Travels in the Central Parts of Indo-China (Siam), Cambodia, and Laos (Vol. 2 of 2)

Cambodia an

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r civilization, and that of their successors, who appear only to have known how to destroy, never to reconstruct. Until some learned arch?ologist shall devote himself to this subject, it is not probable that aught bu

ely great and an extended commerce must be presumed. Doubtless, Cambodia was formerly thus favoured, and would be so at the present day under a wise government, if labour and agriculture were encouraged instead of despised, if the ruling powers exercis

ts yield precious gums, gum-lac, gamboge, cardamoms, and many others, as well as some useful resins. They likewise produce most

abundant that when the water is high they are actually crushed under the boats, and the play of the oars is frequently impeded by them. The quantities taken there every year by

cloves, and ginger. Even now all these are grown to a certain limited extent, and are allowed to be of superior quality. Sufficient cotton is raised to supply all Cochin China, and to allow of some being exported to China itself. From the little island of Ko-Sutin alone, leased to t

angoutis" of brilliant and varied colours, both the m

by the numerous mouths of the Mekong and the numberless canals of Lower Cochin Ch

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e from the north or from the west, by sea, and gradually making their way up the rivers, or from the land, and descending them, it seems certain that there must have been here other ancient settlers, who introduced Buddhism and civilization. It would appear as though these had been succeeded by some barbarous race, who drove the original inhabitants far into the interior, and destroyed many of their buildings. At all events, it is my belief

people, among whom a certain taste for art still shows itself in the carved work of the b

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, to my fancy, bore evidence of a past refinement-struck me in these poor children of nature, buried for centuries in their deep forests, which they believe to be the largest portion of the world, and to which they are so strongly attached that no inducement would tempt them

semblance of the faces to those of these savages. And besides the similar regularity of feature, th

though in small numbers, among them; and they have some good speci

them; and as they necessarily lead a wandering life, they seem to have lost nearly all traditions of the past. The only information I could extract from their oldest chiefs was, that far beyond the chain of mountains which crosses the country from north to south are other "peop

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ountains and table-lands between Tonquin and Laos, Cochin China and Cambodia-from a letter of M. Co

r to have a common origin with the Cédans, Halangs, Reungao, and Giara?e, their neighbours. Their countenances, costumes, and belief are nearly the same; and the language, although it differs in each tribe, has yet many words common to all; the construction, moreover, is perfectly identi

n common with that of the Annamites. Very simple

hem as weapons, and the long-handled knives used for various kinds of work in which they excel. Their clay calumets, tastefully ornamented with leaves or other devices, are the production of the most skil

d and graceful, out of the trunks of trees. Such are the principal articles produced by the

annavs, and are sometimes embellished with designs which would be admired even in Europe. The iron which they forge is also wrought into more elegant

of more than seventy villages, when their agricultural labours are over, busy themselves in extracting an

ng for himself a share very little larger than the others. No one is forgotten in this distribution, from the youngest child to the oldest man. The deer and wild boar taken in the chase are divided in the same way, the hunters retaining only a rather larger portion in consideration of their labour and fatigue. I have actually seen a fowl divided into forty or

which you occasionally find among them-has a stigma affixed to it in their penal code; any one who perishes by his own hand is buried in a corner of th

imes provoked cruel strife. On the subject of witchcraft they are particularly credulous: nearly every misfortune is attributed by them to the malice of certain persons whom they believe gifted with the

According to their creed, every large tree, every mountain, every river, every rock, almost everything, has i

f up; but of the origin or creator of this father they know nothing. Their traditions do not reach beyond the Deluge; but they will tell you that in the beginning one grain of rice sufficed to

of the soul, which, after leaving the body, they imagine wanders about the tombs and adjacent mountains, often terrifying

ed in the hope of warding off misfortune, alleviating suffering, and retarding the hour o

F THE SAVA

with his journal, kept during a residence of twenty years among various savage races, and which I hope some day wi

n them in a westerly direction, after running for some distance from south to north and watering the lands of the Candians or Bihcandians, whose language also resembles in some deg

?e words, and many more bearing a strong resemblance to words in that dialect; and I doubt not this similarity would be found still more remarkable by any one who thoroughly studied both languages. The rese

exactly the same language as ourselves." M. Arnoux, another missionary in Cochin China, who has long resided amongst these savage tribes, speaks in the same way respecting the language. To M. Arnoux also I owe

ugh often varying slightly even in the same tribe: the dialect of the northern Sedans is somewhat differe

fer, but there are words in each not to be found in the other. M. Fontaine found that the Ieboune and Braon strongly

ce between the two countries. To all this must be added that the Siamese, Laotian,[3] and Cambodian seem to be sister lang

de of savage races on the coast of Siam and in the environs of Kompat (Cambodia). I have sought in vain for them, and no one has ever heard them spoken of. Probably the missionary was decei

f the judgment of Solomon, which, as I before stated, was found by M. Miche, Bishop of Laos and Cambodia, to be preserved verbatim in one of the Cambodian sacred books. To all my questio

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dence on Cambodia; and the language and ancient Cambodian race have entirely disappeared in those districts. The different states have now their limits and sovereigns entirely independent of each other. Cambodia is, however, to a certain exte

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h the greatest veneration, the words Allah and Mahomet. They themselves declare that their present religion was brought to them from Malaisia-that priests still come to them from thence and visit them from time to time. I had this information from some Cambodians of Battambong, who, having been taken prisoners in the wars with the Cochin Chinese, passed eight years in Isiampa. One of them, a blind man, who appeared to me to be remarkable for goo

Battambong, is a place called Campong Thiame (shore of the Thiames). More to the south, near Campong Tchnam, the village where the custom-house of Cambodia is erected, is an island called Isle of Thiames.

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oked upon as savages by their brethren of the plain. These latter are the Somrais: they speak the Cambodian language, but with a different pronunci

if he should cross the great lake, is

g some of the Somrais, said, "These are my true subjects, and the stock from

eylon and went to Thibet, where he was very well received; from thence he went among the savages, but, n

is familiar to nearly all the Cambodians: they pronounc

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ant of the two, is called Eni (grandfather) by the savages, and the village where he resides bears the same name. When this "grandfather" dies, another is chosen, sometimes one of his sons, sometimes a stranger, the dignity not being hereditary. His extraordinary power is attributed, according to M. Fontaine, to Beurdao, an old sabre wrapped in rags, and having no other sheath. This sabre, say the Giara?e, is c

endants carry no arms when they go round to collect offerings. Most of

itoes and leeches. My desire is, not to impose my opinions on any one, especially with regard to the wonderful architectural remains which I have visited, but simply to disclose the existence of these monuments, which are certainly the most gigantic, and also to my mind display a more perfect taste than any left to us by the ancients; and, moreov

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lant in the breasts of others a love for the great works of Nature, and to benefit those who, in the quiet of their homes, delight to follow the poor traveller; who, often with the sole object of being us

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those alone who have tasted them know the joys she gives. I candidly confess that I have never been more happy than when amidst this grand and beautiful tropical scenery, in the profound solitude of these dense