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THE
MISSION
SIAM, AND HUE
CAPITAL OF COCHIN CHINA,
THE YEARS 1821-2.
FROM THE JOURNAL OF
THE LATE GEORGE FINLAYSON, Esq.
SURGEON AND NATURALIST TO TUB MISSJON.
WITH A
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR,
BY
SIR THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES, F.R.S.
LONDON :
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET
MDCCCXXVr.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES,
Ntrthumberland-cflun.
HEMIt'y !"<40USi£. s^ierHfiiWi
DEDICATED
(bt permission)
TO THE
HONOURABLE THE COURT OF DIRECTORS
OP
THE EAST INDIA COMPANY;
THROUGH WHOSE LIBERALITY THE MISSION WAS PRO-
VIDED WITH THE MEANS OF PROSECUTING
OBJECTS OF SCIENCE,
BY THEIR MOST OBEDIENT
HUMBLE SERVANT,
THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES.
O14350
INTRODUCTION.
In the year 1821, a mission was sent by the
Governor-General of Bengal to the courts of
Siam and Cochin-China, having for its object
the opening of a friendly intercourse between
those countries and the British possessions, and
the establishment of free trade on both sides.
This mission it is well known was not at-
tended with the success expected ; little or no
positive advantage was gained to our trade, but
the foundation of a friendly intercourse was
laid by the visit, and the knowledge procured
may prepare the way for a future attempt under
more favourable circumstances.
It at any rate afforded an opportunity for our
obtaining much valuable information respecting
countries and people, hitherto almost unknown
to us, and in this respect the particulars con-
tained in the following pages may be deemed
of sufficient interest to justify their publication :
they are transcribed nearly verbatim from the
Vlll INTRODUCTION.
private journal of the late Mr. George Finlay-
son, who was attached to the Mission as Sur-
geon and naturalist, but who, unfortunately for
his friends and the cause of science, fell a sa-
crifice to his unwearied exertions in the per-
formance of the service intrusted to him, and
did not live to revise and arrange them himself,
having died on his passage to England.
The Journal in its unfinished and rough state,
with the whole of the valuable collections in na-
tural history made by Mr. Finlayson during the
course of the Mission, having been deposited
in the museum of the East India company,
and by the liberal arrangements of the court of
directors, laid open to the inspection of those
who were interested in the subject, it is now
published, with the permission of Dr. Somer-
ville, and in the simplest form practicable, it
being considered that such a work can have no
better recommendation than the certainty of
its genuineness and authenticity.
It does not profess to afford any account of
the official proceedings or conduct of the Mis-
sion, further than met the author's observation
as a spectator in common with others who were
present on the occasion ; its object is to throw
light on the country, and on the character, insti-
tutions, and habits of the people generally. ''•
It would have been easy to have enlarged the
INTRODUCTION. IX
work by the addition of notes and explanatory
remarks, and at one time it was proposed to
have annexed an appendix with plates, illustra-
tive of the subjects in natural history collected
during the voyage, for which the materials are
considerable ; but the publisher having objected
to the increased expense that would in this
case have been incurred, the plan was aban-^i
doned.
Partly also on this account, but more espe-
cially in consequence of its being understood
that Mr. Crawfurd, to whom the charge of the
Mission was intrusted, himself meditates a
work on the subject, and as it would be treads
ing on ground more peculiarly belonging to that
gentleman, it has been deemed advisable not
to enlarge, in this place, on the public objects
and results of the Mission, or to enter into any
general review of the state of the countries
visited, or of the various interests involved,
which might otherwise have been expected.
It is necessary however to say a few words
respecting the lamented author. :ro axil
George Finlayson was a native of Thurso,
in Scotland, descended from parents in a very
humble sphere of life, but most respectable in
their station. He had two brothers who, like
himself, died early in the career of prosperity.
The circumstances under which Donald, the
X INTRODUCTION.
eldest, and subsequently George, were brought
forward, were as follows : —
During the late war, when the charge of the
medical department of the army in Scotland
was committed to Dr. Somerville, he had occa-
sion for the assistance of a clerk, the nature of
whose duties made it desirable that he should
have some knowledge of medicine, and it oc-
curred to him that the salary of the office
might furnish the means to some meritorious
person of prosecuting his studies at the same
time. In order to find such a person he ad-
dressed himself to Dr. Thomson, professor of
surgery in the University of Edinburgh, well
knowing the competence of his judgment, and
his disinterested zeal in advancing modest
merit; Dr. Thomson immediately named a
young man who fulfilled every condition, and
whose slender means arose from hours of pri-
vate tuition. Donald Finlayson was accordingly
sent and appointed. Assiduity in the discharge
of every duty, blended with an earnest desire
to please, were striking parts of his character.
I He was a good Greek, Latin, and French scho-
I lar, and an excellent botanist, besides being a
j good anatomist, and well versed in other
I branches of medical science. He showed an
ardour in acquiring information on every subject
which excited an interest in those from whom
INTRODUCTION. XI
he sought it. He had enjoyed fewer opportu-
nities of acquiring a knowledge of the world
than of most subjects, and was conscious of
the awkwardness resulting from this deficiency,
and most anxious to remove the cause of it, in
which his success was only to be explained by
the thankfulness with which he received a hint
upon the subject.
On completing the course of his academical
studies, Dr. Somerville thought him equal to a
higher situation, and advised him to go into the
army, assuring him that he had been so satis-
fied with his services, that he should be glad if
he had a brother that he might appoint to be
his successor. He said his brother George,
whom he had taken great pains to educate,
was in every respect a more able man than he
was, and therefore strongly recommended him.
George was accordingly appointed to the si-
tuation. He in every respect verified the ac-
count of his partial friend ; and became so great
a favourite, that he was a constant inmate in
Dr. Somerville's family, and beloved by all who
knew him. When his studies were finished. Dr.
Somerville sent him also into the army, and it
was no less gratifying to the generous feelings of
that gentleman, than creditable to his discern-
ment, to learn, that both brothers distinguished
themselves by their attention to their duty and
Xll INTRODUCTION.
their humanity to the sick and wounded. Donald
had been actively employed in the harassing
engagements that preceded the battle of Water-
loo, as assistant-surgeon of the 33d regiment,
and also on that memorable day. On the march
to Paris with his regiment, he disappeared, and
it seems probable that he fell a victim to ma-
rauders then abounding in the country, from
the disorganized state of the retreating army.
George got leave of absence to endeavour to
learn the fate of his unfortunate brother, but
his efforts were unavailing as he could only
hear that he had been seen exploring a cave
near St. Quinten. He was so affected by
this severe loss of a brother to whom he owed
so much, that it was an act of humanity to get
him removed from the scene of his sorrows.
Sir James Macgregor, who is never wanting on
such occasions, kindly and promptly acceded
to Dr. Somerville's request to attach George
Finlayson to the medical-staff about to proceed
to Ceylon, under the direction of Dr. Farrel,
than whom no one was more capable of dis-
cerning and appreciating his worth and talents.
In Ceylon Mr. Finlayson was indefatigable in
the pursuit of botany and other branches of na-
tural history, to which he devoted all the time
that his 1 iborious professional duties allowed.
After a residence of some years in this island.
INTRODUCTION. Xlll
he was removed to Bengal, having been ap-
pointed assistant- surgeon of His Majesty's 8th
regiment of Light Dragoons, by the kindness
of Sir James. He rejoiced to find that his
regiment was doing duty near the Himalayan
Mountains, as his journey would afford him an
opportunity of exploring such an extent of new
ground ; while his residence there held out
every temptation that could fascinate a mind
ardent in the pursuit of natural history.
The following extract from a letter written
by him to his friend and patron. Dr. Somer-
ville, on his quitting Ceylon, explains his cir-
cumstances and prospects at that period, and
throws some light on his general character and
feeling.
Kandy, 6th July, 1819-
I HAVE heard of my being appointed assistant-surgeon
to the 8th Dragoons. ... I have received a very
polite note from the director-general on the subject, to
whom I am very grateful for the appointment. I could
not help entertaining apprehensions lest I should revert
to the rank of hospital assistant, and if I have not done
so, I am persuaded it is through the representations and
intercessions of yourself and Mr. Reid. I have had
much reason to be satisfied with my situation in this
island, and it is not without regret that I shall leave it.
Through the kindness of Dr. Favell, my situation and
duties have always been such as to render me perfectly
contented. I have not been inattentive to your advice on
XIV INTRODUCTION.
a formev occasion, and already, through the good manage-
ment of my friends, I find myself possessed of several
hundred pounds, a sum much beyond my expectations.
I doubt, therefore, if my circumstances will be benefited
by removing to India, where, though the pay is much
greater, the mode of living is more expensive, and as se-
cond assistant I cannot expect to have the charge of the
sick. However, there are other circumstances attending
the change, which are of a pleasing nature. My regi-
ment is stationed at Merut, on the frontier of the upper
provinces of the Bengal Government, so that from Cal-
cutta I shall have a journey of several thousand miles to
perform, a circumstance which of itself would outweigh
a host of difficulties. I am delighted with the prospect of
seeing so large a portion of the globe; the journey cannot
but prove interesting and, I hope, useful to me. '~^' ^^^^^
On the return of his regiment to Europe, he
was detained for the purpose of attending the
Mission to Siam and Cochin China, as medical
officer and naturalist, during which his health
was sacrificed at an early period by the active
and severe exertions which his zeal in the pur-
suit of natural history induced him to make,
and he lived but to reach Bengal, and embark
for Europe with little or no hope of recovery.
