The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-05-11
The Ambassadors Eye-Glass.

4u6 hmUdSSduOI bJ6-OIdsSt
1 think 1 have already explained to
my readers that the late King of Siam
was very much given to using the long
est and hardest words to be found in the
English dictionary. 1t was his special
delight not only to show his scholarship
in English, but to amaze and cOnfound
his hearers, which, assure you, he very
often did.
I well remember, one bright, sunny
afternoon, full of the golden light pecu-
liar to the autumns in Siam, was in
my parlor, and enjoying my book, when
l received a peremptoTy summons to at
tend the King in his palace.
1 shut my book with an impatient
emphasis, and soon found myself stand
ing in an audience chamber of the inner
court, used only by the ladies of the
Kings household.
The King took no notice of me at first;
he was looking anxiously at some pretty
young women who were bending low
before him. Each of these ladies were
very handsomely dressed, with Jewels
and gauzy dresses displaying their slen-
der and beautifully-formed arms and
shoulders.
man." said he, at length, in his
quaint English, "shall it be proper for
the English Ambassador to make a re-
quest to see some of our most beautiful
women?"
at once assured him that did not
see anything improper in such request.
"If your Majesty were in England or
America" 1 said, "you would wish to
see the prettiest girls and the most
beautiful women in either country, and
it is very natural that the English Am
bassader, who is a stranger here, should
desire to see the beauties of SIAM"
"But," said the King, with his usual
cunning and desire to make grand i'm
preston, 81 cannot let him see them as
they are, with black teeth and no shoes
on their feet. He will go back to Queen
Victoria and tell her that our women
are black and without clothes, or stock
ings or shoes on their feet, and she will
consider me as barbarian of Sandwich
Islands. No, nam, you must educate
some Of these young women in Euro
pean etiquette and costume, for presen-
tation to the English Ambassador OF
Great Britain"
He then bade me select those of the
young women who might pass for West
ern beauties.
To tell the truth, I was never more
puzzled in all my life. These girls were
all, more or less, pretty after the Siam
ese type. Even according to English
ideas of beauty, they might be called
lovely in every respect but the nose.
1t was neither straight nor curved
neither Italian nor Greek, but a nose
peculiar to the pretty young women o.
Siam; that is, something sprightly, fine
irregular, and yet pure. Such a nose
was, no doubt, the despair of painters
but it was the charm of lovers anC
poets.
In addition to this deficiency of nose
the Siamese women blaeken their teeth
black teeth being esteemed as beautiful
by the fashionable ladies at the court.
The King, therefore, ordered another
lady, a sort of royal head-dresser anC
barber flor you must know that ther,
are female BARRIERS in the inner city o
of Bangkok), to have the teeth of tht
women l had selected to be scrapeC
white as milk for the occasion, so thai
they might look like English ladies.
Then, to add to my concern, only ont
day and the half of the following on,
was allowed to these poor girls and t.
me for their transformation from Siam
ese to European beauties.
A high female officer placed at my
disposal silks, laces, flowers, Jewels
pocket-handkerchiefs, pearls and Jew
elled slippers, but not a vestige of any
thing that might serve as under-gar
ments. When demonstrated with thu
lady on her neglect, she simply replied
that there was no time.
The English dressmaker, the sam,
pretty girl who had so captivated pooI
Maha RhOl, the Buddhist priest, cut uI
these superb silks and costly laces
threaded in gold, into robes.
When this was done, the poor girl,
were dressed as European ladies without
retaining for uuder-garmeuts their Si
amese dress. They were painted whit,
by Chinese artist; their heads decor
ated with false eurls, and bound with
pearls, rubies, and diamonds, they Wer,
really dazzling to behold.
Then came my part which was to drill
them into the etiquette of European
courts. This was one of the hardest
tasks 1 undertook; for each of these
girls had small looking-glass, and they
were so delighted with themselves thai
even when | made them walk in auC
out of the ten pie, aud bow to me in the
Western fashion, they would peer al
their faces in the glasses held in theiI
hands.
What with bOwiBg, and scrsn ming, and
screaming, and grimscing, ami jabber-
ing Siamese all the time, am afraid
my lessons in European etiquette aud
department did not make very lastinO
impression on their girlish minds, fol-
not one of the girls was scarcely NOR.
than fifteen years of age.
At two o'clock in the afternoon of the
same day in which had been drilling
them, these six girls, dressed as English
ladies, were escorted to my temple
schOol-roOm. There they were seated
on a row of gilt chairs, behind magniti.
cent crimson and gold-wrOught curtains,
which, by the express command of the
King, had been hung across the middle
OF the temple for the occasion.
The order of presentation was simply
this: As these ladies could not speak a
single English word, they were required