The Portland daily press., 1893-07-26
THE KING OF SIAM :AND HIS REALM.
He is an Interesting Young Autocrat, and
Rules Queer People.
[san Francisco chronicle.ll

san FRANCISCO CnrOnlclo.Jl
The King of Siam is a monarch who
has more absolute power over his sub
jects than the Gear. Few men in this
world have as much to make them feel
big and important, but for one in his
position he is very much civilized and
.f1a-de-siecle young person. He is small
golden pyramid of jewels, rising in cir
cular tiers, diminishing as they 60 up
wards, until they end in long, pencil
point, which extends nearly two feet
above the forehead of it's kingly owner.
His body is clad in gorgeous coat and
vest, heavily embroidered in gold and
jewels, and in place of pantaloons he has
the rich brocaded surons of the Siamese
about his loins and waist. 1t comes
down below his knees at the front, and
it looks not unlike a pair of fancy knick
erbockers. Below these are pair of
shapely calves in white silk stockings,
and his feet are thrustinto jewel-covered
heelless slippers, pointed like the shoe Of
the Turk. The whole makes a costume
brilliant and grand. He is pleasant
| looking fellow, and his olive-brown face
is plump and unwrinkled. lie has beau
tiful liquid black eyes, broad, high,
| and rather full forehead. and short,
straight, black hair. Under his rather
short and habitat nose there is a silky
black moustac he, and below this the lips
are rather thick, and the chin plump and
and we'll rounded. His hands and feet
are well made, and he is, all told good
specimen of Siamese beauty. He is the
| ninth SON of Maha Mongkut. the last
King of Siam, and he was picked out of
| family of eighty-four children to be
placed upon the throne. He has thirty
| four half brothers and forty-nine half
| sisters.
Looking at him lit is hard to imagine
| that he is the sacred ruler OF from 6,000,-
| 600 to 100000 Of people, and it is hard
| for an American to appreciate his abso-
lutte power and his holy dignity. The
! people of the country are his slaves. He
has the right to call them into his SER
vice either with or without pay, and all
men in Siam are forced to give him
either the whole or a part of their SER
vices during the year. His word can
throw man into chains, or put him to
death; can deprive him of his property
or rob him of his daughter. All the
women of Siam are supposed to belong
to the King, and no one is for
hidden to him except his mother. He is
supposed to take one of his sisters as his
Queen, and the mobiles of his country
offer him their daughters by the score.
His court is one Of intrigue, and the
mobiles are glad to have their daughters
in the harem so that they may thus the
better attain the Kings friendship ana
powerful offices. He taxes the people as
he pleases, and these taxes are SO heavy
that at times some men have to sell
| their wives and children as slaves to en-
able them to pay him. Still, his vaults
are full of treasure. Siam has no nation
| al debt, and he has an income of more
than $10,000,000 year. He can spend
| tens of thousands of dollars in cremating
| a dead wife or in establishing petty
| navy.
SILL, this King of Siam is the most pro
gressive the country has ever had. He
| is far in advance of his people, and he is
doing a great deal to civilize them. Be-
fore his second coronation in 1878 ali