158 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SI AM AND MALACCA. 



under water in the rainy season; its lanes are somewhat raised, 

 irreg-ular, and narrow, and only veiy few places are paved with 

 large bricks standing- on their edge. In many places nothing 

 has been built, and these places are generally transformed into 

 swamps. The houses are all built upon bamboo poles or rafters, 

 about one man's height above the ground. Most of them consist 

 of bamboo -and matting which has been made from the Nipah Palm. 

 Only the richest fill these bays with planks. The temples alone 

 are generally built of bricks, and are situated on more elevated 

 ground. This part of the town is only inhabited by Chinese and 

 Cochin-Chinese, they have a chief of their own nation. A 

 prince from Cochin China also lives on this side, and also a beggar 

 prince from Canco, who fled hither on account of an insurrection 

 that had broken out against him. I visited them both to-day. 

 All along the stream there are many swimming houses, mostly 

 inhabited by the Chinese who have shops, and also by some 

 artisans, as shoemakers, pewterers, colour-merchants, etc. 



Such a house is built on big bamboos, which are enclosed 

 by strong rafters, and they have nearly all two roofs. The first 

 roof covers the shop or the work room; it has generally another 

 little roof added, which however is lower than the principal one. 

 The room behind this is the place where the family lives. At 

 both ends there are still some rooms, one of them forming the 

 kitchen, the other the living-place for the servants. When such 

 a building is new it floats about one foot above the water, but it 

 cannot last longer than four years at the utmost, after which 

 period it has to be destroyed, and rebuilt on new bamboo poles. 

 These houses are all built in firm bays, filled with planks of wood. 

 When such houses have been standing for some time, they are 

 filled with all sorts of poisonous snakes, mostly water-snakes. 

 People go with these houses often from one place to another, 

 mostly led by prejudice and superstition if there have occurred 

 too many cases of death or misfortune in any family. The remote 

 part of the town before the walls, is inhabited by Cochin-Chinese. 



The former Portuguese town is now inhabited by the Siamese. 

 The King himself lives in the first fortress. The streets, houses, 

 canals, and the soil are like those in the French town. 



The palace of the king^ is built of wood, and irregularly 

 covered with tiles; it consists of several smaller houses, lying 

 close together. There are no swimming houses before this town. 



