New Account of the East Indies Author:Alexander Hamilton Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAP. XLIX. Treats o/Couchin-china, and Tonquin, their Religion, Laivs and Cujloms. COUCHIN-CHINA is only divided from Cambodia, by the River, which in fom... more »e Places is three Leagues broad. It is a Country far larger than Camhodia, and much richer, and the Inhabitants more couragious and hardier for enduring Fatigues in Labour or War, than the Camhodians, but are not fo converfable and civil to Strangers. The Couchin-chineje draw one half of the Cuftoms and Taxes raifed in Camhodia by Commerce and Merchandizing, but they give little Encouragement for Strangers to trade with them. Their Country abounding in Gold, raw Silk, and Drugs, they bring them to Camhodia, to difpofe of there, except what they fend yearly to Canton in China ; and I have feen fome of their Jonks trading at Johore and Batavia. Their Religion is Pagan after the China Way, worfhipping the fame Gods, after the fame manner as the Chineje do. Their Laws are fe- vere and bloody for Crimes of Treafon, for not only the guilty Perfon fuffers a painful Death, but the Relations within the Bounds of Confan- guinity fuffer Death alfo. Their Cities and Towns are divided into Wardfhips, and at the EndsEnds of each Street are railed Gates, placed to confine each Ward within its own Limits. Thcfc Gates are fhut and lock'd every Night, fo that they have no Communication by Night, but if a Fire breaks out in one of the Wards, its whole Inhabitants arc cut off except the Women and Children. There arc but few Chri/lians tolerated in Cou- chin-china, yet there was (and perhaps is) a French Pricft in great Efteem among them, but it is capital for any other Prief t to be found in their Country. This Frenchman kept a Corrc- fpondencc by writing, with Mr. Cilfie Bimop of Siam, and he having a Relation of the Danger Chrijtia...« less