'TEAM, OF ASIA."
8IAM.TIIK I.AM) OK THiC WIII1K
KI.K1MIA.NT.
Its Uuler, People, 1 rrrltor.v, Army
and Xnvy Strength nnl (icnrrul
Condition Fiiiudih I'.ud
dhlst Temples.
IAM. the land of the
w hite elephant, the
pearl of Asin,
occupies nn oxton
Hive territory of
very irregular out
liue in southenst
ern Asia. Its nren
is nbont 250,000
square miles, iti
population nbont
10,0i)(t,0Di). In ex
trertie lntli it ex
tend from four
degrees in the
Mnlny peninsula
Chiengsen, twenty
degrees, twenty
twominntes north,
i) n t li e river
Mekong, or n distance of nearly 1100
miles. Its greatest breadth iH nliont
750 miles. U is bounded on the south
liy thoBritit-h Malay Slates, occupying
the lower eml of the Malay peninsula,
the Gulf of Simn, Trench Cumhrodiu
find Cochin China. On the west nnd
north it is bounded liy Burundi, ex
cept that lower Shim touehes the Buy
of Bengal, nnd on the east the
boundary is Tomiuin and Annum,
French possessions.
It is in this quarter that the tronble
nrosi) wliieh threatened nn Kant Indian
war and, perhaps, the peace of Europe.
Annum is n narrow strip of territory
TF.Ml'LE OP TflE EMEIIAT.D OOD IN
tweon Siam nud tho Pacific Ocean.
The boundnry lino between Siam nnd
Annum, according to the maps, nnd ns
it actually existed until tho French
put forth their present claims, wns a
range, of hills running parallel with
the noa coast and forming tho wnter
tthod between the hob coast and tho
valley of the Mekong River. Tho ex
tensive tracts of country between the
river and these hills, liko much of
Hinm, is largely jungle nnd waste, nud
liko all of Simn is without roads or
moans of traversing it. Hinm's hold
on this territory has always been
weak, nnd Frnnco has long desired
THE KINO OF B1AM IN STATE ATTIRE.
lier Indo-Chinese possessions to ex
tend to the east bank of the Mekong.
It is this territory, then, 100 to 150
miles wide, between the Mekong and
the count raugo of hills, which bus
boen the easuH belli.
Euglaud is interested in the ques
tion because the disputed territory
touches her Burmese possessions on the
north ; because of her hereditary
hatred of the French, and because of
Iter jealousy of territorial aoquwitiou
in the east by any other Nation. Huh
Mia, an the ally of Fruuoe in Europe
and the rival of England iu Asia, bus
a double motive for taking the purt of
Franoe.
w
Q
a
'u "'''Hi III"1"
Siitm has figured largely in legend
nnd poetry, Marco Polo visited it.
Tale in which there is a strange blend
ing of the improbnblo nnd tho true
have been told nbont it. It is only
w ithin comparatively recent times that
neenrnt.! information 1ms been ob
tained concerning this far-away coun
try. Authentic Sihmeso history be
gins with 1350, when Aynthin, now n
cluster of ruins seventy miles north of
Bangkok, wns the capital. The period
from 1(53'.' to DISH w ns made illustrious
by tho career of Constance Falcon,
Oreek of Ccphnlonin, who at tuined the
dignity of Trimo Minister. Ho in
duced the King to send nn embassy to
I.ouis XIV. Ayuthin remained the
cnpitnl until 17(58, when, nfter a siege
of two venrs, it wns taken nnd burned
by the Burmese. These in their turn
were driven out by l'hyn Tiik, the son
of ft Chinese by n Siamese mother. He
made Bangkok the capital nnd after
ward nseended the throne. The pres
ent dynasty was founded in 1782.
The present ruler is KingChulalong
korn I., of whom nnd of the form of
whose Government Carter H. Harrison
in his book, "A Knee With the Hun,"
thus speaks :
"The King owns everything nnd, in
n certain sense, everybody. He is lord
of nil he surveys, nnd yet is himself
the veriest slave of the groveling su
perstitions nnd vile customs of his
people superstitions nnd customs
which, must be n source of intense dis
gust to so intelligent n man ns King
Chnlnlongkoru evidently is, yet which
he could not escape, except nt tho risk
of losing his throne.
