108 coax. — Harvest Heme Amusefnents. 



first class can refrain from indulging* in if. To evade 

 the law, the Chinese have urged thai gambling forms- 

 one of their religious rites, hoping by this finesse to 

 shelter themselves under the charter of justice , but 

 the fallacy is too palpable to be overlooked. Marco Poto, 

 who was himself governor of a Chinese province, mM 

 w >o'e about 544 wars ago, gives the following graphic 

 account of I his vice; 



"The present Khan has prohibited every species of 

 11 gambling and other mo/les ot cheating to which the 

 " people of this country (China) are addicted, more 

 t% than any other upon earth." Amidst an untutored and 

 heterogeneous native population like ours, the noble 

 fiat or dirt u in of refined legislation that the poorest 

 subject** house is his castle, is apt to become the 

 shield of the gamester and robber, as well as of the 

 peaceful citizen. 



As regards Province Wellesley, the prohibitions and 

 penalties of the law serve but as premiums to our 

 neighbours the Siamese ami the Perak Malays, who 

 have established cordons of gam hi i ug houses, cockpits 

 and opium-shops along our frontiers, thereby mono- 

 polizing the revenue which our law rejects, and in- 

 creasing the evils which are naturally inseparable from 

 the mere unrestricted indulgence of irregular passions 

 and propensities. After a favorable harvest, the ryots 

 bernit/at, or yow to institute games and festivals. 



The JUain manora and Wayamj kttlit are the 

 chief scenical amusements. The first of these is 

 the Siamese drama embodying tl^e heroic deeds of 

 Sri Kama and his army of apes, In this, the actors 

 have appropriate, often expensive, dresses and masques ■ 

 and a full band of music jilh up the interludes. In- 

 struments for a complete band, eo>t about tlOO 

 sterling. The second or Wayany hnlit, a sort of 

 dramatic phantasmagorea, is derived from Java, and 



