Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-15
AROUND THE WORLD.


 From Hong Kong to saigon-Aion& the
 Coast Of Cochin China-InterestiDg
 siRhts-The Winding Makun River
 Saigon.
 SAIGON, Cochin China, Jan. 27. Fe the Editor of the JOURNAL AND ooURIE1:
 The splendid two funnel French steamer 'tAvG," aided by 8 strong southwest mon soon, brought me from Hong Kong to this chief French colony of the East in four hours less than three days. run of 940 miles by the route pursued. On the after noon prior to the day of our arrival here the boat struck the coast of Cochin China which we then followed down to the mouth of the Makun river. During the evening we passengers amused ourselves by watching the bush-fires on the distant shore. These bush fires are quite an institution in this tropical zone. Nsvigators tell me that they burn on their general location at all. How they are kindled is not always clear, but many people believe it to be by the intensity of the suns rays. There was one fire in particular which we watched for hours, and which ~ss pre- eminensly brilliant. Sometimes it would break up into three or four fires, which would wander along the coast for several passing breeze, to return to nearly the origi- nal spot. How these fires are fed from year to year is mystery to me but I am told that the wood burns much more slowly here than it would in forest at home.
 At first the coast line was bold and rugged, being hanked by irregular hills. But as we approached the Saigon country the land be- came tremendously flat. Indeed, it is said that for six hundred miles up country from here there is not hill. The only promi- nence to be seen in any direction is the clus- ter of eminences eighty miles away from here at the mouth of this Makun river, at the base of which is Cape St. James, where the submarine cables from Singapore and Hong Kong are placed in telegraphic communica tion with this city, and where there is 8 fine lighthouse for the benefit of ships bound for this port.
 During the night when we were all sleep ing as peacefully as the rolling motion of the ship permitted, we were suddenly awakened by two successive severe shocks as though we had run against some unseen rock. We all rushed on deck. where we found confu- sion reigning supreme. The French sailors were rushing to and fro, jabbering excitedly, and it was for soma time quite impossible to tell what was the matter. We seemed to be going ahead slowly, but there was 8 harsh grating, unnatural sound, as though some part of the machinery had broken. A sec- ond or two later and We were manifestly moving full speed astern We went thus for some time, when the captain hurried on deck and began Investigating in peremptory, ex- cited way. After 8 while the engines stopped and we started straight ahead again. Then 1 noticed that the captain was talking to the man on the watch in such a savage tone that I was afraid he would hurt the latter's feel iDgs- One of our party. who eould speak French little, made inquiries Of the sailors and found that the shocks had been occa- stoned by the sudden reversal of the engines when we were going ahead full speed, so as to make us go astern full speed This re- versal, very dangerous experiment, had been effected in response to an order from the man on the watch, who suddenly caught sight of the light on a steamer ahead, and mistaking it for the lighthouse st Cape St. James, toward which he fancied we were going fall speed, gave the abrupt command. There would seem to have been little excuse for this, inasmuch as that very afternoon we had thoroughly tested our compasses by the customary process of slowly performing a complete loop in the water, while men mar rovly watched the behavior of each compass aboard. Had this officers blunder broken our shaft cannot say what would have be- come of the poor Ava" and her load of confding passengers.
 We entered the river, broad and exceed inRly circuitous stream, at about two o'clock in the morning, and were alongside of the Saigon wharf at nine. A special pilot came aboard to conduct the ship up to the city, @ compulsory piece of ceremony We were nearly all on deck at the first streak of dawn, for our incident of the night previous had not been conducive to repose. It so hap ad hRk xua SnoS khn {,,k Sla l,,k these large ocean steamers often have to wait as much as ten hours for & proper state of water. The sinuous course of the stream may be understood from the statement that we were constantly exclaiming, "There is Cape St. James, but always pointing in diff feront directions, sometimes forward, some times aft, sometimes on the port side and sometimes to the starboard
 In the brilliant green tropical vegetation which fringed either bank we could discern monkeys leaping nimbly about. Back fur ther in the Malay peninsula the regular orang outapg is found; and this suggests the comment that the name orang outang is only the Malay for "wild mar"
 There was not a single village in all the eighty miles of river, and when I asked the wherefore of this I was told that this Aat country, which many believe to have been the creation of some convulsion of nature, is one of the most fever-smitten of all the
 
 of Saigon at last hove into sight a few straw huts began to appear along the banks of the river, |ith usually the French flag floating over their roofs-a rather superfaous mark of fealty 1 thought. I also noticed that some of the sampans in the river bore the same national emblem. We could believe from the evidences submitted to our senses that we were now in the tropics Bananas, pine ap- ples, jack-fruit, pumelos and a score of other fruits grew along the banks, while occasion ally cocoanut, with it's huge thick bark might be ssen floating in the river.
 We had quite little party of Chinese deck passengers forward, who all decamped when we touched the Saigon pier. As for us Eu- ropesns. we could not-think of going ashore under such boiling sun, we panted about the deck until toward five o'clock. This was not altogether enjoyable, for the loading and unloading of cargo made sad noise Not only was the noise unpleasant, but it actually seemed to make us tired to watch the per- spirIng coolies who were at work. Saigon is quite point for ries, and great sacks of the grain were lowered by machinery into the hold, there to be slowed asay by naked na- tives. The sweat fairly rolled from the shoulders and limbs of these coofies.
 The Chinese who left the ship were loaded down with articles for use in the celebration of the approaching New Years festival, some pretty joDquils being among the most attractive features of the prosps ctive "Joss pigeon" In the air above us some "Bram- ly kitss," common Oriental bird, were laziiy circling
 At five o'clock we went on shore and took quite an extensive tour of the town. It was still very hot, and the heat seemed to rise from the ground as from an oven In Saigon, as in many other tropical places in the far East, it is found impossible to do any business during the heat of the day, and from 10 o'clock a. m1 till D. m every body goes to bed. During this period the shops are closed, even the postoffice included The town impEesses me as . thoroughly hfeless place, not at all like what I hsd supposed the Napoleon colony to be. Perhaps the oppressive state of the atmosphere biased my judgment. saw very few people 0n the streets except ns- tive servants, but every body whom did see was dressed in white throughouE, even to the hats, which are two inches thick and as many feet in diameter, and the thin sandals.
 Passing out among the go-dewns of the Massageries Maritimes company, we soon reached 8 spacious iron bridge spanning a arxand canal ? The approaches on the further side were of superb masonry, and must have been exceedingly costly. Passing down an avenus of feathery acaciss, we soon tpund ourselves iA the heart of the colony of Saigon, numbering perhaps 8 thousand for. eiEn souls beside the troops Of these. scarcely anybody speaks English, the only foreigners here aside from the French being nna flg frn nnnsr1la and a faw man in hark;,T