"Absolute monarch, his w ill a law to
every man in the realm, his proclama
tions guinsiid by no one, yet he him
self is absolutely governed by custom
nnd the opinions of his nobles, even to
! the dnilv routine of his life. With
THE PALACE GROUNDS AT BANGKOK.
tastes and aspirations natural to a mnn
of culture, ami ambitions growing out
of his royal position nud 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 iu his puluco nnd can see tho
people's needs only through the eyes
of others nnd can henr 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 wns tlfteen years old and is now
forty. He hns a multitude of wives,
according to the custom of tho coun
try, nnd upward of thirty children.
Though he hns so many wives only
one ranks as Queen.
The population of Sinm is a very
mixed one. Only nbont a third of it
consists of pure Siamese. There nre
about 1,000,000 Chinese, most of
whom, strange ns it may scum, nre
subjects of Holland. Tho remainder
of the population is mndo up of mixed
races Burmose, Indians, Malays, nud
Cambodians.
The Siamese aro essentially peaceful
and indoleut. They are sociul, vaiu,
and fond of bright dresses and jew
elry, and aro inveterate gamblers.
The dress, both for men and women, is
a cloth culled "pnnoong," about two
feet wide, wrapped around the waist,
with one corner drawn up and caught
in a girdle at the waist. This makes a
sort of flowing trouser fulling to the
knees.
Wcll-to-do-peoplo wear, in adlition,
a white jacket, shoes, and stockings.
The women are distinguished by a
gaudy scarf thrown across tho body.
Duugkok, tho capital and largest
city, has a population variously esti
mated from 800,000 to 700,001). So
jieuneably disposed are the people
that Colouol David li. Sicklon, for
many years United States Consul there,
says the murders did not average one
a year. Bangkok is situated on both
banks of tho Menam liiver. Aside
from the pagodus, temples and Govern
ment buildings nearly all structures
nre of bamboo, with thatched roofs.
Many of these float on pontoons or
bundles of bamboo in the river, or in
the canals, which form an intricate
network of waterways about the city.
The religion of the people is
Buddhism. Keurly all men of the
upper classes enter the priesthood for
a short time, and by custom no one
can ascend the throne who bus not
been a mendicant priest.
The temples are very striking ob
jeots seen from afar, aud some of them
nre beautiful, but generally, as is the
case with most things Oriental, dis
tance lends enchantment to the view.
Upon near inspection it is found that
there is a great deal of tinsel about
them, and their gaudy, oheup orna
mentation does not favorably impress
the American. They are not TrSttly
kept, nnd tho visitor picks bin way
through rubbish heaps to the temple
entrances. Here como the people in
swarms to pray nnd to listen to tho
monotonous chants of crowds of lazy
priests. Tho lower part of the edifice
contains tho imnges of Buddha, nnd
nil around the pagoda are buildings
devoted to tho service of the priest
hood. Tho most famcms temple in all
n
fee;
Mi
TUB MOST FAMOUS TBMl'I.R IX HI AM.
Sinm is the Wat Cheng, oppoMte the
royal palace. It lifts its sacred spire
200 feet from the ground, nnd every
inch of its irregular surface is covered
with glazed nnd colored ornamenta
tion, while little bells hung from every
possible projection, and every zephyr
sets them tinkling.
Another famous temple contains the
mammoth sleeping Buddha. The re
clining statue is eighty .seven feet long.
The most interesting temple in Bang
kok is the temple of tho Kmerald (but
within tho royal enclosure, devoted to
the use of tho King's family. It is
most ornate, is filled with the rarest
specimens of Oriental nnd I'.uropenn
Bit, and, crowning nil, is the little
emerald Buddha, only n foot high, n
solid mass of diamonds, sapphires and
other gems. Several far loftier temples
in Bangkok cost $100,000 apiece, but
tho private temple of the King, sur
passing them nil iu inngnillceiice, cost
f.l, 000.000.
