Morning journal and courier., 1886-09-11
CREMATING A KING.

Great heavens, It was stuffed!
 CREMATING A KING.
 Imposing Ceremonies With Which a Royal Body Was Reduced to Ashes in Bangkok.
 From the St. James Gazette.]
 The body of the late second King of Siam, who died in August of last year, was crema- ted with all due honoIs on the 14th of June | Inc interval between death and cremation seems strangely long: but haste, which in nc case is considered 'good form" in Siam, is thought especially indeoorous when the mor-
 tai remains of any great dignitary have to be
 disposed of- Accordingly the body of the
 royal deceased was allowed to lie in state for
 more than nine months; and it was not till
 the spring of the present year that prepara-
 tions were made for erecting the grand build
 ing in which he was to be reduced to ashes.
 But then, as if by magic, there arose in the wide open space to the north of the royal palace glittering structure of vast dimen- slons. On the outside of the pile, long quadrangular line of low thatched build ings forming cloisters. Inside number of pointed roofs rising one above the other. In the midst of these, 8 four-sided tower with eonical roof, sloping upward until it tapered into pinnacle, and thence dwin- ding into mast, which was held firm by long ropes stretched from the ground. The top of this, nearly two hundred feet from the ground, rose above the gabled roofs, and the whole mass glittered with bright gliding scattered lavishly over the red groundwork of the walls and platforms below.
 Inside the cathedral-for it resembled nothing so much-the scene was still more bright. From the tall ceiling of the naves or aisles hung draperies of rich colored cloth and gauge with festoons of lamps. Along the sides of the aisles were chairs for the state officers, and there was gold throne for the king himself. In the middle of the building, beneath the great spire, was the catafalque and pyre, light quadrangular structure pinnacled and draped and profuse- ly decorated with wood carving and heavy gliding. On golden altar within the sort of 'sfour-poster'' thus erected was the rest ing place for the urn itself, in which the body of the defunct king was to rest while the fire was lighted beneath. A dim reli-
 gioua light, even at midday, pervaded the
 1nmost sanctuary; and the gloom was suita- ply relieved by the yellow robes of priest who from time to time glided ghostlike through the building squatted in devo- tional attitude upon the floor.
 Four days before the actual burning oc- cured the important ceremony of transport
 ing the body from its state resting place to the cremation building. An immense pro-
 cession was formed on the far side of the ed flee. A military escort came first and then
 6 troop of artificial beasts constructed of
 wood. The horse, the Assyrian eage-headed
 lion, the fabulous Rachasce deer to Siamese
 scholars, the tiger and the sacred elephant
 all glided along, dragged upon tiny creaking
 wheels by men clad in consecrated jackets of
 Chinese workmanship. Then came a forest
 of flags and crimson canopies borne aloft by
 men wearing striped uniforms of blue, red and white; then more soldiers and more
 bands; and next, amid fourishes of trum-
 pets and the playing of the national anthem, the king himself, borne in a golden litter, with two of his children. His majesty takes
 his post in pavilion near the gates of this
 building, where the princes and ministers
 gre already awaiting him; and soon is heard discordant blasts on the brahmin shells
 blown by the Hindoo priests who offciate only on high occasions of state in Siam. 4 long and slow procession follows. The dead march is well played by the royal band in true European style; and to it's solemn notes advances a strange procession, in which the Brahmin priests with their snow-white robes and tall, white pointed caps are very con- spicuous. Behind them appears the funeral carriage itself-a towering structure, on
 which the dark brown of the wood carving is well set off by the heavy gold of the dec orations. Almost at the top of it, close to
 the ark which holds the royal remains, sits one of the chief priests. The others hold in
 their hands the sacred cord which unites
 them all in prayer. In filters near the hearse
 are carried the two sons of the late king,
 clad from head to foot in cloth-of-gold, and
 these go in first to the building to receive the
 corpse, which is slowly lowered on to anoth-
 CT litter and deposited at length on the cata-
 falque within.
 On the cremation day all Bangkok turns
 out. The lakons, or theaters, beat their loudest drums and exhibit their most attrac-
 tive dancing girls. At 5 p. m. the foreign
 minister proceeds to the east entrance, fol-
 lowed by the diplomatic body, who are seat
 ed on chairs between the east transept and
 the cloisters. Near them are the great pro-
 vincial magnates in uniform with their gold
 belts, and inside, within the nave itself, are
 the chief ministers of state and princes. of
 the blood royal arrayed in black, with blue or yellow sashes. There is long pause, but
 at last scufding at the gates is heard. Sol diers file in, carrying the red bundles which remind one so much of Roman fasces. A double line is formed, Europeans with their uniforms and evening dress on the one side, Siamese in brighter colors on the other. Then the national anthem sounds. The king comes in alone this time in his litter of state. His bearers put down the litter; His ajesty steps out of it. salutes the functionaries, sa- lutes the diplomats and with quick step mounts the steps of the naves. Another Iulnut6 dnu u6 AtS dppllcu Ouo oCOA9oo CoiCA to the fagots of the pyre, and immediately returning, ascends his litter and departs. There is sort of rush into the building; but the hasty are imprudent. A thick, dull va DOT is rising heavily from the altar and roll ing in sullen waves down the nave. It is supposed to come from fragrant woods deep ly impregnated with sweet scents; but the effect is not agreeable. Its aerid vapor al most blinds the eyes, which can hardly dis tinguish the rich drapery and hangings of the canopy above. Some are inquisitive enough to push on and mount the half dozen steps leading to the altar; but they are near ly stided by the smoke and it's pine odor. Soon the building is cleared and the work of slow destruction goes on before mere hand ful of spectators, mostly priests. At mid night the ashes sifted and the bones col lected in a sacred urn. But during the pre- vious six hours the odors that pervade the sacred edifice are not to be described.