this provision, however, I suppose, that the spontaneous embryo
shall be lucky enough to form
“ A potent wish in the productive hour.”
As the favourable monsoon was scarcely yet set in, and the
state of the sick required the refreshments of the shore, we
came to anchor in an open bay before one of the small
islands of Pulo Condore, with a view to that effect; but the
appearance of our large ships occasioned so great an alarm to
the few poor natives, as to drive them into the mountains,
leaving behind them their scanty stock of provisions exposed
a t the doors of their huts, and praying, us, in a billet;
.written in the Chinese character, to be satisfied by taking
their little all, and to spare their humble dwellings. Such
being the state of the island, we hastened our departure from
thence, and steered direct towards a part of the Asiatic continent
which is less known than it deserves to b e and, I may
venture to predict, less than it will be to some of the
European nations, before many years shall have elapsed.
In the latest and perhaps the best arranged system of
«■eography which has been offered to the public, a considerable
portion of Asia, containing full twenty' millions of
people, and from three to four hundred thousand square
miles, extraordinary as it may appear, is passed over with a
mere dash of the pen. “ The kingdoms of Laos, Cambodia;
“ Siampa, Cochinchina, and Tung~quin," says Mr. Pinkerton,
“ are countries unimportant -in themselves, and concerning
“ which the materials are imperfect.” !. To the latter part of
this sweeping and unqualified assertion I most freely and
fully subscribe, but cannot by any means assent to the
fornier ; being vain enough to hope that the small stock of
well-authenticated* materials, which I am about to lay before
the publick, will be sufficient to shew that these countries, or
a portion of them only, held thus so very cheap, are not only
important within themselves, but highly so to the present
and future concerns of British India. And for the better
illustration of the historical sketch, which will be the subject
of this chapter, it may not be amiss to prefix a concise outline
Of the geographical situation and divisions of that part
of thé Asiatic continent which is usually known by the name
of Gochincliina.
The extensive empire of Ghina terminates, on the south,
at' the twenty-second degree of latitude ; but a tongue of
land connected with it continues on its western side as far as
to the ninth parallel of northern latitude. This prolongation
of thirteen degrees in extent has a ridge of high mountains
Which, rumling down the middle from north to south, divides
the Birman empire, on the west, from the kingdoms of Tung-
quin, Cochinchina, Tsiompa, and Cambodia, on the east.
These names, thus usually marked on our charts, are, however,
utterly unknown to the natives, except Timg-qmn.
The other three collectively are called An-nan, and are distinguished
by three grand divisions. The first, contained between
the southernmost’ point which forms the extremity of
the gulph- o f Siam ■ and which lies in about the ninth degree
of latitude,-as far as to the twelfth degree, is called Don-nai ;
the second, extending from hence to the fifteenth degree,
Chang; and the third, between this and-the seventeenth dc