French Possessions in Land of White Elephants
you through plains as rich as those of the
Nllo valley. Tho river Is lined with
thickets of palm trees. There are cocoanut
groves here and there and back of theso
vast fields of rlco and other crops.
Our first signs of European occupation
were great whlto oil tanks on tho left banks
as wo camo up tho stream and a little
later we could see tho masts of tho ship
ping In front of Saigon. Tho red spires of
11 great cathedral stood out against tho sky
and n half hour later wo wcro winding our
way through craft of all kinds Into the
heart of the city.
I'ori-Ht City of the Tronic.
Landing on tho wharf I took a stroll. Sal
gon has somo of the aspects of a French In
terlor town. You can easily sco that n
western nation has tho placo In hand. Tho
streets arc wldo and so well macadamized
that tho red earth upon them Is as hard
as Iron and as smooth as a floor. Trees
havo been planted nlong tho roadways and
this French capital Is mora llko a forest
than our national capital at Washington.
It Is bo hidden In trees that as you come
up tho river you can bco only tho red-tiled
roofs of tho houses nnd the roso-colored
spires of tho cathedrnls shining out of tho
green. Tho trees nro tropical, making tho
town look llko a botanical garden. Somo
Imvo leaves llko enormous fans, which
whisper to you as you walk the streets,
somo bear cocoanuts and soma tho great
masses of blossoms of tho brightest colors.
Ono Is tho flamboyant or torch treo, such as
j on sec on tho Amazon and In parts of tho
Philippines. It Is as tall as tho biggest
oak and It blazes with satiny flowers of
flro. Thero aro trees equally largo with Tno Anamltcs nnd Cambodians do not largo as Saigon Itself. Tho two arc con- electricity nnd most of tho strcotB are
flowers of blue, and many slcndor betel shavo tllcr ucnds nnj jt is tho samo with noctcd by n steam tramway, which has drnlncd.
palms with fan-llko branches jutting out tno cochin Chinese. Members of both axes trnlns every few minutes. Tho round trip Hanoi Is tho headquarters of tho mill-
STREET SCENE IN SAIQON, CAl'lTAL OF COCHIN-CHINA.
Jf; of their tops.
wear tho hair long, putting It up In a Is eight miles nnd' tho flrst-class faro Is lary, tho governor having 24.000 troops
under his command, stationed In different
ANAMITE SOLDIER IN HEAVY MARCH
ING: KIT.
(Copyright, 1901, by Frank O. Carpenter.)
IAIC10N, Cochin China, Dec. 4.
(Special Correspondence of Tha
nco.) Theso notes aro written
In Saigon, the capital of Cochin
Chltio. at tho tall end of tho
French possessions in Asia. It Is west of
Slam, far below Anam and Tonquln, and
hotter than Java, on tho edgo of tho
equator. Today the thermometer was 100 in
tho shade and tonight tho warm, moist air
of tho tropics wraps around one llko a
sweat robe. I am on the French mall
steamer lying at nnchor, and I might as
well be in a Turkish bath, for the per
spiration stands out In whlto drops on the
buck of my freckled, sYinbumed hands, and
my collar Is wilting with tho heat. I havo
left the colonial empire of John Bull on
tho Straits of Malacca, havo shaken tho dust
of tho Dutch Islands from my feet and am
now In the chief city of tho Fronch colonial
possessions In Asia.
Cochin China Is the smallest of tho
French colonies of Farther India. It Is
only about as big as West Virginia, al
most three times as large as Massachusetts
and It has a population of 1,600,000. Still
It Is the most prosperous of the French pos
sessions out here and tho center of French
Influence. Just back of It Is Cambodia,
which Is as big as Ohio, and north of it is
Anam, larger than Cambodia and Cochin
China put together, and still farther north
tho province of Tonquln, which, with tho
protected atato of Laos, Is bigger than all
France. Altogether tho French havo hero
over 350,000 square miles, which Is 150,000
squaro miles more than their possessions in
Europe. Tholr country is ono of tho richest
of tho far east. It Is inhabited by 22,000,
000 peoplo, among whom aro some of tho
wildest and least known peoplo of tho world.
Tboso along tho coast are a kind of cross
between the Chlneso and tho Malays, and
at all tho large cities thero are thousands
pure Chinese.
Metronnlla nf French Anln.
You can easily sco that tho French rule
Saigon. Thero are French signs over the
stores, French buildings In tho business
ports of tho town and French people every
where. A dozen natty Fronch girls, dressed
In Tarlslan stylo, with parasols In their
hands, met us at tho landing. The cus
toms officers woro French and thero were
scores of well dressed officials and mer
chants on the wharf dressed In white duck
with whlto helmets, who spoko to us In
French as we went on shore. Tho natives
hero talk pigeon French and altogether
thero Is French everywhere
I like Saigon. It Is a beautiful city, as
well built as any of Its size In tho tropics.