Buddha priests in yellow garbs nro
Been everywhere in Bangkok. They
nre not permitted to work, and ninny
young fellows enter the priesthood
simply because they nre. thus sure of
nn easy, pampered existence. On the
ground beside this old fellow you see
the bowl with which he saunters out
in tho morning to collect his daily
bread, or rather rice, nnd leaning
ngainst the tree is his largo umbrella.
When a woman Indies n tew spoonfuls
of rice into his bowl ho hides his face
behind n fan, for fear the lady's charms
may interrupt his contemplation of
holy things.
Bangkok is lighted by electricity nnd
hns n system of electric street railways.
Great strides in cduentiou have been
matin in tho last few years. Tho Gov
ernment is a monarchy, the reigning
monarch having tho right to nominate
his 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. Hinm's military force consists of a
standing army of 12,000 men, and tho
people generally nro liable to bo culled
out ns required, but there is no nrmed
militia. Every male inhabitant over
tweuty-ono years old is obliged to servo
three months a year. There nre, how
ever, a gootl many exemptions from
this rule. These include members of
tho priesthood, tho Chinese settlers
who pay n commutation tav, slaves,
public functionaries, tho fathers of
three sons liable tt) service, nnd thoso
who purchase exemption by a fine of
from $3 to 81 a month or by furnish
ing a slave or some other person not
subject to conscription as a substitute.
Tho Government possesses upward of
80,000 stand of jtrins, beside a consid
erable stock of cannon, Tho nrmy in
largely ollioeroil by Europeans anil has
been very largely increased of late
yenrs, both iu cllicieiiey and equip
ment. The naval equipment consists of two
screw steamers of 2000 tons nnd eight
guns each, several guuboats, olllcered
chiefly by Englishmen and Danes, and
some sea-going yachts. Ono cruiser
of 2500 tons is being built. There aro
forts with heavy guns at tho mouth of
the Bungkok Kiver. There is a bar at
the mouth of the river, however, which
effectually prevents tho entrance of
vessels drawing more than tbirtcou
feet of water.
Tho National revenues amount to
about 810,000,000 a year, of which the
laud tax pioduces $1,435,000; tax on
spirits, $500,000; tax on fruit trees,
31125,000 ;cpiuui, (500,000; gambling,
$500,001); customs, $715,000; tin
mines, $450,000 ; edible bird's nests,
$135,000, and fisheries, $135,000. All
the taxes, with tho txcoption of the
customs duties, are farmed. There is
no public debt, and power has only
lately been given to the Hong Kong
and Shanghai bank's local branch to
issue a limited amount of paper money.
There is comparatively little industry
in the country, mainly due to tho state
of serfdom iu which tho population is
kept by the local governors. Through
out the whole country the natives are
liable to forood labor for from one to
three mouths eaob your. Tho conse
quence is that tho land, rich iu many
parts, is badly cultivated. Not more
than oue-tweutioth of the available
laud iu the delta of the Menam is culti
vated. The dense forosts of upper
Siam make teak cutting an important
industry. Gold exists iu some of tho
rivers, and for the working of it con
cessions have been granted to British
and French companies. Goiu mining
tr earned on In various districts on
thewestern sidoof tho Mnlny peninsula,
where tin uud coal are also known to
exist.
Domestic slavery is in gradual nbo
lition. Such slavery ns cxista is en
tirely debt slavery. Tho present King,
by mi edict, decreed that no person
born nfter his accession to the throno
enn be held as a slave beyond tho ngo
of twenty-one. (Jhineso coolies tin
most of both the skilled nnd unskille I
labor iu the south, especially in tlei
mills nnd mines. In the north forest
work is con II tied nlmost entirely t)
tho Burmese, Karens nml Khiimus.
Nearly the whole of tho tr.ule is In
the hands of foreigners. In Into yenrs
mnny Chinese, not subject, like the na
tives, to forced labor, hnvo settled iu
the country. Tho foreign trade cen
ters in Bangkok. In 1801 the exports
from BungKok amounted to nbont
000,000, the imports to about $7,000,
000. Teakwood nnd rico comprise n
largo part of tint exports. Machinery,
iron, loud ware nml cotton goods com
prise a large pnrt of the imports.
