INDOCHINA* 



S7 



amid tin rank tropical vegetation concealing the silent niitifl of 

 Ayutltim 



Occupying the niiiri; f.f i!n- |iemnsnla, with a seaboard lying 

 midway between the liny of Bengal and the China Son, Siam is 

 admirably wiuiatcd fur iho purpo^s uf internal ii.nal trade, mid when- 

 ever the Isthmus nf Kni i* pierced by n navigable i-jitjii! liangkuk 

 muni iM-i'tniii! one of lln- great empnrimits *>( the A -hit in world. A 

 considerable traffic ha* fur ttgea been maintained overland through 

 tin; Meimiii valley and Zimme with China, and by water with all 

 the Rtirroimding insular and peninsular land*. The chief staples 

 i if i-x]nii'l tin.' rice, I'nbi'. '■•"•"u-iiut oil, resin, cardamoms pepper, 

 gamboge, Bappon, dyewoods, teak, eaglewood, indigo, fttiek-lac, ox 

 and bulbil. ► hide." and lu-rnn. iv^ry, wdt lint, ami silt. The. silt in 

 partly mineral and partly derived from extensive valines at the 

 mouth uf the Mcklong. In exchange for these commodities Siam 

 imports tea, raw and woven nlks, paper, earthenware from China ; 

 opium and cotton fairies from India; hardware, machinery, arms, 

 cutlery* gift*?, woollen and cotton good* from Europe. 



The tmdtj of Uir fertile Slum anj Ijio ilEstricts ia with Yunnan u.. iJm 

 north and Cochin-China to the 1 en*!, tn which it fu nds elephant*, precious 

 fltoDt'ti, gold, musk, iven", wiijc. Riirk-liie, luunlioun, eutUni, nail iku un- 

 called "Pegu ponies/' which are renlly hn>d in tliu Khan country. In 

 exchange nre imported wilt, fish, oil, silken stuns, flre-aniis, iind guu- 

 jwwder. There is also some trado with Burmah to the west, whi'li will 

 probably be much developed with improved com muni™ t km*, and the 

 introduction of law and order into that hitherto distracted region. 



Gommunicat ions . — At present lite only mean* of inland •.■..1:1- 

 munieatiun an? the great waterway of the Menam, the trade route 

 leading l hence north to China, and the forest tracks over the hills 

 ciiKfc to Camboja, west to Burundi, lleccntly, however, (lie whole 

 of the Mcnam valley has been carefully surveyed by Mr. Cobjuhoiin, 

 who strongly advocates a railway from Bangkok through Rahine 

 (Jtaheng), lo Zhnmc\ to be ultimately continued along (he historic 

 ^Ci.lck-n Koiid through Zitnun 1 l>, Esuiok, within thfi Chinese 

 frouti* r, and with a branch from Rabins westwards to lb. P,iiriuc*e 

 railway system, The ground has been examined and plans drawn 

 out for these works, which might he executed as far jl-. Jviang-Uien on 

 the Mekhong at an estimated cost of about £3,288,000. Mo engineer- 

 ing difficulties would be encountered a* far a* Bahinc, and few above 

 it, «s tin- Lira; wi iuld run mainly t brunch a plain budded with villages, 

 and with a fall of not more than 000 feet for MO miles from the 

 north frontier of Siam to the capital* "The natural richness of the 



