k 45.6 / ELEPHANT, 
Indians are persuaded that so majestic a body must 
be animated by the soul of a departed king op 
hero. 
In .Siam., Pegu, Laos, white elephants are view- 
ed with, peculiar veneration,, as the living manes of 
deceased emperors. Each has a palace, domes- 
tics, golden vessels, choice food, splendid robes. 
They are subjected to no servile labours, and are 
taught to bow the knee to the reigning emperor, 
but before none else. 
When an elephant wishes merely to terrify any 
person, he runs upon him with an aspect of fury, 
but stops when near, without inflicting any injury. 
He lades a boat in a river with amazing dex- 
terity, carefully keeping all the articles dry, and 
disposing them so that their arrangement needs 
not to be changed. In raising wheeled carriages, 
heavily loaded, up a declivity, he pushes the car- 
riage forward with his front, advances, supports 
it with his knee, and renews his effort. If drag- 
ging a beam of wood along the ground, he re- 
moves obstacles to make it run smooth and easily. 
The majestic elephant on which Porus rode 
in the battle in which he opposed Alexander, dis- 
played a strong attachment to his master. When 
the Indian monarch, though exhausted with 
fatigue, and covered with wounds, obstinately 
refused to retire or yield himself prisoner, and 
the Grecian soldiers pressed hard upon him, his 
elephant still obeyed his direction, though all his 
companions had fled ; still defended his master, 
and attacked those who approached against him, 
with firm and ardent courage. 
M. D'Obsonvilie relates an anecdote of an 
elephant which represents him in a very amiable 
light. In the Laknaor,- the capital of Soubah, 
during the rage of an epidemic distemper, the 
principal road to the palace gate was covered with 
