a kingdom of Asia, in the East Indies, beyond the Ganges; bounded on the north by the province of Yunnan in China, on the east by the province of Canton and the bay of Tonquin, on the south by Cochin China, and on the west by the kingdom of Laos. It is about 1200 miles in length and 500 in breadth; and is one of the finest and most considerable kingdoms of the East, as well on account of the number of inhabitants as the riches it contains and the trade it carries on. The country is thick set with villages; and the natives in general are of a middle stature and clean limbed, with a tawney complexion. Their faces are oval and flattish, and their noses and lips well proportioned. Their hair is black, long, lank, and coarse; and they let it hang down their shoulders. They are generally dexterous, nimble, active, and ingenious in mechanic arts. They weave a multitude of fine silks, and make curious lacquer-works, which are transported to other countries. There is such a number of people, that many want employment; for they seldom go to work but when foreign ships arrive. The money and goods brought hither by the English and Dutch put them in action; for they have not money of their own sufficient to employ themselves; and therefore one-third at least must be advanced beforehand by the merchants; and the ships must stay here till the goods are finished, which is generally five or six months. They are addicted to gaming, that when every thing else is lost, they will stake their wives and children. The garments of the Tonquinefes are made either of silk or cotton; but the poor people and soldiers wear only cotton of a dark tawney colour. Their houses are small and low; and the walls either of mud, or hurdles daubed over with clay. They have only a ground floor, with two or three partitions; and each room has a square hole to let in the light. The villages consist of 30 or 40 houses, surrounded with trees; and in some places there are banks to keep the water from overflowing their gardens, where they have oranges, betels, melons, and salad-herbs. In the rainy season they cannot pass from one house to another without wading through the water; they sometimes have boats. In the capital city called Cacho there are about 20,000 houses with mud-walls, and covered with thatch; a few are built with brick, and roofed with pan-tiles. In each yard is a small arched building like an oven, about fix feet high, made of brick, which serves to secure their goods in case of fire. The principal streets are very wide, and paved with small stones. The king of Tonquin has three palaces in it, such as they are; and near them are stables for his horses and elephants. The house of the English factory is seated at the north end of the city, fronting the river, and is the best in the city. The people in general are courteous, and civil to strangers; but the great men are proud, haughty, and ambitious; the soldiers insolent, and the poor thievish. They buy all their wives, of which the great men have several; but the poor are flinted for want of money. In hard times the men will fell both their wives and children to buy rice to maintain themselves. The women offer themselves to strangers as wives while they stay, and agree with them for a certain price. Even the great men will offer their daughters to the merchants and officers who are likely to stay fix months in the country. They are not afraid of being with child; for if they are girls they can fell them well when they are young, because they are fairer than the other inhabitants. These women are said to be very faithful; and are trusted with money and goods by the Europeans during their absence, and will make great advantage with them. The first new moon in the year that happens after the middle of January, is a great festival; when they rejoice for 10 or 12 days together, and spend their time in all manner of sports. Their common drink is tea, but they make themselves merry with arrack. The language is spoken very much in the throat; and some of the words are pronounced through the teeth, and has a great resemblance to the Chinese. They have several mechanic arts or trades; such as smiths, carpenters, joiners, turners, weavers, tailors, potters, painters, money-changers, paper-makers, workers in lacker, and bell-founders.—Their commodities are gold, mufk, filks, calicoes, drugs of many sorts, woods for dyeing, lacquered wares, earthen wares, salt, aniseeds, and worm-feeds. The lacquered ware is not inferior to that of Japan, which is accounted the best in the world. With all these merchandises, one would expect the people to be very rich, but they are in general very poor; the chief trade being carried on by the Chinese, English, and Dutch. The goods imported, besides silver, are saltpetre, sulphur, English broad-cloth, pepper, spices, and great guns.