a province of China, and one of the smallest in the kingdom. On the south it has Quang-fu, on the east Hou-quang, on the north Szechuen, and Yun-nan on the west. The whole country is almost a desert, and covered with inaccessible mountains: it may justly be called the Siberia of China. The people who inhabit it are mountaineers, accustomed to independence, and who seem to form a separate nation: they are no less ferocious than the savage animals among which they live.—The mandarins and governors who are sent to this province are sometimes disgraced noblemen, whom the emperor does not think proper to discard entirely, either on account of their alliances, or the services which they have rendered to the state: numerous garrisons are entrusted to their charge, to overawe the inhabitants of the country; but these troops are found insufficient, and the court despairs of being ever able thoroughly to subdue these untractable mountaineers.—Frequent attempts have been made to reduce them to obedience, and new forts have from time to time been erected in their country; but the people, who are not ignorant of those designs, keep themselves shut up among their mountains, and seldom issue forth but to destroy the Chinese works or ravage their lands.—Neither silk-stuffs nor cotton cloths are manufactured in this province; but it produces a certain herb much resembling our hemp, the cloth made of which is used for summer dresses. Mines of gold, silver, quicksilver, and copper, are found here; of the last metal, those small pieces of money are made which are in common circulation throughout the empire.—Koei-tcheou contains 10 cities of the first class, and 38 of the second and third.