Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-01

descriptions of the wonderful temples of Siam,
and in one Buddhist temple / found the floor
covered with q mating of woven silver wire 1t
was dirty from the bare feet Of the priests. and
"a went out notice that the door was ebony
inlaid with mother-of-pearl In another temple
l found an image Of Buddha asleep. This
image.was $50 feet long and the soles of its feet
by actual measurement were eighteen feet from
toe to heel. A two-story cottage is often not
more than eighteen feet high; if this Buddha
lay outside OF such a one on his back his big
toe would be on a parallel with the lightning
rod or late wears n number of infidels have
sprung up in Siam and it NAV be that our new
legation will not hold fast to their faith. Their
religion. rs it is taught at Bangkok. is full of
errors, and was told there that the people be-
lieved the earth to be fiat and that their ex-
PLANTATION of the lightning flash was that it came
from the Ratchet of a giant of the clouds, who,
angry at his wives. throwing hatchets at
them through the air.
PROGRESSIVE RULER.
The sending of legation to Washington is
another evidence of the progressive spirit Of
Chululankorn. He is one of the brightest Of
the Asiatic rulers and he has done much to ad-
vance civilization in Siam He has put tele-
graph lines throughout a great part Of his
kingdom. There is now o street car line in
Bangkok and the city has electric lights. 1t
used to be that the money used in siam was
cowrie shells. or silver and gold buttons. This
king has adopted a coinage making money
much the same as that of ours. He has mint
Of his own and he imports Mexican dollars and
casts these into coins for the use of ms people.
The unit Of value in Siam is the tecal, and the
chief silver coin used is about the size Of half
dollar. He has a post Office department. and
Siam belongs to the international Postal
Union. While 1 was in Bangkok l met
the head of his royal college. and 1 saw
q wonderful museum in the grounds of
the palace. The king talks English and
he is thinking Of building a railroad which will
open up the interior Of his rich kingdom. Siam
is full Of valuable resources 1t has mighty
forests of teakwood and its mines contain the
finest Of gold and silver. The king has au in-
come of about $40, 00O. 900 year and he is said
to have about $50, 00O. 900 stored away in his
Golfers. He has his own secretary Of the treas
ury, but ne signs all the checks himself, and he
is said to be very fine business man. He has
his cabinet just our President has and he has
his war department, state department. interior
department and agricultural department.. His
country Is divided up into fortv-one provinces,
presided over by governors. and he runs things
to suit himself, making such appointments as
he chooses.
SOME QUEER TAXES.
The people Of Siam are taxed for all they are
worth Everything under the sun has to pay a
percentage to the government, and great part
Of the revenue of the king comes from the
gambling establishments. The people are a
nation OF gamblers and the gambling taxes
bring in half a million dollars year. The taxes
are all farmed out, are alec the people, who
as slaves OF the king, are ordered to work for
him part OF every year. 1t is only the Chi
nese who are not subject to such service, and
they are released from it by the payment Of a
poilta1. There many Chinese in SIAM
and it is said that they fast swallowing up
the country. They smarter than the Siamese
In business way and they marry Siamese