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SAIGON.
ats. The Aunamese are a race devoted principally to agriculture; they are industrious as the Chinese and are indifferent traders. The Chinese
he largest proportion of the trade in their hands. The revenue of the colony for 1880 was close ou 18,300,000 fr. exclusive of the rates collected for the city of Saigon, which amounted to a little over 500,000 francs. The expenditure is about 4 to 6 millions francs below the revenue. The two principal sources of revenue are opium and spirits.
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Saigon is situated about 40 miles from Cape St. James and is accessible to the largest vessels. Since its occupation by the French the climate has undergone a very favourable change, owing to different sanitary works in the town, such as drains, the filling up of pools, marshes, &c. The town presents a fine appearance, the roads and thorou hfares being broad and regular. Amongst the public buildings Government House is the most remarkable; several millions of francs have been spent upon its construction and decoration. The other prominent public buildings are the new "Direction de l'Intérieur," the Treasury, the Post Office, the Land Office, Public Works Department, the Schools, and the Supreme Court. The Military Hospital is a fiue and handsome iron building, as are also the Arsenal, Barracks, and Artillery parc Saigon has two public gardens, the "Jardin de la Ville,' which is maintained at the expense of the municipality, and the Botanical Garden. Tuere is one large rice-mill in Saigon belonging to a European firm and two more in the town of Cholen, one of which belongs to a Chinese company. There are also two steam brick-yards, one in each town. Cholen is the granary of the colony and its commercial activity is enormous. Sugar-cane planting has been commented in several provinces, steam sugar mills are in course of erection, and it is believed that this undertaking will prove successful. There is an iron floating dock and a new one is in course of construction. The population of Saigon may be estimated at about 40,000 inhabitants, chiefly Annamese and Chinese. The town of Cholen, principally inhabited by Chinese traders, is three miles distant from Saigon, and its population may be set down at 70,000.
The M. M. steamers call twice a month at Saigon on their homeward and outward trips. Easy communication is afforded with the principal towns of the interior by the steamers of the firm of Roque, called "Messageries de Cochinchine." Their steamers are large and commodious, and ply to and fro regularly with cargo, passengers, and mails, and they are subsidized by the Government. One of the Company's largest boats plies regularly once a week from Saigon to Phnom-penh (capital of Cambodia) and vice versa, calling on her way at Mytho, Vinblong, and Sadec. All the principal towns of French Cochin China possess telegraphic com- munication, and a sub marine cable unites the colony with Singapore, Hongkong, &c. The postal organization of the colony is very complete and efficient. Cor- respondence can be sent daily to almost all parts of the country. The Journal Officiel, which is also the Government Gazette, is published twice a week, and there are two other papers called Le Journal de Saigon and L'Ere Nouvelle, both issued weekly.
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In 1879 the arrivals in the port of Saigon of Annamite junks numbered 3,203, with an aggregate tonnage of 63,626 tons. Out of this number 1,655 junks were from the coast of Aunam, 20 from Tonquin, and the remainder from the interior of Cochin China. The arrivals of Chinese junks during the same year numbered 123, with an ag regate tonnage of 5,303 tons. The arrivals of European vessels in the port of Saiyou in 1879 are officially gi en as 423 vessels, of which 272 were steamers, the total tonnage being 380,564. The clearances were 424 vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of 382,514 tons. This gives an increase of 103 v. ssels and 63,739 tons over the clearances of 1878. The total export of rice in 1879 amounted to 5,864,909 piculs, and of paddy to 145,365 piculs, giving a total value of $10,360,254. The exports of specie and other goods reached $2,936,585. The value of the imports amounted to $12,717,646, giving thus a grand total of $26,014,485, not including the value of the imports and exports by Chinese and native junks, which reached $1,427,077.
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