Middletown transcript., 1874-06-27
Small Vessels and Great Builders

Preserved with commendable pride by
the people of England are several beau
tiful little models Of ships that were con-
structed by King William ~, long be-
fore he assembled the throne He is often
called England's - sailor king" because
he spent the best years of his life in active
service in the navy of his country, enter
ing as midshipman at thirteen years of
age, and passing through its regular
gradations to the exalted position of Lord
High Admiral, which he did not reach
till he was past fifty ; not very long be-
fore he succeeded to the throne of Eng
land. He was boy of earnest, practical
character; and though the son of king,
surrounded by the pomp of royalty, he
was noted for his simple, unestentatious
habits.
While mldshipman, on board his fri
gate, he studied diligently, and performed
with alacrity the duties assigned him
and for recreation in his leisure hours, he
built a model of the ship in which he was
sailing, and afterward made several
others.
The first one was something less than
four feet long; the second and third, each
about thirty-four inches and all were
beautifully executed, showing that the
boy-builder knew what he was about,
and meant to accomplish his work to the
best of his ability. Every mast and yard
was whitfield out with as much care as if
1t belonged to real vessel; each bit of
canvas was cut and sewed according to
rule; and rigging, ratings, and shrouds
were as skillfully disposed as if the tiny
craft had been expected to g hoist anchor .
and bear away living freight of men
and women.
These models, built by England's
i" sailor king" in his boyhood, are care
fully preserved in the Royal Polytechnic
Institution of London, where have often
seen them, in company with quite a vari-
ETY. of miniature crafts of different nations.
Another miniature model that l have Of
ten admired, is one built by the late
King of Siam, who died about five years
ago.
When first met Prince Chau Fa moi,
be was about thirtyfve years of age, the
. heir apparent" to the grandcst Of ori-
entail monarchies, and surrounded by
pomp and luxury of every kind. He
lived in fine palace, had hundreds of
servants to wait upon him, and of the ten
millions of people who live in that coun-
try, all who met him, with the single ex-
ception of the king, had to do him rever-
ence as their liege lord. But though SO
rich and powerful, he studied to improve
his mind; and to elevate the condition of
his people, he worked with his own hands
harder than did many of his servants, till
his mind and character quite outshone his
wealth and rank He studied astronomy,
drawing. mathematics and and navigation,
besides several European languages. Nor
did he spend all his time with books; for
his main design was not to gain the repu-
tation Of a scholar, but to help the nation,
over whom he afterwards reigned, to be-
come wiser and better. So he learned
how to make watches and clocks, by tax
ing several to pieces and putting them to-
gether again, and then afterwards he
taught some of his servants to do the
same. They succeeded SO we'll, that now
people in Siam do not have to send to
Europe or America for watches and
clocks, as formerly, but good timepieees,
made by natives, can be bought there
nearly as cheaply as in this country
This good prince also taught his people
the use of many articles of furniture of
which they knew nothing, and provided
the doctors with foreign medicines and