The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-06

feet was like brilliant masquerade. The
palaces are nothing particularly fine.
Some are European and some Siamese,
and the statues about the grounds are also
partly foreign, partly of native design. Ma
tive bands playing the oldest airs on
the strangest instruments were in the bal
comics and pavilions, and native singers
and dancing girls were performing to add
miring crowds. On the grass-plots great
tents had been erected, and in them as
well as In the buildings, each noble and
person of importance had his own table
AS at a fancy fair-coVered with wonder
ful vases and jars fun Of flowers and
fruits intended as offerings of respect
to his majesty.
BY each Of these tables, waiting for the
King to come and inspect his birthday
gifts, stood the owner, dressed in the court
| costume of a white military coat decorat-
ed with "a colored scarf, on which were
fastened the stars of different orders, "A
rich silk pahnoong, long white silk stock
ings, and black slippers. 1t is "a pretty
costume, and some of the wearers of It
We're very fine and aristocratic-looking
men, but TO our foreign notions they
seemed to lose much of their dignity as
we watched the white-stocknged knees
bend humbly to the ground when some
diminutive princeling-one of his majes-
/ tvs half-a hundred or so children-passed
by, borne in the. arms of a gentleman at
| tendant.
on the palace steps, opposite these
! booths, sat about twenty Cinnamon, wait
| ing 10 pay their respects 10 the King as
| representatives, of the Chinese part of the
/ population. They were dressed in the ricn
| and beautiful Mandarin costume of white
! trousers, great blue coats all covered with
| Chinese figures in gold and white, and
wore curious hats shaped like an inverted
bowl, and colored red and gold.
A q he
Siamese, dressed in their very best, were
waiting for a glimpse of their King and
their dark, eager faces and slender forms.
clad in gay and most picturesque costumes,
seen by the light OF the colored lamps and
lanterns, made picture not 10 be forgot
/ ten. Slamese officials In English army
coats of scarlet or white, above the native
pah-noong, and wearing English army he'll
NETS, moved about politely among the peo-
Pile using their authority very little in that
pc aceful crowd, most of whom were squat
ting. Siamese fashion, along the edges of
| the pavements.
Al last came blare of trumpets and
rattle OF native drums, and an electric
shock could not have put more motion
into the quiet crowd than this sound did
! Trey sprang TO their feet, and were hus-
tied back by the police, while we, being
| foreigners were politely requested TO
stand back a little This we did and
stood still In the front row, right opposite
| the palace steps, where we could see
| everything.
First came the trumpeters and drum
mers, dressed in dark loin cloths and
white coats with gilt buttons, followed by
! The hired body guard, two abreast, In light
blue coats and white helmets, and bear
! ing slaves, 10 form a barrier for the
| crowd; then the troop of gentleman at
| PENDANTS in the court dress described
above, not marching in line, but in a group;
| then King Chulalungkawn himself under
| a great umbrella, the insignia of royalty,
borne by a splendid gentleman in court
dress adorned with many orders. AS the
| King passed, every native FRUSTRATED him
| self with his face to the dust.
| His majesty is a pleasant looking man,
st.l young, and rather refined in appear
| ance in spite OF his excesses and the fact
| that he is a victim OF the choral habit.
He is a typical Siamese, small and spare,
! with the delicate straight features and
| smooth, coffee colored skin one sees so
often in Ceylon, Madras, and other parts
of the Orient.
After the King came the Crown Princess
under a smaller umbrella, and finally
| about twenty of the royal children dress
ed most strangely, some in queer, old
fashioned European costumes, with big,
| ugly hats, but most In court dress the
| boys with their top knots adorned with
| wreaths of jassamine or magnolia buds
strung together the girls wearing
| the usual pah-noong of plum
| color and jackets of white cotton goods
| heavily trimmed with lace and embroidery,
and bedecked with bows Of different-col-
| ored ribbon stuck on anywhere without
any sort of system or taste. And over the
| shoulder and across the breast were
thrown scarfs Of pink, green, or yellow
| silk pressed into accordion pieats, SC as to
| have a crimped effect White stockings
and slippers are worn by both sexes, and
/ except for the Jacket, the costume Of men
and women and the style of cutting the
| hair are exactly similar.
! The King was far more simply dressed
| than his family In a plain white coat with
| band of crepe on his arm, for he was in
| mourning for one Of his older daughters.
| He assembled the steps Of the palace, where
| ne was received by "A number of gentle
men and yeIlow-robed priests, who bowed
the knee before him with an appearance
! of AFFECT humility, and after "A few mo-
ments the Mandarins were summoned to
attend him. They came up in a body, bow
! ing and kneellng three times. and knock
| ing their heads against the pavement, and
| them after "a good deal of talk in Siam
| ese or Chinese, they came down, and the
King went to visit the fower-stands de-
! scribed above. II must have been rather
| tiresome, for he had TO go all through the
| grounds and buildings am acknowledge
| his birthday presents If he looked at one
| Of his children or at "A nobleman, the ind-
vidual so favored Immediately bowed the
| knee.
After this performance was over the
King entered his palanquin to visit a tenn
| pie outside the city, where the Crown
Prince was serving the apprenticeship in
| the priesthood which is part of his edu-
| cation. The royal palanquin rs a numbering
| sort of an affair made of red lacquer trim
| med with gold. IL Is covered with gorgeous
| red hangings and is borne by several men
| In curious liveries of green pah-noong-red
and gold coats, and with round caps with