1883. Geography and Travels. 963 
east, its tributary, the Black river, the Thai-Bink, which with the 
Red river forms the Delta of Tong-king, the Song-Ma, the Song- 
Mo, and the Song-Giank. Most of these rivers are navigable, 
and they furnish great facilities for internal- transport. 
The climate from September to April is delightful, ranging 
from 7° to 15° C. During the remaining six months, which con- 
stitute the wet season, the temperature may rise to 35° C., yet at 
times descends to 16°. The greatest heats are tempered by the 
monsoon. 
The lower courses of the rivers are densely peopled, and con- 
tain many considerable towns, the largest, Ha noi, with 150,000 
inhabitants. The north and west are mountainous, and the Lao- 
= tribes inhabiting these regions are more or less indepen- 
ent. 
The soil is fertile, and almost every valuable product of tropi- 
cal Asia grows or is cultivated there, though both in the cultiva- 
tion and in the preparation of the products there is room for 
much improvement. The sugar-cane, cotton, rice, coffee, tobacco, 
tea, cinnamon, indigo, lac, essence of badian, ebony, rosewood, 
ironwood, sandalwood, and a still more highly odoriferous wood 
called calambac, are among its vegetable productions, while its 
stream and mountains are rich in gold, silver, copper, tin, iron, 
quicksilver, zinc and lead; bismuth and precious stones abound, 
and coal is found near the sea and the rivers. The animal world 
yields rich feathers, musk, wax and silk. 
ore than 509,000 Catholic natives wait the coming of the 
French, who, once in possession of Tong-king, could easily mas- 
ter Cochin-China, then deprived of its principal resources. Cam- 
bodia is already under the protection of the French, and the re- 
union of these would give them a territory four-fifths the size of 
rance and more than half as populous. “ Firmly seated here, 
says M. Millot, “ we can watch the march of the events that will 
disintegrate existing Asiatic empires. * * Saigon will sup- 
plant Singapore when the Isthmus of Kra, at the head of the 
Malay peninsula, is pierced by a ship canal, as it soon will be, 
Since De Lesseps has the matter in hand.” 
Arrica.—Nahdi Pasha, Governor of the Harrar, in the Galla 
country, has recently given some account of the region to the 
Société Khédiviale de Géographie. Two roads lead from Zeila 
o Harrar, a summer and a winter road. ese unite at a point 
less than midway, and form one road through Biakabonda and 
the Gildessa pass. Gildessa the Galla territory begins. The 
Galla sheikhs are responsible for the safety of travelers, and mer- 
chants and simple messengers pass safely from Harrar to Zeila. 
tween Zeila and Harrar the country is sterile, little known, and 
inhabited by nomad tribes; but at and around Harrar it is fertile 
and well cultivated. Each tribe of Gallas has its territorial limits 
