The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-01-05

as iron and az smooth as a floor. Trees
have been planted along the ~roadways. and
this French capital Is more like a forest
than our national capital at Washington.
1t is so hidden in trees that as you come up
the river you can see only the red-tiled
roofs of the houses and the rose-colored
spires Of the cathedrals shining out of the
green. The trees are tropical. making the
town look like a botanical garden. Some
have leaves like enormous fans. which
whisper to you as you walk the streets.
some bear cocoanuts. and some are great
masses of blossoms OF the brightest coll
ors. One is the fiamboyant or torch tree.
such az you see on the Amazon and in
parts Of the Philippines. 1t Is as tall as
the biggest oak and IL blazes with satiny
owe of fire. There are trees equally
large. with flowers of blue. and many slen-
ting cut Of their tops.
Tropical Trees Give City
Appearance Of Botanical Garden.
The houses are of the brightest stucco.
red, pink. yellow and blue. with roofs of
red tile. There are public improvements
everywhere. Here a great bridge crosses
the Saigon River. there a steel structure
spans a canal. Along the wharves are dry
docks, big enough to float the largest of
our modern men-of-war. There are tele-
graphs and telephones. and the principal
streets are lighted by French electric arc
lights. The government buildings are fine,
and the marine hospital would be n credit
to any port. I spent some time in the zoo
logical and botanical garden, which Is said
to be surpassed only by that of Java. 1t is
beautifully kept, and the tigers are fresh,
being caught from the jungles near by.
Saigon has French stores filled with
French goods. There are many French SOL
dieis and officers on the streets and native
soldiers in French uniforms. The telegraph
lines reach to all parts Of Cochin-China,
and the colony is connected with Singapore
and Hong Kong by cable. The postal sys-
TEN has been EXTENDED to all parts of the
country and there are subsidized mail
steamers which take you into the interior.
There is a biweekly newspaper. and also q
native journal. Altogether the town has In
the neighborhood Of 1900 people. of whom
about 1900 are French.
Every >.:c.,t Crowd Il
Succotash of Races.
I find the natives very interesting. They
seem to be a cross between the Chinese
and the Malay tribes OF Farther India.
Every crowd is a succotash Of races. There
are many short. ugly women. with yellow
skins and jet black hair. who remind you
OF the girls of Siam. They wear Jackets
and pantaloons. some having chemises
which fall almost to the feet. Other wo-
men dress like those of Burmah and others
wear sarongs like the japanese. Some men
wear Chinese costumes. some Javanese and
a mixture.
There are haif-naked children everywhere
and of every shade from yellow to brown.
The babies wear no clothing. and they are
carried about on the hips OF their mothers
sitting astride. The women and little girls
wear collars or hoops of silver. gold or
brass about their necks, and many young
women have their fingers covered with
/ have counted as many as five on
one finger. 1t is the custom to put gold and
silver bracelets and anklets on the children. |
1 saw a girl of 4 years the other day who
was dressed In three gold anklets, two gold
and ten finger rings. She wore
nothing else.
A curious contrast between Cochin China ,
and China proper is the absence of the pig |
tall. The Anamites and Cambodians do not |
shave their heads, and it Is the same with !
the Cochin Chinese. Members of both
sexes wear their hair long. putting 1t I'm
in a knot on the back Of the head and in |
the case of the men binding a cloth about |
the head to keep it in place. The women
plaster it down with oil. The most common |
hat among the lower classes Is a couical |
one of straw. either snow white or oiled to |
a rich yellow.
Every one chews the betel nut, and this =