"PEARL OF ASIA."
SIASU, T1IK I.ANO OK Tlii WIIHK I
Kl.KIMIANT.
ltd ISuler, People, Territory, Army
Hnl Navy Slrrnsth nnl (icnrrul
Condition -Famous liuil
tlhlxt Temples.
IAM. the land of the
whiteelephnnt, the,
pearl of Asia,
occupies an exten
sive territory of
very irregular out
line in southeast
ern Asia. Its area
is about 250,001)
square miles, its
population about
10,01)0,000. Xn ex
treme length it ex
tends from four
degrees in the
Malay peiiinsuln
Cliieiigsen, twenty
decrees, twenty
two minutes north,
o n the river
Mekong, or a distance of nearly 1100
miles. Its greatest breadth is about
750 miles. It is hounded on the south
ly the British Malay States, occupying
the lower end of the Malay peninsula,
the Gulf of Sinm, French Cambrodia
find Cochin China. On the west and
north it is bounded by I'.nrniah, ex
cept that lower Siam touches the Bay
of Bengal, and oti the east the
Imundiiry is Tonquiu and Annum,
French possessions.
Tt is in this quarter that the trouble
arose which threatened an Fast Indian
r and, perhaps, the peace of F.urope.
Annum is a narrow strip of territory '
mm
-s.
.' -
TF.Mn.F. OF TIIE EMKRAI.D HOD IN
between Siam and the I'acitio Ocean.
Tho boundary lino between Siam and
Annum, according to the maps, and as
it actually existed until the French
put forth their present chums, was ii
raugo of hills running parallel with
the sua coatt and forming tho WBter
tilled between the sea coast and the
valley of the Mekong River. The ex
tensive tracts of country between the
river and those hills, liko much of
JSiam, is largely jungle and waste, and
liko all of Siam is without roads or
means of traversing it. Siam's hold
on this territory has always been
Weak, and Franco has long desired
THE KINO OF HI AM IN HTATK ATTIHE.
lier Indo-ChinuHe possessions to eX'
tend to tho east bank of tho Mekong,
It in this territory, thou, 101) to 150
miles wide, between the Mekong and
the coast rmigo of LUlu, which hub
linen the casus bulli.
Fugluud is interestod in the ques
tion because the disputed territory
touohea hor Burmeno possessions on the
north ; beoause of her hereditary
hatred of the French, and booiume of
her jealousy of territorial aoquiuitiou
in the east by any other Nation. Bus
iua, iw the ally of Frunoe in Europe
awl the rival of England iu Asiu, has
double motive for taking the part of
France.
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Wiwn !ia figured largely in legend
nnd poetry. Marco Polo visited it.
lull's in which there in a strange blend-
ing of tho improboblo and 1h true
tin vp been told about it. Jt in only
within comparatively repent times thiit
accurate information has been ob
tained concerning this far-away coun
try. Authentic Sinmoso history bo
pins with 1350, when Ayuthin, now n
cluster of ruins seventy miles north of
Bangkok, wns the capital. The period
from to lfi8S was made illustrious
by the. career of Constance Falcon, a
Greek of Cophalonia, whonttained the
dignity of Prime Minister. Ho in
duced the King to send an embassy to
Louis XXV. Ayuthin remained the
capital until 1 7i8, when, after a siege
of two years, it was taken and burned
by the Burmese. These in their turn
were driven out by I'hya Tak. the son
of a Chinese by a Siamese mother. He
made Bangkok the capital and after
ward ascended the throne. The pres
ent dynasty was founded in 1782.
The present rnler is KingChnlalong
korn I. , of whom and of the form of
whose Government Carter H. Tlnrrison
in his book, "A Race With the Hun,"
thus speaks :
"The King owns everything anil, in
n certain sense, everybody. He is lord
of all he surveys, and yet is himself
the veriest slave of the groveling su
perstitions and vile customs of his
people superstition anil customs
which, must be a source of intense dis
gust to so intelligent a man as King
Chulalongkorn evidently is, yet which
he could not escape, except at the risk
of losing his throne.
