SIAMESE TWINSSIBERIA. 



241 



celebrated Siamese embassy was sent to Louis XIV., 

 through the influence of Constantine Phaulcon or 

 Falcon, a Greek adventurer, who by a singular 

 destiny, had become phraklang or foreign minister of 

 Siam. In the middle of the last century, the coun- 

 try was conquered by the Birman prince Alompra 

 (see Birman Empire') ; but it has since recovered 

 its independence, and, during the reign of the late 

 king (1809 1824), considerable acquisitions of 

 territory were made See Crawfurd's Journal of an 

 Embassy to Siam and Cochin-China (London, 1828). 

 SIAMESE TWINS, two youths born in the 

 kingdom of Siam, with bodies singularly united by 

 a strong band at the lowest part of the sternum of 

 each, were carried from Siam, April 1, 1829, by 

 captain Coffin, of the American ship Sachem, and ex- 

 tensively exhibited in Europe and the United States 

 during that and the three subsequent years. " The 

 substance by which they are connected," says doc- 

 tor Warren, "is a mass two inches long at its upper 

 edge, and about five at the lower. Its breadth, 

 from above downwards, may be four inches, and its 

 thickness, in a horizontal direction, two inches. 

 Of course it is not a rounded cord, but thicker in 

 the perpendicular than in the horizontal direction. 

 At its lower edge is perceived a single umbilicus, 

 through which passed a single umbilical cord to 

 nourish both children in the fetal state. Placing 

 my hand on this substance, which I will denominate 

 the cord, I was surprised to find it extremely hard. 

 On further examination, this hardness was found to 

 exist at the upper part of the cord only, and to be 

 prolonged into the breast of each boy. Tracing it 

 upwards, I found it to be constituted by a prolon- 

 gation of the ensiform cartilage of the sternum, or 

 extremity of the breast bone. The breadth of 

 this cartilage is an inch and a half; its thickness 

 may be about the eighth of an inch. The cartila- 

 ges proceeding from each sternum meet at an angle, 

 and then seem to be connected by a ligament, 

 so as to form a joint. This joint has a motion up- 

 wards and downwards, and also a lateral motion, 

 the latter opening in such way that when the boys 

 turn in either direction, the edges of the cartilage 

 are found to open and shut. The lower face of this 

 cartilage is concave, and under it is felt a rounded 

 cord, which maybe the remains of the umbilical cord. 

 Besides this there is nothing remarkable felt in the 

 connecting substance. I could distinguish no pul- 

 sating vessel. The whole of this cord is covered 

 by the skin. It is remarkably strong, and has no 

 great sensibility; for they allow themselves to be 

 pulled by a rope fastened to it without exhibiting 

 uneasiness." To this we add, from the report of 

 G. B. Bolton, esquire, read before the London royal 

 society, April 1, 1830: "Under the cartilage, 

 while they stand in their ordinary posture, are large 

 hernial sacs opening into each abdomen, and into 

 which, on coughing, congenital hernia? are forced, 

 probably in each boy, formed by a portion of the 

 transverse arch of the colon. Generally, however, 

 and under ordinary circumstances, these herniae are 

 not apparent. Whether there is a communication 

 between the two abdominal cavities, or a distinct 

 peritoneal sac belonging to each hernia, is by no 

 means obvious. When these herniae protrude, their 

 respective contents are pushed forwards jas far as 

 the middle of the band." If the connecting link be 

 touched in the centre, the touch is equally felt by 

 both ; but, at half an inch from the centre, it is felt 

 by but one. These two young persons, Eng and 

 Chang by name, are natives of a small village, called 



VI 



Maklong, on the sea-coast of Siam. They we.re 

 born in May, 1811, of Chinese parents. Their 

 mother observed that she suffered no greater incon- 

 venience at their birth than at that of her former 

 children, as they were very small, and the head of 

 one was presented between the legs of the other. 

 Their parents were of the poorer class, and, until 

 the youths left their home, they were engaged in 

 fishing, manufacturing cocoa-nut oil, keeping poul . 

 try, &c., for the support of the family. They are 

 about five feet two inches in height, are well made 

 and muscular. They have been known to carry a 

 person weighing 280 pounds a hundred feet. They 

 are agile, can walk or run with swiftness, and can 

 swim well. Their intellectual powers are acute: 

 they play at chess and draughts remarkably well. 

 Their feelings are warm and affectionate, and their 

 conduct amiable and well regulated. They never 

 enter into conversation with each other beyond a 

 simple remark made by one to the other, which 

 seems to be rationally accounted for by the fact 

 that, their experience being all in common, they 

 have nothing to communicate. The attempt has 

 frequently been made to engage them in separate 

 conversations with different individuals, but always 

 without success, as they are invariably inclined to 

 direct their attention to the same thing at the same 

 time. In their movements perfect equanimity is 

 observed, the one always concurring with the other, 

 so that they appear as if actuated by a common 

 mind. In their employments and amusements, they 

 have never been known to utter an angry word 

 towards each other. Whatever pleases or displeases 

 one has the same effect on the other. They feel 

 hunger and thirst at the same time, and the quantity 

 of food taken by them is as nearly alike as possible. ^ 

 Both feel the desire to sleep simultaneously, and 

 they always awake at the same moment. Upon the 

 possibility of separating them with safety there is 

 some difference of opinion among medical men. 

 The majority believe it impossible. 



SIBERIA; a vast country of the north of Asia, 

 with the Altai and Caucasus mountains on the south, 

 and the Ural mountains on the west, the Pacific on 

 the east, and the frozen ocean on the north. It is 

 one of the most desolate regions on the globe. A 

 great portion of it is included within the limits of 

 the frozen zone; and even the southern parts, from 

 their physical structure, are exposed to a high de- 

 gree of cold. Its situation also nearly excludes it 

 from communication with the civilized parts of the 

 world. The rivers generally have a northern di- 

 rection, flowing into the Frozen ocean, the shores 

 of which are barred by almost perpetual ice. Of 

 the rivers, the Oby, Enisei and Lena are amongst 

 the largest on the globe; others are the Irtisch, 

 Angara, Selinga, &c. The Ural mountains on the 

 west, and the Altaian range in the south, form 

 striking features of Siberia. Another characteris- 

 tic feature consists in the immense steppes, or 

 elevated plains, covered with long rank grass and 

 aquatic shrubs, and filled with saline lakes. The 

 natural productions of Siberia are gold, silver, 

 copper, lead, iron, zinc, arsenic, sulphur, plumba- 

 go, &c. In the northern districts, the prevailing 

 animal is the rein-deer. The chief fur animals are 

 the sable, black fox, ermine, martin, &c. The 

 ferocious animals are the bear, wolf, lynx, and wild 

 hog. In various parts of Siberia there are found 

 remains of extinct species of animals. (See Organic 

 Remains.} The mass of the population of Siberia 

 consists of the native tribes, who are in a degree 

 Q 



