Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-05-07
THE KING OF SIAM.
SCENES IN AND ABOUT THE
ROYAL PALACE.
England Reaching Out for the Territory
OF Siam, While France Is Endeayoring
to Defend the sovereign-The King
and His Religion.

Sam has been until lately terra in
cogrito; country whose only product,
so far as known to Americans and Eng
lishmen, was the famous Siamese
twins. The first treaty of commerce
was made by the Siamese government
in England, in 1857, since which little
has been added to our knowledge of the
country and its people. The area of
Siam is twice that of Great Britain and
Ireland. The population is said to be
about {, 10000
The Siamese sovereigns have usually
been men of considerable ability, and
in energy and enlightenment are
superior TO most Asiatic potentates.
The late king of Siam and his success
sor have done what they could to
introduce the forms of Western civiliza-
ton. Bangkok. the capital, has the
electric light, tramcars, and govern
ment offices of European architecture,
and the present king has also shown
himself reformer of abuses, es-
pecially of the worst of Siames
social evils. the universally of
serfdom and the prevalence of
slavery. Further and much needed re-
forms are expected from him, but even
were the political and fiscal admins
tratlon of the kingdom very much bet
ter than it is, the Siamese, a light
hearted nation of Buddhists, fond of
amusement and accustomed to frequent
holidays, are little fitted TO develop the
great resources of their country. Its
internal trade is chiefly in the hands of
Cinnamon, who, with their Malays, add
some millions more to the estimated
population already stated Railways
are being constructed, and the
Europeans have been encouraged by
the policy of Siamese royalty to settle
at Bangkok, and to develop the exte-
rior trade of Siam.
Siam occupies the largest part of the
Indo-Chinese peninsula, and has the
west British Burma as it was before
the annexation of upper Burma. While
upper Burma remained under its old
native rulers the whole breadth of Siam
lay between the British Burma of that
period and the French possessions. for
such they really are, in AMMAN. Col
lisions between the English and French
in the Indo-Chinese peninsula were,
therefore, very unlikely. Upper Burma
has brought the eastern frontier
4 of English Burmese territory consider
| ably nearer the western frontier of the
! French possession, which has procured
for NJ. Jules Ferry the epithet, meant to
| be opprobrious, of ''Le Tonquinous, :"
and which used to be known chiefly as
producing a bean much priced by a
| certain class of snuff-takers. Between
these two frontiers, French and En-
| glish, lie districts in which is numer-
Gus mixed population of Burmese,
Chinese and Malays, a British protec-
torate over whom is recognized by the
king of Siam, whose future is not vet
| fixed. Further north are the British
Shan states-an annex, as it We're, of
| the new British province of
upper Burma. Now through the
territory just mentioned runs
J southwark, and then through the whole
depth of the peninsula, the River Me-
| kong. Eastward of the MelSong valley,
and between it and French AMMAN, is
range of mountains which have been
/ hitherto regarded as the western limit
of the French possessions. But the
French, it appears, have revived an an
tiquated and obsolete claim set up
by the kingdom of Gambodia Ito
which their possessions in the
| Indo-Chinese peninsula once belonged).
They are said to be rapidly advancing
westward toward the Shan States in
the North and the British-protected
districts in the South, so as to bring
their new frontier within dangerous
proximity to the English. The French
wish to make Mekong their western
boundary. The English dread their
encroachment, and protectorate of
the whole country is one of the events
which may be looked for in the near
! future.
Siamese children have their hair cut
only once, and this important cere-
mony takes place at the age of II. Up
to that time youths of both sexes have
their heads closly shaven with the ex-
ception of small topllnot, the cutting
of which indicates that the child has
attained his majority and no longer in
statu pupillari.
The tonsure of the crown prince OF
Siam took place on the eed of January
of last year, and the event was cele-
brated with degree of splendor and
eclat hitherto unequaled in the history
IN