"Absolute monarch, his will a law to
every mini in the realm, his proclama
tions gainsaid by no one, yet he him
self is absolutely governed by custom
and the opinions of his nobles, even to
the
laiiv routine of his lne
With !
TnR PALACE flROrNDS AT BANOKOK.
tastes and aspirations natural to a man
of culture, and ambitions growing out
of his royal position aud his evident
desire for his country's prosperity, he
is utterly powerless to do tho half ho
would for his people, because he is
locked up in his palace and can see tho
people's needs only through the eyes
of other and can hear only tho voice
of flattery, or, what is yet worse, tho
voice of self-seeking and too often dis
honest ambition."
The King ascended tho throne when
ho was fifteen years old and is now
forty. Ho has a multitude of wives,
according to the custom of the coun
try, and upward of thirty children.
Though he has ho many wives only
one ranks as Queen.
The population of Siam is a very
mixed one. Only about a third of it
consists of puro Siamese. There are
about 1,000,000 Chinese, most of
whom, strange as it may scorn, are
subjects of Holland. Tho remainder
of the population is made up of mixed
races Iturmose, Indians, Malays, and
Cambodians.
The Siamese are essentially peaceful
and indoleut. They are social, vain,
and fond of bright dresses and jew
elry, and are inveterate gamblers.
The dress, both for men and women, is
a cloth called "pauoong," about two
feet wide, wrapped arouud the waist,
with one corner drawn up and caught
in a girdle at tho waist. This makos u
sort of flowing troiiser fulling to the
kueos.
Well-to-do-peoplo wear, in addition,
a white jacket, shoos, and stockings.
The women are distinguished by a
guudy scarf thrown across the body.
lSuugkok, the capital and largest
city, has a population variously esti
mated from 300,000 to 700,001). So
poaneahly disposed are the people
that Colouol David ii. Sickles, for
many years United Status Consul thore,
suys the murders did not average one
a year, linugkok is situated on both
banks of the Meuum Kiver. Aside
from the pagodas, temples aud Govern
ment buildings nearly all structure's
are of bamboo, with thutched roofs.
Many of these float on pontoons or
bundles of bamboo iu the river, or in
the canals, which form an intricate
network of waterways about the city.
The religion of the people is
Buddhism. Nearly all men of the
upper classes enter the priesthood for
a short tune, aud by custom no one
cuu ascend the throne who has not
boon a meudiouut priest.
The temples are very striking ob
jects seen from afar, aud some of them
are beautiful, but generally, aa is the
case with most things Oriental, dis
tauoo lends enchantment to the view.
Upon near tuspeotiou it is found that
there is a great deal of tinsel about
them, aud their guudy, oheup orna
mentation doe not favorably impress
the American. They arc not ftHatly
kept, and the. visitor pick hi way
through rubbish heap to the temple
entrance. Here romn tho people in
swarm to pray and to listen to tho
monotonous chant of crowds of lazy
priests. Tho lower part of the edillee
contain the image of Buddha, and
all around the pagoda are buildings
devoted to tho service of the prb'st
hood. Tho most famous temple in all
j-Jlu:J
m
THE MOST FAMOUS TEMPLE IX R1AM.
Siam is the Wat Cheng, oppoMte the
royal palace. It lifts it sacred spire
200 feet from tho ground, ond every
inch uf its irregular surface is covered
with glazed and colored ornamenta
tion., while little bells hang from every
possible projection, and every zephyr
sets them tinklinir.
Another famous temple contains the
mammoth sleeping limldlia. I he re
clining statue is eighty -seven feet long.
The most interesting temple in Bang
kok is the temple of the Kmerald (bid
within the royal enclosure, deroted to
the use of the King's family. It is
most ornate, is tilled with the rarest
specimens of Oriental and European
art, and, crowning all, is the little
emerald Bnddlui, only a loot high, a
solid mass of diamonds, sapphires and
other gems. Several far loftier temple
in Bangkok cost $100,000 apiece, but I
the private temple of the King, sur
passing them ali iu niagnillceiice, cost
fl, 000,000.
