The Cochinchinese have accurately preserved the written characters of the Chinese language, but the lan guage which they speak is considerably different from theirs. But this is not surprising when we consider the various dialects which prevail in provinces of the same kingdom, and that the inhabitants of the northern and southern provinces of China arc unintelligible to each other. People, however, %vim visit Cochinchina, find far less difficulty in making themselves intelligible than in China. While the morose and unbending Chinese will not condescend to employ the pencil to delineate ob jects, nor explain their meaning by signs or gestures, the accommodating Cochinchinese are ready to adopt any plan for the purpose of facilitating their intercourse with strangers.
Cochinchina was originally subject to the Chinese government ; but having engaged in rebellion with the kingdom of Tung-quin, it became exposed to different usurpers, and both states were compelled to return to their former dependence about the 50th year of the Christian xra. The imperial authority, after its re-esta blishment, subsisted in Cochinchina till the year 263, when a powerful native, named Kulien, undertook to de liver his country from a foreign yoke. The descendants of that successful usurper enjoyed the throne of Cochin china till 633 ; but with regard to the succeeding kings, the Chinese history is very defective.
lit 1280, the king of Cochinchina, having heard of the revolution which had made the Mogul Tartars masters of all China, sent to the new emperor deputies loaded with presents, in order to pay him homage. The deputies were honourably received ; but the Emperor, not con tent with tribute, carried his pretensirats farther, and at tempted to seize the government of the country. This occasioned another war w ith the Chinese, in which the kings of Cochinchina maintained their independence by paying the usual tribute to the emperor.
The Mogul Tartars having been expelled from China, the new emperor, upon his accession to the throne, sent friendly deputation to the king of Cochinchina, and the latter sent his tribute to the new monarch. In 1373 the king of Cochinchina carried fire and sword into Tung quin; and a long and bloody war betwixt these two monarchs ensued, which was not terminated till the year 1471, when, after a desperate battle, the king of Tung quin became absolute master of Cochinchina. It, how ever, again recovered its independence,and continued af terwards to be governed by its own kings. Excepting one attempt made by the Tung-quinesc to subjugate this country in 1671, in which they were unsuccessful, they have remained peaceably within their own boundaries, while Cochinchina has subdued the mountaineers, and even the kings of Tsiampa, and Camboya, whom she has compelled to pay tribute. From that period, till the
year 1774, little or nothing is known of the history of that country ; but, from the information of a Monsiet., 13arissy, a French officer who commanded a frigate in the service of his Cochinchinese majesty, Mr Barrow ha: been enabled to lay before the public a very curious and interesting sketch of its recent revolutions, and its pre sent political state, of which the following is an ab stract.
In the year 1774 an insurrection commenced, headed bc three brothers, Yin-yac a me-reliant, Long-niang a general officer, and the third a priest, whose name is unknown. by which Caung-shung was deprived of the throne of Cochinchina, and he, and as many of his family as fell into the hands of the rebel party, were put to death The kingdom was then divided among the three, and Long-niang soon made war on the king of Tung-quin, vassal of China, and obliged him to flee to Pekin for the purpose of demanding assistance. Klett-long. the em peror, ordered his invincible army, under the Viceroy of Canton, to march and reinstate the king of Tung-quin ; but the politic Long-niang, (who had assumed the title of Quang-tung,) laid waste the country, and soon obliged them to retreat from want of provisions, the army of his opponent having lost, by famine and the sword, nearly 50,000 men. The viceroy Foo chang-tong was obliged to negotiate, but his antagonist refused to yield the title to the kingdom of Tung-quin. Foo-chang-tong, more fitted for the cabinet than the field, resolved to employ finesse, and he represented to the emperor that his invin cible army had performed most wonderful feats, but that the supposed usurper was much beloved by the Tung quinese, and had a fair title to the abdicated throne ; and that it would be politic to invite him to the court of Pekin, to perform the accustomed ceremonies and duties of vas salage. Instead of making his personal appearance, how ever, the wary Long-niang imposed upon the court of Pekin one of his generals, as his representative. The mock king was favourably received, and sent hack : but Long-Mang., puzzled by this unexpected issue, rewarded the faithful service of his representative by putting him and the whole of his suite to death, in order to prevent a discovery of the deception.