Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1880-04-24
sKtTCH OF THE KING OF CLAM.

The cable announced yester- +
ilav that the King Of Siam is r
coming to this country, after a s
brief visit to the chief capitals
of Europe. His Supreme Ma {
iestv Somdetch ChOwfa Chula-
ionSlloon, Sacred Lord of Heads,
and Possessor of All, starts on
his tour III April, and viii GER
tainly need an introduction TO
nearly everybody he sees until
he GETS homo again. Some or
the usually consulted BOOKS Oh
reference give a little misin-
formation about him, and 9th
ers are entirely silent; but What1
is said about him by Mrs. Leon
owens, who was his teacher Tor
several years, and by a Times
| correspondent, who had an IN
teryiew with him in November,
\1S77. is more reliable. His ia
ther, Maha Mong]1ut, died IN
|1S6S, leaving about seventy
surviving children. The STA
| mese Princes are all equally
heirs to the throne, but the
Senabodi unanimously elected
the present ruler, and he was
crowned November IL, lo0S'
being then about fifteen years
old. Those who supposed INN
to be an Eastern despot OF the
| ordinary kind-like his amiable
neighbor Thuban, King OF Bur
, imah. far instance, who, q few
: months ago, caused the killing
l of something like 100 OF ms
u relatiyes-are very much mis-
t taken. Mrs. Lconowens WISE
e " did not seek to proselyte hcl
It DuDil, who is a Buddhist II
+. name and u Nationalist in fact
n it is said. That would have
d weakened her influence, aux
G she choose rather 70 educate
V him in the largest sense, and t.
d inculcate such principles q
,e would most ameliOratc the con
G. dition Of his country. lie prov
l. ed a diligentstudent, especial!
J. in Ell glish and Am erican news
" papers, and nothing please
N him more than to conVcrs
is with Intelligent travellers on tn
N topics thus suggested. lie ma
ID some knowledge science; h
20 is a practical political econt
n mist; he reads and speaks Ina
I'D a dozen languages, and ca!
lis English the mother tongue; |
to is :, great admircr OF Amerl(
MT and Americans, and If famiii;
en- with our history. 1t will thu
lis be seen that he is really mo
ed Western than Eastern in II
ne character and education, al
We his reign as King fully sustain
,er this idea. One Of his first &c
to in coming to the throne was
TX libcratc unconditionaIly
prisoners Of state on the occ
sion of his fathers crematio
Shortly after this he issued
remarkable proclamation, 81
'''i1 ing perfect religious freedom
a. a. ali his subjects, whol he al
Co permitted to wear EurOpet
''!e dress and to stand erect i'll |
- presence. The abolition
'c'l slavery caused him mu
- : trouble, but in 1871 royal PIC
$40 lamation wasmadc thatltshoy
~ gradually cease after the i
w. lowing january l, and tt
20 Shareholders shOuld be rem
- - ncrated by q general tax. i
10y fore that fully thrcc-fourths o
~ population Of 9,o00,00O III
~ we're brandedwith their oWnc
tai,, mark very much like Wcstt
. 'UN steers, or were held i'll sol
,''S qualified form OF scrVltt!
This estimate of, populate
lol i must. be taken with alloWanc
o'' however, for, estimating t
r.. women and children, 1t Wo'
"a, At. cover Slams $4,000 sqUS
' .ito miles very thickiy.