Buddha priests in yellow garbs aro
seen everywhere in Bangkok. They
are not permitted to work, and many
young fellows enter the priesthood
simply because they aro thus sure of
an easv, pampered existence. On the
i ground beside this old fellow you see
i the bowl with which he saunters out
! in tho morning to collect his daily
bread, or rather rice, and leaning
against tho tree is his largo umbrella.
When a woman ladle a iew spoonfuls
l of rice into his bowl ho hides his face
behind a fan, for fear the lady's charms
may interrupt his contemplation of
holy things.
Bangkok is lighted by electricity and
has a system of electric street railways.
Orcat strides in education have been
made in tho last few years. Tho Gov
ernment is a monarchy, the reigning
monarch having tho right to nominate
hia successor from among his sons.
Legislative power is vested in tho King
in conjunction with a council of minis
ters, most of whom nro his half broth
ers. Siam'i military force consists of a
standing army of 12,000 men, and the
people generally aro liable to be called
out a required, but there is no armed
militia. Every nialo inhabitant over
twenty-one years old is obliged to serve
three months a year. There are, how
ever, a good many exemptions from
this rulo. These include member of
tho priesthood, tho Chinese settlers
who pay a commutation tav, slaves,
public functionaries, tho fathers of
three Rons liable to service, ami those
who purchase exemption by a fine of
from $3 to $i. a mouth or by furnish
ing a slave or somo other person not
subject to conscription as a substitute.
Tho Government lipsscssos upward of
80,000 stand of arms, beside a consid
erable stock of cannon. Tho army is
largely officered by Europeans and has
been very largely increased of lato
years, both in eillcieucy and equip
ment. Tho naval equipment consul of two
screw steamer of 2000 tons and eight
gun each, several gunboats, ollicered
chiefly by Englishmen and Danes, and
some sea-going yacnts. Jno cruiser
of 2500 tons is being built. There are
forts with heavy guns at tho mouth of
the Bangkok Biver. Thore is a bar at
the month of tho rivor, however, which
effectually prevents the entrance of
vessels drawing more than thirteen
feet of water.
Tho National revenues amount to
about 810,000,000 a year, of w hich tho
laud tax produces $1,435,000; tax on
spirits, $500,000 ; tax on fruit trees,
SU'25,000 ; cpiuiu, $000,000 j gambling,
$500,000; customs, $715,000; tin
mines, 850,000 ; ediblo bird's uests,
$135,000, and fisheries, $135,000. All
the taxes, with tho exception of the
customs duties, are farmed. There is
no public debt, and power boa only
lately been given to tho Hong Kong
aud Shanghai bunk's local brunch to
issue a limited amount of paper money.
Thore isoompurativoly little industry
iu the oouutry, mainly due to tho state
of serfdom in which tho population is
kept by the local governors. Through
out the whole country the natives are
liable to foroed labor for from one to
i three mouths each year. Tho conse
quence is that the land, rich in many
parts, is budly cultivated. Not more
than oue-twentioth of the available
laud iu the delta of the Meuain is culti
vated. The dense forests of upper
Siam make teak cutting an important
industry. Gold exists iu some of tho
rivers, and for the working of it oou
oessious have been granted to British
and French companies. Gow mining
v carried on in varion district on
thewestern sidoof tho Malay peninsula,
where tin and coal are also known to
exist.
Domestic slsvery is in gradual abo
lition. Such slavery a exists i en
tirely debt slavery. Tho present King,
by an edict, decreed that no person
horn after hi accession to the throne
can be held as a slave beyond tho ago
of twenty-one. ('hineso coolies do
most of both the skilled and nnskille I
labor in the south, especially in tlei
mills and mine. In the north forest
work i contlned almost entirely t
tho Burmese, Karen and Khainiis.
