EASTEItN GEOGRAPHY* 



decrepit race, unmindful of their pa^t greatness, without national 

 aspirations for the future, yutislicd to accept u present French 

 protectorate ue the only escape from further encroachments on tho 

 part of their Siamese snd Annunieae neighbours. Although more 

 honest, they tire scarcely less indolent than tho Annnxne&e, whom 

 they also resemble in their unfriendly attitude towards si Dingers, 

 and in sutue other Utiamiahlo trnits. On the other hand Jhey cultivate 

 the arts of music and poetry, accompanying their somewhat mono- 

 tonous songs ami duets on simple primitive instruments. 



The ancient Camlwjan raltine, introduced and developed under Hindu 

 itiUin<]iiv^ r seems never to have penetrated far Mow the surf.io-. Ii fuilrd 

 to rradiratc many *i F the older usage*, such cl* tlm practice of ktihliug the 

 Ijmlls. f.ii piles, which Mil] lareely prevails. Jn the dilfrfeirt burin! rites 

 are jHT f .rHi:Lti-i| 1h<- traditions and religion.* idea* of tin- several primitive 

 people* merged in one nationality during the period of Cimdtojnu nro«- 



[.. ! :■'.• S..iij,'. aapeqwllv of ihe | n-t class™, bum their dead either 



immediately, or three days utter death ; other* iirat hurv ami then di>d]i?,!r 

 the body, burning the bout* years afterwards ; others again preserve it for 

 months and even yuam in their dwellings, injecting quicksilver,, and 

 allowing thii giiiws to rscanc through a tulns wtiicb juuukjh from the eulhii lo 

 the roof of the hou.se. Polygamy,, although IcgaluM^ ht mainly confined 

 to thif wealthy ckuisra, and the women enjoy on t]n> u]ade a onsiileial.ki 

 .share of ri-yjivi.! and iud.-pei id i-n <:>: They are <'Veh d,'-,i liUd hiui^hly, 

 jealous and vindictive. Instead of ear-rings they often wear wooden, bone, 

 or ivory plug* in the ]i>Ij.-, which thus I ice, in ics" distended to a monstrous 

 size Thi-s eustom, very general amongst many other primitive peoples in 

 various part* of the world, has periled from prodiistorie time* m spite of 

 the foreign inHuonees, uinler which were developed the Ounhojan eulturo 

 and former [aditiud asiCL-nihiney in the lower Mekhong basin. 



CHAPTER W, 

 POLITICAL DIVISIONS — BURUAU, SI AM, ASS All, rAMUU.IA* 



RECEKT events have considerably simplified the political relations 

 in tho Indo-Chinese Peninsula, which has now been brought under 

 the exclusive away of one native and two foreign powers. Tlie 

 three great political division!* thus constituted correspond very 

 accurately with the mnin physical divisions <if the country. Thus 

 the British power, supreme in the. west, comprises, besides the 

 coastlnnds, on the Hay of Bengal, the iravenddy and Sal win baSEiis. 

 The French in the extreme east hold in tho same way the Mokhong 

 and Song-Koi valleys; while the central region, drained by the 



