Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1876-11-25

TIE CREMATION OF A PRINCEss.-ln
accordance with the Siamese custom, in
the case of persons of exalted rank, the
body of the late princess, after being
prepared in a manner somewhat similar
to the process OF embalming,lay in state
for upward of two months in a coffin
placed in Buddhist temple. The Gre
nation took place at about three o'clock
in the afternoon, shortly before which
hour, His Highness the Regent, atten-
ded by his sons and the officers OF State
appointed to represent their Majesties,
the first and second kings, arrived at
the pavilion that had been constructed
for the occasion. This was large
bamboo building capable of containing
about one thousand persons, and open
at one side like race course stand. In
front stood the altar, also constructed
of green bamboo, surmounted by a
canopy of the same material, about for
,, ty feet in height, tastetully decorated
with flowers. Flowers were also FRO
fusely strewn on the tagots and round
about.
At the foot of the altar were seated
about twenty men, producing on native
instruments the most weird and I'M
earthly Emusic, and close to was u
Chinese open-air fantoccini exhibiting,
which was keeping vast crowd OF both
Chinese and Siamese in state OF up
roarieus laughter. The ceremony last
ed until sunset.
After the ceremony the Regent con-
Quoted his guests to the Pavilion, and
there, with bis sons and other members
of his family, took up position on the
steps of the altar. The musicians, with
their tom toms, horns, and reed instru-
ments, redoubled their efforts, and amid
the wild blast of barbarous music, the
coffin was borne in and placed upon the
funeral pyre, which was composed OF
fagots, all neatly shaped to a uniform
size, and each one tipped with gold
leaf, the whole being saturated with
turpentine and inAammable oil. The
Regent (who, like all the Siamese pre-
sent, was dressed entirely in white, the
national mourning color, was then pre-
sented by kneeling slave with alight-
ed torch, with which he first fred the
pile. Each of his sons, in the order Of
their seniority, then did the same, fol-
lowed by all the other relatives, these
in turn being succeeded by the old gen.
tlemans concubines, numbering some
five and twenty. The guests were then
invited to assist, and after they had
done so, the general public were aG-
mitted without reserve; ard in short
time the altar with its canopy and
floral decorations was completely en-
veloped in flames.
The roses and other flowers withered
in the scorching heat, the bamboo
pillar, cracked and sputtered, the at
PENDANTS stimulated the fierce FIRE, threw
upon it spices and essences which filled
the air with strange odors; the music
became faster and more wildly furious,
and soon the costly coffin with its con.
tents became merely heap of ashes.
Presently the columns supporting the
canopy were burnt through, and the
whole structure fell with crash on the
fire, which soon found its way again
and blazed with fresh fury, sending a
dense cloud of smoke far above the tops
of the sage paine and cocosnut trees.
Soon after this we all took leave of the
Regent and bis family, each Of us re.
ceiving as a souvenir a pure gold
mourning ring, made in the palace by
the royal goldsmiths. -.Aho California.