602 Excursions to the Eastward. [July, 



The Chinese miners, however, are not taxed. Indeed the Chinese 

 always enjoy privileges under the Siamese government, which are 

 denied to the natural subject. They are exempted from the duty imposed 

 on every Siamese of serving the state when called on, either in the 

 capacity of soldiers, artizans, or day labourers, and they are left at more 

 liberty to enjoy what their industry produces than the native is. 



The reason is obvious : — the Chinese, independent of their belonging 

 to the dominant nation to which the Siamese pay tribute, are a more 

 intelligent, ingenious and laborious race than the Siamese, to whom also 

 they have the art to render themselves absolutely necessary, and as 

 the religious institutions of both people are free from the unsocial re- 

 strictions of caste, they assimilate easily together. We may likewise 

 suppose that the Siamese would not like to irritate a class of men who 

 are so numerous in all their towns, and who have come from a country 

 the supremacy, as just observed, of which over Indo-Chinese nations 

 they acknowledge. 



Although the chief of Phoonga takes advantage of the power given 

 him and enriches himself at the expense of his subjects, yet his govern- 

 ment is not so oppressive as that of the raja of Ligor. His people also 

 are more attached to him, than those of Ligor to the latter, or in other 

 words do not hate him so violently as the Ligorians hate their prince. 

 The difference shewed itself in one instance.- In the raja's country every 

 article supplied for my table was extorted from his subjects, but at 

 Phoonga, the chief bought out of the bazar all the provisions. &c, he 

 sent to me. 



The females at Phoonga secluded themselves more than those at 

 Salang did, which I attributed to their own modesty, for jealousy is 

 not a characteristic of the men in Siam. Women in this country are 

 allowed much freedom ; but it may be questioned whether they would 

 not willingly part with a large portion of it to get rid of the drudgery it 

 entails. The obligation which the men lie under to serve the state 

 during a certain number of months in a year according to circumstances, 

 throws the labor which they ought to perform on the shoulders of the 

 women. These are therefore driven to the necessity of subsisting 

 themselves during the absence of their husbands ; they prepare the rice- 

 fields, plant vegetables, and attend to the loom, or to keeping of small 

 bazars. 



The governor of Phoonga has two associates. His revenue is 

 derived from the available labor of his own private trade, and perqui- 

 sites derivable from transactions of foreign traders at his port. He 

 has three China junks which trade to Penang; these carry to that island 



