1838.] Geography ofCochinchina. 323 



tributary to that empire. Some pay their tribute in gold, musk, gum, 

 lac, &c. ; others again in elephants' teeth, rhinoceros' horns, skins of deer 

 and other animals, aromatic gums, &c. The Cochinchinese sell their 

 silks, but salt is the most profitable substance ; formerly this commodity 

 used to be sold for its weight in gold. 



The language and customs of the country of Laos resemble in a 

 great measure those of Siam and Camboge. The religion of Buddha is 

 in the same state of veneration as in these two countries, but a few 

 changes have been introduced by the Bonzes. There are in this 

 country a number of idols and Bonzes ; one scarcely finds a village with- 

 out them. Near the residence of the princes there is generally a mag- 

 nificent temple and a gilt idol of an enormous size. Each prince as 

 he succeeds to the throne has it re-gilt. The custom of burning the 

 dead bodies near it is still kept up, and of preserving the ashes in an 

 earthen vase placed in the temple of the idol. Their Bonzes have 

 however broken the law of abstinence ; they leave this part of the rites 

 to their brethren, while they themselves eat indifferently all sorts of 

 meat. They themselves have ordained that they may marry ; this is not 

 allowed in Camboge of Siam and Cochinchina, where if they do not wish 

 to remain in celibacy they are obliged to quit the pagoda. 



The Dutch who ascended the Camboge river on their way to Lao, found 

 this river very broad in some places and very narrow and full of rocks 

 in others. The most remarkable places they saw were Loim, GocJce- 

 lok, Looim, Simpou, Sombok, Sojnbabow, and Baatsiong. Out of 

 the whole of these I only meet with Sombok and Sombabour which 

 were formerly towns of Camboge. I have not placed either of them in 

 my map, because in the last century the frequent civil wars have caused 

 great ravages, and the constant incursions of the Cochinchinese and 

 principally those of the Siamese have ruined many towns and changed 

 the face of the whole country. A great number of the inhabitants 

 were killed ; others again were taken into captivity. The Cochinchinese 

 seeing that a part of these territories was uncultivated, advanced little 

 by little to cultivate a land, the fertility of which was surprising, and 

 at last ended by being the only masters of this part. 



The empire of Anamite, which at its origin, was nothing more than a 

 small state has become a vast and powerful empire by the conquest of 

 Ciampee of Tong-king and of Camboge ; this empire might be compared 

 at its foundation to a small rivulet that becomes larger as different streams 

 enter it. If the geography of this country and of its neighbouring 

 kingdoms has become obscure, it is not, as Maltkbrun says, from its 

 having been, treated of by numerous writers who contradict each other, 



