Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-04-22
THE LAND OF THE L0T0S.
Bangkok, the Royal City OF the
siamese Kingdom.
Description Of One Of the Most Important
Cities Of the Far East.


was what might be termed a floating
city, but it is wholly unlike Venice il
almost every aspect except that it is To-
Gated upon and surrounded by water
IL IS situated on either side of the mag
nificent Chow Phya river, and is trav-
ersed or divided by multiplicity of
canals called klGungs. Many of these
canals are artificial, and are simply un-
covered sewers. Some OF them were
intended for navigation by small boats
and others as merely lateral conduit,
or trenches, through which the daily
accumulations of the city are carried
70 the river, whence they are swept
seward by the cleansing tide. From
the palace of the king to the extreme
lower end of the city there are about
thirty of these natural and artifcial
canals, but many of them have been
partially closed. or INSTRUCTED in such
manner as to prevent the free ingress
OF the tidal waters of the river. Some
OF them have been covered by small
bamboo buildings matched with atap.
or encroached upon, to such an extent
as to wholly impair their usefulness,
instead of serving the purposes for
which they were originally constructed
OF designed by nature, they are now
the reservoirs of decomposed vegeta-
bic and animal substances that emit
poisonous vapors which are borne by
the wind at certain seasons over the
entire city.
A little more than a century ago,
Bangkok was comparatively insight
ficant village. Now it is one of the
wealthiest as well as one of the most
important commercial ports in the far
East, and contains nearly 100000 of
inhabitants.
The royal city which contains the
palaces of the King. treasury buildings,
mint, museum. royal gardens, elephant
houses, private temple Of the King,
barracks of royal guard, and the estab-
lishment of the princes of the realm,
is on the east side of the river, and en-
closed by circular wall about twenty
five feet in height This wall is COM
posed Of earth, brick, and rough stones,
but is constructed in a substantial
manner. It has ten massive gates, all
of which are closed at midnight and
opened usually at 5 o'clock in the
morning. Near each of the gates are
stone towers overlooking the city.
Bangkok has been called 1.-THE Asiatic
Hades." in consequence of the excess
i've heat which prevails there through
out the entire year.
The population of the city is COM
posed of Chinese. Siamese, Malays,
Burmese, Cambodians, Javanese. Par
sees, and the natives of Madras and
Laos. There are also to be found
there the representatives of almost
every other nationality. Bangkok is
city of strange. natural and artificial
extremes. On either side there are de
lightful odors and intolerable stenches,
regal splendor and abject squalor. It
IS 4 garden city" as its name implies,
as it is filled with fruit trees OF every
variety known in the tropics, and its
temples, palaces. and minarets are en-
powered in perennial verdure. It's
sacred ediEices are unsurpassed in ex-
terror brilliancy and interior adorn-
ment, and It's pagodas and prachadees
inlaid with porcelain and crystal. IN
der the blaze of tropical sun, are daz-
cling and magnificent Although
seldom visited by the ordinary tourist.
il IS one Of the most attractive places
il the Far East, and the strange scenes
that one beholds on every hand more
than repay the visitor who turns aside
from the usual route on the journey
around the world. DaUtd Sickles, II
the Current
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