At the time of its first publication in 1879, this was the first record in English of the French penetration into Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia which led to French colonization of the region. Making extensive use of first-hand accounts, the anonymous author provides the essence of the major exploratory travels of the time. Discussed are: Henri Mouhot's pioneering 1860 account of his ascent of the middle and upper Mekong; Francis Garnier's bold exploration of Cambodia, Laos, Tonkin and Yunnan and Dr. A. Morice's peregrinations among the little-known towns of French Cochin-china.