The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1855-06-20
III istrllonD. y .
Siam and its inhabitants.

- S''H' iNhi - INolNilt w tHt t.ulllbllC
Church in Siam. Ills statements arc
presumed to be reliable. and are In soine
respects new and curious.
Siam formerly went by name which
signihed Tile Kingdom of the Free
than which. by thc way. nothing could
be more absurd. as no State is under a
more absoluio>rulc: Siam proper has
for its tributaries, surrounding 1t. the
Kingdoms Igor, Camboga, Lao. four
petty Malay States. and several Princi-
lalilies Every three yenrs these ,rib.
utdries make offerings to Siam Of gold
md silver and of a contingent # troops.
The population of the Kingdom is about
six millions. Of whom about two millions
are S;amcsc, ono and half millions Of
Chinese, one million Mrlavs, the same
number Laos and the residue made up
of variety of races The great plain
of Siam is fenced in on the cast and
west BY ranges OF mountains. branches
Of the llimaays. In the north they arc
broken up into variety of Inferior rl1c-
cs. This makes very mountainous
country of the Seic of Lao The grand
chain is $50 miles long aud $50 broad.
and is watcrcd by the river Mo.nam.
(thc Nile of SIAM by which they are
furrowed and also by innumcrablc canals
and small rivers. The sea-shorc is vari-
cga'cd and picturesque.
Siam has some ports In twelve hours
mp the river Me nam. vessel reaches
Bangkok the capital of Siam The gulf
of Siam is not subject to the devas tating
typhoons of the Chinese sea. and ship.
wrecks in its waters are very rare. Du-
ring the months of May. juno and July.
the gulf is as smooth as mirror. The
heat in Siam is not unendurabc On
the great plain an occan-like breeze
blows steadily, and there the clima,r is
salubrous but in the mountains. cloth
cd with dense forests, there prevails
fever very deadly to the unacclimated
The seasons are but two--the wet and
the dry For six months steady south.
west wind brings white clouds which are
dissirated daily in rain and thunder
The residue of the year, a like constant
wind from the north is after drd by
perfect serenity of the atmosphere. The
dry season is very hoalthful. ard in
March ard April is the greatest Lent
In March. for a Fortnight, there always
falls very sinetilar dew. At break of
day. the almost here being forry. at the
first beam of the rising sun, this fog is
prccipaicd in a very heavy dew The
Mc-nam. (mothcr Of fwaters) the hundred
leagues long, emptics its waters eight
leagues below Bangkok This river in.
unda'cs the great plain orce each year.
and the yield of the rice crop is prnror.
TONED TO the depth Of the overt ow
Frcm the effect of the tide the plain
twelve le1gues from the sea, is never
overflowcd, while its upper rart i, ,tnder
the water several mouth'. Sam. per
hars is quite uncquolled in productive
power. The sediment of the iIcnam.
with the lightest tillaEe. yields prodipi.
GUS quantities nf rice beyond the usual
necessities of the population. Fish mul.
tiply amazingly during the inuudaticns,
ard ut the mouth of the four chiefrivers
the gulf abounds in thein-part cularly
large kind Of Sardinc. which is
the chief food Of tho people fer six
months Of the year. Twelve or fifteen
ships loads OF these fish are yearly cx.
ported to China. Poultry game, sugar
aud bananas. arc sold astouishly lowand
yet labor is high 1t is not the scarcity
OF money, but, the abundance of food
winch causes the cheapness.
bangkok, Capital of Siam, las a rcp.
ula'lon OF Jon" manfred Monsan3 The
cry proper is on AN island. cncrclcd by
walls, cmaaltled and flahkcd with has.
IONS 1t lies in the midst of an i'm
mense garden. glowing with perpetual
verdufc' and presents most picturesque
appearance. ships and multitude Of
luhks' protusely decorated with FLAGS. Gil
'he two channels of the river There
are great many religious cdificcs, with
oomeS ana lofty spires. Two lines of
snipS' ho.ting on RATS and following the
curves OF the river which is furrowed in
every direction by elegant barges, give
novelty TO tue scene The fortress is as
white as driven snow the glded spires
oil the royal palace, which is walled in,
and the pagodas are especially remarka,
bic. The royal pagodas arc astonishing
iy magnlicent,-some costing more than
seven hundred thousand dollars. One
oil 'hem iorms grand monastery, where
some nve hundred priests are lodged,
| without flOuSand pbil1ran eo,,o