Directory_and_Chronicle_1907 — Page 1228

ANNAM

The Kingdom of Annam is under French protection. It extends along the Eastern coast of the large Indo-Chinese peninsula, between Cochin-China on the South, Cam- bodge and Siam on the West, Tonkin on the North and the China sea on the east. It is an extensive territory bordered by a chain of granite mountains covered with forests and having well-watered and fertile plateaux.

શ

The kingdom is administered by a Privy Council whose members are nominated by the sovereign. Each ministry has the assistance of a Council. Since the Treaty of 25th August, 1883, France has had a resident superieur at Hue. For administrative purposes Annam is divided into fourteen provinces. The agricultural land bordering on the coast is almost exclusively devoted to the culture of rice of which two crops a year are raised. Imports consist of products for consumption such as flour, wine, liquors, rice, spice, also iron manufactures, all kinds of hard word, articles de luxe, cotton goods, &c., the value according to the latest statistics being 7,250,000 francs, of which 1,580,000 francs worth came from France and Indo-China, Exports comprise silk, raw and filatured, silk manufactures, and waste silk, ginned cotton, lace, cinnamon, gummed lacquer, oil d'arachides, precious woods, ox hides and horns, dried and salt fish, &e.

HUE

Hué, the capital of the kingdom of Annam, and the seat of government, is situated about 12 kin from the sea on a small, scarcely navigable river named Sông-huong and called by the French the Hué river, which debouches on the coast in about lat. 16 deg. 29 min Ñ., and long. 107 deg. 38 min. E. The grand mountain chain of Annam, rising in four successive lines, approaches the coast North and South, forming round the town an immense belt broken only by the sea, giving to the city a smiling and picturesque aspect. Hué consists of two distinct parts--the official quarter and the merchant quar- ter. The former is simply the citadel, an immense quadralateral measuring on each side 2,400 metres with the front bastioned after the type of the fortifications at Vauban. Within is another fortified, enciente in which the King has his palace. The merchant town stretches along the side of the canal which serves as a moat on one side of the quadralateral. The centre gate of the inner wall is in the form of a pagoda, gilt and adorned with elaborate carvings. The majority of the houses and even the public buil- dings in Huéare, however, very mean and in a bad state of repair. The Royal palace, like that of Peking, has yellow tiles; those of the nobles are red. The population of the city and suburbs is estimated at 40,000, of whom about 800 are Chinese. The only Europeans are the French Resident and his suite. The mouth of the Hué river is defended by forts, which were taken by the French in August, 1883, when the Hué Government at once capitulated.

DIRECTORY

RESIDENCE SUPÉRIEURE DE L'ANNAM Résident Supérieur-M. Levecque Inspecteur des Services Civils Adjoint-M.

Dufrénil

Chef de Cabinet-M. Serres

Secrétaire particulier-M. Lemasson

Attaché au cabinet-M. Dejeanne

Chef du ler. bureau-M. Lemaire

Chef du 2e, bureau-M. Vialla

Trésorerie-M. M. Puech (trésorier par- ticulier), Beaurain, Leca, Georges, Hervé, Vitalis, Piot, Cugnet de Montarlot Postes et Télés.-M. Courtois, receveur Médecin de la Légation-Dr. Dumas Commandt.les Détachements de l'Annam-

Lieut. Colonel Benoît

Chefde Service de l'agriculture-M. Viellard Chef de service—M. M. Cartier et Sauvaire

Délégués aux Ministères-M. M. Tholance, Quoc-hoc-M. Nordemann, directeur

Dupuy, Mulotte

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