1840.] Mission to the Court of Siam. 245 



could scarcely hear ourselves speak ; we sat a short time to look 

 at the actors, and taking leave of him, we returned home. About 

 ten girls were enacting a play; the scene was laid in a wild 

 forest in Java, with rocky mountains at one side of the theatre, 

 constructed of boards painted blue and red, and a few branches 

 and artificial flowers stuck about them, with steps concealed, 

 at least where we sat, for the actors to climb amongst them. The 

 theatre had no stage nor any shifting scenes, but was cover- 

 ed in, and had raised standing room for the spectators in rows 

 above and behind each other, as in the Roman theatres. The 

 piece represented a princess, who by philters was induced 

 to run away with some low person. The old man seemed to 

 take a childish interest in the thing. He is the most famous 

 general in Siam, and distinguished himself amongst the Siamese 

 in the last Cochin-Chinese war. After coming from his house 

 we went for a few minutes to the house of the prince Chow-fa, 

 where we met Mr. Jones, one of the American Missionaries. 

 From the prince I got Mr. Crawford's account of his mission 

 to this court, which he had understood; he did not, however, 

 make any comments on it. I asked him, in return for the map 

 I had given him, for any geographical information he had re- 

 garding Siam ; he said none existed, and expressed his surprise 

 at the extent and correctness of Mr. Crawford's information. He 

 said he was anxious to get the king's leave to make a map of 

 the kingdom from survey, but as he was the only man in the 

 country who could do it, he could expect no assistance. 



March YJth. — Received the letters for Mr. Prinsep and Mr. 

 Blundell ; the former is in a stand representing a lotus flower, 

 the latter in a red silk bag, and the same large boats which 

 brought us from Tat- Chin, were sent for our conveyance to 

 Nak-outcha-thee. In part for the sake of seeing more of the 

 country, and in some measure from necessity, as the water is so 

 low in many parts of the Zimmay river above the junction of 

 the May-nam that much time would be lost at this season in 

 digging away the sand, I have made up my mind to proceed to 

 Nak-outcha-thee by water, and thence by land to Zimmay. I 

 have been furnished with a passport from the ministers bearing 

 their official seals, and stating that I had come with presents 



