Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1885-12-24
A PRIME MINISTER'S HAREM.
An ex-GOvsrness of Siamese Prince Ex
poses tho Court and Its Wickedness.-

n
poses tho Court and Its Wickedness.
Mrs. Leon Owens, who was the COVER
ness of the young Princes of Siam, pub
lished a sketch of the Prime Minister of
that country as follows: "He was the
actual ruler of that semi.barbarous realm.
and the prime contriver Of its arbitrary
policy. Black, but comely, robust and
vigorous, neck short and thick, nose
large and nostrils wide, eyes inquisitiye
and penetrating; his was the massive
brain proper to an intellect deliberate and
systematic. Well founded in the best
idioms Of his native tongue, he expressed
strong and discriminative thought in
words at once accurate and abundant.
His only vanity was his English" She
also sketches his harem.
ave discover in the centre of the hall
long line OF girls with skins Of olive,
creatures who, in years and physical pro-
portions, are yet but children, some
twenty in number, with transparent drap-
cries with golden gridles. their arms and
bosoms wholly nude and covered with
barbaric ornaments of gold Their only
garment, the lower skirt, floating in light
folds about their limbs, is one OF very
costly material bordered heavily with
gold. On the ends of their fingers they
wear long nails Of gold, tapering sharply,
like the claws Of bird" She describes
dance in this harem while the Prime
Minister sits stony and grim, his huge
hands resting on his knees in statuesque
repose. His department to his female
slaves was studiously ungracious and
mean.
Most of the women who composed the
harem of the King. who died in 1868,
were of gentle blood, the fairest Of the
daughters of the Siamese mobiles and
princes of the adjacent tributary States
the Queen consort was his own half
sister. Beside many choice Chinese and
Indian girls purchased annually for the
royal harem by agents from Bangkok and
Bengal, enormous sums were offered yeal
after year at Bangkok and Singapore fol
an English woman of beauty and good
parentage to crown the sensual collection
French women offered themselves fol
the harem, but the King would not ac'
cept them. Although religious ceremo
MES were held at this court, Mrs. Leor
Owen says:
"The King of Siam was more syste
matically educated, and more capaciou'
devourer of books and news than per
haps any man Of equal rank in his time
In inborn integrity and steadfast princi
pie he had no faith whatever. He sin
cerely believed that every man strove Il
compass his own ends. and when some
times ventured to disabuse his mind o
J his darling scorn for motive and respon
sibilty had the modification to discove
; that had but helped him to an argu
ment against myself 1t was simply m.
pecuniary interest to do so. Money
, money, money. That could procure any
thing. The love of children was th
> constant and hearty virtue Of this for
lorn dcspot. They appealeds to him b.
: their beauty and their trustfulness; the.
$ refreshed him with the bold innocenc
: of their ways. AT 0 o'clock he retired :
9 his private apartments, whence issue
g Immediately peculiar domestic bulletins
: ! in which were named the women who's
1 presence he particularly desired in &C
: dition to those whose turn 1t was to wa
Q that night. His spies penetrate int
. every family of wealth and influence
4 Every citizen suspects and fears alway
t his neighbor, sometimes his wife" :
e Cincinnati Enquirer.