152 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AXD MALACCA. 



dwelling- places of the numerous Talapoins were here excep- 

 tionally regular, high, and very gorgeous. On my way back I 

 stopped near different temples, because around them is generally 

 the greatest variety of plants to be found. Ho^vever, I did not 

 discover anything new, only a Convolvulus with ochre yellow 

 blossoms, which were however rolled up. They g-rew together 

 on a common stalk in the shape of an umbell, which was of 

 medium size. The leaves grow^ close to the stalk, they are 

 heart-shaped but at the wader side of the heart they are angular 

 and at the other extremity they terminate in an oblong manner. 

 I obtained many kinds of seeds, especially good ripe ones of the 

 Cassia alata, which has nine to twelve pairs of leaves. There 

 were many trees, either without foliage, or just forming new 

 foliage ; thes6 all were unknown to me. 



29. — Through all these days the Eoman Catholic Christians 

 held their festivities. They are all in the service of the king of 

 Siam, and almost all natives. I had the opportunity to see the 

 king's dancers, who had been brought hither from Pegu ; I also 

 saw a dumb-show, a kinl of comedy. Their musical instruments 

 consisted of a peculiar kind of violin, only having four strings 

 and a long neck ; the sounds produced by this instrument were 

 very much like the human voice, and in the shape it resembled 

 the one which Kempfer has drawm. Furthermore they had a 

 kind of flute, which squeaked more appalling-ly than an Haut- 

 boy; another flute of bamboo, which produced very agreeable 

 sounds. They put the whole end of the instrument, which 

 is as thick as that of our flutes, into their mouths before they 

 could produce any sound. Then they had two kinds of ordi- 

 nary little drums, one of them consisting of a vessel, over which 

 common leather had been fixed, and the second kind resem- 

 bled a little barrel. But the most remarkable sound was pro- 

 duced by an instrument consisting- of nineteen pieces of bamboo 

 the long-est of which was a little more than a foot long, and 

 about three inches wide ; they grew gradually shorter and 

 narrower, so that the nineteenth was only three-fourths of a foot 

 long and a little less than three inches wide, but much thinner. 

 All these pieces had two holes at their ends and were joined by 

 means of strings and fastened upon a long piece of wood, cur- 

 ving up at the ends and hollowed out in its whole length, so as 

 to resemble an ordinary trough, but with that difference, that the 