Nearly tho whole of tho triido is in
the hands of foreigner. In lato year
many Chinese, not subject, like the na
tives, to forced labor, havo settled ill
the country. The foreign trade cen
ters in Bangkok. In 1801 the exports
from Bangkok amounted to about j",.
000,000, the imports to nbont 87,000,.
000. TeakwoDil and rico comprise n
large part of the export. Mivhinery,
Iron, hardware and cotton goods com
prise n large part of the imports.
Railway building begun seven or
eiifht years ago. There is one com
pleted railroad from Bangkok to Fak
nam, fourteen miles, and another one
in construction from Bangkok to Ban
Mai, on the l'atriew River,, and an
other one roiu Bangkok to Korat, 105
miles through a very rich uni.'Veloped
riee growing plateau. Another rail
road has been surveyed across the
mountains connecting Bmgkok with
the Burmese cities. Telegraph lines
aggregating 1780 miles nro in opera
tion. There is a postal service in
Bangkok, and in lss." Slum joinod tin)
International Postal Union.
Along the entire southern nnd east
ern frontier of Siam is territory cither
absolutely annexed to France, acknow l
edging a French protectorate, or in
which French influence predominate.
French int 'rveiit ion in tho affair of
Annum began in 17H7, and was termin
ated by a treaty iu INS!, est iblishing
a French protectorate. Annum main
tains an army of 2:1,2-10 soldiers, of
whom aiiout Halt ore nat ives, i am
bodia recognized the French protec
torate in 18(13. France has 300 soldieiM
hero. In Cochin China Franco has
18 (0 French soldiers and requires a
contribution of 5, :?00, 000 francs toward
the military expenditures of Annum
and Touquili.
Tonquin, with n ;vipnlal:on of 8,000,
000, of whom 100,000 are Roman
Catholics, was annexed to Franco in
1884. In 1880 there were 11,475
French troop here, besides 0500 na
tive soldiers.
Old War Wen'ions at (he Fair.
Different from the other "side
shows" located on Midway l'laisaueo
though among the latter are somo
of surpassing interest tho German
village, iu a certain sense and to a
certain extent, forms part of the Ger
man ollicial exhibit at tho World's
Fair. For in two of tho building
that compose this so-called village are
housed thousands of objects of price
less value, which in their aggregate
may fittingly be described as a museum
of inestimable worth aud of unparal
leled completeness.
lho most wonderful, nnd br far tho
costliest, exhibit, is that of armor.
weapons, knives and all tho parapher
nalia of chivalry. That in itself ii
valued at $700,000, and there are sin
gle piuco in it that nro worth from
$5000 to $10,000 each. This particu
lar collection, filling threo largo aud
high halls up to tho ceiling, is the.
most perfect and complete of its kind
in the world, and to every person of
education, to every artist and littera
teur, to every student, and to every
lover of history, archieology and eth
nology, this collection will appeal with
particular force. It has been arranged
with consummate skill, partly iu largo
case of solid walnut, having glass
doors, o that a day's study may be
pursued with the greatest case and in
dividual profit. Chicago Herald.
Tho Woe ol a Mihnv.
WV. nu lir,i A.,ar .,....., V
'Alas, my son I in this alligator
valise, left hero by' the thoughtle
oughtloss
tourist, I have discovered the lust relio
of your lamented futher. Judge.
English furmers who have any grass
to sell are musters of fhe situation.
At recent grass sale in Flintshire,
ono meadow of fourteen acres brought
$100 ; another of eleven acres $3iiS ;
several six-acre fields $245 each, aud
others from $20 to (23 each.
ft iHtr
f s I
Li f
0 k IJ
I0R FARM AM) (UUDEX.
RCAUKCnOWS.
Scarecrows should linvc long sleeve
of omo light in it, 'Hid, and the "bone"
should stop lit the elbow. The lower
sleeve will then wave iu thu wind. It
take n crow longer to acquire n feel
ing of i'cnrity in tho presence of n
gentleman who is constantly waving
his arms. New York World.
OllOWlNO MILLET.
