COCHERY. COCHERY, kdsh're', Louis Auolpiie (ISin- lUOO). A French statesiiiaii. Hi: was born in Paris, where lie praotieeil law, ami (H'cupieil the post of Chief of Cabinet in the Ministry of Jus- tice during the Kevolulion of 184S. He was sub- sequently editor of the Afcnir Siitioiiiil, and in lS(iS established the journal entitled L Indcpen- (I'liit de Moiilarfiis. As a member of the Legisla- tive Assembly, he declared against the war with Germany, and after September 4, 1870. acted as General Commissioner of the National Defense in the Department of Loiret. Under Dufaure, he became under-secretary of the linances, and from 1875 to 1884 he was minister of the postal and telegraphic service. COCHIMI, kf.-che'me. A tribe, possibly of Yuman stork, formerly occupying the northern and central portions of the peninsula of Lower California, Jlexico. According to the account of the Jesuit Baegert, ho labored among them for some years in the middle of the eighteenth cen- tury, they, like the Guaicuru and Pericu, who occupied the southern part of the peninsula, were in the lowest grade of culture, naked, with- out agriculture of any kind, and with no per- manent shelters, depending entirely upon fishing, hunting, and wild fruits for subsistence. The. dead were first buried, and after a certain time the remains were dug up, the bones cleaned and painted red, and preserved in ossuaries. COCHIN, ko-chen' or kO'chin (Tamil kaci, Telugu Icoci, harbor). Once the capital of the principality of the same name, but now a sea- port of the District of iLilabar, Jladras, British India (!Map: India, C 7). It stands on the south side of the principal channel between the open ocean and a lagoon known as the 'Back- water.' This lagoon, 120 miles long, is, even in its lowest state, always navigable for canoes, and forms a valuable means of communication with the interior. Cochin is one of the chief cities on this coast for ship-building and mari- time commerce. Here the Portuguese erected their first fort in India, in 1,503. They were su])plemented by the Dutch in l(i62. tender the Dutch Cochin was a great emporium of trade. In 1796 the town was captured by the British, and again in 1806, when its fortifications and public buildings were destroyed and its private dwell- ings very much damaged. Notwithstanding this cheek, the place continued to flourish. It has a safe harbor, citadel, and arsenal. It is the see of a Roman Catholic bishop and of two Syrian bishops. Among the buildings is a church erected by the Portuguese in the early part of the sixteenth century. The population, numbering about 17,600, is very heterogeneous, including Hindus, descejidants of the Portuguese and Dutch, Armenians, Arabs, Jews, and Persians. The Black Jev,s of Cochin occupy a separate sidiurb. The trade consists chiefly in the export of cocoa oil, eocoa-fibre, teak-wood, cardamoms, etc. Water is brought from a distance of 18 miles. The average temperature is 78° F. Ad- joining Cochin is a native town of the same name, nearly as populous, in the State of Cochin. COCHIN, ko-clien'. A native State, tributary to ^Madras, India Cq.v. K bounded northwest, nortii, and northeast by Jlalabar and Coimbatur; east and soutli by Travancore. and west by the Indian Ocean (Map: India. C 6). It has an area of 1362 square miles, consisting chiefly of low- 95 COCHIN-CHINA. land, lying between a narrow stretch of raised coast-line and the Western Ghats (q.v.), part of which are included in the State and separate it from inner India. Behind the coast-line lies the .shallow backwater. 120 miles long, aiul varying in breadth from a few hundred yards to ten miles; it has three connections with the ocean, and is fed by the variable mountain torrents of the Ghats, During the wet season the backwater forms a navigable channel. The region is one of the most humid in the world, especially during the southwest monsoon of June, July, August, and September; even during the remainder of the year dry weather is comparatively unknown. The cocoanut is the most valuable product of the country; the forests also j)roduce red cedar, teak, and other hard woods, .but these are becoming scarce. Rice, pep]ier. cardamoms, ginger, betel- luit, yams, arrowroot, sweet potatoes, and cofl'ee are cultivated in the low country. There are n;anulV>ctures of salt on the coast. The capital is Ernakolam, although the ruler's palace is situ- ated at Tripunthora ; the chief seaport, besides the British town of Cochin (q.v.), is Malipurani. Population, in 1891, 72.3,000: in 1900. 815,200, consisting ciiieliy of Hindus; there are a few Mohammedans and a large number of Christians and Jews. The .Tews are classified into white and black; and the Christians, estimated at one- fifth of the population, are di'ided between the Syrian and Romish churches: they trace their origin partly to the Portuguese conquest and jiartly to the missionary labors of Saint Thomas, the Ajjostle. Consult: Day, Land of the I'er- maiils: or. Cochin, its Past and Present (Ma- dras, 1863). COCHIN (from Coc/ujs-China) . A breed of large domestic fowls, highly esteemed as pro- ducers of flesh and large eggs. They are known in black, buff, partridge (variegated), and white varieties, have yellow-feathered legs (except in the black variety), and single erect combs. See Fowls, and Colored Plate of Fowls. COCHIN, ko'shax', Ch.^rles Nicolas (1715- 00). A French engraver and art critic, born in Paris. He was the most celebrated of a promi- nent family of engravers and painters, and was the son of Charles Nicolas Cochin (1(>88-1754) and Louise Sladeleine Hortemels, who was an etcher of note. He became engravei' to the King in 1739, and in this capacity executed a series of Coui-t subjects, such as "The ilarriage of the Dauphin" (1755). His designs include vignettes, frontispieces, ornamental letters, and a num- ber of portraits. His works were catalogued by • lombert in 1770. Among them are etchings for Joseph Vernet's Ports de France (1760-67), and designs for the Orlando Fnrioso (1775-83) and the Gcrusatrmme Libcrata (1783-86). He was nuide perpetual secretary to the Acadi'mie des Beaux-Arts in 1755. His criticisms on art liave Iieen printed imder the title fFurres direrses (1871); and he also wrote Voyage d'ltalie (1758), and some Mcmoires secrets (1881). CO'CHIN-CHI'NA, ko'chin-chl'na. A pos- session of France, in the extreme south of the peninsula of Indo-China. lying between Cam- bodia a-id Annam on the luu'tli and the China Sea (Map: Asia, K 7). Its area is estimated at 23,160 square miles. It is traversed bj- the Mekong, which forms an extensive delta. The country is mainly a low plain, of alluvial origin.