It Is situated on the river Saigon, a branch
of the Donal, about forty miles from tho
sea. It Is not far from tho great Mekong
river, which rises in tho Chlneso empire
and flows moro than 1,000 miles south be
tween French Indo-Chlna and Slam until
It enters Cambodia and then flows on In a
mighty stream to the China sea. Thero aro
canals hero which connect tho Saigon river
with the Mekong. Tho country Is flat and
it Is cut up by waterways. Tho Saigon
river Is as wldo as tho Mississippi at St.
Louis and deep enough for tho largest
steamers. Wo had no trouble In making
our way from the ocean up to tho city.
Near tho sea the land Is bo low that the
farm houses are built on poles, but It rises
a little as you go up, and tho river takes
Tho houses aro of tho brightest of stucco, knot on tho bnck ot lno head and In tho case rmml In 0 cents. American.
rcu, pinK, yellow ana diuc, wun roots or 0f tho men binding n cloth nbout tho head Leaving tho city you rldo for miles parts ot tho country nnd In tho other states
red tllo. Thero aro public Improvements t0 kecp Jt jn pttco, Tho women plaster It through a vast Chlneso graveyard. Tho f French China. Thu greater part ot tho
ovcrywhero. Hero a great bridge crosses down wtn Th0 most common hat country Is peppered with tombs nnd mounds troops nro natives, although thoro nro
tho Saigon river, thero a steel structuro nmong tho lower classes Is a conical ono of and tho rond cuts Its way through tho European regiments of Infantry marlnos,
spans a canal. Along tho wharvcB nre dry 8trnw, cither snow white or oiled to a rich graves. It takes about twenty mlnutCB to batteries of European nrtlllory nnd othors.
docks big enough to float tho largest of our yojow g0 from ono pico t0 tho othor. tho train Thero Is also a nntlvo mllltla of 10,000
modern men-of-war. Thero aro telegraphs Eycry ono choW8 thfl b(jlcI nut and th,g aninR you ln tht hcnrt ot cholon. men.
and telephones, and tho principal streets ,ncrca8oa tho naturnl ugliness of tho people. I took a walk through tho city. It is Tho governor general at present is I'aul
aro lighted by Fronch electric are lights. ThQ t()elh Qf many oro Jct b,ack nnd tho(r mucn uko n cllincB0 towni lho moro tm. Doumer. Ho has his cablnot and so many
Tho government buildings nre fine nnd tho BW0cn ond coorcA wuh betel saliva, portant of tho business houses being run subordinate olllclals that it Is said that
marlno hospital would bo a credit to any Evory onQ ,fl cbowIngt nnd tbo prettiest of by Chlneso. Tho most of tho goods is Chi- noarly overy Frenchman In Tonquln Is an
port. I spent somo tlmo In tho zoological th(j pcagant gir carry qulaa ln their ncso nn,i looked In vnln for anything officer or a soldier. Tho govornor general
and botanical garden, which Is said to be cneekB Tno betei nut ls mxcd wth llrao vnluablo of nattvo manufacture Tho porcc- hns moro power In Fronch China than In
surpassed only by that of Java. It Is beau- and tobacco boforo being chewed. Tho lain seemed to bo from Canton, as woro Ilrltlsh India. Ho Is commander of tho
tlfully kept and the tigers aro fresh, being maklng of tnIs Imo ls ono ot tho Indus- also tho silks. I saw French watches and locnl forces and of tho vessels of war at-
caught from tho jungles near by. trlca of Sagon; It comos from shells which clocks in some of tho stores and among tho tnchod to his stutlon. Ho can If ho wishes
Saigon has French stores filled with aro burneil ln great kungi dry g00(8 pCCcs from England, Oermany doclaro his colony In n stnlo of elego and
Fronch goods. Thero aro many Fronch nD(1 Franco. - looked In vain for anything can try military men by court-martial. He
soldiers and officers on the streets and na- in Stores nnd Markets. American, and 1 doubt whether this trade Is abovo tho local courts and has nbsoluto
tlve soldiers ln French uniforms. The tele- Sagon Ia tho half-way station between Is worked at nil by our peoplo. Still tho nuthorlty over tho colony,
graph lines reach to all parts of Cochin tho Cn!nCfl0 and EaBt Indian worlds. You French havo ln Farther India over 22,000,- I'rciich KIiikiIoih f A num.
