216 SCHOMBURGK'S REPORT ON THE TRADE OF SIAM. [June 11, 1860. 



beautiful marble wbich. he found there " polished by the waves of 

 the sea as brightly as if it had been done by the hand of man." * 



Chantaburi is considered, among the ports of Siam, only second 

 in commercial importance to Bangkok. The town itself is about 1 1 

 miles up the river, following its windings, and is the residence of a 

 governor. 



Siam claims sovereignty over Cambodia, and its king pays tribute 

 to the Siamese Court. A similar claim is preferred by Cochin 

 China. 



The country is very fertile and of great commercial importance. 

 It produces rice, pepper, sugar, and its forests yield spontaneously 

 gamboge and other gums, ornamental woods, &c. 

 - Kampot is the only sea-port of the territory. 



Turning now to the harbours and anchorages of the western coast 

 of the Gulf of Siam, or Malay Peninsula, they are very imperfectly 

 known. It is to be regretted that a detailed survey and examina- 

 tion by Her Majesty's surveying-ship Saracen did not extend to that 

 coast. 



As I have already observed, the rivers of Siam are usually 

 obstructed at their mouth by bars of sand, and the shore seems 

 devoid of sufficient indentations to form secure ports for aiFording 

 shelter to vessels of a larger draught than 5 feet during tempestuous 

 weather. 



The President observed that this country was of great interest to us, on 

 account of the promising commercial relations which were in view, and also 

 on account of the people, who seemed to take more kindly to the ways of 

 civilization than the other inhabitants of that peninsula. 



Mr. J. Crawfurd, f.r.g.s., said it was forty years since he was in Siam, and 

 what he had written on the subject had been copied over and over again. Sir 

 John Bowring had produced a much more recent work, abounding with excel- 

 lent information. With respect to Sir Robert Schomburgk's communications, 

 he was particularly pleased with the last paper that was read. Every word of 

 it ought to be published. It contained sound and reliable information. He 

 had been himself nearly over the whole ground, and he could vouch for the 

 perfect accuracy of Sir Robert Schomburgk's information. Siam was a peculiar 

 country, inhabited by a peculiar race of people. It extended from the bound- 

 aries of Bengal to the western boundaries of China. The people were less 

 civilized than the Hindoos, and incomparably less civilized and less industrious 

 than the Chinese : all of them, except a few, were in a state of very great bar- 

 barism, professing the Buddhist religion — the doctrine of the metempsy- 

 chosis — hating to kill all animal life, except the life of man, which they did 

 not particularly respect. The population was estimated at six millions, but 

 among these six millions there were a million and a half of Chinese. It was 

 an exceedingly fertile country, and productive of many useful articles. In 

 touching upon the production of cotton. Sir Robert Schomburgk had hit upon 



* * Description du Royaurae Thai oa Siam.' Par Mons^ Pallegoix, &c. Paris, 

 1854, vol. i. p. 69. 