It has been already mentioned that he died on
the passage home.
The following extracts from some of his later
letters to Dr. Somerville will not be read with-
out interest.
INTRODUCTION. XV
Siam, 15 th June^ 1822.
Nearly three months have elapsed since we arrived at
this place, Bankok, the capital of Siam, and being vni-
able to get our ship over the bar of the river, we shall
probably remain as much longer, I have had but little
opportunity to do any thing in any branch of natural
liistory. The people have kept a strict watch over our
actions, and their jealousy opposes an insuperable barrier
to researches of that nature. We have gained some in-
formation respecting the manners of the people, their re-
ligion, &c., which may one day afford you some amuse-
ment.
* * * By-the-by, what do you think of my fur-
nishing a rapid and popular sketch of our voyage to this
place and to Cochin China ? Is a production of this sort
calculated to excite any interest at the present time?
Probably not, after all you have had of late respecting
the embassy to China and the shipwreck of the Alceste.
* * ■* I am not at all ambitious of becoming author,
and lily teasori for saying this much is to know your in-
clinations, by which I would be guided rather than by
my own.
I do not know that the political or commercial objects
of our mission are of that importance to attract any share
of your attention or curiosity. One might with justice
say of the king of Siam, what Voltaire says of a certain
king of Babylon. " II se croit le plus grand roi de la
terre, parceque tout le monde le lui dit." The celestial
empire itself is but a small matter compared to his king-
dom. Judge then of the notions such a personage is
likely to entertain of our nation.
Our Mission, there seems great reason to fear,' is des-
XVI INTRODUCTION.
tined to share the fate of the numerous attempts which
have ah-eady been made to establish a friendly and com-
mercial intercourse with the ultra-Gangetic nations. It
does not appear likely that it will effect any thing for the
benefit of our commerce. When we arrived in the
country we were quite ignorant of many matters, a know-
ledge of which would have been of the first importance
in conducting affairs with such a people. Peace, for which
they are more indebted to the weakness and pusillanimity
of their enemies than to their own strength, had left the
king, and one or two of his ministers, leisure to embark
in commercial speculations. You are aware that the
king is here the merchant, and almost the only one.
The success of their first attempts exceeded their ex-
pectations, and led them to think of increasing the pro-
duce of the country. Chinese emigrants were, with this
view, encouraged, beyond all former example, and at
this moment, they are thought to equal the natives of the
country, in number. The effect was instantaneous. The
produce of sugar alone, which was before totally neg-
lected, has increased to an astonishing extent, in the
course of the last ten years. It is the same with other
articles of commerce, as pepper, cardamums, &c.
Not content with trading to China, the Government
now wishes to see the ships of Europeans within its
ports ; one party in the state (that which conducts the
commerce of the country) would willingly favour the
trade with the latter ; but another, and by far the most
respectable among the King's advisers, are averse to
making any alterations in established usages, though not
displeased to see their country visited by European ships.
As they stand at present, the regulations relating to
commerce with Europeans are almost prohibitory.
INTRODUCTION. Xvii
It were perhaps useless to say through what causes
our Mission has failed, for indeed it may be said to have
done so already : I do not know that we can expect a
much better reception at the court of Cochin China, to
which we proceed as soon as we can leave this. As di-
plomatic matters have hitherto gone in this part of tlie
world, it will perhaps be well if we come off without
insult or something worse.
Off the Hooghly, Dec. 25th, 1822.
We are thus far on our return to Bengal, after an
absence of more than thirteen months'. I return with
collections in natural history which will not, I think, dis-
appoint the Supreme Government. I have seen much,
and many interesting tribes of people ; I have been much
gratified ; but my health is destroyed, I fear, for ever.
Both my lungs and hver are in fault ; I have exposed
myself too much to the weather ; but for my health, I
had been the happiest man alive. The next two months
will decide whether I shall recover or not; our cold
weather is just set in, and may do me good. This is the
first time I have put pen to paper for months, therefore
do not expect much. I cannot say that we have gained
much by negotiation ; the Siamese and Cochin Cliinese
are a very proud people. The King of Siam gave the
Mission an audience, but the King of Cochin China,
contrary to the custom of his predecessors, would not
receive the Envoy of the Governor-General of Bengal.
It was the practice of his court, he observed, to grant
audiences to the ambassadors of kings only, and that the
Governor-General must address himself to his Minister.
The business of the Mission was transacted with the
b
Xviii INTRODUCTION.
latter. Cocliin China offers to the traveller a most ex-
traordinary spectacle ; the capital, Hu6, is surrounded
by fortifications that would do credit to the first fortress
in Europe. I have kept a journal of events, and it is
of some extent ; I hope it will serve to amuse my friends
for an idle hour or two. If the pubhc have any curiosity
respecting the countries we have lately visited, I should
not care to lay it before that awful tribunal, provided,
however, that the work would gain me some little credit.
In this, however, I should be guided by your opinion,
and that of your friends. I have a great horror of
appearing before the public, but something not alto-
gether uninteresting in the form of a book would be of
service to me in this country, where if I get forward, it
must be by my own exertions. I should be very happy
to hear from you on this subject, if you think it deserv-es
the least consideration.
Mr. Crawfurd means to write a book. * * *
His opinion of things differs considerably from mine, for
I was in fact but a mere spectator.
< I have discovered some splendid new plants. What
would Mr. Brown say to a plant of the Orchideous tribe,
an asrides, as far as I have yet discovered, that should
have a flowering spike six feet high, covered with up-
wards of one himdred flowers, each some inches across *?
There is not a more splendid object in vegetable nature ;
* brides. Scapo simplici, foliis a latlice arete irnbricatis, dis-
ticliis tripedalibus, frondi similibus ; foliolis ensiformibus, longissimis :
floribus spicatis, alternis punctatis, magfiiis, speciosis ; labello siib-
cylindrico, tripartito, lamina inferiore patente, trifida, acuminata
intes^ra, laminis superioribus in arcura supra pistillum conniven-
tibus.
The flovrers diffuse the richest fragrance, the petals are waved
ou the marg-in, of a fleshy consistence, of a dark yellow colour,
INTRODUCTION. xix
if less singular, it is perhaps equally deserving of admi-
ration with the Rafflesia, which he has described in his
usual classical style. I shall have a good many plants to
send home, as well as birds and quadrupeds.
Calcutta, June \5th, 1823.
Du. F. advises me strongly to continue in India; I
see no plan so good, if my health will admit, yet I will
not continue a useless burden on a Government which
I have found so liberal, and if a few months'' expe-
rience do not bring me about, I will give up all pro-
spects and wait the too tedious issue of such complaints.
I have reason to fear that I have got confirmed phthi-
sis ; if I recover, my prospects will brighten : even under
the worst circumstances, we may prepare for better times.
If I remain, it will be greatly to my advantage to be
transferred to the Company's medical service. It is
nothing entering the lists with boys again.
Calcutta, June l^th.
My health has not improved since my arrival, and as
if ill health were not of itself sufficient grievance, it is, I
fear, destined to entail upon me the disappointment of
very fair hopes. Notwithstanding the frequent interrup-
tion to my labours by ill health, the present Governor-
General, Mr. Adam, has expressed himself very favour-
ably of my exertions, and very willing to do something
for me. Indeed, I am assured on very good authority,
interspersed with iron-brown spots. The pistilhim is similarly
dotted; the labeUum internally striated, trifid, and villous at the
apex. The spike of the plant discovered contained more than one
hundred flowers, the greater number of them fully expanded, each
several inches in length, and as much in breadth. — Extract from
Mr. Finlaysou's Botanical Journal.
bs
XX INTRODUCTION.
that he would immediately put me in possession of a
most elegible appointment, just vacated by a friend of
mine, if my health would admit of my entering upon its
duties. It would be preposterous in me to expect that
Government would keep this open for me. In this em-
ployment I should have been placed under the immediate
control of Government, and should have no less a field
than the Himalaya range for my research.
X fear I have been rather troublesome to you with my
letters of late, this being the third within a very short
time.
My object in writing this is to inform you that in the
course of a month or so I shall be on my way to Eng-
land. I have come to this resolution in consequence of
niy bad state of health, in which no improvement has
taken place since my arrival here : if I have not yet got
a confirmed phthisis, the voyage may set me up, but if
I have, I shall wait my fate in some retired corner or
other at home. I shall leave behind me some very
worthy friends who have always been forward in pro-
moting my interest, and althougli my regiment has gone
home, I could at this moment get an appointment from
Government, if my health would allow me to accept it,
I have, however, determined to sacrifice every thing for
the recovery of my health, feeHng pretty well assured
that with that I shall get through the worlds some ho\\( or
4)ther,
My kindest and affectionate regards to you aff. *
;pl|t is due to Lord Amherst to mention that on
his Lordship's appointment to the Government
of India, Dr. Somerville made known to him
the acquirements of Mr, Pjpjaysoja, r jdisUnc^Jy
INTRODUCTION. XXi
explaining that his object was not to solicit
favour, but to mention that it might be a sub-
ject of regret that a person so eminently quali-
fied by his knowledge in natural history should
return to Europe with his regiment, while his
abilities might be so usefully exerted in India.
Lord Amherst said that it was the only appli-
cation of the kind that had been made to him ;
he saw it in its true light, and immediately
made a memorandum of the circumstance,
with an assurance that he should not fail to
take care of so deserving a person ; and it is
certain that his Lordship would have done
justice to his merits, had his life been spared.
