VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SI AM AND MALACCA 159 



except one swimming* pleasure house for the king\ It is open 

 on all sides and has a low gallery around it. Inside there 

 is a partition made of turner's work, which is the king-'s real 

 place, and before this stands a larg-e gilt chair of old-fashioned 

 shape and ornamented with paintings. The whole front of this 

 swimming house was painted and gilt, and the roof was covered 

 with palm-leaves. 



There is a second swimming house for the queen close to 

 to the king's ; it has walls and shutters, is a little hig'her, but 

 only half the size of the above-mentioned one. 



In both these towns there are elephants kept in the unbuilt 

 places ; they live in high barns, especially built for them ; they 

 are daily led out for their walk, and must daily be washed. 

 Round both parts of the town there is a number of houses built 

 close to the town walls, most of them at the side of the big 

 river, but there is seldom more than one row of these houses. 



In this part dwell the bishop and two priests, all three 

 of the French nation and also paid by the French, but ordain- 

 ed by the pope himself. The houses still continue in single or 

 double rows for a long time after one has left the town, on 

 both sides of the river. Their inhabitants are people from Pegu or 

 Leo (Laos), or a few Burmans, having been brought hither as pri- 

 soners of war; they have either adopted the agricultural life or have 

 taken to manufacturing, for which occupation they are particu- 

 larly suited. The magazines of Sappan wood belonging to the 

 fugitive king of Leo on the left, and a temple on the right side, 

 end this suburb, so that the whole length of the town, taking all 

 in all, is about two English miles. 



On the arm of this large river, which is about a gunshot wide, 

 lies another suburb. The rivers divide close before the Portu- 

 guese fortress, and the smaller arm runs in a south-westerly direc- 

 tion towards the sea. On entering this town, one also sees many 

 swimming houses, and also some built on poles ; the town 

 stretches about one English mile along the river. There are also 

 many kinds of shops here, specially some booths, belonging to 

 Mohametans. 



At the month of this river there is a bazaar or market, con- 

 sisting of boats in which all sorts of victuals, as vegetable, fish 

 and pork are sold. This arm of the river forms yet another minor 

 arm, which surrounds the whole Portuguese town, and on the 



