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COCHIN , a See also:town of See also:British See also:India, in the See also:district of See also:Malabar, See also:Madras. Pop. (1901) 19,274. The town lies at the See also:northern extremity of a See also:strip of See also:land about 12 M. in length, but in few places more than a mile in breadth, which is nearly insulated by inlets of the See also:sea and estuaries of streams flowing from the Western See also:Ghats. These See also:form the Cochin backwaters, which consist of shallow lagoons lying behind the See also:beach-See also:line and below its level. In the See also:monsoon the Cochin backwaters are broad navigable channels and lakes; in the hot See also:weather they See also:contract into shallows in many places not 2 ft. deep. The town of Cochin is about a mile in length by See also:half a mile in breadth. Its first See also:European possessors were the Portuguese. Vasco da Gama founded a factory in 1502, and See also:Albuquerque built a fort, the first European fort in India, in 1503. The British made a See also:settlement in 1634, but retired when the Dutch captured the town in 1663. Under the Dutch the town prospered, and about 1778 an See also:English traveller described it as a See also:place of See also:great See also:trade, " a See also:harbour filled with See also:ships, streets crowded with merchants, and warehouses stored with goods from every See also:part of See also:Asia and See also:Europe, marked the See also:industry, the See also:commerce, and the See also:wealth of the inhabitants." In 1795 Cochin was captured from the Dutch by the British, and in 18o6 the fortifications and public buildings were blown up by See also:order of the authorities. The See also:explosion destroyed much private See also:property, and for a See also:long See also:time seriously affected the prosperity of the town. Considerable sea-See also:borne trade is still carried on. A lighthouse stands on the ruins of the old fort. The See also:chief exports are cocoanut products, for the preparation of which there are factories, and See also:tea; and the chief import is See also:rice. Cochin is the only See also:port See also:south of Bombay in which large ships can be built. COCHIN-See also:CHINA,' a See also:French See also:colony in the extreme south of French Indo-China. The See also:term formerly included the whole Annamese empire—Tongking, See also:Annam, and See also:Lower Cochin-China, but it now comprises only the French colony, which corresponds to Lower Cochin-China, and consists of the six See also:southern provinces of the Annamese See also:empire annexed by See also:France in 1862 and 1867. Cochin-China is bounded W. by the Gulf of See also:Siam, N.W. and N. by See also:Cambodia, E. by Annam, and S.E. by the China Sea. Except along part of the See also:north-See also:west frontier, where the See also:canal of Vinh-The divides it from Cambodia, its land-Iimits are conventional. Its See also:area is about 22,000 sq. m. In 1901 the See also:population numbered 2,968,529, of whom 4932 were French (exclusive of French troops, who numbered 2537), 2,558,301 Annamese, 231,902 Cambodians, 92,075 See also:Chinese, 42,940 savages (See also:Min Huong), the See also:rest being Asiatics of other nationalities, together with a few Europeans other than French. See also:Geography.—Cochin-China consists chiefly of an immense See also:plain, See also:flat and monotonous, traversed by the See also:Mekong and extending from Ha-Tien in the west to Baria in the See also:east, and from Bien-Hoa in the north-east to the southern point of the See also:peninsula of Ca-Mau in the south-west. The last spurs of the mountains of Annam, which come to an end at Cape St Jacques, extend over parts of the provinces of See also:Tay-Ninh, Bien-Hoa and Baria in the north-east and east of the colony, but nowhere exceed 2900 ft. ' See also INDO-CHINA, FRENCH; and ANNAM. in height; See also:low hills are found in . the north-western pros See also:ince of Chau-Doc. Cochin-China is remarkable for the abundance of its waterways. The Mekong divides at Pnom-Penh in Cambodia into two arms, the Fleuve superieur and the Fleuve inferieur, which, pursuing a course roughly parallel from north-west to south-east, empty into the China Sea by means of the numerous channels of its extensive See also:delta. From See also:June to See also:October the inundations of the Mekong See also:cover most of the See also:country, portions of which, notably the Plaine See also:des Joncs in the north and a large See also:tract of the peninsula of Ca-Mau, are little else than marshes. Besides a great number of small coastal streams there are four other See also:rivers of secondary importance, all of which See also:water the east of the colony, viz. the See also:Don-Nai, which rising in the Annamese mountains flows west, then abruptly south, reaching the sea to the west of Cape St Jacques; the See also:Saigon See also:river, which flowing from north-west to south-east passes Saigon, the See also:capital of the colony, 12 M. below which it unites with the Don-Nai; and the two Vaicos, which join the Don-Nai See also:close to its mouth. These rivers flow into the sea through numerous winding channels, forming a delta See also:united by canals to that of the Mekong. The waterways of Cochin-China communicate by means of natural or artificial channels (arroyos), facilitating transport and aiding in the See also:uniform See also:distribution of the inundation to which the country owes its fertility. Canals from Chau-Doc to Ha-Tien and from Long Xuyen to Rach-Gia join the Mekong with the Gulf of Siam. East of Cape St Jacques the mountains of Annam come down close to the sea; west of that point, as far as the southern headland of Ca-Mau, the See also:coast-line of Cochin-China runs north-east to south-west for about 16o m. in a straight line broken only by the mouths of the Don-Nai and Mekong. From Cape Ca-Mau to Rach-Gia it runs north for a distance of 120 m., then north-west as far as Ha-Tien, where the boundary line between it and Cambodia meets the sea. See also:Climate and See also:Fauna.