Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-11-12
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
SIAM.

IN the custom of Siam in such events the first and
cond Kings The first King had just entered the priest
hood on the coronation of his late half brother and not
wishing to prince under his Government, and
being fond Of learning, devoted himself to religion and
literature He has the reputation of being excellent
hnguis perfect of Pail, has knowledge of
Latin and is well yersed in the English language. He
was President of the Board for Examining Priests and
Students in Pa and High Priest of the Wat, or Buddhist
Temple Poroworinet OF Bangkok. On his accession he
assumed the title of :. SoMpEE PRA PARANESDEr MAuA
MoSoEur." The second king took that of "PnRABAr
SoMDEr PnRA PIN KHAN CHAN You HUA, and is usually
styled by the Siamese Maha Uparaj, Great Second
King He was commander of the ordnance department
during the late reign Both kings enlightened
regus mbued with the spirit of progress and reform and
speak and write the English language, which they have
learnt from the American and British Missionaries in
SIAM very correctly. With the Second King the writer
has been in correspondence since 1872 His Majesty is
great admrer Of the character of Washington and has
named his eldest George Washington
Since their accession they have projected and intro
duced many improvements in the country the beneficial
effects Of which already becoming apparent. The
reduction of the duties foreign shipping is
vng Europeans and Americans there trade the abro
cation Of oppressive agricultural monopolies is encour-
aging the people cultivate the soil and the study
the English language at Courts bringing those who speak
it into favorable notice with all classes the capital
They are allowed to approach his Majesty at his
palace without crouchng, formerly, their hands
and knees, and otherwise treated by the King in
manner becoming his dignity, without infringing their
sefrespect. The enlargement and Improvement of the
Capital has already been commenced and the King talks
about steamboats, and railroads be introduced in due
time Having signifed his pleasure that one Of the
ladies of the American Missions Siam should attend at
the palace daily to give instruction in the English Ian
guage the ladies of the Court arrangements were ac
coiingy made for from each of the three American
Missions in Bangkok to go in rotation this errand.
Such promise increase the prosperity of
the country and the happiness of the people of
unparalleled in Asiatic Kingdoms evincing at ouce the
wisdom and good intentions of their Majesties.
Among other changes the traffic in opium has been
egalzed regards their Chinese subjects who are est
mated exceed 100000 By edict of the late King
its sale and consumption in the kingdom prohibited
under the seyerest penalties The prohibition still
mains against al Samese and for the privilege Of using
the drug the Chinese pay into the Treasury
ally about $1,000 00 The population of SIAM composed
Of Siamese Laosians or Shans, Maays, Peguans Cam
bodans, and Chinese is estimated at 1000 600 Bang
kok the capital, is situated on the river Menam or
"Mother of Water" about twenty miles from its mouth,
and contains about $50 900 inhabitants 1t has become
within few years of the important emporia of
India beyond the Gangs and has the largest commerce.
next to Canton, of any city of Eastern Asia peopled
By Europeans or their descendants.
The King Phya TAX, mentioned in the annexed histor
cal memoir very popular among the people
of Siam. 1t is said that like the Khaf Haroun al Ras
Child he used dress himself common clothes and 90
among the people to inquire how they felt towards his
Government and how they treated BY his officers On
hearing Of any oppression by his oG. - would cause
them TO be summoned before him and punished. This
nj he lint nlaA HE nf,ca
all the Government officials practsed less
oron and oppression and finding they could not keep
il up, they conspred against the King and slew him.
prince succeeded Phya TAX and his reign is called
the first in Bangkok The present King is the fourth
that family. Phya TAX being regarded by the princes
m interoper the Samese avoid speaking Of him
OF their Kings and still less of the soyeregns who
resided at Bangkok. AARON II. PALMER.
WASHINGTON, NOVEMBER, 1853
Bri History Of SIAN, Wrisn English by tie pre'ent Sc
NOR Hing, kis Ngjesy SoMDEI PRA PARAXESDET MANA
MossEUT.
am just avaing myself Of opportunity for search
ing into pages Of Siamese ancen: history and beg
state that ancient capital Ayutha, before the
year A. d. 1850, but the ruin Of ancient place
belonging to Kambujs now known as Camboda formerly
called Lawck whose inhabitants then possessed Southern
SIAM Western Kambuja. Ayutha is situated in lati-
tude lie 19f north and longitude 1909 81 from
Greenwich There other cities not far also
possessed by the Kambujnn but their precise locality,
much Of their history cannot be satisfactorily
certainsd. Some time in the year 1900 the former in
habitants were much diminished by frequent with
the Northern samese and the Peguans, Mons that
these cities we're vacated left in runous state and
nothing remained but their names.
Former inhabitants declared that the people Of Chang
raj, province of what is now called Changmai, North
Laos and Kampengpe being frequently subjected great
annoyances from their enemies deserted their native
country and formed establishment at ang, in
the western part Of Siam proper, and built city which
they called Thepha maha nakhon, whence has been pre-
served in the national records the OF capital
down to the present day, Krung Thepha maha nakhon
Their city about latitude l6' north aad longitude 990
east and their FIVE Kings Of the first dynasty reigned
til the sixth, named UThong Bod, assembled
the throne in 1874 This King il is said soh-in-
law to bis predecessor who named Lerichai Chang
Len, who was without male ISSUE and therefore the
throne descended 10 his son-naw by right Of the ROYAL
daughter. UThong Ramathi- Bod was mghher Prince
than any OF his predecessors and subsequently,
ed and subjected to his sway all Southern Siam and
provinces in the Malayan peninsula He made Chaljang
the seat Of his government for six years. and thea in
sequence Of the prevalence Of disease Of
character he caused various researches be made for
some healthy location, and finally fixed Hpoa the
site Of Ayuths, and there founded his ncy capital in
April 1850 This date is ascertaned fact From this
period the Samese annals correct and the &c
counts generally reliable, being accompanied by dates
days, months, and years from 1850 10 1907.
Ayuthia, when founded, was gradually improved, an,
became and more populous w natural increase
the settlement there Of families Of Laos Kambujans Peg
uans, and people from Yunnan in China, who had bee
brought there captives and by Chinese and Mussul
men from India who came there for purposes OF trade
Here regned fifteen Kings Of dynasty successors
and belonging TO the family Of UThong Rama bod
who, after his death, was honorably designated Phr