t 



UY THE REV. J, E. TEN ISON- WOODS. 177 



as|>ect : the streets are large ; there is a canal with wide quays on 

 each side, Amidst these quays are crocodile parks where these 

 saurians are preserved and fattened for eating. The houses and 

 shops are well built, and the whole place has an astonishing air of 

 industry and prosperity, which reminded me of Penang or some 

 of the best Chinese towns in Java. 



About a quarter of an hour's walk from Cholen, on the road to 

 Mitho, is the garden of C&y-mai. In a delicious situation on an 

 artificial mound the Cay-mai tree grows, whose sweet^smelling 

 flowers were offered to the Emperor to flavour his tea. It was 

 death to touch them in former times. From this point the view 

 extends over the ricefields which line the commercial canal, over 

 the Plain of Tombs, the mines of Ki-hoa, the fields and the woods 

 of Go-Vap as far as the mountain of Tai-Minh, a distance of 

 nearly 100 miles, 



It must be understood that it is only the lower part of the 

 delta of the Me-kong that is called Cochin China. The Upper 

 portion of the river to the north-wast is occupied by the kingdom 

 of Cambodia. To the north-east is the kingdom of A nam. The 

 boundaries of French Cochin China are between 10° and 11° N. lat. 



One sees but few Cambodians at Saigon. They are easily 

 recognised by their short hair, their shovel lists, and their dress. 

 They are more robust and taller than the Anamites. They wear 

 a loose robe with a little vest buttoned in front and a cincture of 

 silk. Often they have only a piece of calico over the shoulders. 

 Borne come by boats from higher Cambodia to bring their produce 

 to Cholen. Others come from the lower Anamite provinces, and 

 others from the right bank of the great river by the route of 

 Tracabang, and bring herds of cattle and sheep. 



The French have established schools in Saigon and Cholen, 

 which are eagerly made use of by the Chinese and Minh-huongs. 

 The Anamite character is the Chinese a little modified. It is at 

 once ideographic and phonetic, so that they have no difficulty in 

 writing European words. A Chinese not knowing the Anamite 

 language can make himself understood by the characters which, 



