The Hawaiian gazette., 1874-08-05
The Land of the white Elephant.

had new interest IN western eyes, ana travels ant
recolleefions narratives and statistics have grown
numerous. Harpers have recently Published verl
attractive book in this connection under the It'll,
we have given above BY Frank Vincent. Jr. Mr. V
reached RangoOn in April, 1871; started up the IRA
waddy-navigabe 1000 miles-in April; wondered
at eight miles Of the ruins OF Paghan-pagodas, pa
aees temples Of stone aud brick, and attained thS
royal capital Of Mandalay. The second largest bel
in the world, weighing ninety tons, here. IN.
city Is new; chiefly of brick, and q recent fire hat
destroyed five thousand houses. The population
numbers 10000, including fourteen Europeans and
many Chiuese The eityis enclosed bya brick wall
has three macadamized parallel streets each way,
with many side streets, and channels for water
bordering each-the water brought from the river
by canal ffleen miles long. The palace grounds
cover seventy-two acres and are doubly walled The
officials eheaply lodged. The military uniform
is a waist-cloth aud the arm is blunderbuss. The
King is short, stout, pleasant crafty looking man
OF five and fifty, and told the traveller "he had
great Partially for Americans and wished them to
come over and COLOMBO in his domnons Mr.. Vim
cent was the first American presented except me-
chanieal engineer, employed ten years previous and
the King pressed him TO remain; offering him as
many Burmese wives as be wished and rank; and
gave him Rs 100. The monarch has four wives and
one hundred coneubines. He desired commercial
treaty with the United States, aud American pre-
senee TO repress British annexstious The govern
ment is despotic in aud near the capital; weak in
the provinces. Rice cotton, paddy, gold. coal, am
Der and gems a royal monopoly. Bribery aud
\ corruption are rampant, and the King is so unsafe
that he dares go abroad and has never seen his
own steamboats,, or Yentured into his own new pal
ace Still he has built telegraph lines, and offers iu-
/ ducements to western mechanics and engineers
The White Elephant of the monarch was vicious
female, aud artihcially whltened. The artillery
sheds hold cannon captured from Siam, twenty feet
/ long and four inches bore. The bazaars are well
stocked with Bengal steel goods, British cloths,
Chinese silks, &c; sixty per cent interest is com
mon. The market is filled with fish and vegetables.
There is Buddhist monastery 800 miles up the river
and the intermediate scenery is aue. Iron, coal.
lead, tin, copper gold and silver are found in tue
near mountains, and sulphur, ntre, marble amber,
teak, oak, gems, maize, wheat, cotton tobacco and
sugarcane are more or abundant; the petroleum
wells yield 100000 annually AT Thayctimo the
English have cantoumeut, aud General Norman
remembered Mr.. Stewards visit.
Leaving Rangoon, Mrs. Judson's grave was seen
near Amherst, and Maulman was found to have 10
COO population and great teak timber yards worked
by elephants, some of which command from Rs
500 to 5000 PulO-Penang has 1000 inhabitants,
including 200 Europeans; and Penang mountain, on
the mainland, has groves of bresd-fruit trees cocoa
nutmegs, cloves, bananas bamboos and pepper.
The observatory is $500 feet above the sea. Malac.
ca has declined from 10000 to 1900 inhabitants,
tWo-thirds Malays and the Chinese monopolize the
trade. Albuquerque's Notifications still stand. and
the church is there that held St Francis Xavier's
remains An American bar.room was found at Sin
gapore, with mixed drinks, Boston Arctic soda.
fountain, billiard and reading rooms. Gutta percha
was discovered here. The population numbered
10000 sx-tenths Chinese. It. is free port eoaling
station and general commercial emporium DR..
Jewell of Washington, after seventeen years service
there, is the American Consul The Chinese temple I
is large; the market good, and the cocoauuts are /
cultivated near for their oil. Mr.. Whampoa over 4
tops the local peerage with fortune Of So, OOOO GOO
Having spent several months in Java, Japan and 4
China, and met Ministers Low and Wade, Mr. Vim. .
cent entered the Menam river; called on General F.
w. Partridge, OF Illinois, Bangkok, and found he
had been President Of Pennsylvania College aud
served in the Mexican and civil wars The houses
are generally ahoat Rice factories border tue river
The King lately turned several hundred Buddhist
priests adrft, ordered them TO work. and locked the
great Pagoda- There are enough pagodas left-one
covering twenty and having spre 5e feet high
The military drill is well executed. The King is
continuing his fathers intelligent improvements
The private secretary Of the second King and For
eign Minister is an exmissionary from Connecticut
Chandler. Pechabun, Que hundred miles south.
west Is the great sanitarinm. Rev. Mr. MacFarland
Pennsylvania Presbyterian Missionary said he had
twenty Siamese in twelve years, bat one
reiaPsed The palace has low stories is papered and
has an observatory. An idol IS5 feet long is one
The wonders. George Washington Krom Prah Racha
Wang BoWawn Bawara sabtan Mongkon is the
second King. he invited q number Of foreigners
% parade Of 1000 troops, who went through the
manual and musket drill well. There were two
brass bands accompanying. The Regent is a quar-
'elsome gentleman Of IS and generalissimo; but he
5 as brave, honorable and reliable as tetehy. Two
white elephants and white monkey were exhibited
he hrst hignly valued as possible inearuations Of
3udha. Brass cannon 20 feet long aud is inches
,ore were seen. There is mint with English ma
hiuery, and the Emerald Idol has a golden wig
tudded with precious stones. Statues Of ST. Peter
nd Ceres are included in the Valhalla There is
eelining Budha 145 feet long and 65 feet beam at
he shoulders.
The party LEFT for the ruins of Angkor Wat up :
he Menam, through atmosphere buzzing with
ices aud mosquitoes, aud found in an old temple an
Id garment covering an idol, Inscribed, This cloth
Nang Yai, send to my aunt Sim; if anybody steals
|, may lie 90 to heIn The river was deep, 500 feet
vide and SO tOrtuous that no straight reach was
nore than ouc-eighth Of a mile Pachim had a saw
lill and brick yard. The country villages were
mall aud mean, bat the people seemed conten.ed.
It Kabin there is gold mine, and the party we're
HORNED that the nearest well was "about as far
head as dog can bark" Forests with 200 feet
rees, among which tigers roam in company with
anthers, elephants, jaekais, monkeys, red deer and
irds; sn abundant diet Of canned goods, brandy,
line and bass; grass plains and anths lay on the
Dad to sesupou, rich in pigs and cattle. Three ele
hants were takeu-ayonng one costing $12, They :
i'll march twenty miles day and carry 100 pounds
n old stone bridge Of twenty-six arches, in the
ointed Gothic style, was crossed 10 siamrap whose
-ails are half mile in circumference and y feet
igh The Cambodfau music was found to consist
lieAy Of noise. The distance TO Angkor is $50 Il.
tiles In style and beauty Of architecture, sodty
f construction, magnificent carving and elaborate
ucture Nagkon Wat has no existing superior. &
he rims areimposiug and mysterious. The cause
AZ, rs feet long is paved with stones four BY two
60 Z