—The climate of the country is warm, humid, and very trying to Europeans. The wet See also:season, during which heavy See also:rain falls almost daily, lasts from See also:April to October, coinciding with the south-west monsoon. The hottest See also:period lasts from the See also:middle of April to the middle of June, the thermometer during that time often reaching 94° F., and never descending below 86°. The See also:forest regions of Cochin-China harbour the See also:tiger, See also:panther, See also:leopard, tiger-See also:cat, See also:ichneumon, See also:wild See also:boar, See also:deer, See also:buffalo, See also:rhinoceros and See also:elephant, as well as many varieties of monkeys and rats. Of birds some See also:species of parrakeet, the " See also:mandarin " See also:blackbird, and the See also:woodcock are not found in the rest of Indo-China. See also:Duck, See also:teal, See also:cranes and other aquatic birds abound in the delta. Venomous See also:reptiles are numerous, and the Mekong contains crocodiles. See also:Agriculture and See also:Industries.—The cultivation of the rice-See also:fields, which cover large extents of the plains of Cochin-China, is by far the chief industry of the colony. See also:Pepper is grown in considerable quantities in the districts of Ha-Tien and Bien-Hoa, and See also:sugar-canes, See also:coffee, See also:cotton, See also:tobacco and jute are also produced. The buffalo, used both for transport and in the rice-fields, and See also:swine, the flesh of which forms an important See also:element in the native See also:diet, are the See also:principal domestic animals. Oxen and cows are of secondary importance and the climate is unsuitable for See also:sheep; horses of a small breed are used to some extent. The chief See also:industrial establishments are those for the decortication of rice at Saigon and See also:Cholon; they are in the hands of the Chinese, by whom most of the trade in the colony is conducted. Sugar-making, the See also:distillation of rice-spirit, See also:silk-See also:weaving, fishing and the preparation of a See also:fish-See also:sauce (nuoc-mam) made from decayed fish, and the manufacture of See also:salt from sea-water and of See also:lime are carried on in many localities. Commerce.—Rice is the chief See also:article of export, dried or salted fish, pepper and cotton ranking next in order of value. Imports include See also:woven goods, metals, ironware, machinery, tea, wines and See also:spirits, See also:mineral See also:oils, See also:opium, See also:paper, and arms and See also:powder. The ports of Saigon and Mytho are accessible to the largest vessels, and are connected by a railway (see INDO-CHINA, FRENCH). The roadsteads of Rach-Gia, Ca-Mau, and Ha-Tien can accommodate only vessels of low See also:tonnage. In 1905 exports reached a value of £3,816,000, and imports a value of £4,834,000 (not including treasure and transit trade). See also:Government and See also:Administration.—Cochin-China is administered by a See also:lieutenant-See also:governor under the authority of the governor-See also:general of Indo-China. He is assisted by the conseil colonial numbering sixteen members, six of whom are French citizens elected by the French, six natives elected by the natives, the other four being members of the chamber of commerce of Saigon and the conseil prive. The conseil colonial, besides its advisory functions, discusses and votes the See also:budget, determines the nature of the taxes, has supreme See also:control over the tariffs, and extensive See also:powers in the administration of colonial domains. The conseil prive is a deliberative See also:body under the See also:presidency of the lieutenant-governor, composed of colonial officials together with two native members. The colony is divided into four circumscriptions (Saigon, My-Tho, Vinh-Long, Bassac)1 at the See also:head of each of which is an inspector of native affairs. These are subdivided into twenty provinces, each administered by an See also:administrator of native affairs by whose See also:side is the provincial See also:council consisting of natives and occupied with the discussion of ways and means and questions of public See also:works. The provinces are divided into cantons and subdivided into communes. The See also:commune forms the basis of the native social See also:system. Its See also:assembly of notables or municipal council forms a sort of See also:oligarchy, the members of which themselves elect individuals from among the more prominent inhabitants to fill vacancies. The notables elect the provincial councillors in the proportion, usually, of one to every See also:canton, and their delegates elect the chief of the canton, who voices the wishes of the natives to the government. See also:Local administration, e.g. supervision of markets,policing,land-See also:transfer, &c., are carried on by a See also:mayor and two assistants, to whom the municipal council delegates its powers. The same body draws up the See also:list of See also:males liable to the See also:poll-tax and of the lands liable to land-tax, these being the chief See also:sources of See also:revenue. There are French tribunals of first instance in nine of the chief towns of the colony, and in four of these there are criminal courts. These administer See also:justice in accordance both with French See also:law and, in the See also:case of natives, with Annamese law, which has been codified for the purpose. Saigon has two See also:chambers of the See also:court of See also:appeal of French Indo-China and a tribunal of commerce. See also:Primary instruction is given in some six See also:hundred See also:schools. Cochin-China is represented in the French chamber by a See also:deputy. The capital is Saigon (q.v.) ; of the other towns, Cholon (q.v.), My-Tho, Vinh-Long and Chau-Doc are of importance. In 1904 the budget receipts amounted to £495,241 (as compared with £474,545 in 1899). To this sum the land and poll-tax and other See also:direct taxes contributed £374,630. The See also:main heads of See also:expenditure, of which the See also:total was £467,328, were as follows: Government . £87,271 Administration . 62,725 Public Works 40,454 Transport . 38,173 Public Instruction . 36,009 See also:Topography and See also:Surveying 32,036 See also:History.—The Khmer See also:kingdom (see CAMBODI'A), at its See also:zenith from the 9th to the 12th centuries, included a large portion of the See also:modern colony of Cochin-China, the coastal portion and perhaps the eastern region being under the dominion of the empire of Champa, which See also:broke up during the 15th See also:century. This eastern region was occupied in the 17th century by the Annamese, who in the 18th century absorbed the western provinces. From this period the history of Cochin-China follows that of Annam (q.v.) till 1867, when it was entirely occupied by the French and became a French colony. In 1887 it was united with Cambodia, Annam and See also:Tongking to form the Indo-Chinese See also:Union (see INDO-CHINA, FRENCH). Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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