The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-04-21
SKETCHES.
Z TRIP ROUND TIT WORLD.

| ernment to effect change in the terms of
its treaty with Siam, anchored off the mouth
of the Menam river, having the land just in
sight. Until very recently, the Siamese
have had no treaties with any nation except
the United States, which has been a kind OF
| dead letter, and 10 impart vitality to which,
! by the addition of a few other articles, was
| the object eff the late mission of Mr Karris.
For years before the arrival of the Ameri-
| can Commissioner, Great Britain had, with
| difficulty, obtained treaty from Siam, on
terms of commercial reciprocity; and the
San Jacinto had passed the French Com
missioner at Singapore, who was charged
| with a similar mission from his Government.
| These special attentions of the three great
est commercial nations of the world have
had the effect of impressing the barbarians
of Siam with very exaggerated sense of
their Importance, while the Government has
learned to effect dignity by the pretentious
and circuities of the diplomacy tapes
The country has rich produce in pepper
coffee, sugar, cocoanut oil, valuable woods
| and tin.
The people of Siam are still in state of
semi barbarianism, without any other virtue
| to enumerate than that of inoffensiveness.
1t is a singular fact that the Protestant mis-
sionaries (all American) have not made
solitary convert in their twenty years ex-
perience among the Siamese, who are most
ly Buddhists. But they have done much
towards cultivating a harvest for those who
shall succeed them in their religious enter
Prise; and it may be said, with emphasis,
that they alone have given to the people
and government of Siam all the ideas they
possess of the institutions and cotempora-
neous history of civilization, while they
have already produced their minor semb-
lances on the surface of society, which in
dicate approaching changes.
1t is a disagreeable fact that the Orien-
tails, who appear SO poetical at distance
and in the light Of traditional admiration,
are transformed in the eyes of the traveller
tn Ignorant and sqnalid and hrooohloes har-
barians. We had encountered the first
Cape of Good Hope. The English and
Dutch populations are in the ascendant
there; but we frequently met with the Ben
galese, Malays, Cinnamon, Africans, mix
lures of these with the Portuguese. All of
them at the Cape wore the European cos
tune. We saw no Kaffirs or Hottentots
the latter are said to be nearly extinct. The
Bcngalese, Malays and Cinnamon were
conveyed from their homes at the expense
of the British Government to supply the
place of slave labor; it being found, after
the emancipation, that the blacks would
prefer starvation to work-the consequence
being that they are fast disappearing at the
Cape. The rule of the British is, on the
importation of cargo of the Eastern races.
to apprentice them at auction for term of
three years, at which time they may be
conveyed home again or settle in the coun-
try, according to their preference. They
are miserable wretches, their beastly and
abiect appearances attesting the wretched
and demoralizing effects of the system
They are not allowed to have their wives
with them, only few women being furn-
ished to accompany them-say one to ten.
Such is the British philanthropic substitute
for slave labor.
Next, at the Isle of France, we had an
other specimen of the Orientals, here see
ing, for the first time, the peculiarities of
the Oriental costume-caps, turbans, Chi
nese hats, robes, hip cloths and jackets
with the variety in the scene, now and then,
of the appearance of Jew dressed in short
robe and girdle, with a conical cap or
s.horn." Thence to Ceylon was the next
stage, where the Congalese and Bengalese
made their appearance, wearing long skirts
of cotton cloth wrapped tightly round the
waist and hips, the better classes being dis
tinguished by shirt or jacket in addition.
They are as indoent as possible for peo-
pie to be, who considers man independent
in the possession of seven cocoanut trees,
each tree beng valued at IS cents per year.
Hating work, they have the peculiar semi
barbarian fondness for trade, which they
carry on by the exclusive aids of lying and
cheating, such being their theory of COM
merce.
Such are Orientals, and but little improve
ment is found by going East; certainly not
in Siam or among the masses of China
Both sexes in Siam adopt no other garment
than cloth around the hips, with another
occasionally used to protect the head and
shoulders from the rain or the excessive
heat of the sun; the children go entirely
naked until about eight years old. This
scantiness of apparelis as may be we'll con-
ceived, demoralizipg in the extreme. The
women are all enslaved. They do every
thing. even to sculling the boats. The men
are all gamblers. They have the absolute
power of selling at pleasure their wives and
children for debt and thus enslave them for
life, unless they should be redeemed, which
can be seldom done, by paying the original
debt, with 80 per cent. annual interest
The men themselves may be sold for debt;