ing. A loose cotton frock, of a brown or blue colour, reaching
down to the middle of the thigh, and a pair of black nankin
trowsers made very wide, Constitute in general their common
clothing. With the use of stockings and shoes they are wholly
unacquainted; but the upper ranks wear a kind of sandals
or loose slippers. Asa holiday dress, on particular occasions,'
a lady puts on three or four frocks at once, of different
colours and lengths; the shortest being uppermost. A woman
thus dressed appears in the annexed print, which represents
a groupe of Cochinchinese and may be considered as a
fair speciri^n of their general appearance. Their long black
hair is* sometimes twisted into a knot and fixed on the crown
of the head, and sometimes hangs loose in flowing tresses
down the back, , reaching frequently to the very ground.
Short hair is not only considered as a mark of vulgarity, but
an indication of degeneracy. The dress of the men has little
if any thing to distinguish it from that of the other sex, being,
chiefly confined to a jacket and a pair of trowsers. Some
wear handkerchiefs- tied round the head in the shape of a
turban others have hats or caps- of various forms and materials,
but most of them calculated for protecting the face
against the rays of the sun ; for which purposethey also make
use of umbrellas,of strong China paper, or skreens oft he leaves
of the Borassus or fan-palm and other kinds of the palm tribe;
or fans made of feathers. Consonant with the appearance of
their mean and scanty clothing,, as frequently, thrown loosely
over their shoulders as fitted to the bbdy, were their lowly
cabins of bamboo.. In short, nothing met the eye that could
impress the mind ofla,stranger with.high notions of the happy
condition of this people..