But his constitution was worn out by his
indefatigable exertions in those ungenial cli-
mates in which it was his lot to serve. Even
before the arrival of Lord Amherst, a lucrative
and honourable employment well suited to his
habits and studies was offered to him by Mr.
Adam, but the disease which terminated his
life had already made too much progress to
admit of his availing himself of the proffered
patronage.
In speaking of the character of the two
brothers. Dr. Somerville thus expresses him-
self:^'-'^^
** 1 have seldom met with any young men
more strongly impressed with the sense of
Xxii INTRODUCTION.
rectitude than Donald and George Finlayson ;
their conduct was in every case regulated by a
feeling of duty, and a desire to be useful to all
around them, to which it would be superfluous
to add how much they were esteemed, and
how sincerely their premature death has been
regretted."
In reflecting on this short biographical
sketch, the mind cannot fail to dwell on the
bright example which it affords, that know-
ledge and independence are within the reach
of all who will labour for them, whatever be
their condition or rank in life, and that the best
and only solid foundation of prosperity and
esteem, is a steady adherence to the principle
of rectitude.
Nothing can be more creditable than the
exertions made by the father to gratify the
thirst for education and knowledge evinced by
his sons, unless it be exceeded by the gene-
rous and disinterested friendship of the patron.
But both would have been unavailing had not
the young men themselves been indefatigable
in their exertions, and religiously upright and
steady in their principles, conduct, and views.
Though Finlayson may not rank with a
Burns, or a Leyden, in point of talent, still it
is hoped there is enough in his story and
writings to excite interest and attention; and
INTRODUCTION. xxiii
that while his name may be enrolled in the long
and melancholy list of those who have in early
life fallen a sacrifice to their zeal and exertions
in the cause of science, it may add another
link to the chain which binds our affections and
attachment to a land where the avenues to it
are open to all, and the patronage and encou-
ragement to worth and talent are daily ad-
vancing with the facilities of education and
improvement. Let it, however, be recollected
that the foundation of the education of the
Finlaysons (for they were in other respects
nearly self-taught) was laid at home, under
the parent's eye, not in schools, nor in the
knowledge of the world, but on the broad
and obvious principles of religion and mo-
rality, — as simple as they are sacred, — in-
stilled into their youthful minds with their
earliest recollections, and confirmed by the
pastor's authority and blessing, according to
the practice in Scotland. This foundation was
equal to any superstructure, and on it, as on
a rock of adamant, they built their hopes,
their fortunes, and their happiness, — and their
reward was a feeling of content and grati-
tude for the unexpected benefits they enjoyed,
and the esteem and respect of all who knew
them.
The following observations collected from
XXiv INTRODUCTION.
the author's loose memoranda were probably-
intended by him as the outline of an intro-
duction to the publication which he projected,
and may be advantageously introduced in this
place as a preface to the Journal. They will
shew his turn of mind, and the objects he ;hja,cL,
m View.^^ aed Jud r - aao on -.modi
hsrfaiw Bob ^vJfeorruD oWjsbus* vmqxa isxlJo lo
In a greater or less degree, there is, perhaps, inherent
in the minds of most men, a desire to visit foreign coun-
tries, — a desire whicli neither storms nor tempests,
deserts, wilds, nor precipices, with all their aj^alling
fears, have been able to counteract or to check. Cast
naked and helpless on this earth, man has aspired to scan
its limits, to ascertain its bounds, and even to scrutinize
its nature : he has risen superior to the contending ele-
ments, which might seem to have opposed an insuper-
able barrier to his restless ambition, to his ever-active,
Bever-satisfied curiosity ; and even the great globe itself
no longer seems to offer a theatre too great or too exten-
sive for the exertion of his activity.
; Insatiable ambition, boundless curiosity, are to be
reckoned among the more prominent of the attributes
with which man is endowed. To what mighty ends
have they not led? If they have brought upon him,
and upon the race, unnumbered evils, they have also had
theh- attendant good. His share of peace, perhaps of
happiness, had been greater had he indulged these pro-
pensities less ; but it is not in his power to resist the un-
alterable impulse, conferred upon Mm, doubdess, for the
best of pui-poses. The curiosity that is gratified with
inquiring into the Jaws implanted in organized beings,
or into the general phenomena which characterize the
JNTRODUCTION. xxv
material world at large, admits of, and is usually at-
tended by gratification as permanent as it is unmixed ;
every step is attended with unalloyed pleasure, every
new acquisition leads and stimulates to further discovery.
This disposition of the mind is particularly observable
in those who have made nature and natural objects their
study. Hence the eagerness with which men engage in
them : no one capable of reflection but has at one time
or other experienced this laudable curiosity, and wished
for the power to gratify it. To this source we must
refer the encouragement held forth in the present day to
voyagers and travellers, and in general to every one
engaged in matters of discovery. It is not extraordi-
nary, therefore, that persons should readily be found
eager to enter upon the investigation of new and distant
countries, and of the various objects of knowledge which
they contain. It is the lot of few to indulge their incli-
nations this way ; and of these few, how scanty is the
proportion of individuals qualified for the important task,
either by original endowment, by previous pursuits and
habits, or by the necessary education, or by a proper
train and temper of mind ! Fortunately, hoAvever, the
objects of pursuit are as numerous as the taste of man is
various, and something is left even to the most humble
intentions. A proper consideration of this matter would
lead to the most important acquirements both on the part
of the most humbly endowed, and for the benefit of
science and knowledge in general. The principle need
not be enforced by argument : let us follow it, if possible,
with alacrity, and make the most of the opportunities
which fall in our way. Let us devote to the task those
abilities, however moderate, with which the Almighty
has endowed us, and we shall rarely fail altogether of
Xxvi INTRODUCTION.
deriving benefit from oiir exertions. We may rest secure
that the labours so bestowed will seldom fail to be duly
appreciated ; that our observations will be received with
candour, and our alignments, if urged with modesty, will
rarely fail to be listened to by the circle of our friends
and acquaintances, to the approbation of whom no one
can be altogether indifferent. It is in this temper of
mind that we may hope to avoid a two-fold evil ; that of
exaggerating the importance of the feeble exertions of
an individual on the one hand, and of thinking too
meanly of his capacity on the other, — since both are
ahke hurtful, and ahke oppose the acquisition of useful
knowledge.
CONTENTS.
Chapter I.
Page
Voyage from Calcutta to Islands of Preparis, Nar-
condam, Seyer, — Remarkable Silence and Absence of
Birds. — Granitic Structure. — Zoological and Botanical
Remarks. — Coast of Siam. — Straits of Papra. — Botani-
cal Observations. — Prince of Wales' Island. — Chinese
Settlers. — Scenery. — Zoology. — Brumal climate.~Dis-
tribution of Plants. — Soil. — Products. — Queda . , 1
Chapter II.
Leave Prince of Wales' Island.— Luminous Appear-
ance of the Sea. — Pulo Binding. — A gigantic JEri-
des. — Malacca. — -Deserted Appearance. Slaves.-—
Little Camiron. — Islands. — Vegetable Phenomenon. —
Singapore. — Unrivalled situation as an emporium be-
tween the Indian and China Seas, — Serenity and secu-
rity of the Atmosphere and Seas.— Monsoons scarcely
felt. — Climate salubrious, contrasted with that of Upper
India, so fatal to Europeans ; effects of on Vegetable
and Animal Nature. — Creeping plants.— Malay race. —
Mangroves, utility of.-~Character of the Chinese.—
Their Ships. — Malays of the Sea or Orang Laut. — De-
scription of the New Settlement. — Conduct of the Chi-
nese, and manly Conduct of Captain Richardson. —
Natunas Isles. — Pulo Ubi. — Seeds discovered in the
Wild Plantain. — Botanical Observations. — Groups of
Islands. — Joss Sticks, — Fu-Kok. — Arrival at Paknam
in Siam River 33
XXVIU CONTENTS.
— iiM ->/-.rT ,',;. r Chapter III. . ;f..-~. M.-jfrr.Rr.trF
Page
Slam. — Interpreter arrives. — Requested to land the
Guns.— Entertained by a Chief. — Physiological remarks ''
-Slit
on the Siamese. — Progress to Bankok. — A floating '
Bazar. — Bankok described. — The Governor General's
Letter to the King delivered to a Chief. — A suspicious
Attempt made to get Possession of the Presents. — Inter- '
view Avith one of the Ministers. — Disgusting Servility '^-
of his Attendants. — Negotiations respecting the Per-
formance of the Court Ceremonies. — Proceed to the "
Palace. — Addressed in good Latin by a Native. — Ob- '^"^
servations on the Road to the Audience.— Description ■ ->X
of the Audience ..,«.,. 103
|s§c; Chapter IV.
White Elephants and White Monkies. — Taste of the
Siamese. — Brahmans and Hinduism in Siam. — Library
of the Temple. — Enormous Guns. — Trade of Siam a
Royal Monopoly. — Chinese Emigrants — Sugar. — Sia-
mese Policy respecting Trade. — Policy of the Ultra
Gangetic Nations. — An Embassy arrives from Cochin
China. — Procession of Royal Barges of Siam to receive "!
it. — Siamese Music. — Reflections on the Result of the
Mission 150
, 1)'-' '-J 1 ;>:,''- '
iv-'d'^-'hr Chapter V.
