213 
]830.] Recent journey into Northern Laos. 
to the north, between Laos and Ava. The people of Laos are in great dread of 
the Burmese. 
The men of Laos wear larger folds of cloth as turbands on their heads than the 
Burmese, with their book-muslin Gung-bungs. Their lower garments are the same 
as the Burmese pa-tshos, of silk or blue striped cotton. The old women only cover 
their bosoms — the young ones keep them bare, but their lower garments are more 
decent than those worn by the Burmese women, and not open in front like the 
latter’s. The clothes also are worn like petticoats, and not brought between the 
legs, and tucked up behind like a Hindi’s dhoti, as all the Siamese women wear 
them. Dr. R. saw a good deal of English broad cloth, and some specimens of English 
chintz, of the small sprig pattern, admired at Bangcdc, from whence, of course, they 
came. The priests are not held in such reverence as in Ava and Siam, and their 
conduct and manners are not so strict. Dr. R. has seen them often riding about 
on elephants, which they guide themselves ; and the young priesthood he observed 
flirting with the ladies, and going about at night as gallants. 
The coins current are the same as the Siamese Bat, 7',houang, and Selung. Dr. 
R. saw a good deal of cotton, ivory, and stick lac, and some musk, which he un- 
derstood are exchanged for articles the produce of China, from whence a caravan, 
consisting of one or two thousand horses and mules, annually visits this part of 
Laos. The Chinese caravan had been plundered about three years ago, and it 
had not visited Labung for two years ; but it was expected this year, and Dr. R. 
had hoped to have seen the Chinese merchants before he left the country, and to 
persuade some of them to come on to Mulm4n with him. He did not, however, 
wait to see them. He was told that the Chinese frontier merchants had sent a 
deputation to the king of Siam, with a present of gold, to solicit his Majesty’s pro- 
tection in future to their annual caravan. Although all the copper brought to 
Siam is called Laos copper, ( T,hdng ding Ldo,) and Fitch considers this metal as 
one of the native commodities of Zemi, Dr. R. believes that there are no copper 
mines there ; and he was assured that all the metal was brought by the Chinese 
caravan. There is a great deal of iron ore in the country, and the inhabitants can 
forge tolerably good musket barrels. Re saw a small specimen of lead ore, and 
he was assured that there is abundance of tin ore even above Zemi, which is much 
higher than what Crawfurd, I believe, fixes as the extent of the tin formation. 
Cattle are very cheap in Labhng, — about 24 rupees per head. A woman usually 
sells for about ten head of cattle. Dr. R. has succeeded in bringing down with 
him to Mtilin^n sixty head, and about three hundred more were to follow him. 
This will ensure an immediate benefit from his mission, for a supply of cattle for 
the use of our European troops at Mulm^n was a great desideratum. The Laos 
cattle is small. 
Our broad cloths and chintzes and cutlery are much prized in Laos, and I hope 
before long an useful and extensive commerce may be established between that 
country and Mulinen. It would be a great point to try and invite the Chinese 
caravan to come on to Mulmfen. 
I enclose a sketch of Laos, copied from one made for Dr. R. at Labung. This 
letter is already so long that I cannot trouble you more with my ideas of this map. 
1 have let the Siamese names stand as Dr. R., who does not understand that lan. 
guage, has written them. But I have put down the exact Siamese name below his, 
wherever I could follow him in my Siamese maps. The northern portion of this 
is remarkable as bringing the great Cambodia river so far to the westward ; and it 
would be curious to try and trace upon it the route of the Chinese merchants 
who travelled overland from Siam to China, in 1652, and a copy of whose journal 
is to he seen in Du Halde. Dr, R.’s Wincean is the Siamese Vinch'hang, the 
same place as Lan-cliang, Dalrymple’s Sansepura, and the Dutch Winkjan, to 
which a Dutch embassy went in 164 J, an account of which may be seen in Valen- 
tyn’s great work. This Vinchliang is the city which the Siamese destroyed two 
years ago. Dr. R. was told that it is due east from Zemi, and distant a month’s 
journey. I cannot believe that it lies in so high a latitude. The authors of the 
Modern Universal History, in which there is the best account of this Southern 
Laos, place the capital in Latitude 18°. Crawfurd places it in 15 u 40\ and Dal* 
ryinple in his map in Symes’s Ava, places it a little below 16°. 
I hope we shall soon know more regarding these countries. The chief of Matak, 
or Tak, on the Menam river, has lately sent a friendly deputation to Mr. Maingy. 
Much confusion arises from the different names given to the same place. The 
Siamese call it Menang country, or Ban village of Tak. The Burmese corrupt 
Ban-tak to Bantat. A place immediately under it, the Siamese call Meuaug 