Bailwny building began seven or
eight years ngo. There is one com
pleted railroa 1 from Bangkok to l'ak
nnni, fourteen miles, nml another one
in construction from Bangkok to Ban
Mai, on tint Bntriew Bivcr,. nml nn
other one from Bangkok to Korat, 10.1
miles through n very rich um1 -vclopcd
rice growing plateau. Another mil
road has been surveyed across tin)
mountains connecting B.ingkok with
the Burmese cities. Telegraph lines
ugitregating 17S0 miles nro iu opera
tion. There is a postal service ill
Bungkok, nnd in 1NN5 Slam joined tlio
International Fostal Union.
Along the entire southern nnd east
ern frontier of Siam is territory either
absolutely nnnexetl to France, acknowl
edging a French protectorate, or iu
which French influeiic't predominates.
French int 'i'vention in the nllnirs of
Annum begun in 17K7, und wastermiu
ntetl by n treaty in lH'Sl, establishing
ii French protectorate. Annam main
tains an army of 23,2:10 sol tiers, of
whom about half nre unlive. Cam
bodia recognized tho French prot -c-torate
iu 1N03. France has .'100 soldierH
here. In Cochin China Franco litis
IH lt) French soldiers nud requires n
contribution of 5,000, ODD francs toward
the military expenditures of Annum
iiml Touquiu.
Touquin, w ith a population of 8,000,.
000, of whom t00,OiH) are Human
Catholics, was annexed to France in
1KM1. In 1W. there were 11,475
French troops here, besides 0500 na
tive soldiers.
Oltl War WennoiiM nt the I'nlf.
Different from the other ".side
shows" locale.) on Midway l'laisancti
though uniting the latter nre some
of surpassing interest tho Germnti
village, iu n certain sense nnd to a
certain extent, forms part of the Ger
man olllcial exhibit nt tho World's
Fair. For in two of tho buildingn
thnt compose this so-culled village are
housed thousands of objects of price
less value, which in their nggregati
may fittingly be described ns a museum
of incstimiililo worth aud of uupural
ltdetl completeness.
The most wonderful, nnd by far tho
costliest, exhibit, is that of armor,
weapons, knives and nil the pnrapher
nalia of chivalry. That in itself U
valued at $700,l)i)0, and there are sin
glo pieces in it that nre worth from
$5000 to $10,000 each. This particu
lar collection, filling threo hirgo ami
high halls up to tho ceiling, is the.
most perfect and complete of its kind
iu tho world, and to every person of
education, to every artist nml littera
teur, to every student, nml to every
lover of history, arclueology and eth
nology, this collection w ill appeal with
particular force It hns been arranged
with consummate, skill, partly iu largo
eases of solid walnut, having glass
doors, so that a day's study may bo
pursued with the greatest ease and in
dividual profit. Chbugo Herald.
Tho Wop ot a Widow.
"Why woepost thou, dear mamma?"
"Alas, my son I in this alligator j
valise, left hero by the thoughtless
tourist, I have discovered the lust ruho
of your lamented father. Judge,
English farmers who have any grass
to sell are masters of the situation.
At a recent grass sale in Flintshire,
ono meadow of fourteen acres brought
$400 ; another of cloven acres $3ti5 :
several six-acre fields $215 eaob, and
others from 820 to 23 each. I
IS I
T i 1 '
n
tOIl FAItH AM) (MUI'E.
RCAnKcnows.
Scarecrows should Imvc long sleeves
of so:u'. light m 'it. -rial, nml the "bones"
should stop at the elbows. The lower
sleeve will then wave iu the wind. It
takes a crow longer to ncquire n feel
ing of security in the presence of n
gentleman who is constantly waving
his nrms. New York World.
OUOWtNO M1M.F.T.
