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ant on Siam, Burinah, Cochinchina, and China. Though their country abounds in many precious articles, and among them, a considerable quantity of gold, yet the people are poor, and live even more wretchedly than the Siamese, with the exception of those who ore under the jurisdicton of the Chinese, Though they have a national literature, they are not very anxious to study it; nor does it afford them a fountain of knowledge. Their best books, are relations of the common occurrences of life, in prose; or abject tales of giants and fairies. Their religious books in the Bali language are very little understood by their priests, who differ from the Siamese priests only in their stupidity. Although their country may be considered as the cradle of Budhism in these parts, because most of the vestiges of Samo Nakoduni, apparently the first missionary of paganism, are to met with in their precincts; yet the temples built in honour of Budha, are by no means equal to those in Siam, nor are the Laos as superstitious as their neighbours. Their language is very soft and melodious, and sufficiently capacious to express their ideas.

The Laos are dirty in their habits, sportful in their temper, careless in their actions, and lovers of music and dancing in their diversions. Their organ, made of reeds, in a peculiar manner, is among the sweetest instruments to be met with in Asia. Under the hand of an European master, it would become one of the most perfect instruments in existence. Every noble maintains a number of dancing boys, who amuse their masters with the most awkward gestures, while music is playing in accordance with their twistings and turnings.

The southern districts carry on a very brisk trade with Siam, whither the natives come in long, narrow boats, covered with grass; importing the productions of their own country, such as ivory, gold, tiger skins, aromatics, &c.; and exporting European and Indian manufactures, and some articles of Siamese