The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-04-21

! Dcllcfcu W w u plONkt VI W
the king and country.
Bangkok, the capital ofSiam, is siiuat-
cd on the Meinam at some distance from
its mouth, and is called the Venice Of the
east The river is its principal thorough
fare, and uTon this and the tributary
canals most of the travel and carriage il
conducted, though there are also, as il
Venice, passage.ways for pedestrians.
These watery streets are thronged with
boats of every size and variety, aud with
barges, upon which are constructed abodes
of bamboo. In such floating abodes large
numbers Of the people dwell The shores
are pleasantly fringed with trees aud lin
ed with houses and shops and sail along
the river is described os being exceeding
ly delightful, the scene ever varying
here. animated with the traffic Of people Of
many nations-Samese, Chinese, Malay.
or Europcan-there the stiffness unbroken
save by soft strains Of music from the
palaces, or the tinkling bells of some pa
CODA.
These pagodas. or temples, exceed the
palaces 10 costliness and magnificence, and
are of tasteful architecture. The most
splendid one in Bangkok, from the base
to the tip Of its spire, measures more than
two hundred feet, every inch Of its sur
face glittering with ornament, or wrought
with figures Of men and birds and grotes-
que beasts, and from every angle and pro-
lection hang swcet-toncd bells with little
gllded fans attached to their tongues, aud
vibrating to the Slightest breeze. tenn
pie within the enclosure OF the kings
palace is remarkable for the richness Of
its u tNv'-'iO'-.-. - ',.- silver mats upon
the floor. large collection OF curlosltIe,
aud articles Of value and beauty, and COD
tans the celebrated statue Of Buddha.
known as the emerald god 1t is abou.
a foot and a.half high, and is probably
not carved from au emerald, but il Of
malachite or porphyry. 1t is SAID that
at the coronation Of each king statue OF
this idol is constructed and Sc. az, life
size, and OF solid gold.
A few houses in Bangkok are built Of
stone and brick, those OF the middle cla3s
Of wood, anl the dwellings of the poor Of
light bamboo and rooted with leaves oi
the palm. They generally have veran'
dah in front and a wing upon each side
The city is 80 completely embowered in
shade. that to one gazing down upon 1t
from the Spirc OF some pagoda, it has tho
appearance of u dense forest. Tho wall
are nearly five miles in circumference,
though they do not include the entire city
the pu,ul,iion Of which is estimated AZ
more than half million.
The s,iamese are an indocnt race IA
lure being so lavish that little ,Seriion r.
required 10 maintain existence. TheY aro
gentIe, cheerful, and aiFectionatc in dis
position. fond OF sports, rope-daaeing
theatrical displays, and the like, spending
half their time in amusements' TheY
are sharp and witty in conversation,
Here are somc Of their pithy sayings or
proverbs
when You 90 into tho woods 10 ao'
forget your wood.knlte.'
An elephant, though lie has tour l7gs,
may slip and a doctor is not always
right
"Go up by land. you meet Il tiger 70
down by water you meet n crocodile y
1T dog bite you. do not bite him
again.
In spite Of the efforts OF the missionaries
among them, the large proportion OF these
people cling to their worship Of Buddhs
A tavnrite resort for pilgrims is III,
u shrine Of the footsteps of Buddha. Thu
II foots,ep was discovered by King oil Sian
during the seventeenth century. The reli'
J is to be seen at Pharbat, some dstanc,
/ uorth of Bangkok, where temple ha'
= been constructed. 1t is probably ih,
> footprint of some antediluvian or unknown
animal.
1t is a prevailing practice among th'
Siamese for an inferior in rank to croucf
: or kneel in the prcsncc Of superior
.. Princes, mobiles, and even his own children
i remain PROSTATE in the presence Of the
king, though recent docree of the pres
eDt occupant Of the throne leaves ihil
d ceremony optional with those members oi
. his court who, like himself, adopt tht
European coustume. The magnificenct
: of the royal establishment mas been des
\ cribed as equaling that which we read oI
in the Arabian Nights. The presant king
> however, in his desire to initiate Europe
an manners, has built new palace, moo
u ern in architecture and all its belongings
Like his predecessor who distinguished
himself BY his wisdom and spirit of pro
gress, he is inclined to do away with mucl
Of the superstition and barbarlsm Of hi'
: subjects. Slavery has been abolished
= within few years, the printing pres
: has been introduced, treaties have beer
entered into with western nations and
the influx of foreigners and contact With
> them is working a great change among
> these people and the Land of the Whit
= Elephant promises soon to rival Chins
and Japan in It's march toward ciyiliza
ton