New Britain herald., 1928-04-13
CAMb0D|A CITY
 0F BOYISH BOB
Novel Place Where This Hair
 Dressing May Have Begun

Washington, D. C., April 13.--A 1 busy oriental capital. where moderI
 French buildings and ancient pago-
 das form the sky line: where gayls
 hedecked royal elephants and rick ety native OK carts still compel for rgn made motor cars to keep well under the speed limit on paved, elec-
 trically lighted streets; and where
 French colonsts rub elbows with
 8 hodge podge of Cambodians, Ma | layans. Annamites. Indians. and halt
 castes of all of these.
 Such is pnompenh, capital oi 1 Cambodia, recently the scene of the
 elaborate Funeral procession of tn. late King Sisowath, who died last 1 August
 1 Refuge From Mosquitoes | Most travellers who visit Pnom- penh are on their way to Angkor, venerable city of khmer culture.
 which lies farther north. A brief
 stop at the capital is welcome, how
 ever. for the little Cambodian city, set amid lofty palms and towering tropical trees is restful to the eyes Of the rlVer-boat passengers after mon- otonous miles of rice fields, thick
 jungle growth and swamps that bor- der the river bank nearly all tn. way from Saigon. And it is a relief to be out of the cruising radius of persistent Mekong mosquitoes.
 Stevcdorcs literally swarming over cargo boats at the quay indicate that the capital is important commercial ly. Situated at the junction Of a branch from the Great Lake of Cambodia and the main channel of the Mekong from the Tibetan hills, large qua ,itIes of fish. rice. indigo and cotton from Upper Burma. DOT tionS of Siam. Laos and northern Cambodia are brought here for marketing, while smaller cargoes from nearby farms and paddy fields arrive in the hundreds of sam pans and smaller craft that dart about the tiny harbor like so many water beetles.
 Snake Is Held Sacred
 When boat docks there is a rush for the Permission Office" where "permissions" are granted to visit the kings palace. But those who expected to see a richly adorn- ed abode of an eastern potentate are soon disillusioned. Without. the several buildings called the palace are unpretentious, and within there is little that would attract more than ordinar yattention except life-sized Buddha of solid gold stud d"d with diamonds and a hallway floor laid with engraved silver tiles Five or six hundred female retain CTS occupy the royal colong, among whom are the dancing girls. They. in their golden gowns, royal jewels, and tiaras that resemble miniature carved steeplcs. have become fam ous for their charm and grace.
 Nearby is the khmer Museum with a collection of sculptured stones. implements of war and jew elry: the weather beaten royal pa soda, and an ancient temple ap- preached by long flight of steps with q stone railing representing Naga, the sacred seven headed CO., bra. Tails of the sacred reptile adorning the roofs of some of Pnompenh's buildings resemble crooked lightning rods on American farm houses.
 The one thoroughfare that has a right to be called an avenue leads from the palace 10 the public park. Two hotels bordering it offer excel lent accommodations for a small eastern city save for their orchestras that dispense impossible nocturnal