160 
IND0-CHIKE8B PENINSULA. 
histonan of the Indian Archipelago. "The most nu- 
merous iuhahitants of this province are the proper Kam- 
bojans. The Anam race are the masters. The origioal 
inhabitants of that portion of it Ij^ng to the eastward 
of the great river, and bordering upon Lao, are a tribe 
called Mai."* 
I have entered into this subject more fully than I 
should otherwise have done, with the view of suggesting 
to those interested in the archaeological bmnch of ethno- 
graphy, the importance of the results that may attend 
a closer inquiry into the characteristics of this primitive 
race. It is well known that many of the ancient idola 
of the Hindus have negro characteristics, and the great 
Budha himself, who is also sometimes represented as 
a negro, is said by his worshippers to have been born 
of a female named " Maia." The traditions of the 
Chinese respecting the earliei" inhabitants of their 
country, and the high veneration in which even those 
who are untainted with Budhism hold the Wai-ingin, 
the banyan-tree of the Far East, are also interesting 
subjects of inquiry. 
* Page 192. 
