When the discussion was going on relative to the letter to the minister, which occupied many hours, they finally approved of every sentence, and every word, except “_friendly_,” which they thought was rather too familiar a word to be used between nations; and therefore they proposed substituting the word “neighbourly,” which would read, “neighbourly intercourse.” Seeing that I was rather amused at the proposed alteration, they were desirous of knowing the cause. Being told, that, as we lived some twenty thousand miles apart, we could not hold a _very neighbourly intercourse_, they were much amused by the gross blunder committed by their ignorance, and replied, it was very true, and therefore they would be satisfied with the word friendly, as proposed by me. They were not aware, however, of the distance between the two countries, neither did they know the situation of North America, but supposed it to be in Europe, as we afterward ascertained. When they take leave, they always place our right hand between theirs, bow their heads very slowly, and as low down as possible. The government of Cochin-China is thoroughly despotic, being framed in close imitation of that of China. The sovereign, who, till lately, bore the title of king, and who still pays a nominal tribute to China under that title, assumes, among his own subjects, and with all foreign countries, except China, the Chinese title of hwang-te, (or emperor,) with the peculiar attribute, “sacred,” “divine,” &c., commonly used by the court of Peking. The name, or epithet, by which the present monarch is designated, (which name was taken by the monarch himself, at his accession to the throne,) is ming-ming; it signifies, “emperor appointed by the brilliant decree of heaven.” According to the account of the deputies, who visited the ship at Vung-lam, the _administration_ is also formed in imitation of the Chinese--consisting of a council of four principal, and two secondary ministers. The chief of these, (whom Mr. Crawford, the British envoy, calls the minister of elephants, or of strangers,) was said to be the minister of commerce, navigation, &c. The provincial government is also formed in imitation of the Chinese. Two or more provinces are governed by a toung-tuh, (tsong-dok,) or governor; under whom, the principal officers, in each province, are two, viz.: a pooching-sze, (bo-chang-sze,) or treasurer and land-officer: and an anchasze, or judge. Subordinate to these, are magistrates, called che-foos, che-keens, &c., presiding over the districts into which each province is divided. In Cochin-China, as in China, there are nine grades of rank, each of which is divided into a principal and secondary class. Every officer, employed in the government, is of one of these grades: thus, the ministers of the council are of the first grade, principal class; and the governors of provinces, are of the first grade, secondary class.