of their losses and of the impositions they had suffered. Having obtained the per mission of the Mandarine, I hired a tolerable house in the village of Turon. It is built upon the banks of a river falling into the harbour, to the south-east, and communicates, as I before observed, with the river of Faifo. There had been several large and good houses here, but most of them were destroyed in the troubles. The banks of the river were cultivated with rice, brenjalls, and some sweet potatoes. The country farther back seemed entirely neglected, covered, however, in several places, with groves of oranges, limes, jacks, plantains, and bamboos, in most of which were the remains of dwellinghouses. When I had been here three or four days, the Mandarine who governs the province of Cham, on the part of Ignaac, came down the river, attended by four gallies rowing between forty or fifty oars each, and landed at a house on the opposite side to where I lived. The same day he sent to know when he should wait on me. I chose, however, to be first to make this compliment, and crossed the river in one of his gallies for that purpose. He received me in great form, himself seated upon a bench placed on an eminence, the lesser Mandarines and soldiers, to a considerable number, ranged on each side of him. I presented to him the passport I had received from the king, which he respectfully stood up to hear read, and then welcomed me to Turon. This was the Mandarine with whom the dispute had happened the preceding year. I begged therefore he would inform me how it had arisen, and the cause of his severity to the people who had fallen into his hands. He replied, that the commander of the English ship had been prevailed on, by some Mandarines of the former government, then in arms at Turon, to assist them with men and arms; and that the ship's boat being sent up the river with them, had been attacked by his people and taken that some of the crew were killed, some jumped into the river and were drowned, and some fled to the woods where they perished with hunger. He then gave me a license for trading, strictly enjoining all persons to pay for what they purchased, and in nowise to molest or ill treat us or our attendants, upon pain of being severely punished. The

misfortune was, we could not find any body capable of purchasing in the province. After he had given me an invitation to visit him at Faifo, I took my leave, he returning the same night.

The thirteenth I set out for Faifo in a small galley, furnished by the Mandarine of Turon. We left the village between six and seven in the evening, and reached Faifo about nine o'clock the next morning. It was a pleasant serene night, the water perfectly smooth, no noise to be heard but the regular strokes of our oars; and a song, not destitute of harmony, from the rowers. Listening to this, and chatting amongst ourselves, we gradually fell asleep; and when we were awakened at the places the galley stopped at, to give an account of who we were, it was only to be relulled to a like pleasing repose. On one of these occasions we were not a little alarmed;-on opening our eyes we found ourselves under a high mountain, part of which impended over the river, and seemed ready to tumble and bury us under its ruins. Returning by day, we found this place really curious. It was a large mountain of white marble, situated on a low plain close to the waterside, unconnected with any of the distant hills. We could perceive several cracks. and holes in the body of the mountain, and round it were lying some vast fragments, which we concluded to have been separated from it. The eye in wandering over it, presented the fancy with the ideas of pillars, houses, towers, &c. Near it were a few huts, inhabited by stone-cutters. I did not see any other specimens of their ingenuity than pestles and morters of different sizes. Probably the mar-. ble was formerly applied to a more extensive use. On arriving at Faifo, we were surprised to find the recent ruins of a large city, the streets laid out on a regu-、 lar plan, paved with flat stone, and well built brick houses on each side. But alas! there was now little more remaining than the outward walls, within which, in a few places, you might behold a wretch, who formerly was the possessor of a palace, sheltering himself from the weather in a miserable hut of straw and bamboos*.

* It was taken and destroyed by one of Ignaac's generals. Before that it was a place of very great trade, and furnished cargoes of sugar, cinnamon, pepper, agula-wood, &c. to hundreds of junks

