New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-07-20
INTERESTING FROM SIAM.
C.r.wopdsnee Of the n. Y. Tribune.

during visit Of few snort weeks.
We arrived az the bar, at the mouth OF 'he
river on which Bangkok is situated, 10 the carry
part Of January We cast anchor ~ mules from
hpd. and 80 from Bangkok. Toe day after we ar
r;,.A s cot ON. the long boat and started for the
e;tv but the wind blew Sd strong that we had 70
he BY for while; when about noon We espled
ANAL steamer coming down TO one OF the ships IN
the barbor. The captain sent a boat to inquire If
we could have passage ny. Permission was cheer
fully accorded, and they soon came alongside fof u.s.
II proved to be small party on pleasure eIcur-
non They took us on board, with our thanks,
bag and baggage, including bat in which to
return.
Among the company was Mr.. C., the business
agent for our snip. lie lDtroduced US W DIS
friends, so that We room felt at home. In shoft
time We reached Pok-nsm fortified town, not
far from the mouth Of the river. There was very
little town about bat plenty Of forts. 1t looked as
if one good gaDboat would dem0ish the whole thing
in A yery few minutes. sm,l pyramid stood
.Aon an inland in the river, bailt of BRICK aud
sfuceo, and slsteDiDg white. l did not sno" at
6rs, whether 10 admire the architecture or not, 1t
vss 40 very different from anything Ind ever seen
before Instead Of a s,ragh, line from base to t'p,
the side curved in; al,hou, built 10 steps, It Was
not plsiD but covered with various ind-ntauons;
No that the more / looked the more IT grew 10
Aeauty saw these pyramids IN great abundance
vben We got to the city. The river near the
n.uth bas thick fringe Of Jungle on each side.
Back Of it are the rice plantations. All the soli
here near the mouth ia evidently formed from what
The river brings down. the land Is very Hat, as We
have to 20 80 miles from the mouth before we come
70 hills, and then they are not bieb 10y any means.
We arrived up about IN the evening, and i0dhd
several American captains 10 the city, some OF
whom had been waiting here nee or Sx m0dths iJr
charters. Their house is built on the Iiver. Ii
has been the custom heretofore to build ho,tlog
houses on RATS Of bamboo; bu, since the treaty,
tbe foreign residents have butt substantial houses
on the land, of succeed bricks, with 6road veran-
dshs and other cOnvrnieDces for bot climate.
All the missionaries now have good houses, 10
which, in conjunction with the Use OF homeopathic
remedies they attribute their present good health.
Il is great contrast TO the old times ot damp
houses and alDopshc p0'sons he missionaries
tell me (and two we're educated as doctors) that
they were compelled to give up alopathy, OWING
to the hot climate as they could not Contend against
both the heat and the p0soDs.
The missionaries have done little toward civil
izipp the natlves-that s to say, Il few of their
great men spesk English and begin 10 understand
SUmeihip about science. The people say that they
like the missionaries, as men and women, and like
what they teach, but they don't approve of their
religion. Some of the mission ladies have been t. the
palace TO teach the English language to the princess
but when they had learned sufficient t. read Eogllsh
beOks they preferred 10 study works on chemistry,
astronomy and natural philosophy, rather than read
The Bible.
One day we called TO see the Kings brother; we
had not been there long before he asked the Captain
70 get him good work on navigation. think his
object was to teach himself, that he might
teach his captains. At present. they have to EN-
plVy foreigners to command their vessels IN
n,iorlty Of cases. The Sismese own a large mum
Der of vessels, and are continually building more.
The material is teak wood which grows IN abund-
nnce here. In the course of our VISIT the Prince
asked the Captain to show him how to calculate
the time an eclipse (Which he saw IN the Nautical
Almanac, calculated for Greenwich) would begia
at Bangkok. They have an idea that an educated
white knows everything, which makes them more
anxious to learn. They are an exceedingly vain
people, and great part OF their zeal may be
prompted by desire to show on
one Saturday l visited "wat," as their temples
are called. These watts are very common, and
almost every rich man builds one. 1t Is considered
very merltOrous act to build wat. When the
owner dies his bones burned thee instead of IN
the public burning place. Inside OF this one was
IN image Of Buddha, about fifty feet long, lyiog on
its eide, surrounded by other images, three or Tour
feet high, in a sitting posture.
called and told me that there was to be show up
1he river ne 1t day. In the morning we started up
the river with two captains and boy To show Us
the way About miles up We laoded and forced
cur way to the Temple grounds, when We suddenly
found ourselves at the heels of group of nine ele-
plants, the smallest of which was larger than any
ever raw at home. The drivers started them out
of our way and we found Ourselves alongslde of the
nobility. The kings children were playing near
Us; they were very pretty children, alth0us they
were Il AIDED With bracelets aud chains enough to
make them stagger. The children were very yell
low having been washed with turmerlc yellow is
the regal color here. none but the nobility being al
lowed to wear il. We saw the kiog's female troops
who act as guard Of the harem, the females of
which not allowed to 60 out of the palace except
upon occasions of great religious festivals, and
then are completely covered except one eye.
Four natives were swinging on plank 40 feet
high, q see-saw, as We would call II III AmerI.
ca They were endeayoring to swing high enough
to reach some purses which hung suspended from
poles which the sxinger could have If ne could
reach them.
Near by, there was noble sitting in state, as
proxy for the King, performing some Hindoo GER
emony-so the prince told us. After the prizes
were all caught, the elephants came up and took
the Kings children into the capopied seats upon
their backs. They marched of fret; after them
went the male soldiers, nearly naked, and then the
female troops. We went to see the Temples.
They present great contrast 10 every thing else
in the country, for they are the only things on
which any attempt at ornament is made These
watts are surrounded BY very large grounds which
are very we'll taken care of. They all have nuue-
rous priests who do not work, except TO make
ilnages aud attend ~ burning the dead, for which
they get pay.
The religion is Buddhism, resembling very
much the Braminism Of India, with the exception
of castles, which are here done away with. Any
man can be priest; they can join at any age and
n l. 81 liza hut uhIln they Az nria.fs