China nnd the colony is connected with ar(J noro on tho tnreshold of Indln, and you 000 souls and tho market should bo worthy Just below Tonquln Is tho kingdom of
Slngaporo and Hong Kong by cable. The flnd many ot tno charaeterB and customs of of study. Thero Is a good chanco for elec- Anam, which Is also under tho protection
postal Bystem has been extended to all tnat country, Mucn of the business Is dono trlcal machinery, especially electric light of tho governor general. Tho king, a
parts of tho country and there are subsl- ,n bazar.nko cong similar to thoso of Cal- plants. In Cholon I found half a dozon young man of nbout 25, rotors In most
dlzcd mall steamers which take you Into tho cutta Rnd Dombay, and ln them dark-faced largo Btcam rlco mills, all lighted by elec- things to Hanoi for Instruction and Is de-
Interior. Thero Is a bi-weekly newspaper Hlndo08 or Kllng8 BqUat Wuh their goods trlclty. pendent upon tho French, although ho nom-
nnd also n native Journal. Altogether tho e(j about tnom canng out to the for- . . Inally governs 20,000,000 people,
town has in tho neighborhood of 40.000 0,gnor. Sahlb( p,cage buy,.. Tho raarkot Ornnnr, of A.m. on
peoplo, of whom about 2,000 nro Fronch. , ,lkfl a grcat bazaI.( ln whch the pooplo Cochin China ls ono of tho granaries of Bomo d6tanco back from tho coaBt. Tho
Cochin Chinese. sit ln colls surrounded by their merchan- Asia and tho samo can bo said of Anam, clty ba8 wn8 about It and Ib said to look
I find tho natives very Interesting. They dlso. Outsldo tho mnrket houses aro money Tonquln and Cambodia. Tho soil Is rich much ,lko ono ot Ul0 fortflod towns of Eur-
Bcom to be a cross between tho Chlneso changers and many Jewelry stores, for tho nnd vast quantities of rlco nro exported. ope ot tho BOVcnteonth century. It Ib dl-
nnd tho Malay tribes of Farthor India, people put most of tholr savlnes Into low- Rlco Is tho foundation of tho wealth of the vldod ,ltt) two parlg tho clly and Buburbs.
Every crowd ls a succotash of rac -There lry. Indeed, bwcoletB and anklots nro the pooplo. It ls Saigon s chief export, enough Tho clty 8tnnUa 0 n Bquaro Blalld formed
nro many short, ugly women, wltfc jellow banks of tho people. going out every year to give a pound of on lhroo 6ldca by tho rlver and on tho oth
skins and Jot black hair, who remind you Tho chief money changers aro Kllngs as rlco to every man. woman and child n by a canaIi u ha8 fortncatlons about It.
of tho girls of Slam. They wear Jackets black as tho ace ot spades. They sit bo- tho world. Notwithstanding this, I am told but by tho French, and within tho fortlfl-
and pantaloons, somo havo chemises which hind tables with piles of gold, silver and that less than two-fifths of tho rlco land cat)on8 tho govornmont officials llvo. Hore
fall almost to the feet. Other women dress copper boforo them. Tho silver ls In the la used. Cochin China has something like aro tnQ courla o JuBtlc0( tho observatory,
llko thoso of Burmah and others wear Fronch coinage and tho denominations are 1.700,000 acres In rlco and M00.000 acres of thu brnry( tho mandarin's collego and tho
sarongs llko the Javanese. Some men wear $1, 20 cents, 10 cents and C cents, while rlco lands are available. Tho i-rencn say m,nco ot , councll of Btato Kurth0r
Chinese costumes, some Javanese aad some tho copper coins nro cents and fifth cents, w ""J'" l" i,nck In tho city, Insldo another wall, aro
a mixture each coin having a hole through It, bo that brend basket for China and Japan and tho p(lIact,a of tbo king an(1 llla imrom,
Thero are half-naked children every- t can be strung upon strings. theyaro rapid y suceeemng although at , nro B()tIlowllnt llu those ot
. . . .. . t i (,. w -,,!, u preSOni lUO OCSl Ol lUU ritu mum uiu ,, . J.ollii. pnvnrml w ill vnllnw llloa
wnero nnu or ovory snaao irora yonow 10 djiuui. oumu muu ,u.uuBu iu
. ... .... It . .v, .!!, il l OWIIUU UJ iwuiDu iuiut i.ii.ii .umiim, On v llio Unu linn n r ulit In li vo nw rnnf.
brown. Tno Dames wear no doming, ana w " InjM,i ,hn prpnPi, nrn now dolne much .. . . . . V 7 ,
they aro carried about on the hips of their black clothes, each with a collar of silver ZtXZ ?0 on.es! Tho ro trvln ....nW!?. ..If J":rLC.to! ..to. '.cd.'....":
mothors
llttl
gold
young
rings.