Interview with Prince Chroma Chit. — Mr. Finlayson "^
called upon to visit a case of Cholera in the Palace.--i '^""^
Mission not visited by any Persons of Respectability. —
Parties at the Court of Bankok.— Nothing granted in
favour of Commerce.— -Agent to the Governor GeneraF'^ ^
leaves without an audience. — Bankok ; the DwellingS*^^'^^
mostly Floating Rafts. — Inhabitants mostly Chinese.-^'"' '^^
Manufactwres <?f Tip, Leather, Cast-Iron Yessels.-^^'^'^"^
CONTENTS. XXIX
_. . Page
Balachang.— Siamese eat Flesh, but do not kill. —
Palaces and Temples, or Prachadis of Bankok. — Image%;;;«
of Buddha excessively numerous. — Analogies between^ /v
the Pyramid of Egypt and the Bauddhic Dagoba ,. . ^,v 194
Chapter VI. ,^ ,
Physical form andcharacter of the Siamese. — Manner%9?fA
and Customs. — Treatment of the dead, and funereal ob-vz-^lv
sequies of the Monarch. — Laws. — Adultery.— Theft.— t!£j[ \q
History. — State of defence. — Revenue. — Siamese nu-Sfnjo^
merals. — Kalendar. — Annual festival at the close of the ' ""
year. — Religion. — Laws of Buddha. — Province of
Chantibond the richest portion of the territory of SiaiHirfj \o
— Its products. — Mines of gold and of precious stones.
—Zoological remarks 224
.l_-.raBi Chapter VII. ,i,6fnilina— .sasutfiiB
Depart from Slam. — Sechang, or Dutch Islands.'-ii-rftsrf^ ^o
habitants, — Enormous Yam. — Bay of Siam. — Geologi»-SY;oil
cal Remarks. — Pulo Panjang.— Two Brothers' Islands, ^^ara
— Pulo Condore. — Geology. — Inhabitants. —HospitableB"^^
Character. — Cape St. James Current. — Bay of Cocoa^-^'f^^
Nuts. — Geology, &c. — ^Vung Tao. — Costume. — Gover*^^-""-*^
nor of Kan-dyu, a singular Character, takes charge of '^
an Official Communication to the Governor of Saigon,
— Inhabitants very polite.— Dress almost exclusively in
Silk.— Physiognomy and Form. — Habitations. — Cos-^
tume.— Shops. — ^Royal Boats . , . :; ;r ^j^fi^;
: •: ao£S3tM
Chapter VIII. .^ „
m bQiaBT 33ii-isri
The Author proceeds to Saigon. — River of Saigon.— ruovfii
Saigon. — Superstitious Emblems. — M. Diard. — Cochii^^yjsaJ
Chinese Females and Morality. — Markets. — ManufacT-f^'gofn
tures,-r-Bingeh and Saigon.— Fort. — Conference I's-jngM
XXX CONTENTS.
Page
specting the Governoi* General's Letter. — Retinue of
the Mandarins. — Hospitality of the Chinese Settlers. —
Audience of the Governor of Saigon. — Combat be-
tween a Tiger and Elephants. — Proceed to Turon. —
Coast of Cochin China. — Fishing Tribes. — Boats. — Tu-
ron Bay. — Geology, &c. — Visit Turon. — A limited
Number allowed to visit Hue. — Wretched Accommo-
dations for the Passage 303
Chapter IX.
Voyage from Turon Bay to Hu6. — Mouth of the
River of Hue. — Politeness of the Cochin Chinese has
not tended to ameliorate the Treatment of Females. —
Arrive at Hue.— Perpetual watch kept over the Mem-
bers of the Mission. — Military Costume. — The Gover-
nor General's Letter to the King sent to the Mandarin
of Elephants.— The Chinese Translation altered. — In-
terview with the Mandarin. — Canal surrounding the
City.— Beautiful Prospects on the River of Hue. —
Neatness of the Villages. — Horses. — Soil. — Fortified
City. — French Mandarins. — Conference with the Man-
darin of Elephants. — Difficulty respecting an Audience
with the King. — An Entertainment served. — Further
Discussion.— The Audience with the King refused. —
Beauty and strength of the Fort. — Inhospitality of the
Government. — Royal Barracks. — Artillery Store-
Houses. — Enormous Gun. — Citadel. — Remarks on the
French Interest at court. — The Presents from the Go-
vernor General and an Audience refused. — Poverty of
the Bazar 338
Chapter X.
Physiological Exterior of the Cochin Chinese. — Cos-
tume.— Moral Character.— Religion.— Brutalizing ef-
CONTENTS XXXI
Pago
fects of a Despotic Government. — Military Servitude.
— Population. — Rains and Inundations. — Costume of
the Rainy Season. — Visit to the Tacoon. — Tablets and
Boxes ornamented with the Mya Shell. — Letter and
Presents for the Governor General. — The Agent de-
clines accepting the Presents for the Governor General.
— Regulations respecting Trade. — Extent of Permis-
sion retracted. — A Repast : Rotten Eggs and Chickens
in the Shell a Chinese Delicacy, and Token of Royal
Favour. — The Mandarin of Han. — Letter to the Go-
vernor General refused — .Pitiful Spirit of the Cochin
Chinese Government. — Chinese Players. — The King of
the Drama hambooed. — Final Interview with the Man-
darin of Strangers. — Return to Turon. — Beautiful
Country. — Canal. — Salt-water Lake. — Grand Scenery.
— Route. — Botanical Observations. — Palanquins and
Bearers. — Granitic Country. — Excellent Roads. — Re-
embark 373
A JOURNAL
OP
THE VOYAGE OF THE MISSION
FROM
BENGAL TO SIAM AND COCHIN CHINA.
IN THE YEARS 1821-2.
CHAPTER I.
Voyage from Calcutta to Prince op Wales' Island.—
Islands op Preparis, Narcondam, Sever, and Prince
OP Wales.
On the 21st November we embarked on the
John Adam, nearly opposite to Fort William,
and dropped gradually down the river to the
sand -heads. We had but one opportunity of
going on shore, and this was at some distance
above Sanger Island. The land was here eight
or ten feet above high- water mark ; soil, a very
deep, black, light mould, and densely covered
with low jungle. Numerous traces of deer, and
one very conspicuous track of a tiger, which
appeared to have been of enormous size. Car-
ried off a species of Boletus, a species of Laurus,
and one of Calamus.
The pilot left us, in smooth water, near to a
B
2 MISSION to SIAM
moored ship allotted for the reception of pilots,
and out of sight of land. On the following
morning we sailed, with a fair and tolerably-
strong wind, attended with a sea sufficiently-
rough to occasion sickness in persons so little
accustomed to this dread element. In this man-
ner we arrived off Cape Negrais. While off
this point, but still far from being within sight,
our ship was visited by two or three birds, one
a species of dove, the next another of the Lin-
nean Passeres, and a third a species of Sterna.
The latter, as usually happens with others of the
same family, either from natural stupidity or from
exhaustion, allowed itself to be taken without
difficulty.
December 3. — Early in the morning, the island
of Preparis, the first land we had yet seen since
we left the pilot, was in sight. We stood to-
wards it with the view of landing upon it, and
examining its structure; but the wind unfortu-
nately increasing, and the windward coast being
only navigable with safety with the ship, it was
deemed too hazardous a task to land.
From the distance at which we viewed these
islands, it was difficult to form an accurate judg-
ment respecting their structure. The two small
ones, called the Cow and Calf, at one time ap-
peared as if they were of basaltic formation;
and again as if they were merely banks of coral.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 3
Against the latter supposition, their altitude
above the sea (not less perhaps than two hun-
dred feet) might seem to militate; but this is
not conclusive, especially if there be any truth
in the observation, that the great basin which
composes this ocean has lost much of its ori-
ginal altitude. It is possible that they may be
composed both of basalt and coral ; it is highly
probable that one or other of these materials
constitute their mass, and most probably the
latter. The principal island is of a gently un-
dulating shape, rising gradually from the sea, to a
slight elevation, and is thickly covered with wood,
and apparently tall and wide-spreading trees.
We had the more reason to regret the cir-
cumstance of our not being able to land on
these islands, from their being the first in the
great chain which composes the archipelago.
On the following morning at sun-rise we were
within sight of Narcondam, an island apparently
several miles in diameter, in form and shape a
perfect specimen of the volcanic cone, which
we calculated to be about two thousand five
hundred feet above the sea. We were at too
great a distance to entertain a hope of landing
on it. This island, from its height, its solitary
xeistence in a wide sea, and its singular and
beautiful form, constitutes a very striking object.
On this occasion we endeavoured to construct
B 2
4 MISSION TO SIAM
an instrument for ascertaining the temperature of
the sea at considerable depths, but from the im-
perfection of our materials, our success was but
indifferent. In the only experiment that we per-
formed, the temperature at two hundred and
forty feet was 2J° less than at the surface.
The variations on the barometric column we
observed to be very regular, being at its greatest
height about seven a.m., and lowest towards
four p.m.
The weather continued agreeable ; the wind
steady and moderate, the N.E. monsoon having
now set in steadily. Several of the natives on
board had been ailing ; and one, a sepoy, had a
dangerous attack of cholera, but all w^ere now
sufficiently in health.
Our course now lay towards the coast, of
which we soon came within sight. As we ap-
proached the western coast of this peninsula,
we could not fail to be struck with the singular
appearance of numerous islands, varying in di-
mensions, situation, and height; an appearance
very different from what is observable on the op-
posite side of this bay, where scarce an island
rises a few feet above the water, but which here
being strewed over so great a space, seem to
form a bulwark, or chain of protection to the con-
tinental land.