A good crop of millet may be grown
from a 1att seeding, but often extra
euro will be needed to procure a gootl
stand. It will sometimes bo slow to
germinate, especially if the sowing be
followed by n heavy ruin, nml thus by
scalding sun. Then the soil is npt to
crust, mitl n't no air iu penetrate it
the germs will peri ih. Even if the
s 'ctlt sprout Hi ' crust U s h ird that
the littlo plutitl.'ts cinnot pcii"tr.'it:i it.
If such n crimt fonm nfter sowing it
will bo best to harrow the I'.eld with a
light, sharp implement. Tho millet
liny should be cut before the seed
forms, or else tint feeding value con
centrates in the grain, nml the straw
becomes hard, woody, uud lllipulat
nble. Chicago Times.
rt.EASMSESM IN Till? DAIRY,
f'leniilllicss is absolutely iicee ssnry
in the dairy business alike for milk,
butter and cli 'cse. Much attention is
needed to maintain th"1 cleanliness of
the milk roe.'ptiel:'!!, such ns puils,
puns, cam, and chtirii:t. In the first
place, there should !: n snllicicnt sup
ply of pans, that those emptied and
wusheil in the morning need not be
used until evening of the next day.
After washing, they should be placed
in the sunlight until us .1. Oucloudy
duys they cm be thoroughly dried
nbont the stove. If put together
when th-y uru wet, an 1 nllowctl to
thus remain for s -verul hours, they
cannot dry, and when separated at
night they will give off n tli t.tgreeable
odor, nnd warm milk placed in them
is certain to be contaminated. All tin
dairy utensils should be first wusheil iu
boiling water, then thoroughly rinsed
in cohl water uud turned bottom side
up to drain nml dry until again used.
All vessels about the dairy should be
cleaned ns soon us -emptied. The
shelves, benches nnd racks upon which
the puns are set should be wusheil wiili
simp mitl water every time they nre
cleared. New York World.
CHICKEN CIIOI.F.HA A IlABE DISEASE.
The so-called chicken cholern is n
disease seldom found to attack flocks,
nlthough it has been supposed to be
always present iu iiomo sections. That
it is a disease nud that it is occasion
ally met with is true ; but ns nearly all
ailments of poultry lire attributed to
cholern, tho supposition th .t it prevails
extensively is due to lack of know ledge
of the disease rather thnn to the fact
of its being present. We hnvo spent
mnny years in the investigation of
cholern, ami only four times iu over u
hundred instance hnvo wo met with
it. East season we were culled upon to
visit a furni where the fowls wero dying
rapidly, nnd all nttem:its nt a cure ha I
f.iile.l. Investig itiou showed tint
every s pure inch of the poultry
house, the cattlo sheds, woodpile, and
every plueo accessible totho hens were
covered with lioe, th ) Indies of tlu
h tin litnrally sw.irmiu with the pests,
l'.oup is often denominate 1 cholera,
and indigestion, dun to overfeeding,
it also mistaken for cholera. In the
summer season, should the hens be
come droopy, tho best thing to do is
to look for lice. Cholera kills iu a
few hours, ltoup, indigestion nnd
other ailments muy allow tho hen to
linger for n week or uioreheforcdcuth,
but cholera may be known by its fatal
work in a few hours' time. (Mirror
and Farmer.
IIOOTS KOlt FEED.
The cheapest winter feed for swine
is roots. They may not have so much
nutriment in themselves, but they
( an to tho hog to get more out of his
other feed, just as good clover pos
ture causes the hog to get more out
of gruin. Turnips and rtitubug.is may
bo grown on tho luud from which ear
ly potatoes or sweet com bus been re
moved, or a pieco of clover sod may
bo broken up after tho bay is harvest
ed. Don't leau over the fence to pour
the slop in the pigs' trough. The
fighting pigs will cause you to spill a
good part of the slop, and resting
your weight, supported by tho rail, is
not healthful exercise. Fuss a
trough through the peu iuto the other
trough. And i( you uail a board over
the first trough the pigs cannot stop it
with their nosej and waste the slop
when it is poured iu.
