OCCASIONAL NOTES. 165 
_disaster to the family. The corpse is then tightly bound up 
in cotion cerecloths, the every-day clothes being ge put between 
the limbs. ‘Then it is‘'ready to be put into the coffin, and care 
must be taken to turn the head towards the door. The shell 
is then closed and varnished all over to prevent the attacks of 
insects, particularly white ants. ‘The varnish is black, and the 
best comes from Cambojan marsh lands. , | 
In the meantime the women have been making up the 
mourning garments. They must be white and of linen or 
cotton. “The nearer tne relation, the coarser the material 
must be, and in no case are they eee The Annamese 
Code devotes thirty pages (in Purtasrre’s French edition) to a 
description of the “different classes of ate garments. It 
is evident, therefore, that quite enough has been said here 
about the matter. ‘As soon as the mourning suits are ready 
2 
Ey 
the family assembles an solemnly puts them on. ‘Then saeri- 
fices are made to the ancestors and to the deceased, and each of 
the celebrants prostrates himself four times betore the coffin. 
According to common Oriental custom it is usual to keep 
the coffin in the | house for days and even ae before burial. 
By its side is erected a smail altar, on which are placed three 
cups of tea, different condiments, an incense brazier and two 
candles. The delay is of course to permit the assemblage of 
all the friends of the house, anc i the arrangement of one of 
those gorgeous funeral ceremonies which so often rain families 
im the East. ‘There is much mummery on such occasions in 
England, but the garish parade eat a “first-class funeral ” in 
Annam far exceeds any foolery we indulge in. Most of the 
properties are supplied by professional undertakers, and for 
details about them the curious may refer to the Annamese Code. 
Suflice it to say that there are huge lanterns of different shapes, 
pendant gongs to drive away vil spirits, 1cense tables, “the 
red and gold painted and highly-carved bier, offering tables 
and a variety cf banners in silk and | a0) some of them pecu- 
liar to the fan mily, others common to or 2 vulgar humanity, 
such as the fillet borne on two poles, which is inscribed Trunc- 
vin (faithful) for a man, and Trrnu-ravan (pure and cbedient) 
for a woman. 
The time for the interment is of course fixed by the wise 
Au 