The bold and elevated ridge in the centre,
AND COCHIN CHINA. 5
with the abrupt and rugged points on their flanks,
were no less striking, and appeared, even at a
distance, to afford ample evidence of their pri-
mitive structure. The more elevated mountain
ridges on the continent were not less bold or
striking in their appearance. The general di-
rection of these ridges, both in the islands and
on the continent, is nearly north and south, in-
clining a little from west to east. Vegetation
appears everywhere abundant; the forms prin-
cipally arborescent.
On the 7th of December, being near to the
Seyer Islands, in latitude 8° 43' N., and longi-
tude 97° 48' E., we prepared to land on them.
These islands are within sight of the continent,
and distant from it about twenty-eight miles.
The principal one appears to be about five miles
in length, and perhaps one in breadth. It was
on this that we proposed to land. As we ap-
proached in the boat, we were struck with the
general silence which seemed to pervade it, a
circumstance which appeared to us the more
singular, as it was everywhere covered vv'ith
dense woods, which might be supposed to afford
nourishment and safe shelter to numerous land
birds, while its rocky coast might have been
alike favourable to the existence of water fowl.
Scarce a bird, however, was seen to hover over
the place. Neither the varied forms of an exu-
6 MISSION TO SIAM
berant vegetation, nor the safe asylum under
its peaceful shade, seemed sufficient to attract
even a scanty portion of animated nature to this
apparently favourable, and certainly very beau-
tiful, spot. Is the proximity of man necessary
to give to rude nature an aspect or an impulse
favourable for the support of animated creation
in its various forms? On this desert island,
the tall trees seemed to wave their tops in vain ;
the more humble shrub and herb flowered un-
seen, their sweets apparently unappreciated.
The useful and friendly palm, the luscious
plantain-tree, the scented jasmine, the elegant
bamboo, the nutritious yam, were here the spon-
taneous production of the soil ; beautiful at least,
and interesting in appearance, though not highly
possessed of those valuable qualities, which in a
domestic state man has conferred upon them by
his care and industry.
As we approached the shore, we were enabled
to notice the elevated and nearly perpendicular
direction of the rocky mass, which, on more close
inspection, was found to be composed of coarse-
grained granite, for the most part of a reddish
colour ; but occasionally of a flesh red, and more
often of a gray colour. A well defined, broad,
and very white stripe, extending along the whole
length of the island, a few feet above the sea,
appeared to form the high-water mark. This
AND COCHIN CHINA. f
white appearance was occasioned by a shelly
incrustation.
The appearance of the rocks was, in general,
very uniform. They were, as already observed,
altogether granitic. The inclination of the strata
was from N.E. to S.W. Though the character
of this granite was extremely well defined and
prominent, it yet appeared a difficult task to
pronounce an opinion respecting its stratifica-
tion. In one part might be seen large, perfectly
homogeneous masses, fifty or sixty feet in thick-
ness, without rent, fissure, or division, without
the slightest appearance of stratification ; with
the solitary exception of the occasional occur-
rence of a Seam or narrow vein of quartz, or of
finer-grained granite, crossing its surface. But
by far the most common appearance in this
granite, was that of a tolerably uniform strati-
fication, the strata of unequal thickness, and
crossing the direction of the mountain ridge at
an acute angle. These strata were again irre-
gularly divided in most parts, so that the whole
seemed to have a double stratification, or to be
divided into irregular trapeziums. The granite
was almost universally coarse-grained, contain-
ing chiefly quartz and feldspar, with but little
mica ; the crystals of feldspar varied in size from
a grain to nearly an inch. This coarse-grained
granite occasionally passed into one of very fine
8 MISSION TO SIAM
Structure, and here and there into gneiss, though
the latter was always of small extent. The rock
was for the most part divided into numerous sharp
and needle-shaped points. Though on a lee shore,
there was here a considerable surf and swell, to
impede our landing. A solitary water-fowl was
seen to wander from rock to rock, collecting food
from the pools, which abounded with small fish.
After a little care, we landed in safety on the
rocks. We observed a considerable variety of
corals, crabs, and shells. Of the genus Patella,
some species were uncommonly large. Dis-
tracted with the multitude of different objects
before us, rocks, Crustacea, vegetables, &c., we
turned from the sea-shore, and entered the
forest. We had now reached the region most
favourable for the production of palms, the most
interesting, the most useful, the most singular
of vegetable forms. We required no better
proof of an intertropical clim.ate. Three different
species were already within our view ; and the
plants having an affinity to this family were not
less numerous. The former were Borassus fla-
belliformis, Caryota urens. Phoenix farinifera.
Of the latter, two species of Pandanus, (odorat.
and Isevis,) and of Calamus two species, were
abundant. The number of plants which we ob-
served within a small space was indeed uncom-
monly great. The ascent from the sea was every-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 9
where remarkably steep and rugged; disinte-
grated granite, on the slope of the hills, readily
yielded to the pressure of the foot; the forest
was, besides, so close, as to be scarce penetrable.
After we had proceeded some way through it,
our notice was attracted by the chirping of nu-
merous animals. We discovered this to proceed
from a multitude of large bats, Pteropus edulis,
suspended from a flowering specimen of Boras-
sus. We brought down four of them.
Our exertions in penetrating the woods were
necessarily great; the heat was excessive. In
a few hours we became somewhat tired, and re-
turned to our boat, highly gratified at the result
of our excursion. To have fully investigated
the botany of this little island alone, would
have required not less than the period of a
week. From the difficulty we experienced in
getting into our boat again, the plants we had
collected were nearly altogether lost ; they were
unfortunately tossed about in the sea for some
time, and thus rendered almost useless.
On returning to the ship, we found that the
captain had visited the small island opposite to
us during our absence. He had not been less en-
tertained. The confinement of a ship necessarily
renders the approach of land agreeable; hence
we are always delighted to set foot on shore
after having been some time at sea. He landed
10 MISSION TO SIAM
on a sandy beach ; the rocks were of similar
structure to those of the larger island, but the
vegetable forms were considerably different, a
circumstance to be accounted for, perhaps, by
his having landed on an opposite and less ex-
posed coast. In intertropical climates, the effect
of the different monsoons, even within a very
narrow and circumscribed space, is very remark-
able, particularly where, as in this instance,
there is, as it were, a natural bulwark thrown
up to shelter the respective aspects.
We continued to sail during the night with a
gentle wind along the coast of Siam. In the
morning, a native of Siam and a Malay were
brought on board with fish from a canoe. The
coast was still bold, and in many parts rocky,
with very deep water. Ridges of hills, with
intervening valleys and ravines, stretch in the
direction of the peninsula. Vegetation appeared
everywhere unbounded. A few miles to the
north of the Straits of Papra, a somewhat flat
table-land, many miles in extent, divides the
mountains from the coast ; at this place we again
landed, at a rocky point, in the middle of an
extensive sandy beach.
Here, as on the island, granite was alike
abundant, forming mountain masses and rocky
eminences : structure very similar to the former ;
strata more inclined from west to east ; red va-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 11
riety of granite less frequent ; now gray predo-
minant. Here and there veins of sienite? but
of small extent; also small veins of perhaps
primitive trap, masses of quartz, with schorl and
talc imbedded.
Palms here also of spontaneous growth. Elate
silvestris and Borassus caudata of Loureiro were
here common. Bambus verticiliata, Scsevola lo-
belia, a large, herbaceous plant, with fleshy
leaves, not milky and singular from the lateral
form of its flower ; also Euphorbia, Melastoma, a
Syngenesious, and a singular Papilionaceous
plant, common on the shore ; Convolvulus pes ca-
prae, Jasminum, and Justicia. Thick, dense forest,
without any trace of contiguous cultivation. A
tall, slender tree, growing to the height of forty
feet and upwards, possessing much of the habit
and general appearance of a pine, is found lining
the sea-beach, disposed in a continued line, with
the greatest regularity, and nearly at equal in-
tervals. It here thrives well, and, from its ex-
treme regularity, gives to the scene the appear-
ance of a plantation. It affords shelter and
protection from the sea-air to the other vegetable
forms. We discovered in this forest a solitary
bird of the genus Motacilla. Tracts of the wild
elephant were not uncommon, and the recent
footsteps of a tiger were imprinted in the sand.
Some natives who, from a distance, observed us
13 MISSION TO SIAM
to land, kept hovering near, but would not comi3
within speaking distance. We now returned
to the ship, and a strong breeze springing up,
we were soon carried beyond the Straits of
Papra and the island of Junkseylon or Sa-
long. The wind soon increased to a strong
breeze, which compelled us to keep some dis-
tance from the islands. On the 9th and 10th,
we observed from time to time the bold moun-
tains of this coast. These mountains v/ere still
distributed into ridges, and still loftier than those
we had hitherto seen. The hill, or rather moun-
tain of Queda, was observed at a very great
distance. The hill of Penang came next into
view ; we slowly approached this island, pleased
with the great beauty of its undulating scenery.
The approach to it, through a narrow channel of
deep water, is somewhat tedious, and the tides
are, for the most part, strong. The moon shone
bright, and our ship was thereby enabled to
proceed during the night without a pilot.
llth. — In the morning of this day we anchored
in the harbour, about 300 yards from the beach.
We found here a considerable number of ships
of various descriptions and nations: English,
American, Chinese junks, Siamese and Arab.
