, 1873-06-01
LlTERAT'URE.::.
st8lAm: The Land OF rho White E1e
phnnf: A. 1t Was and lR.s3

tarestinE as anoye1, and which owes this fasci
nation to the fact that tho creator part Of the
descriptions are from Mr. Bacon'a own note
book, made under circumstances Of peculiar 'ad-
vantage, in visiting India in ono OF the Vessels
Of the United States East India Squadron, after
the ratification Of the treaty Of 1856. This per-
sonal knowledge has given to the selections
/ TRANSCRIBED from other writer's q discriminating
choice and adjustment, 80 that tho work has
freshness and unity that do not belong to
mere compilations, and an animation that con-
veys itseH maguetically to the reader. !.
The first 1--WE chapters are devoted to the 60
ography and history of the Kingdom OF Siam, !.
and / record Of its intercourse with other coun-
tries. The history includes the romantic -biog
raphy Of Constantine Phaulcon, known as II.
Constance, native OF Greece who, having been
taken into favor by the Court Of Siam tor the
wonderful manner in which be supplsnted the
Moors in ordering royal entertainments, formed
the ambitious design OF converting tho country
from Buddhism to the Catholic faith. Louis
band Of Jesuits and French soldiers But: the
jealousy OF native Princes frustrated tho bold
plan and q career OF splendor which has left.
it's trace in the ruins Of palaces, ended IN torture
cred indignihes with the behavior Of =
martyr. Under the sentence OF death, Con-
Rtance WAS at last mounted upon III elaphane,
and taken to the forest OF Thale Phutson IS Il,
says the pious biographer Of his time Who e1atts
the character Of Phaulcou to that Of j" sublime
genius, !" the tyrant who ordered bis execution
Il had chosen the horrors Of solitude to bury in
oblivion an unjust and cruel deed"
The seat Of government Of the present dynasty
OF Siam, Bangkok, on the River Meinam, "is not
far from 60 miles nearer to the mouth OF the
river than Agatha, the former capital and the
geographical change wss significant OF an ad-
vance towards the other nations Of the world,
and Of more intimate relations OF commerce and
- I< Etr
singular city, which has been called tRs Venice
an" e1emplihcation Of all the tropical
1nxuriance, and languor,. and aplendorr,
that impressed our Imagination in Tennyson's
apcription pi N is almost poem. Is it extends over
eevera1 pages, we quote only the passages which
mark exceptional Characteristics : the wonderful
fre-hies Of the Meinam, and the temple-bells
OF Bangkok:
The night came down upon mo .(he writss1 E nth
s.artling suddenness-for there IL twilight within
the night had fallsn thicf and dask and TIE dsnas
mas 1s Jet t thie1sr I'D noss dark
10 or Is Feet in height grow dense On either ade ana
steetebad the xorast trses. Among them rose tho:
noise Of Aightbirds, hzards tTumpeter-beeles, and
creatures countless and yas3ons making hoasse an 1
the jungle, with its darkness and !ts ON.
had such beauty a have never seen equaled when
us myraao nfe-n1es sPaFoeo s4ueA ~ sseA5 a.Ies
never seen or beard Of anything Like these The Pc
culiarty Of them was, not that they were 30 many,
were very large but that they clusered u pre-
concerted plan, on certatn kinds Of trees, avoiding
carefnny al other nnos ann taen, as ~ Sn AZ. o.
6ons - ol1ee.oe ~ .ne spee.ae4es 10y ~ go st-;s 49, -
nght It ,a M e1a & 10
living light Imasine I'll 1t one instant was black-
meas Of darkness, md the croan9 Jungle Then sud-
denly, on every side, haahed out these nery Irees
tho form ot each, from topmo5;; t@'s 70 ou'iooe'
boogh' sef tn'ek win naming ]e"eis. -:
: The flooding sunlight OF the tropical morning.
did not dlspel from the traveller the sensa-1on OF
passing through some Pieasant drea1n o. Ine
AIaolan N'R1Is u WAS tnen .nae .ne a1i .s's.s Maa
filled with delicate anu deucloua mus1c' illus
explained:
Within stons's throw Of my window rose the shin
ipg tower Of ha mose splendid temple u bang5oa-
from ~ o1sn .h; ~ s a,J ~ = d no1a
tha 2n {aet md eVaTx inch Of IT, eeulsr surface
elitters with ornaments Curiously wrought into It
sre forms Of men and BIRDS and grotesque bcasts,
that seem, With ousstretched hands o. claws to hold It
up. Two.hi.ds Of the WY from the oaae stand IT.
nem1er 19ur wnl.e eeph1nss, H. tnr ~ 1,,ts
~ the cnnnass From fha rnnnded summit rises uLsa
needle sharp spire This was the tenpe-tover and
ali over the magnificent pile from Tip OF the high
est needle to the base, from every prominent angle
and projection, there were hanging sWeet-soncd bells
win Ate .oen e. Ians T.; 10 sabtaa1 ~
a ny Ana. a toy 9 "en +ns; cana frn Evan ia
stood and looked caught the breezes at 1t. Coming
from the unseen distance, rpplfng the smooth surface
Of the swift river, where busy oass and carved or
gilded prows Of many bosts were flashing IN the sun
sweepns 1,n p1easanI ~ .rsna
"a ~ ~ ns sn9 ~ or - ~ fa thaT csnoht
he shinfn9 bells Of the ereat tower and tossed he
music out of them. :
In this oharminc "Ven;ce Of the East" were
eigns to whom, reigning together under the
titles OF the First and Second King, sism owes
its dignity among the nations. In them. while
they lived, and IN their intelligent and worthy
sons and Successors, all that is most Important
in the history and condition Of Siam is centred
They died. the younger in 1865, and the elder
ters Of these royal brothers, described with care
fu1 ana1ysis, and the life-1ike picture OF their
Courts, where barbarism and enlightenment
meet in curious lines Of transition, form the
most interesting portion oil "Ihe Land OF the