M o v e s ;
Their ihips or jonks are tolerably well built; they are chiefly employed
in fifheries, which are very confiderable, and form their
chief article o f commerce. The Chinefe fend ihips very frequently
to the northern ports o f the country laden with tea, an
inferior fort of iilk, porcellane, and fome other commodities o f
that empire. They take in return gold and columba wood, to he
burnt on the tombs of their anceitors and relations, or before the
altars of their divinities.
A midst the mountains inhabit a race o f people named Moyesv
who go naked, excepting a cloth which is wrapped round their
middle; they are employed in hard labor, and are little better
than flaves. Both the Loyes and Moyes are regulated by the fame
laws ; the government is very oppreflive; they are punifhed for
the leaft fault, and among the common people,, that o f 'fhewing
any appearance of wealth, is one o f the firft moment; the only
good .in the fyftem o f government is the toleration o f religion.
Here is found a degenerated Mahometanifm-, the dodtrine o f Confucius
; and idolatry, in all the variety and extravagancy o f image
worihip. We know little o f this country ; I am obliged to M.
Mannevillette * for my information, which he got from the captain
of La Gaiatbea, a French frigate which put into one o f the-
ports o f Ciamba in 1720, and was detained there for fomc
time.
In I695 Mr. Higginfon, prelident of Fort St. George, formed
the idea o f opening a trade with Ciampa, and fent Mr. Bowyear
on a fort o f embafly to the king o f Cochin-China. At his court h e
met with the prince o f this country, who gave him every encou-
* P . 148.
ragement,
ragement, and told him h e might, by the river Cambodia, difpofe
o'f great quantities o f woollen-cloth among the Loyes.
I may add here to my account o f the river, that at the mouth
is neverlefs than four fathoms o f water, and that it is navigable
for Ihips of fome burden tip to the very capital, above which
fmall veffels only are ufed, and th e navigation is (by report) faid
to be interrupted by a cataraif.
A ccording to D’Anville, the kingdom of Cochin-China unites C o c h i n - C h i n a .
with its tributary Ciampa at the bay o f Comorin; the original
name is Anam. The Por.tugaefe beftowed on it the appellation it
bears at prefent, which, by the help o f the fapamfe word Cochi,
fignifies the country weft of China. In defcribing the form o f
this, extenfive ftripe of empire, I ihall include in it, its Us Pais
conquis. The whole, beginning from the borders of Cambodia,
is in form o f abow, bending into the ocean as far as Cape•¥arelle,
in Lat. 13” o', when it inclines to its northern extremity in Lat.
17° 30'. The whole length o f this great curvature is about fix
hundred and fixty miles, the breadth not exceeding that we have
given to Ciampa. The northern borders are defended by a wall,
which runs from the fea to the great chain of mountains, and
forbids all approach from that quarter, as the inacceflible chain
itfelf does every attempt o f invafion from their weftern neighbors.
T'h.eMoyes, who inhabit thefe mountains, are faid to be a
moft favage and ferocious race.
T he court o f Cochin-China is ufually held at Sinoa; a little, to
the fouth o f the wall there, fays'Mr. Bowyear, the .king, in his
Torigtan oreighth moon,takeshis recreation with bisMandarines,
and forbids all interruption by petitions or any.fort o f bufinefs.
A l l