TRAVELS
IN THE
CENTRAL PARTS OF INDO-CHINA
(SIAM),
CAMBODIA, AND LAOS,
DURING THE YEARS 1858, 1859, AND 1860.
BY THE LATE
M. HENRI MOUHOT,
FRENCH NATURALIST.
IN TWO VOLUMES. Vol. I.
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET,
1864.
DEDICATION.
TO THE LEARNED SOCIETIES OF ENGLAND, WHO HAVE FAVOURED WITH THEIR ENCOURAGEMENT THE JOURNEY OF M. HENRI MOUHOT TO THE REMOTE LANDS OF SIAM, LAOS, AND CAMBODIA.
I trust that the members of those scientific societies who kindly supported and encouraged my brother in his travels and labours, will receive favourably the documents collected by the family of the intrepid traveller, whom death carried off in the flower of his age, in the midst of his discoveries.
Had he been able to accomplish fully the end at which he aimed, it would certainly have been to you that he would have offered the fruits of his travels: he would have felt it his first duty to testify his gratitude and esteem to the worthy representatives of science in that great, free, and generous English nation who adopted him. Half English by his marriage, M. Mouhot still preserved his love for his own country: there, however, for various reasons he did not receive the encouragement he anticipated, and it was on the hospitable soil of England that he met with that aid and support, which not only her scientific men, but the whole nation, delight in affording to explorations in unknown countries, ever attended by perils and hardships. The journal of the unfortunate traveller shows his feelings of affection for the two countries which he loved equally, and his devotion to science, art, and the progress of civilization.
I therefore feel it an imperative duty to express to you and to the whole English nation the sentiments of gratitude to which this good and loyal Frenchman so often gave utterance, while engaged in the work to which he spontaneously devoted himself, and in which he was sustained by your counsels and assistance.
Receive therefore from Madame Mouhot and myself, as a legacy left by her dear husband and my affectionate brother, the expression of our gratitude; and accept the work, left imperfect, it is true, but which we hope will prove how much has been lost by the death of a brave man, who, allied to the family of Mungo Park, met the same fate in the East that that illustrious explorer did in Africa. M. Mouhots premature end did not permit him to correct and arrange his journal, which is an additional reason for claiming indulgence from you, whose enlightened minds and generous benevolence will know how to appreciate the circumstances under which this posthumous work sees the light.
Charles Mouhot.
Jersey, 1st December, 1862.
Drawn by M. Bocourt, from a Photograph.
ONE OF THE SONS OF THE KING OF SIAM.
PREFACE.
As will be seen, this work is compiled from the private letters of M. Mouhot to his family and friends, and from his journal. I had also the benefit of the paper destined by my brother for the Archological Society of London, on the interesting ruins of Ongcor. Among the documents which, thanks to the active kindness of Sir R. Schomburgh, British Consul at Bangkok, of Dr. Campbell, R.N., and of M. DIstria, French Consul, reached me as early as possible after my brothers death, I found valuable sketches and drawings, together with various unfinished papers relative to his different scientific researches in the countries he had visited and in districts which had only recently been brought into notice by the advance of commerce, and by the military expeditions which had been sent to the extreme East.
The family of M. Mouhot were divided in opinion as to the course to be adopted with regard to these varied materials. Should they be kept in a portfolio as a sacred but barren deposit, or should they be arranged in the best manner possible and laid before the public?
After grave consideration they yielded to the representations of friends of the deceased, and to myself was confided the painful but interesting task of superintending the arrangement of the notes, sketches, and documents for publication. I accordingly set about it at once, under the first impressions of grief at the loss I had sustained, and guided only by fraternal love, for I lay no claim to the title of author. I have simply classified the masses of papers, the fruit of four years travel, and added a few explanatory notes.
I have already stated the motives which induced me to dedicate this work to the Savans of England, more especially to those with whom my brother was connected through science or literature.
Let me give a short sketch of the work for which we claim the indulgence of the public. I have first, preserving the chronological order, divided the journal into chapters, inserting in their appropriate places such portions of the private letters as served to throw light on the subject. This forms the body of the work.
In an Appendix I have inserted the Chinese tales translated by the author during his residence in Siamsome unfinished papers which are only specimens of a zoological work which my brother intended to publishthe descriptions of the principal entomological and conchological specimens discovered by him, and which are now deposited in the Museums of London and Paristhe Cambodian vocabulary, a proof of his industry, of the variety of his knowledge, and of the care with which he collected everything which might be useful to his successors in the difficult path which he opened to them.
Lastly, I have collected the letters of my brother to his family and other correspondents, together with some letters addressed to him, a few of which were never even received, while others only reached their destination after his death, or remained in the hands of friends who were charged to deliver them. This correspondence tends, I think, to display my brothers character, the delicacy of his mind, and the goodness of his heart, qualities which have been recognised by so many, both during his life and after his death.
The engravings from his drawings will impart interest to the descriptions of the ruins and vast buildings which he discovered in the interior of Siam and Cambodia, testifying to an advanced state of civilization in former times, and which, I venture to think, deserve to be brought into notice. They will also familiarize the reader with the manners, customs, and appearance of the country. My aim has been to be useful to those who deign to read these pages; and, if fidelity be merit in a book, I trust the reader will be satisfied.
Even should there be any errors in the numbers of the population, and similar details concerning the little-known countries which my brother traversed, I beg the reader to view them with indulgence, bearing in mind that most of this journal was written in pencil, sent home from a long distance, and some of it half effaced;illegible, indeed, to any one to whom his writing was not as well known as it was to Madame Mouhot and myself, and who were not as intimate with the heart and thoughts of the writer.