We received a polite invitation from the go-
vernor, W. E. Phillips, Esq., to reside with him
during our stay on the island. We landed in
AND COCHIN CHINA. 13
the course of the day, and proceeded to the go-
vernor's country-seat, three or four miles from
the town, and were received in the most hospi-
table manner by him and his family. The po-
pulation of this island consists chiefly of fo-
reigners from almost all parts of the east. A
considerable proportion of the motley group col-
lected on the beach, consisted of Malabar Ma-
homedans, called Chuliahs, who here, as in their
own country, were readily to be recognised by
their manner, partaking as much of idleness
as of expectant curiosity. They seemed indus-
trious only in prying into the appearance and
countenances of strangers as they arrive ; an oc-
cupation which doubtless they turn to their ad-
vantage in some way or other. Silly as at first
sight it seemed to be, it is far more congenial to
the habits of man, than the cold, apathetic air of
the natives of Bengal. We had not proceeded
far, before a more interesting and more gratifying
scene was expanded to our observation. Industry,
active, useful, manly, and independent, seemed
here to have found a congenial soil and fostering
care. The indolent air of the Asiatic was thrown
aside. Every arm laboured to produce some use-
ful object, and every countenance teeming with
animation, seemed, as it were, directed to a set
task. With the air, they had lost even the
slender frame of the Asiatic ; and the limbs, and
14 MISSION TO SIAM
muscularity, and symmetry were those of another
and more energetic race. These were Chinese,
a people highly valuable as settlers, by reason
of their industrious and very regular habits, who
had established on this spot the mechanical arts,
on a scale which might even vie with that of
European artists, but which we should look for
in vain in any other part of India. It was a
pleasing and gratifying spectacle, so much are
we in India accustomed to the opposite, to see a
numerous, very muscular, and apparently hardy
race of people, labouring with a degree of energy
and acuteness, which gave to their physical cha-
racter a peculiar stamp, and placed them in a
highly favourable point of view, when compared
with the habits of the nations around them. Their
manner of using their instruments, so different
from the puerile style of Indian artists, had in it
much of the dexterity of Europeans : while their
condition bespoke them a flourishing and wealthy
tribe. All the principal shops, all important
and useful employments, and almost all the com-
merce of the island, was in their hands. Under the
patronage of the British Government, they soon
acquire riches ; they meet with entire protection of
property and person, and are cherished by the go-
vernment, which, in return, derives benefit from
their industry, and from the commercial and pro-
fitable speculations in which they usually engage.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 15
The town, in this our first visit, appeared to
be of considerable extent, very neat, clean, and
handsome, and populous to a very unusual de-
gree, that of the whole of the island, which is
stated to amount to 30,000, being chiefly col-
lected together in this place. The style of their
houses is particularly neat, very light and strik-
ing. They are composed almost exclusively of
wood, and in a great proportion of leaves of the
palm, as ir^ those of the poorer inhabitants.
They are raised from the ground from four to
six feet or more on pillars, and a ladder leads
to the apartments. The thatch is made of the
light leaves of the palm, and forms an elegant
roof, less subject to conflagration than we should
have expected from materials of this sort. Flame
instantly excites rapid combustion, but it is said
to resist fire in the form of spark ; when once on
fire, however, there is no subduing the mischief.
Mr. E. compares this combustion to that of Slop's
wig, which was no sooner lighted than it was
consumed. The huts are laid out in right lines,
and of convenient breadth ; the houses are in dif-
ferent compartments, and are tolerably uniform,
clean, and well-lighted. The parts occupied by
the Malabar inhabitants have but little to recom-
mend them, either in point of cleanliness or
of neatness. Profiting by the mildness of the
climate, they look not beyond shelter from the
16 MISSION TO SIAM
elements, and seclusion from the public eye : a
mean and sordid house afford both to their satis-
faction. Ornament is never dreamt of, and even
comfort is but little considered. Unlike to these,
the Chinaman aims at neatness and even ele-
gance in his dwelling, after having satisfied the
more important objects of comfort and utility ;
hence the latter is rarely to be seen idling or
sauntering about the streets: more numerous
wants, more energetic occupations, more generous
diet, demand more constant attention, and their
gratification encroaches on his leisure hours. The
Indian rarely passes an European of any rank
without making an obeisance to him ; and is
in general abundantly submissive. The China-
man will not submit to this distinction, whether
from national pride and becoming independence
of mind, or from assumed insolence, unautho-
rised, perhaps, in his native country, does not
appear. However this may be, the latter is cer-
tainly the most becoming custom. The object of
the Chinese in banishing themselves thus volun-
tarily from their native country, is doubtless to
gain a more comfortable subsistence, and to ac-
cumulate money sufficient to maintain themselves
at home. Yet they do not appear to hoard with
mean avidity ; they are, on the contrary, considered
as rather an extravagant people, whose principal
care is to procure good fare, though of a coarse
AND COCHIN CHINA. 17
description, according to our European ideas.
All the best meat and fish, more particularly
pork and ducks, the favourite food of the grave
disciples of Confucius, are at this place the portion
of the Chinese. It is alleged, however, that they
are at times contented with morsels of less deli-
cacy ; and that the canine tribe suffer occasionally
from their rapacious disposition, and carnivorous
appetites. The good condition in which their
dogs are usually seen has probably had some
share in giving rise to the opinion of their feed-
ing on them, for scarcity of food cannot be urged
in extenuation of the practice, if indeed it re-
quire extenuation.
In proceeding to the governor's country-house,
we were much delighted with the great profusion
of vegetable productions that was every where
observable. As might be expected, we found here
the more common species of Palm, Cocoa and
Areca, growing in great luxuriance. Numerous
species of Convolvuli and Parasitical Plants lined
the hedges, and covered the extreme branches of
the trees. The low ground abounded with her-
baceous plants, and the whole resembled a beau-
tiful and picturesque garden. In the hedges, and
in the waste lands, swamps and low grounds,
which form a tolerably broad belt between the
hills and the sea coast, the botanist finds a rich
and highly interesting harvest. The neighbour-
c
18 MISSION TO SIAM
ing forests, vallies, ravines, an(i hills, are still
more interesting. At every step he vi^ill dis-
cover new plants ; and in this comparatively
small island, he will find a variety of vegetation
well calculated to delight and to astonish him.
It would seem as if nature had taken a peculiar
pleasure in establishing her more delightful do-
main in these islands. Nothing can exceed the
extreme luxuriance, vigour, and variety of the
vegetable products. The more grand features of
mountain, precipice, and valley, are dispensed
with unsparing hand. Reckless of the comfort,
and disregarding the convenience of man, here
nature has, as it were, placed her rich gifts be-
yond the reach of his modulating hand. From
luxuriance so lavishly bestowed scarce can he ex-
tract a scanty subsistence, scarce can he render
it subservient to his wants or his pleasures ; and
he who maintains that this world was made
alone for man, might, amid such scenes, find
room to doubt. The cui bono must at every
step occur to his mind; he will soon discover
that the tenants of so much luxuriance are re-
duced to a very scanty number, and these of
the lowest order of animated creatures ; birds,
lizards, reptiles, insects, and a very few pre-
daceous quadrupeds. The poet may select such
scenes for the abodes of bliss, of happiness, and
of mortal felicity; but the philosophic inquirer
AND COCHIN CHINA. 19
will look to countries of less flattering aspect
for the more favourable existence and develop-
ment, in the social state, of the mental faculties
of the human race.
We vi^ere now at liberty to employ our time
agreeably to our respective inclinations. The
surrounding forests and hills aiForded endless
enjoyment to those attached to natural history.
They therefore claimed no ordinary share of my
regard. Every day continued to add something
to my little stock ; while such is the salubrity of
the climate, that no danger seemed to be appre-
hended from the most free and continual exposure
even to the heat of a meridian sun, under cir-
cumstances of fatigue, exhaustion, and the great-
est exertion ; and to penetrate to any distance
into the woods, or to ascend the steep and rugged
sides of the hills, necessarily exposes one to such
conditions. Compared with the botanical ob-
jects, the zoological are but scanty. Yet in this
department we were able to effect the commence-
ment of a collection. The most singular animal
we as yet procured was the Galeopithecus varie-
gatus, an animal covered with the softest fur ; fur-
nished with a broad expansion of the skin, ex-
tending from the head along the neck to the fore-
feet, which are palmated ; from thence to the hind-
feet, also palmated, and from this to the extre-
C 2
so MISSION TO SIAM
mity of the tail. By means of this membrane
it is able, for a short distance, to support itself in
the air. In the night-time it is active and lively ;
in the day, dull, lazy, sleepy, and annoyed at
being disturbed. It has two pectoral mammae.
Those of the female are of considerable size.
The voice is harsh, sharp, screaming, and disa-
greeable. It feeds on fruit, and would seem to
be easily domesticated.
In some points this singular animal has a
strong affinity to the genus Lemur ; but its elon-
gated head, and comparatively small eyes, and
more especially the want of incisorial teeth in
the upper jaw, shew that it has been with pro-
priety removed to a different genus.
We procured also, during the first few days of
our stay, a species of Felis, said to be common
in the woods. It has much the appearance of a
species of Viverra. The body is very long,
though in other respects it is nearly of the size
of a cat. It is remarkably fierce, and flies at
every thing that approaches ; body black, with
gray stripes, tail very long, breast whitish.
A handsome species of Sciurus. The head
large and globular ; body and tail dark gray ;
belly brown ; top of the tail brown.
A species of Vespertilio.
The number of birds that we saw was in-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 31
considerable. The principal are the Buceros,
Pelican, (in Mr. Philips's grounds several are
domesticated,) several species of Alcedo, a so-
litary Adjutant, a fishing Vulture, five species of
Certhia, and several other Passeres ; of Corvus
two species ; Fulica ; and Columba two species.
