BY THE REV. J. E. TEN IS0N-W00D9. 



171 



COCHIN CHINA. 



I visited the port of Saigon in the course of my travels on my 

 way from Hong Kong to the Malay kingdom of Pahang. It 

 takes but three days to go from Singapore to Saigon, passing by 

 Pulo-Condor, the Malay name for the island of reptiles, which 

 is inhabited by a population of about 300 islanders. The 

 entrance to Saigon is by the Cocoa-nut Bay and then up one of 

 the many branches of the river Me-Kong, which flows through 

 the delta of Cochin China. The time of my visit was unfortunate, 

 for the Tonquinese war was going on, and cholera was causing 

 great ravages amongst the people. The establishment of the 

 French Messageries is at an angle of the river just at the entrance 

 ot the town of Saigon. All along the sides of the river crowds 

 of sampans and canoes remind one of Hong Kong, though not 

 nearly so numerous. There is a certain floating population here as 

 in all China. There are families living continually on the water, 

 eating, cooking and sleeping in a space incredibly small, while the 

 infants are cradled in a swinging cot like an aerial plant, with no 

 trouble in rocking. At night there is the usual sparkling of light 

 and tinkling of sounds from the flotilla with its living freight. 



There is nothing to be seen in coming up the river, except the 

 low banks at either side, until one comes in sight of Saigon. This 

 is only indicated by the two tall square towers of the cathedral 

 and a forest of masts and steam-funnels above the wide brown 

 dead level plains. We did not pass many boats except a few 

 fishermen in vessels rigged like the feluccas of the Mediterranean. 

 A few low attap or palm-leaf houses may have been indications of 

 villages. The people looked like Malays, and, except that they 

 are slighter in stature and have smaller features, reminded me 

 very much of the Javanese. They are not like Chinese, and they 

 do not wear the queue. The women wear long loose dresses of blue 

 or white material, and over this a long dark blue robe like a 

 soutanne. This, with a large silver ring round the neck and a good 

 many pins in the hair, completes the costume. There is little 

 difference between the male and female costumes, except that the 

 men commonly wear something on their heads with combs of 