Of the few edifices left entire was a wooden bridge built upon piles, over a narrow arm of the river, with a tiled roof. The temples and their wooden gods were no further molested, than by being robbed of their bells, which I understood the present usurper had seized with the purpose of coining them into money. After refreshing ourselves at Faifo, I set out for the Mandarine's residence, which I reached in about five hours. The course of the river from Turon to Faifo was a little to the eastward of south. It now seemed to spread all over the country in a great number of brauches. Near this house was a very populous village, where I procured some pine-apples and jacks, both excellent in their kind. Over the river in this place, about fifty yards broad, was a floating bridge of bamboo hurdles. Here I was obliged to leave the galley, and pros ceed by land in my net for about two miles through paddy fields. The Mandarine's house, like several others I saw, was within an inclosure, formed by driving strong stakes into the ground, intermixed with bamboos growing; and for some distance round it short pointed bamboos were driven obliquely into the ground, as if designed to keep off cavalry. Several good chevaux de frize were laying about in different places. The house was spacious, partly consisting of brick, and partly of thatch and bamboo. He was almost as well attended as his master Ignaac. Several of his people were well dressed, and had swords in their hands, the hilts and scabbards ornamented with plates of beaten gold. My conversation with the Mandarine was but short. I was informed that he was an illiterate man, and had the character of being cruel and oppressive. An instance of cruelty and perfidy was related to me at Faifo. There was a certain distant relation of the royal family who lived in disguise in that part of Cochin China possessed by the Tonquinese, with whom this Mandarine had some acquaintance. He made it a pretence to send him a pressing invitation to come and reside under his protection, with his family and dependents, not only assuring him of personal protection, but promising him his friendship. The poor man, deceived by these specious profes

which resorted thither from all the sea-coast of China and Japan.

sions of personal regard, set out with his wife, his children, and the rest of his family, to a considerable number. When he arrived in Turon bay, he procured an expeditious conveyance to the Mandarine's residence, leaving his family to follow him in their boats. He was received by the Mandarine apparently with the highest marks of satisfaction and regard. They partook of a repast together, and when it was finished, the Mandarine told him that his attendants would conduct him to a house he had prepared for his reception; but he had no sooner passed the threshold than he was seized by the soldiers, and had his head immediately severed from his body.To conclude the scene as he had begun, he went on board one of his gallies to meet the family, who were on their way up to town; and as soon as he had reached their boats, he instantly caused the women and children to be bound together and thrown into the river, seizing all that they had brought with them for his own use. I was afterwards assured that I ran the greatest risk in trusting myself in the power of this man, who no farther obeyed the orders of Ignaac than they answered his own purposes. This I had some suspicion of at our interview; for the king having desired to have some articles which were in the Jenny, I told him I would prevail on the captain to deliver them to his Mandarine at Turon, if he would write to him to receive and pay for them. I mentioned this circumstance, and he acknowledged the king had done so ; but said if he made any purchases they would be on his own account. Finding nothing to detain me at Faifo, and indeed not being altogether satisfied that we were secure there, I staid only one day and returned to the vessel. It was now the 15th of August, at which time we had warm dry weather with a few light showers. But the latter end of this month rain began to fall frequent and heavy, and the wind to blow strong from the south.

On my arrival on board the Amazon, I was visited by a Portuguese merchant, just come from Hue,* the capital of Cochin China. He acquainted me that he was charged with a verbal invitation to me from the Tonquinese Viceroy to proceed thither; and to dispose of any

↑ Hue lies in lat. 17 deg. 30 min. north.

articles of trade we might have remaining. I have omitted to mention that I had dispatched my writer, accompanied by Mr. Moniz with a letter to the Tonquinese Mandarines requesting this favour. He said it had not been received when he came away; nor had the Mandarine any intimation of my design of going, but had sent this invitation entirely of his own accord. I determined therefore not to wait for an answer as the weather began to grow bad, and the Portuguese informed me, I might procure any kind of refreshment there, and pass my time more agreeably then where I was, till the season would admit of my proceeding to the southward. Hearing that there was but a very small depth of water upon the Bar of Hue River, I proposed to the commander of the Jenny to go in his vessel which might give him an opportunity of disposing of his investment. He consented and leaving the Amazon in Turon Bay, I embarked with Mr. Bayard the eighteenth of August, the Doctor was so good as to remain with Captain Macclennan who was dangerously ill; I prevailed with some difficulty, upon our Mandarine to accompany me; he alledged that he was equally apprehensive of the Tonquinese and Tysons, who were both the declared enemies of his family. The Portuguese merchant however acquainting me that the Tonquinese never yet put any of the royal family to death, but suffered them to live unmolested in the country, provided they made no disturbances, I at last brought him to consent. He was well known to the Portuguese, to whom he voluntarily discovered himself; I really believe that he had now contracted so strong a relish for the European manner of living, that the utmost of his ambition was to go back to Bengal. In our way up we anchored in the Bay of Chimoy, which is the boundary of the Tonquinese possessions; I was informed that grapes grew wild in the hills which surround this Bay; but I never saw any myself in the country, here I was met by my writer, accompanied by a Mandarine with an answer to my letter, containing the permission of the Viceroy to proceed to Hue, and to bring the vessel into the river if we found it practicable. The Mandarine's name was On-ta-hia; he was the offspring of a Chinese by marAsiatic Journ.-No. 19.

