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their own religion and are kept in a gross state of ignorance by their brahmins who have the holy books in their hands and will not show or read them to the vulgar and it would be an easy matter to publish 4 or 500,000 copies and teach them their own religion of which they are now ignorant except of the superstitions, their temples resemble the Jewish synagogues having an inner and outer temple into the inner one no one is ever allowed to go except the priests. They also have a ceremony similar to the jewish one of sprinkling ashes on the forehead. It seems to me that the chinese are going to be to Asia what the Europeans are and were to America. or in other words that they will supplant all other races for even now in all the sea ports the chinese are by far the Most Numerous people and every Junk brings down emigrants from China. The junks are rather a curious kind of vessels having every thing on board in the most beautiful confusion pigs and people mess together they all use wooden anchors and as soon as they get into port they trice up their midden. There was several cochin China men of war came in whilst we were here. They are quite handsome ships and were quite good models. About 200 years ago a french vessel was wrecked on the Coast of Cochin China The Cochin Chinese took the Model of her and have built after her model ever since showing quite good looking ships except the sterns which are very high and large. Tho built so long ago I could see but little differance [sic] between her water line and those of the crack ships in port. The Cochin Chinese are a very superior race being a sort of tartar and Malay Mixed they are quite ingenious and have crossed bayonets with english troops. The King is a despot to Mention his name is considered high treason and death is the consequence. his officers are complete slaves and for any offence of theirs all their property is confiscated and themselves and relations 10 degrees removed are put to death. When his subjects speak to him it is on their knees. The Commander of his fleet gets $3 per month and a bag of rice. he has often been advised to run off with his ships and sell them but he is deterred from so doing by the knowledge of the power and cruelty of the king who would put to death all his family. I or any one else could tell the Cochin China boats