education of the heir apparent to a foreigner, who neither
respected the laws nor professed the religion of their ancestors
; and the necessity strongly urged of placing him under
the direction and guidance of the learned men who were versed
in the only true doctrine, as contained in the writings of Confucius.
On such occasions the King always repelled their
representations with firmness, and sometimes did not conceal
from them, his determination of preferring rather to sacrifice
the friendship of his ministers than to give up that of the
Bishop, who continued indeed to enjoy his implicit confidence
to his last moments.
His Queen is represented as a woman of exemplary virtue,
of great firmness, and as the support and comfort of the King
in the midst of his adversity. Of their seven children the
two eldest sons were put under the tuition of Adran. The heir
apparent , the youth whom the Bishop carried with him to Paris,
died shortly after his master. He was of a mild, obliging, and
affable disposition, endued with all the social virtues, but of
talents more suitable for the quiet of domestic retirement than
the bustle of public life. The second brother, the present heir
to the throne, has the character of being a complete soldier. He
served three years as a private in his father’s guards, and five
years as a corporal and seijeant, during which servitude he
was-engaged in a great deal of active o o o warfare. In 1797 he
was raised to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and. the following
year he was appointed Governor of the southern province.
In 1800 he obtained the rank of General, and, was-
appointed to the command of an army of 35,000 men; in
which year he gained a most important victory over the rebels
in the north, having slain 9000 of the enemy, and taken all
their elephants of war and artillery.
The strength of the forces of the King of Cochinchina,
as stated by Captain Barissy, was in the year 1800 as
follows :
ArmJy . Mert.
24 squadrons of buffalo cavalry - 6,000
16 battalions of elephants (200 beasts)' - 8,000
30 battalions of artillery - * 15,000
25 regiments of 1200 each (trained in the'European
ma8n ner)v ' - . - 30,000
Infantry with matchlocks, sabres, &c. trained m the
ancient manner of the country - - 42,000
Guards, regularly trained in European tactics 12,000
Land forces 113,000
Marine.
Artificers in the naval arsenal - 8000
Sailors registered and borne on the ships m
\ th e uh artbo u, r - 8000
Attached to the European built vessels
Attached to the junks - “ «non
Attached to 100 row-galleys - 8000
In the sea service 26,800
Total 139,800