954 



FARTHER INDIA 



60 armed rowers, with about 25 or 30 soldiers, and a small piece of cannon. The revenue of 



the sovereign consists of a land tax, or 

 rather rent, for the whole country is es- 

 teemed the property of the ruler. The 

 tax is a tenth of the produce, and is paid in 

 kind, so that its amount is not easily ascer- 

 tained. "Among the possessions of the 

 king, we must not omit to notice his ele- 

 phants. He is regarded as owning all in 

 the kingdom, and has generally from one to 

 two thousand, which have been caught and 

 tamed. The white elephant, of which there 

 is now but one, is estimated above all price. 

 He is treated like a prince of the blood, 

 and has a suite composed of some of the 

 most prominent officers of the court. In- 

 deed, the vulgar actually pay him divine 

 honors, though this is ridiculed by the in- 

 telligent." — Malcom. 



This part of the country has been sub 

 White Elephant. ject to several remarkable revolutions since 



• it became known to Europeans. In the 



15th century, Pegu was the ruling State ; but in the middle of the next century, the Avans not 

 only threw off the yoke, but they subdued their former masters. In the 18th century, this 

 state of things was again reversed ; but Alompra, not long after, again restored the supremacy 

 of Ava, and both he and his successors added numerous provinces by conquest ; Cachar, Cas- 

 say, Arracan, parts of Siam and Malacca, were reduced under the Birmese sway. In 1826, 

 a war with the British East India Company broke out, in which the Birmese were worsted; and 

 they were obliged to pay the expenses of the war, beside ceding the western and Malacca de- 

 pendencies above mentioned, to the company. 



5 Kingdom of Siam. This kingdom, comprising Siam Proper and part of Laos, Cambo 

 dia, and Malacca, is bounded N. by China ; E. by the empire of Annam ; S. by the Chinese 

 sea and the Gulf of Siam ; and W. by the Strait of Malacca and the Birman empire. It has 

 an area of 200,000 square miles, and 3,600,000 inhabhants. 



BanJcok, on the Menam, near its mouth, is a large citv, with an active commerce. It is 

 entirely built of wood, with the exception of the palace and the temples, and has about 90,000 

 inhabitants, nearly three quarters of whom are Chinese, who carry on all the foreign commerce 

 of Siam. A great number of houses are built upon rafts moored in the river, and forming a 

 floating city by itself. 



Siam, or Yuthia, formerlv the capital, and once a large and populous city, is now in ruins. 

 In regard to food, dress, buildings, religion, government, &c., the Siamese in general resemble 

 the Birmese, but with many minor points of difference. In approaching their superiors, they 

 submit to the most servile and humiliating ceremonies, crawling on their hands and knees, or 

 throwing themselves prostrate on the ground, as it is a fixed rule, that the head of the inferior 

 must never be raised higher than that of his superior. The Siamese call Gaudama Somonaco- 

 dom, and Boodha, Pra Poota Chow, or the Lord God Boodha, and the rites are nearly the 

 same as in Birmah. Mr. Malcom remarks, that the Birmans make stupendous pagodas and 

 monasteries, while the temples and zayats are comparatively small ; but the Siamese construct 

 small pagodas and priests' houses, and bestow their wealth and labor on the temples ; between 

 these and the dwelling-houses, there is the same contrast as in Birmah. Both in regard to per- 

 sonal appearance and in the arts, they are much behind the Birmese. The dress is but an im- 

 perfect covering, and for both sexes alike, consisting merely of a strip of cloth wrapped round 

 the legs, passed between the thighs, and tucked in at the small of the back. The moral char- 

 acter of the Siamese, as drawn by travelers, is by no means flattering ; they are said to be slug- 

 gish, indolent, and cowardly, but boastful, arrogant, and false ; and they have been pronounced a 

 nation of liars. So arrogant and full of national pride are they, that they esteem the meanest 

 Siamese superior to the greatest subject of any other nation ; they are, however, peaceful, 

 temperate, and orderly The commerce is considerable, but is chiefly carried nn by Chinese 



