, 1891-10-17
(Erom the Spectator Sept. 9Th

A well-informed correspondent of the Times
declares that modern Siam, despite the appa-
rent civilization of Bangkok, with it's electric
lights, tram cars, and fine buildings. is a pure
ly Oriental State. The King is despotic, even
i'll details the people are serfs oppressed with
corUSss and the Courts are universally corrupt:
The Siamese so detest work, that q boats crew
will hire another crew to pull for them, sitting
the while in the boat looking on, and half
the year is occupied with holidays. The peo.
pie expect a British Proteotorate, but the
French have advanced westward to the Me.
kong, and there will be q sharp contest between
the two nations for the possession of Siam,
1t wsuldnot be pleasant to have the French
there, as the garrison of Burmah would have
to be enlarged but if they will remain quiet.
we hope Siam may remain independent for ano.
Their generation. Whatever the abuses, the peo-
pie are tranquil and happy, and we have eaten
so much territory in the decade, that if we
do not take care, we shall have indigestion.
The Siamese wou Id furnish no soldiers. and
the Malay regiments which we should proba-
bly, raise to garrison the co untry, are not EASY
to manage. 1t is by 40 means certain, either,
that European claima nts of Siam would escape
a deadly quarrel with the Chinese.
The general wealth of the United States il
attaining large proportions. The Census De.
partment, in q report issued on August 18th.
and prepared with exceptional care on special.
data furnished by every county in the Union.
estimate the assessed value of property, real and
personal at "a, 849, 917, 1851, and the "absolute Q
wealth at 9l2,5 Q 600, 900, equal to e2O0a
head, or $1,000 for ev cry household. There
is Away s some doubt about such figures. and
the imm ense difference between the eabsoluta
wealth" and the assessment is suspicious; but
it seems certain that the wealth of the Union
has increased one.third during the decade
that is, much faster than the population. This
result is the more remarkable because the peo.
pie Of the Union, taken as a mass, are not vet
housed in stone or brick structures, such as in
other coun tries constitute a grand item in the
national wealth. Gu tside the great cities the
houses are still built mainly Of wood.-Tbid:
The new route to the Far East across the
Canadian Dominion is wonderfully quick. The
mails, for example, which left Yokohama. in
Japan, on August 10th, arrived in Vancouver
at noon on August 18th and in Ontario at 9 on
Septe mber LIST, the run across the continent.
2,8O2 miles. having occupied rs hours 55 min.
utes They reached New York seven hours
later, and were expected to be in London on
INC CIV onAnS 0Atno oCn, Inc COCal C1me occupied
being ~twenty-one days. Even this may be-
reduced by emplo ying more powerful steamers
between Japan and Vancouver. andultimately. no
doubt, the total journey between England and
the farthest point we care to reach in Asia
will be invariably finished within three weeks.
Within the writer's lifetime, it used to take
twelve. Whether all this rapidity of commu.
nication will produce any beneficial RESULT,
remains to be seen ; but that it will produce
one great consequence is certain. The, Ameri.
cans will hunger for Canada. They have no.
particular desire for more territory but fast
trains, through co mmunications, and bustling
movements raise their oupidity to fever heat.