The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-02-21
CARTER HARRISON IN BANGKOK.
An Interesting Extract From a Letter Writ.
ten by Chicago's Ex-Mayor.

-
| ten by Chicago's Ex-Mayor.
| Correspondence Chicago Mail
Bangkok is entirely different from all oth":
eastern cities 1 have seen. Elsewhere the
! houses are compacted together so as to cover
as little space as possible, with people massed
| as in hives. This city, however, with its $780,
| 600 people, covers more ground than Canton,
| with its 100000. There arc but few streets,
but they are quite broad. The canals run in
| every direction, and arc so numerous that the
| SiameSe are proud to call their capital the
Venice of the East Houses project over
| these canals, with open balconies, and both
| sides of the river for six or more miles are
| lined with floating houses, used not only for
residences but for business.
People do their shopping in boa.5, md while
| woman sells to her customer in open view
| for all houses have open fronts-her lazy hus-
| band fishes, sitting upon q box of goods, and
| his children battle and swim around the house
| In rowing or being rowed about there was
never moment that ] could not see some
where bather; and just at shutdown all the
common world seemed amphibious The
panoon9 is retained ON when in the water, and
is then either exchanged for dry one or left
on to dry. Rivers and canals are always filed
by freight boats, forty to sixty feet long; by
small peddlor boats; by canoes of all sizes,
from ten feet, barely holding a man, up to a
hundred or more feet, with fifty or more pad
dlcrs moving in state with some official. / saw
one long canoe with nearly a hundred rowers.
Each one would dip his paddle and then lift it
on hi2h--a curious sight thus to see nearly a
hundred paddles in the air at the same time.
There are quite large number of small steam
barges in the city. These dart about very
rapidly. In fact all boats seem TO do 50. for
the tide runs very swiftly, and boats going
with its current move in the channel, while
those going against it stick to the eddes.
Unfortunately all of the temples pagodas
and kiosks are of brick, succeed with Port
land cement, and the gems and gold planted
into IL will last only for a short time. Many
thousands Of dollars are required each year TO
keep the entire fabrics Of beauty from tumb-
ling into decay a change Of dynasty will
quickly bring the glory Of Slams capital into
heap of debris. AYutia, which was aban-
doned when the royal family founded Bang,
kok, is already heap of ruins, its watts and
lofty pagodas furnishing soil for the roots OF
rapidly growing tropical plants. They are not
absolutely fallen down but the plants aud shrubs
are climbing up their lofty heights, and find
| homes The first thing VIC did on our arrival
was to drive TO the royal garden, whore fine
military band plays cYeIy Sunday afternoon.
The music was fine, led by German.
! Tho royal gardens are beautiful, one ay-
| enue Of bamboos being as unique as pretty
| This tree here grows in massy clumps-a almost
! like a solid trce-thesc clumps about fifty feet
| apart, on either side Of q long avenue, send up
their featherly plumcs about sixty feet, meet
| ing at q less height over the roadway and maxi
| lllg ~ peJlecI green SJtHG ditHj WHlDHs NlSWcp
| from either end IS as regular and far more
stately than any cathedral aisle | ever saw. In
| tho gardens / met many Of the 200 foreigners
! who make Bangkok their home
The next day early we called upon Colonel
| Child, our genial and bright minister. lie took
Us in charge, and TO him we owe much which
made our visit 70 Siam very charming. We call
! Cd on Prince Deyawongse, the minister Of for
cign affairs, who received uSmost cordially, and
after entertaining us for some time sent one OF
his aids to show Us the famous sacred white
elephant aud the royal wat.
The white elephant has blue eyes, Is light
colofcd, but not whittier than Barnum's beast,
which, By the way. did not 90 from Siam. Tho
poor briitcs here do not seem 10 enjoy very
greatly their sacred bondage, but. tied by the
hind leg, they sway back and forth and beg for
a nut as readily as do those IN our menageries.
The oldest one wears brace Of worries which
would make him quite sacred % an ivory
worker, but munches green grass IN very nm
sacred way. Instead VI Icing housed in gilded
quarters, he Is tied up IN a dingy stable, and is
attended by hall-naked inahDut nstcad Of a
priest IN sanity robes.
On our second day we rowed about some