A good prop of millet may bo grown
from n hit ) seeding, but often extra
care will be needed to procure a good
stand. It will sometime be slow to
germinate, especially if the Rowing bo
followed by a heavy ruin, nnd thus by
scalding sun. Then the soil is apt to
crust, and ai no air cm penetrate it
the germs will p.-ri ih. Even if the
H 'i'd.i sprout 111 ' crust i i s h ir I that
tho little pliintl.'ts cmnot pi'livtrit.i it.
If such a erunt fomn after sowing it
will be best to harrow the field with a
light, sharp implement. The millet
lmv should be cut before the seed
forms, or else the feeding value con
centrates in the grain, and the straw
becomes hard, woody, and unpalat
able. Chicago Times.
CLEANLINESS IN TIIE DAIRY.
( lennliness is absolutely necessary
in the dairy Iimkiiiims alike for milk,
butter and eh ese. Much attention is
needed to maintain the cleanliness of
the milk rccptichvi, such in pails,
puns, cans, and churn:. Iu the fir it
place, there should Ik' n sullicieiit sup
ply of pans, that those emptied ami
washed in the morning need not be
used until evening of the next day.
After washing, they should be placed
in the sunlight until us 'd. On cloudy
days they can be thoroughly dried
about the stove. If put together
when th"V aro wet, and allowed to
thus remain for several hoiir.i, they
cuniiot drv, and when separated at
night they will give otV n dii.igreeabl
odor, nnd warm milk place. I in them
is certain to be contaminated. All tin
duirv utensils should be first wadied ill
boiling water, then thoroughly rinsei
iu cold water and turned bottom side
up to drain mid drv until again used.
All vessels about the dairy should be
cleaned as soon ns emptied. Thu
shelves, benches nnd racks upon which
the pans aro set should be washed with
soap and water every time they are
cleared. New York World.
CHICKEN CHOI.nilA A 1IA11E PIMEAflE.
The so-called chicken cholera is
disease seldom found to attack flocks,
although it has been supposed to be
nlwavs present in nomo sections. That
it is a disease and that it is occasion
ally met with is true ; but us nearly till
ailments of poultry are attributed to
cholera, tho supposition tint it prevails
extensively is due to lack of know ledge
of the disease rather than to tho fact
of its being present. Wo havo spent
many years in the investigation of
cholera, nnd only four times iu over a
hundred instances havo wo met w ith
it. Last season we were culled upon to
visit a farm where the fowls were dyin
rapidly, nnd all attempts at a euro h i I
f.iitod. Investig itiou allowed tint
every spturj inch of tho poultry
house, tho cut lie sheds, woodpile, an
every plaeo accessible to tho hens w ere
covered with line, th ) Indies of th
h ms lit.irally sw.irmiii.r with the pests,
P.oitp is often denominated cholera
and indigestion, due to overfeeding
i i also mistaken for cholera. Iu tin
Rummer season, should thu hens be
come droopy, the best thing to do is
to look for lieu. Cholera kills iu
few hours. Roup, indigestion nnd
other ailments may allow tho hen to
linger for a week or niorcbeforedeuth
but cholera may be known by its fatal
work iu a few hours' time. (Mirror
aud Farmer.
HOOTSj FOU FEED.
Tho cheapest winter feed for swino
is roots. They may not huvo so much
nutriment in themselves, but they
an iu the hog to get more out of his
other feed, just as good clover pas,
turn causes the hog to get moro out
of grain. Turnips and rutubug:is may
be grown on tho laud from which cur
ly potatoes or sweet corn hus boon re
moved, or a piece of clover sod may
bo broken up ufter tho hay is harvest
ed.
Don t lean over tho Icuce to pour
tho slop iu the pigs' trough. The
t""""" " J"u l" "1""
gooil part ol the slop, nnd resti
sting
your weight, supported by tho rail, is
uot healthful exercise. Fuss
trough through tho pen into tho other
trough, Aud if you nail a board over
the first trough the pigs cannot stop it
with their uoses and wuste thu shq
wheu it is poured in
Tho old-fushioued way is to dip the
tuckets iu tho slop barrel, thou lift
them out with a hard, high lift, all
dripping and overflowing with th
greasy stuft", nnd no enrry them. Of
course the man that does that gets
greasy, dirty clothe. Tho new way
i to net the barrel upon blocks nnd
dish out a place for the bucket to sit,
nnd then put a big faucet in the barrel.
