SIAM. 



627 



dollars have been received and were legally cur- 

 rent at that rate. In 1902 the English financial 

 advisers induced the Government to adopt a gold 

 basis similar to the Indian and to issue bank- 

 notes to take the place of silver, which can no 

 longer be coined freely at the mint nor pass cur- 

 rent in the shape of Mexican dollars, though the 

 Government accepts dollars for the deposits it 

 has in the banks at the old rate of $3 for 5 ticals. 

 The sterling rate for national coins and paper 

 currency was fixed at 20 ticals to 1. 



The Army and Navy. The Government has 

 40,000 Mauser and 10,000 new Mannlicher rilies 

 and many old bronze guns and maintains 5,000 

 men under arms and 7,000 reserves, who have 

 been instructed by European officers. There is a 

 conscription law requiring every young man to 

 serve for three years from the age of eighteen 

 and three months in every year thereafter, but 

 Chinese pay a commutation tax and natives can 

 obtain exemption by paying 6 ticals a year or 

 can furnish a slave as a substitute, slaves, priests, 

 and officials being exempt. There is a marine 

 infantry numbering 15,000, who are on active 

 duty by turns, 2,500 at a time, between the ages 

 of twenty-two and forty. 



The naval force consists of the cruisers Maha 

 Chakrkri and Makut Rajakumar, of 3,050 tons, 

 7 gunboats, 2 monitors, a school-ship, a torpedo- 

 boat, 10 other armed vessels over 100 tons, and 

 40 smaller steamers. The vessels are armed with 

 quick-firing guns. There are 10,000 trained sea- 

 men, of whom 2,000 are required to serve in the 

 navy at one time and 2,000 more are held in 

 readiness. 



Commerce and. Production. The staple 

 product of the country is rice, and the production 

 is being greatly increased by the extension of 

 irrigation canals. Most of the rice-mills are 

 owned by Chinamen, a few by Europeans; Japa- 

 nese are introducing silk culture. The teak for- 

 ests are exploited by British companies. Pepper, 

 salt, dried fish, cattle, and sesame are exported. 

 The teak exported in 1900 was 45,261 tons. 

 Stricter forest regulations will reduce the supply 

 in the future, though vast quantities have been 

 cut and all will not be got out for five years. 

 An English forest official from India is conserva- 

 tor. Gold, rubies, sapphires, and copper are mined 

 by European companies, tin by Chinamen. The 

 imports of cotton goods in 1900 were 409,058 

 in value; opium, 141,149; silk goods, 128,127; 

 iron and steel goods and machinery, 169,346; 

 sjigar, 101,819; kerosene, 97,887; gunny-bags, 

 91,432; cotton yarn, 53,260; hardware and 

 cutlery, 33,112; other merchandise, 1,014,996; 

 treasure, 336,304; total imports, 2.576.540. 

 The exports of rice in 1900 were 2,225,470 in 

 value; teak, 324,748; other woods. 31,724; 

 sea products, 121,821; cattle, 48,524; pepper, 

 46,640; treasure, 20,115; total exports, 3.- 

 087,819. The imports come from Singapore, 

 Hong-Kong, China, Europe, and Bombay, and the 

 exports go to Singapore, Hong-Kong, Europe, 

 Bombay, Saigon, and China. Salt, iron, silk, and 

 tea come also overland from China and cotton 

 goods and hardware are exported to Yunnan. 



Navigation. There were entered 454 vessels, 

 of 380,073 tons, and cleared 450, of 378,073 tons, 

 during 1900. The regular steamers, formerly 

 British, have been sold to Germans. 



Railroads, Posts, and Telegraphs. A rail- 

 road, 16 miles in length, from Bangkok to the 

 harbor of Paknam was opened by a Danish 

 company in 1893. In 1898 the Government began 

 to build a line from Bangkok into the northern 

 and eastern provinces, and in the first two years 



18,000,000 ticals were expended. The northern 

 line was completed to Muang Khorat, 102 miles, 

 by the end of 1900. A branch was built west- 

 ward from the main line 26 miles to Lopburi, and 

 is to be continued 347 miles farther to Kiangmai, 

 and eventually to the Burmese frontier at Kiang- 

 sen, 124 miles farther west. A line is being con- 

 structed from Bangkok southwestward to Pecha- 

 buri, 94 miles. Another will run south and east 

 to the port of Simaharatha, 87 miles. A private 

 line, 10 miles long, runs from the Lopburi line 

 to the Buddhist shrine at Prabat, and will be 

 extended into the mineral and forest region be- 

 yond, and a company has undertaken to build 

 one from Bangkok northwestward to the mouth 

 of the Tatien river. 



The telegraphs have a total length of 2,900 

 miles. Siam joined the International Postal 

 Union in 1885. There were 583,460 domestic and 

 470,624 foreign letters sent in 1900. 



The Malay States. Siam from early times 

 claimed suzerainty over the Mohammedan states 

 of the Malay peninsula, invading them at times 

 and attempting to rule, often deciding questions 

 of succession, but usually being satisfied with 

 the triennial tribute and emblem of vassalage, 

 consisting of gold and silver flowers. Great Brit- 

 ain took Perak under its protection in 1874, and 

 others of the southern states followed, Pahang 

 in 1888. These events impelled Siam to assert 

 authority in the peninsula in a more visible 

 form. Petani was reduced to subjection by a 

 Siamese army and divided into four states, each 

 governed by a native rajah appointed by the 

 Government at Bangkok. Siamese officials con- 

 trolled the affairs of Kedah. After the latest ex- 

 tension of British protection the King visited 

 Kelantan and Tringano and inaugurated a more 

 active policy, introducing the Siamese postal sys- 

 tem, raising the Siamese flag, and after taking 

 advantage of a quarrel over the succession in 

 Kelantan to place on the throne a subservient 

 sultan, appointing a resident with an armed es- 

 cort after the manner of the British. The Sia- 

 mese officials in those states bordering on the Fed- 

 erated Malay States have not governed as justly 

 or wisely as the British residents, and the British 

 officials have been preparing the situation for a 

 further extension of the British protectorate. 

 The Rajah of Petani and the Rajah of Raman as- 

 serted their independence, and were taken as pris- 

 oners to Bangkok. The Sultan of Kelantan 

 showed a similar restless disposition. The rulers 

 and the people alike of these states expect to be 

 more prosperous under British rule, witnessing 

 the prosperity of their neighbors. In the Franco- 

 English agreement of Jan. 15, 1896, respecting 

 Siam, France recognized the Malayan peninsula 

 as a British sphere of interest, as England recog- 

 nized the Mekong basin as a French sphere. In 

 September, 1902, the Sultan of Kelantan took 

 300 Sikh soldiers into his service as a counter- 

 poise to the guard of the Siamese resident. A 

 few weeks later he was visited by the Governor 

 of the Straits Settlements. In October the Sia- 

 mese and British governments came to an arrange- 

 ment with regard to both Kelantan and Tringano, 

 which border on Perak and Pahang and are re- 

 garded by the British as being in such a state 

 of unrest and confusion as to constitute an im- 

 pediment, while under exclusive Siamese control, 

 to the peace and well-being of the British pro- 

 tectorate. 



Rebellion. Just as the British claim a right 

 to intervene for the elimination of Siamese mis- 

 rule and oppression of the Malays of the penin- 

 sula and Karens and Shans on the Burmese fron- 