The old-fashioned way is to dip the
buckets iu tho slop barrel, then lift
them out with a hard, high lift, all
dripping nnd overflowing with ths
greasy stuft", nml po enrry them. Of
course tho mnn thnt docs that gets
greasy, dirty clothes. Tho new way
is to set tho barrel upon blocks and
dish out n place for the bucket to sit,
nnd then put a big faucet iu the barrel.
This wny there is no lmrd lifting, no
buckets grensy oil the outside, no drip
or overflow.
A little pains to sun scald tho troughs
if they get sour under cover will pay.
If it be dump nml cloudy scald them
out with boiling wnter nnd feed a foi
hiindfuls of powdered charcoal to cor
rect ncidity of the hogs' stomachs.
Farm Journal.
I1AISINO 1' LOW' Ell BEEDfl.
When plants nro grown for need,
few of the flrt flowers should always
bo removed. This is particularly
necessary to the propagation of double
llowers, as the tlrst blossoms nre usual
ly semi-double, nnd will givo needs
tint will, in their turn, produce plants
with single flowers. Double flowers
nre the result of high cultivation, nnd
it is only by such that good seed can
bo obtained. Consequently, have the
stock-seed bed ns rich ns possible, nnd
when the flowers lire in their greatest
perfection, rt move nil buds except the
few tint lire partly opened, and nt
the same time nip th(! seeds of tho
brunches, .in order that new Imdu can
form, which will, usually, causa tho
flowers ulrtuily opened, nnd thoso
opening, to yield seed which they
would not otherwise do. When a
plant produces a flower which is con
sidered perfect, take off all the other
flowers from flu: plant, nnd care
fully protect this from nil harm. Iu
most species n single capsule will con
tain nil th" seed necessary for next
crop. The bed in which plants aro
grown for stock-seed, is tho very soul
of the g.irdcii, possessing no attrac
tions for any but the happy owner,
who sees iu it a uure promise of reward,
in the splendor of his garden iu future
years. This is a work that enn bo
lntiile profitable ns well ns pleasant.
There i:t not n soedsmnn in tho coun
try who would not bo glad to secure
stockaof any variety of flowers or vege
tables that have been grently improved
by careful selections and cultivation.
American Agriculturist.
TARM AND OA11DEN NOTES.
Sull w'huuuv r you can get a fair
price.
Plenty of road work makes muscle
and endurance.
There nre 23 distinct breeds of
sheep in (treat Britain.
Be very careful of your horses when
they become overheated.
Gootl drainage is necessary to the
successful raising of grain.
The quality of tho manure dupendf
upon the food of tho stock.
A strong constitution is ns desirnbl
in n horse ns iu n human being.
Select your best mares nnd breed
them to the best horses you can get.
Have a good bull in your herd if
you want cows for milk and butter.
Too much care cannot bo exercised
in keeping cream or butter from all
odors.
Teach the colt the uso of the halter
while very young, both to lead aud to
.stand tied.
Choose tho dairy salt with enro, for
on it depend the appearance and
keeping qualities of your product.
If the pastures, aro eaten very clost)
nt the beginning of the season, they
ure not npt to give a good growth la
ter on.
It is said that sheep are excellent
for keeping down tho grusH in the
apiary. Tho bees randy trouble them
and tho combination is a profitable
one.
If you have dog or cuts about tho
place have water where they can get at
it handily these days. Many a dog is
driven mad bemuse of lack ot water to
drink. Fact.
It is said that the secret of tho suc
cess of the British funning is the com
bination of sheep uud turnips. The
turnips make the sheep uud the sheep
make the wheat.
Tho breeder who aims to secure
quality, beauty, style, size and good
road gait, as well as speed, will find a
profit iu the business provided ha
works intelligently.
Tho quince is a gross feeder. No
other fruit requires so much manure or
such thorough cultivation. It is be
cause it is neglected that no better re
sults are scoured.
Don't make poor butter. It is not
wanted. Oleomargarine is preferred
and is often cheaper. Good butter at
a fair price will drive oleomargarine,
out of the market quicker than con
gress "regiUatious."