The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-18 00:00:00

The Annamite Ambassadors.

The Jioniteur gives some further interesting particulars
respecting the Annamite ambassadors, and particularly de-
scribes their stay at Toulon :—" The Annamites, who are
the people of the extreme East, most advanced in naval
constructions, examined with much interest all that was
shown to them. Our immense supply of cannon of all
sizes, and particularly the armoury, excited their astonish-
ment. Although it is in general very difficult to detect any
expression of feeling in the countenances of the natives of
the East, yet the novelty of such a spectacle more than
once was seen to strike them with amazement. The nume-
rous sailors composing the crews of the line of-battle ships,
all in full dress, made a deep impression on the first ambas-
sador, and it was on this subject that he asked the greater
number of questions. The first vessel visited by the am-
bassadors in the roadstead was the Imperial yacht the
Aigle. They were evidently deeply impressed by the
honour done them, and several times expressed their gra-
titude towards the Emperor of the French. They would
not allow the mandarins of their suite to go below, and
themselves abstained with much delicacy from entering
the private cabins of their Majesties. The ambassadors
during their journey from Marseilles to Paris,
constantly took notes of all they saw, and what
particularly struck them was the highly cultivated appear-
ance of the country. So long a panorama of variously cul-
tivated ground excited their admiration."—The Paine adds
some further details of the manners and customs of these
" distinguished strangers" ; it says :—" Before describing
the impression produced upon these Asiatics by the aspect
of our civilisation, we may mention that the spectators who
beheld them on their arrival were not overwhelmed with
admiration at their personal appearance, which is of a cha-
racter inferior to that of the late Japanese ambassadors, or
the more than simple attire attire of their numerous attend-
ants. These representatives of the yellow race have been
immensely flattered by the illustrated journals which have
published their portraits. They are generally small and
thin, with long black hair, which they do not shave off like
the Chinese; their eyes and teeth are also black. F
is For the
latter they use a die partly composed of copperas which pro-
duces that appearance. By them it considered a mark ot
beauty ;to heighten it they chew betel-nuts, and rub their
teeth several times a day with tobacco. The three ambassa-
dors wear silk dresses ornamented with gold thread s,and carry
almost perpetually in their hands an ivory stick, which is
an insignia ot their rank. The stick, in fact, plays a great
part in the customs of the country. With a bamboo rod
the officers and persons of their suite make their inferiors
understand what they mean. Contrary to the Japanese,
who were remarkable for the profusion of jewellery which
they wore, the Annamites wear only a few rings. The
clothes of the inferiors consists of simple robes of very thin
material. On arriving in France they did not even abandon
their national usage of going barefooted, the mandarins
alone wearing silk stockings and Chinese shoes, the upper
part of which are of stout cloth ; the soles are nearly two
inches thick. Their stockings are embroidered with curious
fantastical figures. 131.ack, which is considered an aristo-
cratic, and at the same time a national colour in Cochin-
China, predominates in their costume. The cotton-hand-
kerchief with which the inferiors cover their heads are of
this colour. The head-dress worn by the chiefs is of a more
pretentious character. It is a sort of a double cardboard
hat, covered with black silk, and garnished with figures and
gold rosettes. These natives, accustomed to a temperature
of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, shivered with the
cold on their arrival in Paris, having nothing on beyond
their thin robes, fastened round the waist with a
cord. The officers charged to accompany them immediately
proposed to provide them with r• dress more suitable to the
climate of the French capital, but there were certain diffi-
culties to be overcome. In Cochin China shoes (as before
stated) are an article of luxury and a mark of distinction.
The ambassador was perfectly willing that warm clothing
should be provided for his soldiers and servants, but on the
subject of shoes he was inflexible. It was eepleined to him
that the wearing of shoes form no part of the ceremonial in
France, and that the pavement was dangerous to the health,
but he only gave way on the condition that a difference
should be observed in the making of the shoes, and that
those of the inferiors should be less handsome than the
others. Among the persons composing their suite is a
young man, a native of Cochin China, of very agreeable
Icountenance, and the only one among those Asiatics pos-
sessing the slightest pretensions to good manners. He
. speaks four language?, and is peculiarly fittent in French