To describe or to enumerate the numerous
vegetable productions which are to be found in
this island, is but little compatible with the plan
of a journal such as this. For an account of
what has been done in this way, I refer to
the catalogues, descriptions, and drawings. Se-
veral circumstances have conspired to render
these less extensive and less complete than was
desirable. The mechanical labour and personal
fatigue, incurred in collecting materials, were
necessarily very great ; that of preserving them
afterwards considerable ; and the aid to be
derived from persons of the labouring classes
was not always at my disposal. Neither was
the present season the most favourable for bo-
tanical pursuits. The brumal distance of the
sun is felt, even in the intertropical regions.
In these islands more particularly, this distance
is rendered sensible, by unusual vicissitudes in
the atmosphere, not only in point of temperature,
but as regards the state of the winds, their ca-
pacity for retaining or depositing moisture ; the
greater prevalence of electric phenomena; the
22 MISSION TO SIAM
remarkable yariations in the appearance of the
clouds. Rains at this time are prevalent. To-
wards evening the clouds accumulate in thick
masses, the winds often blowing with tempestuous
fury, and the face of day is darkened ; the effect
of these circumstances on the vegetable world is
very sensible, and yet the thermometer at this pe-
riod of the year rarely descends under 70° near to
the equator. But even this indicates a degree
of cold, which in these climates acts more sen-
sibly on the human body than would be easily
credited by an inhabitant of a cold region.
The effect is, doubtless, the more powerful from
the presence of universal moisture in the air,
amounting very commonly to saturation. A de-
gree of brumal influence is therefore extended
to the vegetable world; the greater number of
plants have ceased to flower ; many trees cast a
large proportion of their leaves, and have a de-
gree of nakedness not common to them at other
times. This influence is still more sensibly felt
on vegetation at various elevations above the
sea. On the hills it is most observable in ar-
borescent botany. On the highest, very few
plants, and those chiefly herbaceous, are now to
be found in flower. In the plains, however, and
in the sheltered acclivities of mountains, this
circumstance is less observable. Besides, with
a considerable number of the plants which grow
AND COCHIN CHINA. m
in such places, the present is the proper and
natural period of flowering ; and the number is
not inconsiderable of such as are to be found
in flower, or in fruit, at all seasons of the year.
The altitude of the mountain ridges in Penang
is not so great as to produce a very marked
difference in the geographic distribution of its
vegetable productions. The highest point of
land is that on which the flag-staff is placed ;
and this, by barometric measurement, gives an
altitude of two thousand two hundred and twenty-
three feet, above the governor's house, which
may be reckoned about twenty-five feet above
the level of the sea ; so that the greatest altitude
will be two thousand two hundred and forty-
eight feet. Within this space, however, the more
experienced botanist, will detect a sensible dif-
ference in the distribution of the vegetable forms.
In the low grounds which extend from the sea
coast to the base of the hills, and for some
distance up their flanks, he will recognise the
favoured region of the Palms, and of the greater
number of the Scitaminese, vying with the former
in utility, whilst they even excel them in the
beauty of their general appearance.
Of the intertropical plants, the most superficial
observer will have remarked, that a considerable
proportion are influenced scarcely less in their
geographical distribution by longitudinal than
24 MISSION TO SIAM
by latitudinal position ; and, if we divide the
globe into hemispheres, we shall find that the
plants of an eastern differ from those of a west-
ern hemisphere scarcely less than those of the
northern from the southern. We may thus ob-
serve a constant tendency to confine plants to a
particular spot, to isolate, and to increase their
number ; and that though, like man, some are
capable of existing in a great variety of climates,
yet that these are to be considered as exceptions
to a great and general rule. Within the tropics
this limited distribution of plants is more remark-
able than in the other zones. It is especially ob-
servable in the distribution of Palms, Scitamineae,
and the more valuable spices and aromatics. Heat
alone is not sufficient for their production, or we
should find them more general throughout the
torrid zone, while, in fact, they are respectively
confined to very narrow limits. Within the tro-
pics, from the equator to nearly 20° N., and on
the level of the ocean, or but slightly elevated
above it, we distinguish a belt, within which are
contained almost all the Palms with which we
are acquainted. They constitute the most re-
markable vegetable production within this space.
As to distribution, we notice various points at
which, without apparent alteration of tempera-
ture, they are respectively Hmited.
Of the Cocoa-nut we may remark, that it
AND COCHIN CHINA. 25
grows with the greatest luxuriance and per-
fection in the Maldive and Laccadine Islands,
on the south and west coasts of Ceylon, on the
coasts of Malabar and Coromandel, and west
as far as Bombay. At Penang this Palm is evi-
dently less productive, and therefore less ex-
tensively cultivated. It is replaced by the Areca
catechu ; by Nipa fruticans, Cycas circinalis,
and a few others. The Sea Cocoa-nut, as it is
called, is still more limited in its distribution ;
and the Borassus gomutus is almost equally so.
Here, too, it is rare to see a single specimen of
the Borassus flabelliformis, a palm so common in
other parts of India. Peculiarity of soil does
not appear to be the sole cause of the occurrence
of some, or of the want of other species of the
Palm tree. The soil of Penang and of the op-
posite coast is of various descriptions and quali-
ties, and probably suited to the production
of the whole tribe, being in some parts sandy,
hard and poor ; in others, of a stiff, iron-coloured
clay ; in others, soft and spongy, constituting ex-
tensive morasses ; in others, thick, black, and
rich, containing a large proportion of vegetable
matter.
It has been remarked, that the mountain
ranges are but of moderate altitude, and that,
therefore, we must not look for very great or
striking differences in the distribution of vege-
26 MISSION TO SIAM
table forms, as connected with this circumstance.
Arborescent vegetation here exists in its fullest
vigour, to within two or three hundred feet of
the summit of the loftiest peaks ; and it may be
observed, that the forests generally abound in
wood of uncommon altitude. At the elevation
of nearly one thousand feet, a considerable num-
ber of diminutive, but elegant herbaceous plants
are to be found, which do not occur at a less
elevation, and we meet with several species of
Ferns in the same situation. The gigantic Grasses
of the plains here cease to grov/ : Parasites, Epi-
dendra, and Contorts increase in number. Within
a few hundred feet of the summit we find an ar-
borescent Fern of great magnitude, and a species
of Yew is said to occupy a similar range on
a contiguous hill. On the summit of the two
highest peaks, arborescent vegetation is evi-
dently stunted, and the trees are of shrubby
forms, yet the productions of the plains will
here thrive, with the assistance of cultivation.
We found Canna indica, Carica, Mussaenda fron-
dosa, and various other plants growing around
the Bungalows built upon the summit of the
principal peak. This elevation must certainly
afford a fine prospect from its summit, but as we
were unfortunate in the state of the weather at
the time of our visit, I am not enabled to speak
duly in its favour.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 27
The agricultural produce of this island is but
inconsiderable; and although much care is at
the present time bestowed in clearing the hills,
for the purpose of introducing the cultivation of
Coffee, Spices, ^c, the success of the experi-
ment must as yet be left for the ascertainment
of futurity. The labour and expense of clearing
steep hills of exuberant woods must necessarily
be very great ; and where arborescent vegetation
exists in such vigour, it will always be a matter
of much difficulty to prevent the ground becoming
again rapidly covered with forest. It is to be
feared, too, that the sloping sides of granitic
hills will not long continue favourable to the
growth of plants requiring a peculiar soil, and
modified by the care bestowed upon them by
man. It is known that the more valuable produc-
tions of the botanical world require the richest
soil, and most assiduous and unremitted care on
the part of the cultivator. They have, in fact,
become, in a great measure, the work of his own
hand ; in their perfect condition frequently inca-
pable of maintaining their existence independent
of his care. When abandoned, they soon revert
to their original meagre condition, with difficulty
to be identified with the cherished product of
cultivation, whilst of some plants, as of the more
valuable of the Cerealia, we look in vain for the
parent stock. Hence it is, that disregarding or
28 MISSION TO SIAM
forgetting this fact, we are apt to consider the
soil as excellent which supports that astonishing
quantity of vegetation we observe throughout
these islands. To enumerate the useful and cu-
rious plants this island produces, either sponta-
neously or by culture, is a task too extensive.
Pepper is the principal article. It is produced
principally on the southern parts of the island, on
the slopes of low hills, and on the narrow level
belt which intervenes between them and the
sea-shore. The cultivation is almost exclusively
in the hands of the Chinese, who conduct it
with a degree of art and neatness, unknown in
any other part of the East. For an account of
the cultivation of pepper, see Marsden's Historj/
of Sumatra. The plants are supported on the
stems of the Erythrina indica, and occasionally
on those of the Morinda citrifolia, which are
planted with them for this purpose. The Nut-
meg may be considered as the next in im-
portance of the agricultural products. Its cul-
tivation is, on the whole, attended with con-
siderable success ; the trees are large, vigorous,
and produce a great quantity of fruit, yet it has
required upwards of twenty years to give earnest
of success ; and it is stated, that as yet no ex-
portation of this article has taken place. The
number of trees, at present on the island, is rated
at one hundred and fifty thousand, of which one-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 39
third only are in a condition to bear fruit. Mr.
Brown states the produce of a single tree at one
thousand nuts annually, and this number is at
present sold in the market for five Spanish dol-
lars, and the mace, which amounts to about one-
fourth of the weight of the nuts, is sold for some-
thing more than the above-mentioned sum. The
first fruit is reaped after the seventh year.
