Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-02-09
THE GAZETTE.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY g. 1859.
A STATE DINNER IN SLAM.

ASTATE DINNER IN SLAM.
In large room. with plain wl:itcwashed
walls. but handsomely furnished, sit the con-
sui and his wife, duly attired to do honor to
their expected guests. Some of the Junior
officers of the consulate loiter on the verandah
watching the boats on the river, the great
highway of Bangkok. Presently rich
barge. distinguished by row of official UNI
brelias, at the stern, glides to the pier, and
from it steps the Pranklang, whom Euro
Quickly following, in anotherand still richer
barge comes his Royal Highness, the Prince
Wongsa, chief of the princes, half-brother
of the kings, and equally punctual, the kala-
home, or prime minister, rides into the court
upon beautiful pony, followed, as also the
others. by a numerous train ofslares.
The illustrious company sit
down to dinner, and an excellent dinner it
is. for, thanks to the skill of our preservers,
and the activity of our purveyors, no one
who has the means to afford them need now
he without all the lu1uries of an English and
French bill offare. Turtle soup and salmon,
hare and currant jelly, peas and beans, dam
son tart and Stilton cheese, with many other
less familiar but higher sounding viands, re-
lieve the invariable staple of a Bangkok din
ner-fowls and ducks; even these to-day
make their appearance in a new guise, plum
ped with English stuf6ng, savoury with
French mushrooms.
Madras supplies the most appetising of
curry stuffs, and Bombay sends the ducks Ia
kind of dried fish, to eat with it; California
contributes the potatoes, and Australia the
flour; France, Spain, Germany, and Portugal
each send of their best wine; the West Indies
furnish the curacao; there are dates from
Egypt and almonds from Persia; coffee from
Ceylon and tea from China: scarcely coun-
try in the world but helps TO that dinner, ex-
cept. thanks he to heaven, the Cape of Good
Hope had bad liquor. The guests taste curl
ously all that is set before them, but to their
hosts modification, they only taste, for. like
all good Siamese, they dined at midday,
three hours since; and now, Us they quietly
confess, are full" The soup is Just slipped.
the salmon pulled to pieces with fork, the
hare gives occasion for rude remark on the
exquisite dinners. NJ. de Montigny, negotia-
tor ofthe French treaty, who brought train
ofcooks in his suite, had given them, to
which dinners, it is to be presumed, they
went without first spelling their appetites;
and on prawns being put on the table with
the cheese, they expressed themselves aston
ished at the vulgarity--.prawns, indeed, OF
which any slave can catch AZ many as ne
likes by droppinga line and bent pin into the
river. Some readers may smile at the idea
Of angling for prawn~, but they are much
larger than their congeners in these cold latl-
tudes, varying from five to ten inches IN
length, and giving quite as good sport as our
rudgeon. They drink little of the sherry,
the wine will not tempt, and the claret Is
rejected, but they do not conceal their high
appreciation of the curacao. The Prince
wishes to take wine with the gentleman next
him. whose attention is called to the fact by a
vigorous poke in the ribs; he turns around,
his noble friend, is grinning expressively,
and tapping his wine glass, two glasses are
quickly filled. two heads are gravely inclined.
two glasses are emptied, and the interesting
rite il over. A minute more, and the Prak-
lang follows the example of his royal high
ness, another poke, another draught; and he
may sit at ease; he has but two neighb0rs
and his ribs may rest for that evening. The
Prince and Praklang continue drinking with
all around the table, attracting attention where
their arms will not reach by series OF nor
rid grunts and quick repetitions OF his name
whom they wish to honor.
Dinner is over. the cloth is off, and the ia
BILE CLOVIS with purple mangosteens and pink
blushing mangoes, golden pines, and heaps
of scarlet rambutan. The sweetest preserves
are swimming IN bowls Of rich cut glass;
Lovely flowers Of exquisite odor spring from
silver vases; the choicest painted china and
the most sparkling of glasses surround the
luxurious pile; leaving clear only narrow
path, round which the decanters may circle.
The princes son and the prime minister )
nephew, who have been sitting ON the veran-
dab during dinner, are now invited IN; the
former, a boy of about eleven is permitted to
take a chair near his father. but, pushed back
the latter takes more humble seat on the
floor. The cigar bearers crawl in and all the
Siamese. Youngsters included, begin to smoke;
for time there is silence, but the cigars are
soon finished, and then they attend to the
toasts. Their maiesties tho Kings OF Siam
have their health proposed in curt speech by
our excellent consul; but his breyity IL moth
thing to the princes who, rising up anu cal
ling attention by grunt, utters in broken
syllables- "Her-Ma-ye-tihQ Queen Wlk-toer-
ier," and then gives second grunt of satisfac-
ton as all loyally respond to it. A few other OF
their toasts follow, but dessert has little charm
for them, they are not in a laxative mood
and before Mrs Consul has finished her glass
of port (some reader conversantw with Eastern
life will saw, it was sherry, and that people
do not drink port in those warm countries;
but l say port have all jumped up and are
walking about the room, again smoking
No entreaties can prevail on them to return
to the table and in few minutes the minis
ters. apologising for so early departure; ne
cessitated by their important duties, take their
leave The Praklang. leaning affably on the
arms oftwo young officers, returns to ms barge
and the kalahome is borne off in II palankeen
surrounded by bevy of runners. each bear
in aaring torch.-Times' Correspondents
Letter.
OUR MUSICAL FRIEND.
WEEKLY publication Of SHEET MUSIC.
n suitable for the players and singers OF the
Home circle, and consisting of sixteen pages tnii 10"
"