Annam.

Silk spinning and weaving are carried on on antiquated lines, and
silkworms are reared in a desultory fashion. Besides rice, the products
of the country include tea, tobacco, cotton, cinnamon, precious woods
and rubber; coffee, pepper, sugar-canes and jute are cultivated to a
minor extent. The exports (total value in 1905 L237,010) comprise tea,
raw silk and small quantities of cotton, rice and sugar-cane. The
imports (L284,824 in 1905) include rice, iron goods, flour, wine, opium
and cotton goods. There are coal-mines at Nong-Son, near Tourane, and
gold, silver, lead, iron and other metals occur in the mountains. Trade,
which is in the hands of the Chinese, is for the most part carried on by
sea, the chief ports being Tourane and Qui-Nhon, which are open to
European commerce.

_Administration._--Annam is ruled in theory by its emperor, assisted by
the "_comat_" or secret council, composed of the heads of the six
ministerial departments of the interior, finance, war, ritual, justice
and public works, who are nominated by himself. The resident superior,
stationed at Hue, is the representative of France and the virtual ruler
of the country. He presides over a council (_Conseil de Protectorat_)
composed of the chiefs of the French services in Annam, together with
two members of the "_comat_"; this body deliberates on questions of
taxation affecting the budget of Annam and on local public works. A
native governor (_tong-doc_ or _tuan-phu_), assisted by a native staff,
administers each of the provinces into which the country is divided, and
native officials of lower rank govern the areas into which these
provinces are subdivided. The governors take their orders from the
imperial government, but they are under the eye of French residents.
Native officials are appointed by the court, but the resident superior
has power to annul an appointment. The mandarinate or official class is
recruited from all ranks of the people by competitive examination. In
the province of Tourane, a French tribunal alone exercises jurisdiction,
but it administers native law where natives are concerned. Outside this
territory the native tribunals survive. The Annamese village is
self-governing. It has its council of notables, forming a sort of
oligarchy which, through the medium of a mayor and two subordinates,
directs the interior affairs of the community--policing, recruiting, the
assignment and collection of taxes, &c.--and has judicial po