one linger, ii is iuu tuaiuni 10 pui gom '" " " w.. - n Hw... . . . . nrnvtnpn Ynnnnn
nnrt llvPr brneelets nnd nnklets on tho beef by the pound. They wcro bare to tho BJ.nt0 no ' rlcn .p.rov'nco.: lun"""
sitting nstrldo. The women and or urnss odoui nor necK ana rings on nor - " :rn ...,,- n. Tnnnllln inlo " i " l"u u
o girls wear collars or hoops of silver, ankles nnd wrists. Many of tho women ;Vn, " b Vout,"rn nart of tho f'nnion pcop.o ro mean, urn uun.i-
or brass about their necks, and many were sewing, ana outsmo tno enmese con- chDcso empire as their sphere of lnflu- ,'"1 . ' i, ,L
women Have thOlr lingers covered WUn mur wwu bhuuiuhb uh mu biuuuh menu- - nrnnnsod ronds will con- - '""'""" "
I havo counted as many as llvo on ng snocs. in tne meat marKot I saw a pi", " m, nnolh(!r w, ui .uuuuu, or wnom buu nro uninoao. .ne
..A., nr nh nnen fiiitPimra aniiintr nnrir nn.i . w..H - nniv rciirminnnR nrn inn I'Tnnnll rfM4hinnr
governor, Ills staff and
guard of 300
nnd euver urnceieis ana nnnieis on mo " "i i h" lu l"" n,h , t.i, AmniP ,iovnlnn in - -
children. I saw a girl of 4 years the other waist and their fat yellow baeP is were J"tmu'tl ""B
nay who was aressea in mree goia aniciets, " ij.Djjiittviuu. . . rnnn. lron tln -lne Bnver nd
two gold bracelets and ton finger rings. She Some of them woro bracelets of Jade, silver jYs C; l'0 of ho richest coal l wnt "
woro nothing else. nnd gold. rtnnii nf Rnnih Ain. n nhins somothlne From what tho French olllclals hero say
A curious contrast between Cochin China A few miles from Saigon ls the native ke 100000 tona of coal annuauy to Hong I can sco they aro looking at Slam with
id Chlnn proper Is tho absenco of the pig- town of Cholon, which ls nbout twlco as Kong nn'd u ,8 nQW p)anning tho devolop- Broody oyes. Along In tho 'BOs thoy took
mnnt of Its connor denoslts. Tho Ton- posBosslon of some of tho Laos slates nt
And
TRAIN ON TRAMWAY BETWEEN SAIQON AND CHOLON.
qulneeo peoplo nro Btrongor and moro Intel- tho north of that country. I mil told thoy
llgent than tho Cochin Chlnoso. Thoy are "uiu uko iu bwuiiuw up uio wmiiu oi u,
moro mixed with tho Chlneso proper and for It Is exceedingly rich. Thoy havo also
thoy havo moro puro Chlneso among thorn, tho provlnco of Cambodia, which Ilea be
tween Cochin China and Slain, bolng easily
French Governor Gcncrnl. reached from horo by tho Mekong river.
It Is In Tonqutn that tho French gov- Tho pooplo of Cumbodla nro much llko tho
ornor general of Indo-Chtnn resides. Ho Siamese nnd thoy wera In tho past far bu
has his capital ft Hanoi, on tho Songkol, or perlor to any others of southern Asia. The
Red river, ubouc 110 miles from Its mouth, ruins ot tho ancient city nf Angkor nro nl
Tho town has moro than 100,000 peoplo, of most equal to thoso of Java or East India,
whom less than 1,000 aro Europeans and Tho Cambodians aro Buddhists, llko the
nbout 1,500 Chinese. Tbo romalndor are Siamese. They bollcvo In polygamy and
Anamltcs. Hanoi has steamship connoc- ovory rich man has numerous wives,
tlon with Hong Kong, nnd steamers run on Tho country Is governed by n king undor
up tho Red river as far as tho boundary tho protection ot tho French nnd who gov
ot Yunnan, China. ems as thoy dlroct. Tho capital Is ln the
Notwithstanding Its small European popu- heart of tho kingdom on tho Mekong river,
latlon tho town Is a lively one. It has It Is Just about as largo as Saigon, but
French newspapers, a race courso, a pub- through tho Influonco of tho French It Is far
lie band and a club. It has several largo advanced for an Asiatic town. A part of
government offices and also tho barracks, a tho king's palaco is In European style and
hospital and tho resldenco of tho govornor thero aro Bteam workshopa adjoining It
gonornl. Tho Red river Is about a mile superintended by French engineers. Tho
In width at that point and tho districts Fronch havo chargo of tho treasury, the
near tho river look not unlike Saigon, customs and tho public works and under
Many new streets have been laid out and them tho city has boon drained and tnndo
planted with trees; tbey are lighted by sanitary. FRANK O. GARFENTBR.
