453 



in his hand, artificial wiDj^ upon his shoulders, and 

 hair iti^de of fine gold thread. Tins boy repre- 

 sented an angel sent from God commissioDed to 

 contiQe the evil spirits until such time as the 

 king's soul should have reached the celestial 

 abode prepared for it. 



The pageant stopped opposite a temple called 

 Quiay Poutor, and tlie silver shrine having been 

 deposited in it. the vessels containing the idols, 

 and laden with pilch and other combustibles, 

 were fired, and consumed in the course of an 

 hour, during which period the usual accompani- 

 ments of cannon and small arms—of drums, 

 horns, bells' yelling, and shouting, rent the air, after 

 which several other ceremonies %vere performed, 

 and the inhabitants retired to their houses, in 

 which they remained immured for ten days: At 

 the expiration of this period commenced the re- 

 joicings for the new sovereign. 



It is not within the scope of this work to enter 

 upon the manners and customs of the Siamese, 

 on which head any one, requiring information, 

 can easily consult those authors, whose labors 

 have been more immediately directed to that 

 country. Indeed, I should not have touched 

 upon the religion and laws of this people at all, 

 had it not been that, whilst the island of Oojong 

 Salang, from its Siamese population, inevitably 

 led me to touch on the subject, the proximity of 

 that peopFe to our possession of Pulo Pinang su- 

 peradded another motive. Province Wellesley, 

 especiallysince the subjugation of Kedah, swarms 

 with talapoins, and several of this class of peo- 



