called 

 D 2 the 



