The kingdom is now larger and in a better state than ever before. The Tenasserim provinces are indeed lost; but it has acquired Keda, Patani, Ligore, and most of the Malay peninsula. It has recently acquired one of the most valuable and fertile sections of Camboja; embracing the rich province of Bata-bang. The present boundary, in that direction, is on the Camboja River, extending from about lat. 12° to 14° north. Including the districts just named, Siam extends from 7° to 19° of north latitude, bounded by the Tenasserim provinces on the west, Burman Lao and China on the north, Cochin-China on the east, and the Gulf of Siam on the south. The extreme length is about eight hundred miles, and the average breadth about one hundred. The population of Siam is probably about 3,000,000. Of these about 800,000 are Shyans, 195,000 Malays, and 450,000 Chinese, leaving the number of proper Siamese 1,500,000. In 1750, the whole population was computed by the French missionaries at 1,900,000. Our late ambassador to Siam, Mr. Roberts, estimates the proper Siamese at 1,600,000; Siamese Laos, 1,200,000; Chinese, 500,000; Malays, 320,000. The country is described by Mr. Gutzlaff as one of the most fertile in Asia; and by the Encyclopædia Americana as very mountainous. Both statements are true in part. The Meinam valley, no where over fifty miles wide, the district of Chantabon, recently taken from Camboja, and some other level spots, are exceedingly productive. But most of the empire is mountainous, poor, and scarcely inhabited. In personal appearance, they come behind any nation I have yet seen, especially the women. Among the thousands of these that came under my notice, I never saw one who was comely. The men are often good looking. The national characteristics seem to be a broad and flat face, long and square lower jaw, large mouth, thick lips, small nose, forehead very broad and low, cheek bones prominent. A striking peculiarity is the size of the back part of the jaw, the bone and flesh projecting laterally, as if the parotid glands were swollen. The average height of the men is five feet, two inches. Both sexes wear the hair close, except on the top of the head, from the forehead to the crown, where it is about two inches long, and, being kept stroked back, stands erect. The rest is kept shaved by men, and cut pretty close by women. As the shaving is not often done, it is generally difficult to tell a man from a woman. The principal mark is, that a woman has a line round the edge of the top-knot, made by plucking out a breadth of two or three hairs, so as to show the white skin, as in the picture. Only those who are nice about Siamese Woman. their persons, however, take this trouble. Roberts declares, in his Embassy to the East, that he never could tell a man from a woman, when numbers were seated together. The raiment of both sexes is alike; consisting of a cloth, wrapped round the hips, with the end passed between the thighs, and tucked in at the small of the back. It descends below the knees, and is generally of printed cotton. At a distance, it resembles trousers. Young women, and those of the richer sort, wear also a narrow kerchief, or scarf, crossed on the breast, and passing under the arms, as in the figure. Unlike most Asiatics, the Siamese reject ornaments in the nose or ears, but are fond of bangles, bracelets, necklaces, and finger-rings. Turbans are not used; but in the sun, a light hat, made of palm-leaves, precisely in the shape of a large inverted milk-pan, is set upon the head by an elastic bamboo frame, which holds it up several inches, and permits the air to pass between. Neither sex tattoo any part of their bodies, deeming it a mark of barbarism. The universal mode of carrying small children, as in every other part of the East visited by me, is astride on the hip, as shown in the picture. It certainly is more easy thus to carry a heavy child than in the arms, at least when the infant is divested of all raiment. Play-acting, cock-fighting, and flying kites, are prominent amusements. In the two latter, princes and priests, both old and young, engage with delight. They have also a small pugnacious species of fish, the fighting of which is a very admired pastime. In regard to buildings, food, agriculture, education, literature, medical practice, priesthood, religion, crimes, punishments, government, laws, marriage, divorce, burial, and many other topics, the statements made respecting Burmah apply so nearly as to make further remarks, in this place, unnecessary. They have no standing army, but every able-bodied male is liable at any time to be called into the field, by the mere will of his chief. The king has, for a good many years, made large annual purchases of muskets, which must amount now to more than eighty thousand stand. Of cannon they have plenty. They make good brass cannon, some of them very large, but seldom have proper carriages. At Bankok there is the semblance of a respectable navy, consisting of scores of war junks, galleys, and other vessels of various sizes, built on the Cochin-Chinese model, and mounting heavy guns. But the Siamese are no sailors; and when brought into service, these vessels are manned by the promiscuous populace, and officered by Chinese or other foreigners. No crews are now attached to their vessels, and they stand in rude wet docks, covered by regular ship-houses, as in our navy-yards. The commerce of Siam has narrowly escaped the fate of that of Tringano, Patani, &c. Hamilton states that he visited Siam in 1719, "on the foundation of a treaty of commerce, made in 1684, between King Charles and the King of Siam's ambassadors in London." His ship went up to Ayuthia, leaving the guns "at Bankok, a castle about half way up the river." The Dutch trade must even then have been considerable, as they had a factory about a mile below Ayuthia, and a resident company of merchants. It appears that, long previous to the said treaty with England, some