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It was two days after the vessel anchored within the mouth of the river, before I received permission to go up to town. galley was then sent to carry me. The distance from the place we lay at was about fifteen miles towards the sea; the country was sandy and barren; advancing the scene gradually changed. The lands put on every appearance of fertility; and we saw the husbandmen on the banks, busied in cultivation; abreast of the town twenty-five Chinese Junks were at anchor; innumerable country boats were passing and repassing; and the shore was thronged with people. We landed at On-ta-hia's house; it was the resort of the Chinese, as his office consisted in reporting the arrival of their Junks, and procuring them their clearances when they were leaving the port; the next day he carried me to the Tonquinese Viceroy. Before we set out, On-ta-hia desired to see what presents I designed for the Viceroy and what for the general.* I shewed them to him. He approved them, but advised me as a friend to reserve the best articles for the latter, giving as a reason, that the Viceroy was a good man, who

really meant to befriend us, but that the favour of the general who was an eunuch, and of bad character, was only to be purchased by sacrificing to his avarice. I observed that I had heard, from a like principle, they offered the most costly perfumes to the evil being, while they totally disregarded the Supreme and benevolent one. He allowed the comparison to be just, and supported the principle they acted upon. I requested him to select such things aswould procure me a favorable reception from this counterpart of the infernal one. He made choice amongst others of a gold repeating watch, set with a few small diamonds, and emeralds, I however took care to reserve an equivalent, which I hoped would sufficiently testify the respect I entertained for the virtues of the Viceroy. He resided in the palace of the kings of Cochin China, six miles higher up the river than the town I landed at. The Abbé Raynal informs us its circumference is a league, and the walls of it planted with thousands of cannon; this description is certainly heightened; I visited it several times myself; and a person who accompanied me found an opportunity of examining the whole. The fortification is an oblong square, the greater sides extending as near as I could guess, half a mile; the lessor two thirds of that distance.. It is formed by a retaining wall; behind which a rampart of earth, ten or eleven feet high, was thrown up, with steps rising to a convenient level for the discharge of missile weapons. It had no embrazures, the guns being pointed through a kind of porthole, made in the bottom of the retaining walls. The number mounted was about sixty; the largest nine pounders. For six or eight without the wall; short pointed bamboos from twelve to six inches long were driven obliquely into the ground; beyond these was a ditch, eight feet wide and as many in depth; fenced with bamboos growing, which was succeeded by another space with pointed ones driven into the ground, and the whole encompassed by a low checkered bamboo rail. The ground within the fort was divided by a number of back walls, meeting at right angles and forming squares, some were allotted to the holding markets; others to granaries; quarters for the soldiers, stables for elephants and horses, &c. &c. the whole was much out

of repair, the gates of communication were mostly down, and the walls falling.

The palace deserved the name of a good lower roomed house, a terrace thrown up about six feet formed the floor. Fine polished pillars of wood, with stone pedestals, supported the beams and rafters, upon which tiled roofs of the different compartments were laid, they were without ceilings. The capitals of the pillars, the beams and rafters were ornamented with carved work. The building was laid out in spacious verandas and private rooms, gradually wainscotted in the center where the roof was highest and admitted of making lofts above them, their furniture consisted of very few moveables, mats spread upon the floor with hard cushions, great silken lanthorns painted in different colours suspended from the roofs, with some frames hung up against the pillars, containing sentences, written in long characters, composed the whole. In one of the verandas I was introduced to the Viceroy; I found him swinging in a net hammock extended between one of the pillars and the wainscot of the inner apartments. He was a venerable old man, about sixty years of age, with a thin silvery beard, and of most engaging manners. His dress was plain and simple, like the rest of the Tonquinese, consisting of a loose gown, of black glazed linen, with large sleeves, a black silk cap on his head, stiffened to a particular form, and sandals on his feet; the cordiality he received us with, and to the last apparently preserved towards us, still inclines me to acquit him of being voluntarily the author of the unmerited ill treatment we afterwards experienced. He himself and others often hinted to me, that although the first in rank, he was subject to the control of his colleagues. I acquainted him with my business in Cochin China, much in the same terms I had made use of to Ignaac; adding that the high character given of his own personal virtues, and the lenity and humanity, I had heard the Tonquinese had shewn to their vanquished enemies, had inspired me with so strong a desire of making him a visit, and forming a connection with so deserving a people, that, soon after my arrival at Turon, I was induced to apply for his permission to come up to the capital.

(To be continued.)