Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/645

 CAMBODIA 639 The principal part of the territory of the king- dom lies in the broad valley of the Mekong or Cambodia river, which has made the region about it one of the most fertile in southern Asia. The extreme eastern and western por- tions are occupied by mountain ranges. Tlmt on the east, high and covered with forests, forms part of the branch of the Himalaya which ex- tends through nearly the whole length of the Indo-Chinese peninsula; and that near the western coast is an isolated chain called by the natives Sompor Arolen. The centre of the freat plain thus enclosed, inundated by the lekong every year between the months of September and November, and enjoying a most favorable climate, has a soil so productive as to require little tillage, and grain of all kinds, but especially rice, sown without the least preparation of the ground, grows without care or cultivation. The district produces in great Cambodians. abundance almost every kind of tropical fruit; palm, banana, orange, citron, olive, mulberry, almond, and fig trees are found in all parts of the plain; the cotton plant and sugar cane are largely cultivated; and tobacco, pepper, and betel form important products. Various dye- woods, as well as ironwood, teak, rosewood, &c., are found on the lower spurs of the moun- tains, and are among the chief articles of ex- port. Among the animals of Cambodia are the elephant, tiger, rhinoceros, tapir, and the smaller animals common to most parts of south- ern Asia. The elephant is domesticated here, as in Hindostan and Burmah. AUhough not especially rich in mineral products, the country 144 VOL. in. 41 produces in moderate quantities gold, silver, lead, antimony, and zinc, as well as precious stones of several kinds. Like the Anamese, the Cambodians exhibit traits of both the Mon- golian and Malay races. They are somewhat below the middle height, active, but rather supple and agile than strong. Their hair is coarse and abundant, but they wear no beards, pulling out the scanty growth which would otherwise cover the chin. They shave a por- tion of the head, but leave the crown untouch- ed; the men wear the long tuft of hair thus preserved in a knot; the women twist it into two braids. To touch the head of a Cambodian is one of the greatest insults that can be given him; and the national etiquette carries this reverence for the head to the most ridiculous extremes. Not a few ceremonies are connected with the dressing of the tuft or knot; and the first time of cutting the hair of a child, when it has attained the age of 12 or 13 years, is an occasion of peculiar solemnity, and is called the " ceremony of hair-cutting." The dress of the Cambodians of both sexes consists of a simple tunic of silk or cotton. The habits of the people are simple, and their manners courteous; they are easily pleased, docile, and peaceable. In their reverence for age, their formal etiquette, and many of their ceremonies, they resemble the Chinese. Polygamy, which is customary among them, is also regulated here as it is in China, the first wife holding a position supe- rior to that of the others, and her children being the legal heirs. One of the singular customs peculiar to Cambodia is that when a woman is delivered of a child she is placed be- fore a hot fire, and is obliged to remain for several weeks with her back exposed to its heat. Physicians receive no pay unless a cure is effected. Slavery exists throughout the country, nearly one third of the population being' slaves either prisoners of war who are kept in this condition, or persons who have sold themselves or have been sold by their parents. These slaves are seldom ill-treated, and can buy their freedom for a sum fixed by the authorities. The houses of the people are raised upon bamboos above the point reached by the waters of the Mekong during the in- undations. They are thatched with palm leaves, and are generally neatly kept and com- fortable. The government of Cambodia is an absolute monarchy. The country is divided into provinces governed by mandarins, appoint- ed by the king, and under the immediate super- vision of the premier or "superintending minis- ter" (ardon). The judicial system is better regulated than in any of the neighboring kingdoms. There are lower and appellate courts, and magistrates corresponding to the police justices of western countries, who maki- preliminary examinations, have jurisdiction in case of slight offences, &c. An appeal to the king is allowed the poorest subject, and one day in each week is given at the palace to the consideration of such petitions. The capital,