British merchants had a factory near Ayuthia; but a quarrel with the governor, who commanded in 1684, resulted in their expulsion, and only within about twenty years has that trade regularly recommenced. American, Dutch, and Bombay vessels now resort to Bankok; and though the trade is not likely soon to be large or important, it will probably be steady. A new treaty of commerce was made with England in 1826, and another with the United States in 1833. The number of Chinese junks, regularly trading to this city, cannot be less than two hundred annually. Many of them are of five or six hundred tons, and some are not less than a thousand. Thirty or more trade to Canton and vicinity; nearly as many are from Hainan; and the rest from other places. Seventy or eighty sometimes lie in the river at a time. Some of these vessels are owned by Siamese, and still more by Chinamen, residing in Bankok; but the crews are never Siamese. None of the larger ones make more than one voyage a year; going in one monsoon, and returning in the other. Most of them arrive in December and January, and depart in May and June. Numerous prows and small junks keep up a constant intercourse with the coasts of the Gulf of Siam, and principal neighboring islands.* Two or three Siamese ships, built on the European model, trade to Singapore. Cochin-Chinese vessels were formerly numerous; but the late war has suppressed that trade, for a time at least. An artificial canal, kept in good order, connected with the Camboja River, brings some trade from that direction. Bankok has certainly the largest commerce, next to Canton, of any place in the world, not inhabited by white men. During the presence of the junks in the river, the city exhibits a very active scene of buying and selling; many of them retailing their cargo from the vessel. The shops furnish, at all times, almost every article demanded by European or Indian customs. The total value of exports per annum from Bankok, is not less than five millions of dollars. The chief articles are sugar, sapan wood, tin, timber, rice, stick-lac, gamboge, benzoin,† ivory, pepper, and cotton; and small quantities of betel-nut, dried fish, lead, gold, silver, gems, tombac,‡ shagreen skins, and buffalo horns. The export price of sugar is about four cents a pound. The imports are arms, ammunition, anchors, piece goods, cutlery, crockery, mirrors, and many other productions for European, Chinese, and other foreign consumption. Sugar, the principal export, is wholly made by Chinamen, and most of the other staples are the fruits of their industry. Indeed, to these emigrants Siam owes much of what elevates her from among barbarians; not only in commerce, manufactures, and improved husbandry, but in domestic habits. The Siamese have coined money, but use cowries for very small change. The coins are merely a small bar of silver, turned in at the ends, so as to resemble a bullet, and stamped with a small die on one side. 400 Cowries make.. 2 P'hai.... 2 Songphais.. 2 Fuangs.. 4 Saloongs. 4 Ticals.... 20 Tamloongs.. 1 P'hai. 1 Bät or tical. *The chief of these are, on the eastern shore, Banplasoi, Banpakung, Banpra, Banpomung, Rayong-Passeh, Chantabon, and Kokung; and on the western side, Ligore, Sangora, Champon, Kalantan, Tringano, Talung, Patani, and Pahang. + Crude frankincense, sometimes called Benjamin. Native copper with a small mixture of gold. PRICES OF LIVING-FRUITS CHARACTER. 129 The two last are nominal. They sometimes have a gold fuang, equal to eight ticals. The tical, assayed at the mint of Calcutta, yielded about one rupee, three and a half annas, equal to 2s. 6d. sterling, or about sixty cents of American money. For weights they use the catty and picul. The catty is double that of the Chinese, but the picul is the same. Living is not dear, as the following prices show: - Servants wages, per month, $3; fuel, five hundred small sticks for $1; fowls, each, 5 to 10 cents; ducks, each, 10 to 15 cents; pork, per pound, 7 to 8 cents; butter (made in the family ;) lard, same price as pork; oil, for lamps and cooking, per gallon, 30 to 40 cents; rice, per pound, 1 cent; milk, per quart, 8 to 10 cents; sugar, per pound, 5 cents; tea, per pound, 30 to 40 cents; pine-apples, per hundred, 70 to 100 cents; oranges, per hundred, 30 to 60 cents; coco-nuts, for curry, per hundred, 18 to 30 cents; common laborers, per month, $1,50. No part of the East is more celebrated for the abundance and quality of its fruits. Here are united the fruits of China, the Indian islands, Hither India, and tropical America. During my stay, the mango, mangosteen, durian, rambutan, pomegranate, guava, pine-apple, and, I presume, fifty other fruits, were in season. About taste there is no disputing. Many Europeans disparage Oriental fruits; but I deem them incomparably superior to those of high latitudes, to say nothing of their vast variety, and their being enjoyed every day in the year. I learned nothing, during my seven weeks' residence in Siam, to induce me to dissent from the character hitherto given to this people by all travellers. They are crafty, mean, ignorant, conceited, slothful, servile, rapacious, and cruel. As to truth, "the way of it is not known." No one blushes at being detected in a fraud, or a falsehood, and few seem superior to a bribe. Quarrels are common; but as no one is allowed to go armed, they seldom result in mischief. They are cowardly, and shrink from an air of resolution in a foreigner. The Abbe Gervaise said of them, a century ago, that, "though as enemies they are not dangerous, as friends they cannot be trusted." But “God made man upright,” and the fall has not obliterated all semblance of good from any portion of the human race. The Siamese have some redeeming traits. They are exceedingly fond of their offspring, and cherish reverence to parents almost equal to that of the Chinese. They are temperate, inquisitive, and, except on great provocation, gentle. Women are not re |