Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-28
IN THE HOTEL CORRIDORS.

IN THE HOTEL CORRIDORS.
There are only about seventy-hve Ameri-
cans in SIAM" said $. II. Boyd. United States
minister. who has recently returned from the
land Of the white elephant. TO The STAR repre-
sentative at the Fredonia land they are en-
gagged in missionary work. the Bapti.ts and
PRESBYTERIAN denominations only being repre-
sented- There are no Americans in Siam en-
gagged in business.
The missionaries have two schools at
Bangkok and one at Cheingmai They teach
in the SiaInese language about the same studio.
as We teach in the schools Of this country.
There is also one school at Pichiburi, which
means IN siamese silver City, there being
silver mines located there. The Sismese
language is monosylIabic. 1. is very easily
learned After you have been in the country a
few days yOu pick up many words and can
master the language thoroughly in six mon tbs.
The dominating characteristics of the peo-
pie kindness, generosity and politeness.
They are very accommodating. more so than
the people OF any country l ever saw and even
more so than the Japanese. who are painfully
polite. They do not hurry. are slow in move
ment. conservative in business and cautious in
their dealings. They extend all possible cour-
tesies TO foreigners. They want TO trade with
the United States very much. AZ one time this
III.
During the civil war the confederate steamer
Alabama destroyed five OF the American YES
sells trading with SIAM and at the same time
DESTROYED the trade with this country. which
has never been resumed. Their exhibit ut the
worlds fair will be u very creditable one and
will excite much interest, for all that is seen
there will be entirely new 10 American ewes.
'-Our mt rchants do not seem TO care TO know
anything aboT- siam ard the possibilities of
cultivating that field winch, 20 nv mind. are
49, L..
open for the investment OF American capital.
The commerce of the country with other
tons Is verv extensive. and one sees hundreds
of foreign vessels living In Bangkok harbor The
only American products that are used in Siam
petroleum. which thev use very extensively
for lighting purposes. and -four. pork and bs-
con. We ship the petroleum direct. but the
other products are shipped from San Francisco
TO Hong Kong. where they are purchased by
Siamese merchants Our bacon at Bangkok
sells for 30 cents pound.
An American company have changed five miles
of the horse ear line in Bangkok into an electric
line. This will probably be ten miles long The
people look upon 1t as very great novelty,
and IL Is patrOnized extensively the natives
enjoying their rides immensely. 1t il very
profitable investment and is owned by for
eiguers ard Siamese princes. The king is
building a railroad from Bangkok to korat,
about 200 miles long. and there other evil
dences of civilization in the country.
The l3.OO0OO0 population strict Budd-
hists. There are 900 600 Chinese. that are as
rule. bad lot. and mainly composed of rob-
bers and pirates. As a race thev are quiet.
pesceable and law-abidiug and infraetions of
the law are infrequeut. They are polygamists.
Although the missionary schools well at
tended and the children learn rapidly, neither
the pupils nor the people are not converted to
Christianity, but adhere TO their own religion"
The extreme northwest said J. A. Nun
day, . well-known attorney of Vancouver,
Wash. to The STAR representative at the Eb-
bitt this morning. ''is recovering from its de-
preston which followed the boom several
years ago. and if there is any improvement in
the financial condition of the country it will be
felt there at once. and will be followed by re-
newsl of the great improvement and progress
whi;h Washington and Oregon have seen dur
ing the past decade.
The eastern and western portions Of Wash
ington are very dissimilar. East OF the noun
tains there Is great deal Of prairie and it is
dry. They have volcanic ash soil which is
remarkably rich, being peculiarly adapted to
wheat, and which produces the largest Weld in
the country. The climate is dry. In the west
ern portion a gre at deal of rain falls and it is
more moist and very heavily tlmbered the
trees growing TO an enormous height. The
agricultural portions Of this quarter OF the
state, however, are very rich. The hop indus |
try has grown TO large proportions the yield
being very great to the acre especially in the
Puy anup valley. In the Vancouver regions
great quantities of prunes are produced, rival
ing those Of California. Great attention dur
ing recent years has been given to fruit, with
very successful results. A great deal OF ship
building Is being done on Puget sound, and
near Everett the whale-back steamers are
built
Col. =. II. Anderson Of Cambridge, Ohio, ex-