Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-21
jesty has his Foreign Department his

|
ceedings within. AS far as l can
learn the native Siamese courts are
founded more on the caprice OF
the judges than upon the law. There
ia no iury. and tortures similar to those
OF China are practiced TO make witnesses
testify. One is the twisting OF bamboo
withes tighter and tighter about tho
head until the prisoner confesses, and
another is the whipping with the bamboo
of the man stretched out at full length
and his skin pulled taut by men at his
head and heels. The prisons of Siam
are horrible dungeons, some OF them
hanging over the water, and the forcing
OF convicts to work in heavy chains Is 70
common that you meet them constantly
ON the street, and this not alone OF men
but of women as well.
His Majesty's name is perhaps the
| longest of any monarch IN the world. 10
contains fifty-seven letters, and he Is
called Chulalangkorn for short. He has
ten different names in addition to this,
and the full names OF tho royal family
would I doubt not, ill q column OF this
newspaper. The Queen is not far from
twenty years OF age, she rules the harem,
and she is a very pretty Siamese girl. Her
complexion is light brown, and her
oily black hair, about two inches long,
stands straight up and is combed back
ward from fair, open forehead. She has
beautiful eyes, wears diamond earrings
and o diamond pendant at her neck, and
her fingers are covered with precious
stones. She smokes cigarettes, as does
also the King. and she chews the betel-
nut, making her teeth as black rs Jet and
| her lips stick out. The Siamese say that
any dog can have white teeth, but that
it is only those who are rich enough to
afford the betel-nut who can have black
ones. Black teeth are a sign OF beauty
here. aud all the ladies of the harem
chew and smoke.
visited yesterday the storehouse Of
the Purveyor to the KING. 1t is an Eng
lish establishment, but its business is to
sell to the palace and to the harem the
various articles they need. 1t has hun
dreds of balls and playthings, which are
brought from Europe for the royal ba-
bies. and the clerk tells me that there
is not a fancy French playtbin5 or
amusement of any sort that IS not
sold to the palace. | WAS shown about
a hundred dozen little China spittoons
about the size OF shaving mug. These
were beautifully decorated, and some
of the pictures were by native oiamese
artists sent to Europe to be painted upon
them. bought one decorated with a
picture by Siamese Prince, and was
told that these spittoons are used by the
ladies Of the harem to spit IN while
chewing this disgusting preparation Of
the spongy betel-nut, mixed with rose
tinted lime and fne-cut tobacco. 1
talked with the dreSs-maker as to tho
fashions affected by the Kings wife and
his scores OF concubines, and was told
that the ladies OF the harem pre-
fer Siamese dress, and that their
favorite costume is the suong or
waist-cloth. to which they add .
loose Jacket trimmed with Swiss embroid-
cry and covered with bows OF ribbon get
on in rows. Commonly they wear neither
shoes nor stockings. and the chief leg
decoration is an anklet Of gold. They
have some foreign costumes which they
put on when the court photographer
takes their portraits, but their common
attire is more that of lewelry and brace
let's than of silks or satins. These ladies
OF the harem are the most noble ladies' Of
Siam.
AN ENDLESS NUMBER or WIVES.
The last King had wives from China
and India, and he was anxious to add a
well-bred English girl to his gallery OF
beauties. lie had, 1t is said, chances to
secure one or two French maldens, but
he had so much trouble with the French
that he declined to receive them. Once
in the harem, it Is impossible for wo-
man to get out, and in the case OF ilirta-
lions the offending woman Is IN danger
OF being put to death. Many OF the
girls gamble, and some OF them do fine
embroidery and fancy work. Some
become jewellers and others make
articles and sneak them ont OF
the palace 10 be sold The wo-
men are not kept in separate palaces
and each does not nave IN establishment
of her own as in Japan. After the age
of twenty-five, if they have no children,
the older women become the waiting
maids of the younger and the stock Is
replenished continually. The present
King shows no inclination to come down
to the American one-wife principle, and
during his present visit to the interior
he has taken couple of score of his ia
yorite women along with him. The
Amazons have, | an told, been done
away with at the palace. The last King
had them. hut though | looked through
the best OF pebbled glasses for them
during my visit to the palace l saw not
one.
The palace Of the King at Bangkob
} was built only a few years ago. 1t lookt
much like one OF the great palaces o.
Europe. 1t has several stories sndundel
the bright rays Of this Siamese sun II
seems to be made OF marble. A closer
, inspection shows that the marble il
stucco, and the golden elephants
each about half life-size, which
guard the entrance, change as yen come
near them from massive gold to iron
gilded. Wide stairwsys lead by marble
steps through these into a great yesti
bule, tho ceiling of which is about forty
feet high, and the walls of which arr
hung with old Siamese armor. At tn,
right OF this Is the Kings audience hall
His throne is bed, and he lies on hi
arm or sits Siamese fashion, q Ia Turk
while he receives his royal Council anC
discusses the matters Of the king
dom. The Ministers and mobiles
: sit on leather-cushioned benches
and the portraits of Siamese heroes
in oil, by European artists, Loo
down upon them from the walls. Jus
back of the King there is portrait OF
shaved hsaded, crooked-mouthed, pale
faced, half-naked Buddhist priest. 1t j
the high priest of the kingdom, an
5 thus the proceedings 90 on under til
very shadow OF Buddha himself. Tn
priests, by the way, claim that the roya
family are ineal descendants of Buddha
) A GLIMPSE OF THE PALACE.
I On the other side OF the vestibule is
o,rand racsntion-ynOrn fnllv aa wide nm