COCHIN, a variety of the domestic fowl, imported from Cochin-China. It is a large, ungainly bird, valuable chiefly owing to its fecundity, eggs being laid even during the win ter. They are brown, black, buff or variegated in color, and except in the black variety have yellow-feathered legs and single erect combs.
a country forming part of the peninsula of southeastern Asia, and generally regarded as comprising the whole of Anam and Lower or French Cochin-China. Three of the six provinces into which the latter was divided were acquired at one period, and the remaining three at another period. A persecution of the French Roman Catholic mis sionaries in Anam furnished the French with an occasion of regaining a footing in the East. An expedition against Cochin-China was de cidecl on in 1857, and Saigon was occupied. The Austro-Italian War de f erred f urther operations till 1861, when the conquest of Metho gave the French possession of the most fertile district of Lower Cochin-China. The war continued till 5 June 1862, when a peace was concluded at Saigon with the Icing of Anam, which was ratified at Hue 15 April 1863. By this treaty the king agreed to cede to the French the three provinces of Bienhoa, Saigon and Metho, along with the island of Pulo Condore, to tolerate the Roman Catholic re ligion, to open three of the ports in Tonquin to French ships, and to pay an indemnity of 24,000,000 francs (about $4,809,000). Although the inhabitants were found to be on the whole sufficiently tractable, yet a few revolts took place, whereupon Admiral De la Grandiere, on the pretext that all these disturbances had their origin in the provinces of Lower Cochin-China which had remained to Anam, namely, Vinh long, Chaudoc and Hatien, took possession of these provinces, and declared them French ter ritory, 25 June 1867. The territory thus ac quired by France in this peninsula covers 21, 980 scluare miles, and in 1915 had a. population of 3,050,785. It is now organized in depart ments, prefectures, sub-prefectures and cantons. In 1882-&3 France asserted a claim to the pro tection of Tonquin, and indeed the entire Anam territory, and after some fighting this claim was conceded by the lang. Tonquin was ac cordingly taken possession of by France in 1884. Anam (q.v.) forms a protectorate. In 1888 it became part of the governor-generalship of Indo-China, is under the administration of a lieutenant-govemor, and is represented by a deputy in the French chamber. Anamese troops served under French leadership in the Allied campaign in the Balkans in 1916.
The northern and eastern parts of French Cochin-China are hilly, but the rest of the ter ritory consists almost entirely of well-watered low alluvial land, and from the deposits brought down by the rivers, of extraordinary fertility.
The lowlands, where the waters stagnate, are covered with a rank vegetation from 3 to 10 feet high; contiguous to the flowing streams are extensive rice-grounds. Where the soil is somewhat raised above the water-level it is very fertile, and in some places ranges of low hills follow the line of the rivers. In the more elevated districts are grown tobacco, sugarcane, maize, indigo and betel. Among the other products are tea, gums, cocoanut oil, silk, spices and vanous farinaceous and aroma tic articles. The Anamites raise also great numbers of buffaloes, cattle, hogs and birds, the first being employed in agriculture, and, as well as oxen, for draft purposes; but since the French conquest, oxen are reserved more strictly for food. Industrial arts are as yet limited among the natives. They are skilful in all kinds of basket-work, in which they use the reeds and other similar materials which abound in the low lands; silk and cotton are also wrought. But they excel in the use of wood, of which their temples, pagodas and tombs are built, and ornamented wIth elaborate carv ing. They live in villages—numbering nearly 1,000—adjacent to the rivers, which, in the unsuitableness of the country for land traffic, form almost the only means of communication. Their houses are either tikd or thatched with straw, the roofs being supported with wooden pillars; the better class are in two sections, the inner apartments and the outer veranda, which serves for use in the daytime; they are often well furnished, and not devoid of comfort. The only roads at present are those connecting Saigon, the capital (pop. 1915, 100,000, with 11,250 white) with the principal towns. The most populous city is Cholon, with 191,655 in habitants. There are 2,670 miles of telegraph in operation. The climate is humid and warm, and very try.ing for Europeans. The prevail ing religion is Buddhism. There are some 600 schools in the territories. The principal ex port is rice, of which there is annually ex ported about 7,000,000 hundredweight, mainly to China; cotton and silk are also exported.
Upper, or DONG TRONG, a narrow strip of land, consisting of four provinces, on the east coast of Anam, to which empire it belongs, extending from Ton quin on the north to Champa on the south. The most important river is that on which the chief town, P'hu-thua-thien or Hue, stands. In the most fruitful parts of this region aloes wood (of the Aquilaria ovata), corn, sugar cane and cinnamon flourish. Frotn October to January the weather is often very stormy, and typhoons rage frequently. The climate is healthy and pleasant. Camphor is produced in the district in the utmost perfection.