174 General Notes. [ February, 
in existence within the bounds of the Chinese empire before its 
earliest contraction. By B. C. 1550, owing to revolts, it had con- 
tracted to the northern bank of the Yangtsi-Kiang, and during the 
Chou dynasty, B. C. 1134-255, it seldom included any portion of 
the basin of that river. The elder brother of the founder ofthe 
Chou dynasty left the empire, and founded the kingdoms of Youe 
and Hou outside of it, on the frontiers of Ssu-ch’uan. Other evi- 
dence leads to the conviction that the Shans formed part of the | 
early Chinese horde. Thirty per cent of their vocabulary 8 — 
Chinese. The Lao Shans were settled in the country west of 
Tong-king at a very early date, and had wedged themselves into 
the Yun country, as far south as Vien Chang, before the amv® — 
of the Yun Shans in the valley of the Menam. The name ge 3 
to them by their neighbors, Lau or Lao, means ancient or 0™ — 
The Yun Shans had founded towns south of Yunnan longi 
the time of Gaudama, and were pushing down the valley of 2 
Mekong through the Yun or Karen country. These Karens, 
there is reason to believe, were the earliest Chinese emigrants, ™ 
a long period they ruled over the country of Youe-Chang ce 
Tching, Lin-y, or Lam-ap), and in the fourth century over the 
bodia. In A. D. 431 the Yun Shans founded several co 
valley of the Menam, and by 707 had overrun and occupi 
northern half of Cambodia. the 
Early in the sixth century B.C., the Mau Shans entered ) 
valley of the Irrawadi, and drove the Burmese rn ; 
southward. About A. D. 1220 they annexed Assam, and ie 5 
predominant over the Shan States east and west of the they 
far south as Zimmé. By the end of the thirteenth a to 
had shattered the Burmese empire, driven the Yun ed he : 
Chaliang, from whence the latter descended and pang 
kingdom of Siam, attacked Java, Malacca and Cambodia ginsi | 
part of Pegu, and extended their sway over the Malay ort 
as far south as Lavoy. From this time to 1554 a aswel! | 
ruled in the valleys of the Irrawadi, Sittang and Sa Chim. f 
as in the country south of Yunnan, as far east.as Coc E 
ANAM, OR Upper Cocnin Curya.—According tO M Lal F 
tains E 
of producing rice enough for its inhabitants, it is pp s Co 
Tsiampas, who for ten centuries kept the Anamites © a, | 
this province there are more than five hundred villag® 
