Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-07-09
KING hoRopoM,s couR1.
a Curious Country In the East and Its
Ouesr Old Potentate.

~ Cuftoaa COUNTY IN the E4st nnu ~
Quesr Old Potsntsts.
The night after my arrival In Pnom-
pehn there wns o reception In state at the
French residency. II was known that the
king was to be present. and 29 Of his loyal
subjects crouched in the shade opposite
tho residency 10 witness his reception. A
body Of native militia the Mllliciens Cam
bodians, kept untldy guard In the street,
and when the king drove up In a victoria.
escorted by II Cambodians on ponies and
followed by the yictorias Of a selection Of
his sons, there was considerable enthusi-
asm. His majesty was received with" Pre-
sent arms" and the fanfare Of q cornet
that was not in tune Music was played
during tho reception by the royal band of
Manila, men who would have played, per-
haps, with more spirit had their wages
been less In arrears.
King Norodom Is quite a curiosity. He
Is a little wizened up man, with gray hair
and q stoop and with that peculiar expires.
sion of feature which is usually-I write
with that respect-associated with the
higher anthropOid apes. All tho royal fam
lily live In Pnom-pehn, In kind of mock
palace, rambling pile of d!siointed build
ings of different shapes, scattered over o
large inclosure, surrounded by wall of
brick and plaster. Where there is plaster
it is falling of In fakes where there is
wood 1t is worm eaten and rotten, where
there is any iron 1t is rustlng and useless.
1t is palace fit for such a king. At the
main entrance to the palace two Cambo-
dian militiamen keep guard with their
hats awry, their khaki coats In rags, their
rifles held like brooms On the river bank
in front of the palace there is an old flag
staff, while drawn above the water line
there is royal state barge, with dragon
head and seven forked tail; but the paint
has peeled off and the craft is no longer
seaworthy.
King Norodom has reigned In his own
peculiar way in Cambodia since 1860, but
since 1867 he has had the advantage of be-
ing directed and protected by the French.
1t was in 1867 that France entered into
treaty with Siam, by which she agreed
thnt the two provinces of Angkor and
Batambang should remain In Siamese pos
session, and by the same treaty Siam for.
mally recognized the French protectorate
in Cambodia. Since 1867, then, we ore
always told that Siamese Influence was
withdrawn from the councils of Cambodia.
AS an actual fact, however, Siamese inf1u-
enoe still counts for something, though the
French will not allow that 1t Is so In the
Cambodian court. Norodom passed his
early years in Bangkok and spoke Siamese
before he spoke Cambodian. 1t was Siam
which gave the crown Of Cambodin to his
father, Ang. Duong, and 1t was Siam
which elected him king on the death of his |
co. ha Eivo, to N - n tohI
moral character. He has probably never |
attempted to escape from the trammels of |
his environment. He will even on occa-
sions mock at Buddha, but, none the less, |
he cannot forget that for him the highest |
living object of religious veneration must |
be the king of Siam. In Pnom-pehn there |
are nearly 40 Siamese employed by the |
king in positions of more or less confidence, |
and have 1t on authority which Is beyond |
cavil that the most intimate personal |
friends Of the king and his only confdants |
are Siamese, and that Siamese is the Ian
guage which the royal lips speak from
choice.
King Norodom Is very much married |
man, his establishment comprising at least |
800 wives and concubines He has SO sons
and daughters, who are recognized by the |
French as his lawful progeny. OF this
number more than half are sons, SO that |
the succession, If ever the French permit |
him to have q successor, Is we'll assured
King Norodom came to the throne In 1860,
and the same year statue In his honor
was erected In Pnom-pehn. 1t an eques-
trian statue and is the only public monu.
ment In the city. 1t was of course made
in France and represents the king dressed
as French general, mounted on charger
and saluting the armed hosts Of Cambodia.
Rarely have seen more impressive work |
of art, and 1t is unfortunate that, left |
neglected in some waste land, 1t has be-
come overgrown with Jungle On the
pedestal there is an inscription which tes-
titles that the statue was erected to Moro
dom by his grateful mandarins and sub
ieots." The statue, we are told, was the
spontaneous Offering of grateful people,
and one can we'll believe 1t, though 1t
surely has not often happened that in
digenous tribes In Asia have ordered from
Paris equestrian etfigies of their newly
crowned kings.-London Times.