Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 4.djvu/801

Rh concluded, placing the kingdom formally under joint protection of those two powers, but practically of France. The presence of a Siamese resident at the court ceased ; and thus a reprieve at least was given to this ancient monarchy.

Capitals and Seaports.—The ancient capital of Camboja in its splendour was Angkor, of which we shall speak below, abandoned in consequence of its exposure to Siamese aggression in 1388, but briefly reoccupied in 1437. In 1388 the court moved to Basan or Boribun, on the S.W. shore of the lake, and a few years later to P nompenh, torruptly in some books called Calompe, at the confluence of the outlet of the Great Lake with the Mekong. This appears to be the place named by some of the old writers Chordamuco. About 1528 it was established at Lovek (called by Valentijn Eauwek), near the west side of the issue from the lake ; then at Puntenang or Pontaipret opposite Lovek. Udong, a few miles north of the con fluence, became the capital in 1739, and so continued down to 1866, when it was again transferred to P nompenh. The chief port of foreign trade in the 17th century was Potai- mat, called by foreigners Ponteamas, replaced afterwards by Kangkao or Atien on the same bay. But both were in the territory taken by the Cochin-Chinese, and now French. Since the annexations by Siam and Anam Camboja has only one port, Kdmpot. The trade is chiefly in Chinese hands. Between this and the rich alluvial tract round the capitals a high range of hills has to be passed, but there is a cart road the whole way to P nompenh.

Chief Geographical Features.—The great river Mekong, known also as the Camboja River, a name bestowed when its delta yet belonged to Camboja, flows through the existing territory for about 250 miles, from N.E, to S.W. This river as a whole will be better dealt with elsewhere (see MEKONG). The next main feature of the present limited territory is the &quot; Great Lake,&quot; as it is called by the Cochin- Chinese (Bienhoa], or &quot; Freshwater Lake &quot; of the Cambojans (Talc-Sab), by the Malays styled the Lake of Sri R&ma. This lake is of the nature of those sheets of water which in Bengal are called jhlls, viz., a shallow depression in an alluvial plain, retaining a part of the annual overflow of the rivers throughout the year, and hence subject to great variations in depth and extent. In the rains it is said to have a length of about 100 miles (N.W. to S.E.) with a breadth of one-third as much. Its average depth in the dry season is only 4 feet. The Udong River, communicat ing between the lake and the Mekong, fills a channel of great breadth. Its waters change their direction half-yearly, from June to December filling the lake from the Mekong, and from December to June draining the lake into the Mekong. The lake is an object of superstitious regard to the people, and the fishery therein is the most important event in their annual life. It is carried on in the dry season, during which time extensive pile-villages are erected in the lake, where the drying and salting of the fish is carried on. The dried fish is exported largely to Cochin-China, as well as live fish in cages. Much also is converted into oil.

Natural Productions and Exports.—The elephant may be regarded as the characteristic animal of Camboja. Wild herds are numerous, and frequent the shores of the lake in the dry season. The tamed animals are by no means so well trained as in India, but they are the chief beasts of burden, and a few years ago did not cost more than 10 or 12. The rhinoceros also abounds (the species we do not find stated) about the foot of the mountains north of the lake. Strong and handsome ponies are bred, much in demand at Bangkok. Among wild animals there are said to be three species of wild cattle. The Chinese envoy of 1295-97 mentions among Cam- bojan exports rhinoceros horns, gamboge, cardamoms, and eagle-wood; and these are still among the most characteristic. Though the gum called gamboge derives its name from Camboja, and is chiefly supplied by that country, the tree (Garcinia MorelUi) does not appear to have been seen in its native localities by any botanist. Dr Thorel, of the French expedition, indicates its habitat as in the N.W. of the old Cambojan territory, about Korat, now subject to Siam. The cardamoms (Amomum villosum, Louveiro) are produced in the mountains not far from the lake. Eagle- wood (or Aloes-wood] appears to be the result of disease, forming internal cavities in the soft white wood of Agui- laria agallocha, and is obtained by splitting the tree,- its probable existence in any tree being recognized by indica tions known to the collectors. It is now found chiefly near the coast of the Gulf of Siam, about Chantibun (now Siamese), and is said to be common in the island of Kotran, or Phukok, off Kampot. The names eagle-wood, agila, etc., are corruptions from the Sanskrit Aguru, and have nothing to do with eagles. Other vegetable products are nutmeg, liquorice, caout chouc and gutta-percha, tobacco, sapan-wood, pepper, rice, cotton, &c., with benzoin from the Upper Mekong. Addi tional exports of sorts are hides and horns, tortoise-shell, lac, ivory, and dried elephant flesh. Iron of excellent quality is smelted and wrought by some of the hill tribes.

People, Government, and Language.—Of the numerous wild, or we should rather say illiterate, tribes on the borders of the Cambojan plain, and still imperfectly known, we cannot speak in our limited space. The Cambojans proper, or Khmer, differ much from both Siamese and Cochin-Chinese. They are described as tall, well and strongly made, showing less of Mongoloid feature than any of the better known nations of Indo-China ; good-natured but apathetic, and leaving all the trouble and gains of trade to Chinese, Anamites, and Malays. Their religion is Bud dhism of the usual Indo-Chinese type. But like the other races of that region they call in the devil-dancing medicine man in illness. They cut the hair short, leaving a top-tuft, and wear the languti, or loin-cloth, tucked between the legs, using that Hindu name for it. There are some 2000 Roman Catholic Christians in the country, and some considerable number of Malay and Tsiam Mahometans. The Malays are chiefly on the coast, and claim to be very ancient settlers. The government is an absolute monarchy, after the usual Indo-Chinese kind, with a second king or csesar, the Yuva- rdja of ancient India, known by a corruption of that title. The language is placed by the late Mr Logan in his &quot; Mon Anam &quot; class. But it appears to differ materially from the Anamite, as well as from other purely monosyllabic languages of Indo-China. These, like the Chinese, employ a variety of so-called tones, or inflexions of voice, by which different meanings of the same monosyllable are discriminated, the Anamite having six such tones. The Cambojan is without these, being spoken, as a missionary expresses it, recto tono. The numeration is stated by Gamier to present traces of a quinary system, but the vocabulary which he gives hardly confirms this. The letters are an ornamental form of the Pali, which has been the foundation of all the Indo-Chinese alphabets. An older form, illegible to the modern priests, is used in the inscriptions.

Architectural Antiquities.—As already indicated, these are of the highest importance and interest. They are found in some forty or more known localities, and some as far north as Suren in the Korat district, now Siamese (14 47 N. lat.) Indeed the most important remains are all in what is now Siamese territory, north of the Great Lake. The remains embrace walled cities of large extent ; palaces and temples, stupendous in scale and rich in design, and often mast elaborately decorated with long galleries of 