Thi way there is no hard lifting, no
bucket greasy ou tho outside, no drip
or overflow.
A little pains to sun scald tho troughs
if they get Boiir under cover will pay.
If it be dump and cloudy scald them
out with boiling water nnd food a fow
hiindfulsof powdered charcoal to cor
rect acidity of the hogs' stomachs.
Farm Journal.
HAtSlNO rnjwr.n RF.F.n.
When plants nro grown for rcpcI, a
few of the flMt (lowers should always
bo removed. This is particularly
iieeessiiry to the propagation of double
flowers, us the llrst blossoms are usual
ly semi-double, and will give seeds
tint will, in their turn, produce plants
with single flowers. Double flower
arc the result of high cultivation, nnd
it is only by such that good Heed can
be obtained. Consequently, have the
stock-seed bed ns rich as possible, and
when the flowers nro in their grtntest
perfection, n move all buds except the
few that are partly opened, and at
the same time nip the Heeds of tho
branehcfi, in order that new budii con
form, which will, usually, causa the
Mowers already opened, nnd tlioao
opening, to yield Reed which they
would not otherwise do. When a
plant produces a flower which is con
sidered perfect, take olT all tho other
flower from the plant, nnd earn
fully protect this from all harm. In
most species n single capsule will con
tain nil tic seed necessary for next
crop. The bed in which plants aro
grow n for stock-seed, is the very soul
of the garden, possessing no attrac
tions for any but the hnppy owner,
who sees iu it a nnre promise of reward,
in the splendor of his garden in futnro
years. This is a work that can bo
made profitable in well ns pleasant.
There i t Hot a seedsman in tho coun
try who would not bo glad to secure
stoekimf any variety of flower or vege
table that have been greatly improved
by careful selections and cultivation.
American Agriculturist.
TARM AND OAIIIIEN NOTES.
bell wuoul'V r you can get a
fair
price.
Plenty of road work inake muscle
aud endurance.
There are 23 distinct breeds of
sheep in Great Britain.
Bo very careful of your horses when
they become overheated.
Good drainage is necessury to tho
successful raising of grain.
The quality of thu manure depend
upon the food of tho stock.
A strong constitution is a desirable
in a horse as in a human being.
Select your best mares aud brood
them to the best horses you cuu get.
Have a good bull iu your Lord it
you want cow for milk nnd butter.
Too much enre cannot bo exercised
iu keeping cream or butter from all
odors.
Teach the colt tho uso of tho halter
while very young, both to lead aud to
stand tied.
Choose tho dairy salt with oaro, for
on it tlependi tho appearance and
keeping qualities of your product.
If the pastures aro eaten very closo
nt the beginning of the season, they
are not apt to give a good growth la
ter on.
It is said that sheep nro excellent
for keeping down the grass in tho
apiary. Tho bees rarely trouble them
and tho combination is a profitable
one.
If you have dogs or cuta about thn
place havo water where they can get at
it handily these days. Many a dog in
driven mad because uf lack of water to
drink. Fact.
It is said that tho secret of tho suc
cess of the British farming is the com
bination of sheep and turnips. The
turnips make the sheep and the sheep
liuike the wheat.
Tho breeder who aims to secure
quality, beauty, style, size aud good
roud guit, us well as speed, will find a
profit in the business provided he
works intelligently.
The quince is a gross feeder. No
other fruit requires so much manure or
such thorough cultivation. It is be- .
cause it is neglected that uo butter re
sults are secured.
Don't iiiuko poor butter. It is not
wanted. Oleomargarine is preferred
aud is often chouper. flood butter at
a fair price will drive oleoiuargariua
out of tho market quicker thuu con
gress "regulations."