The Clove is also cultivated with success.
Some trees which I have seen growing at the
base of the hills, and on the skirts of the forest,
where they were planted under the shade of
other trees, seemed to flourish with great vigour.
Mr. Brown states the produce of a single Cof-
fee plant at four pounds.
We were too late to enjoy the Mangosteen
in its greatest perfection, yet from the few which
were still to be procured, we considered it well
entitled to the encomium so often bestowed upon
it by travellers.
I proceed to mention the more general plants
used in the domestic economy of the natives.
Pandanus laevis — the leaves afford a strong
cordage, used for making nets and other purposes.
A species of Urtica is cultivated for a similar
purpose.
Erythrina indica, ] supporters to the pepper
Morinda citrifolia, j plant.
30 MISSION TO SIAM
Nipa fruticans — the leaves are used univer-
sally for thatching.
Calamus— various species, applied to endless
useful purposes on the island, and exported to
China.
Bromelia ananas — the pine-apple, three prin-
cipal varieties; a. long, conical sort, of a red
colour, with numerous sprouts from the base.
b. With elegant, variegated leaves; the crown
leaves and sprouts at the base of the fruit also
variegated.
c. Common species.
The Pine-apple thrives here with unusual lux-
uriance: some that were shewn to us weighed
from four to six pounds. They may be had for
a mere trifle in the markets.
Musa paradisiaca, or plantain. These are also
produced in great abundance and very cheap.
December 25. — Visited Qualla Muda, on the
opposite shore of Queda. The country here,
to the distance of seven or eight miles from
the sea, is low, flat, and swampy, covered for
the most part with almost impenetrable jungle,
the secure haunt of tigers, leopards, rhinoce-
roses, and occasionally of elephants, its vast
swamps being unfavourable to the latter. The
soil consists of a stiff, blue clay ; on the beach,
here and there, disposed in beds, very plastic.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 31
purely aluminous, and of a red colour ; in other
parts the soil consists of a tough, black, soft and
spongy mould, apparently very closely allied to
peat-moss. Where this soil exists, the ground
is always boggy ; the moss is bound together
by tough vegetable fibres; the surrounding water
assumes a black colour, of a bitter and peculiar
taste, and a strong, disagreeable odour. The
appearance is quite peculiar. I have not, in
India, seen any thing resembling peat-moss so
closely as this soil does *. It is apparently in
progress to the formation of that substance.
During our excursion we passed some rich fields
of rice. The ground was so soft, that we sunk
to the knee at every step. We had not pro-
ceeded far, before we came upon a bullock that
had just been killed by a tiger, in all probability
of uncommon size, the impression of his paw
being equal in breadth to twice that of a man's
hand. The bullock, a fine, large, and fat animal,
had been killed by a blow on the neck, by which
the vertebrae appeared to have been dislocated
or broken, while the superficial veins were torn
open by the tiger's claws. A small part of the
rump only had been eaten. In the following
night the tiger returned, and carried off the car-
cass to the distance of about one hundred yards.
* Dr. Francis Hamilton has noticed several instances of what
may be called peat formations. — Buck. MS.]
32 MISSION TO SIAM
The plants on this coast differ considerably
from those of Penang. They also exhibit con-
siderably less variety. The Argus pheasant
is common, and a very considerable variety of
gallinaceous birds is carried from hence to Pe-
nang. The black leopard, and a species of wild
goat, probably an antelope, are also found. The
resources of the mountains and inland parts are
almost entirely unknown, although, perhaps,
there exists no better field in the world for the
naturalist than is afforded by this peninsula,
throughout the whole of its extent.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 33
CHAPTER n.
Leave Prince op [Wales' Island. — Luminous Appearance
OF THE Sea. — PuLo Binding. — jMalacca. — Deserted Ap-
pearance. — Slaves. — LittleCarimon. — Islands. — Vege-
table Phenomenon. — Singapore. — ^^Iildnrss and Salu-
BillT'i OF THE ClIBIATE.
Januari/ 1st, 1822. — Visited mount Palmer, on
the south coast of the island. The scenery in the
pass leading to it is beautiful, the finest in the is-
land. The whole tract abounds with a great va-
riety of plants. A road, practicable for horses,
has been made across this pass ; and on the south
coast, a tank has been constructed for the purpose
of affording water for ships that do not choose to
enter the harbour.
4. We returned on board the vessel, carrying
with us two boxes of nutmeg plants for the King
of Siam.
5. — Sailed out by the south passage ; for seve-
ral days following we were for the most part
becalmed within sight of land ; the great chain
of mountains still appearing bold, and many of
the peaks of considerable elevation.
Nothing is more singular in these seas than
their phosphorescent appearance by night, the
ocean shewing like a vast lake of liquid fire,
melted sulphur, or phosphorus. In many of the
D
34 MISSION TO SIAU
bays, such as the harbour at Prince of Wales'
Island, the bodies which emit this singular
light exist in such vast quantity, that a boat may
readily be distinguished at the distance of seve-
ral miles by the brilliant light, resembling that
of a torch, proceeding from the water agitated by
her bow and oars. We have seen the sea ren-
dered of a green colour and slimy appearance,
by day, so that it might have been taken for
the green vegetable matter common on stagnant
pools. We have taken up a quantity of this
green-coloured water, and by keeping it till
night, have ascertained that the green colour by
day, and the phosphorescent appearance by night,
were occasioned by the same substance.
The causes of this luminous appearance of the
sea are doubtless various in different parts of the
ocean. We know that fish, when dead, afford
similar light, and experiments have shewn that
dead fish immersed in sea water, after a time, af-
ford it also. The spawn of fishes is said to af-
ford it, and putrefaction is considered as a very
common cause of this appearance. In the pre-
sent instance it appeared unequivocally to pro-
ceed from innumerable small granular gelatinous
bodies, about the size of a pin's head. These
when taken upon the hand moved about with
great agility for a second or two, when they
ceased to be luminous and remained immoveable.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 35
9. — Landed in the evening on Pulo Dinding,
a beautiful granitic island, like those we had
hitherto seen, covered with thick, almost impene-
trable woods, from the margin of the sea to its
summits. Its altitude may be two or three hun-
dred feet. Its vegetation is luxuriant and varied.
The soil is dense, black, and apparently very
rich, held in situ by the density of the woods ;
the proportion of vegetable mould is uncom-
monly great. Two species of Palm grow luxu-
riantly in the ravines ; and in moist places a spe-
cies of Crinum, with leaves about three feet
long, covers considerable tracts. The hills are
too steep ever to afford a prospect of favourable
cultivation, even for such plants as Coffee. The
arborescent vegetation is of much less altitude
than that of Prince of Wales's Island. There is,
however, no want of irrigation. Several small
rivulets were visible ; but similar to many parts
of the Queda shore, the water here was rendered
of a blackish colour by the peculiar soil through
which it percolates. It resembles the water in
pits from which peat-moss has been taken ; the
taste is bitter and disagreeable.
At about half a mile distant north from an old
and ruined fort, once occupied by the Dutch, we
found an Epidendrum of gigantic size, the most
elegant plant perhaps of the numerous tribe to
which it belongs. Nothing in the vegetable
D 2
S6 MISSION TO SIAM
world could exceed in beauty the appearance of
this stately plant as it stood erect on the stem of
an aged tree, surrounded by its flowing leaves,
rather resembling the frond of a palm than the
leaf of an herbaceous plant. The flowering
spike alone exceeded six feet in length, con-
tained nearly one hundred flowers, and was now
in full blossom. The flowers exhaled a most
grateful but mild odour ; they were about two
inches and a half across, and upwards of four, in-
cluding the foot-stalk, in length.
It is only on the sea-coast that we have an op-
portunity of viewing the materials which consti-
tute the mass of this island, every other part
being covered with soil. We here see nothing
but granite. This granite, however, as will be
seen by the specimens, is of different structure
from that of Prince of Wales' Island, and the
other varieties we had observed. In many
masses it is almost a pure feldspar, finely crystal-
lized and excessively hard. In other parts we find
narrow veins of gneiss traversing masses of the
granite ; and in other parts the granite assumes
a porphyritic appearance, containing, imbedded,
numerous small nodules of gneiss.
In this vicinity, the great continental chain of
mountains gradually diminishes in altitude, oc-
casionally offering considerable interstitial dis-
tance between their summits, which now become
AND COCHIN CHINA. 37
more rounded as well as of lower elevation,
whilst the whole chain bends more towards the
south-east, leaving an extensive flat land between
its base and the sea. This flat tract, however, is
yet somewhat elevated above the sea, and at se-
veral points, particularly on its oceanic border,
as at Parcelar Hill and Rachado Point, rises into
solitary, isolated hills, of a conical shape, rounded
at top, but of inconsiderable height. The gene-
ral features of the country had now altered con-
siderably ; the hilly eminences are probably con-
stituted of sandstone or clay slate. The country
is everywhere covered with wood to the water's
edge.
Mth. — Arrived at Malacca.
On examination, we found the small hills
about this place, and the substratum of soil gene-
rally, to consist of a compact, nodular iron-shot
clay, used commonly in building. In its geologic
locality it is soft and easily cut into oblong masses
like large bricks, which become very hard by
exposure to the air. The old and now ruined
fort, the Portuguese church, &c., are built of this
material. It is very heavy, and appears to con-
tain a large proportion of iron. This substance
is common in Ceylon, and on the Malabar coast,
it is used for building and for making roads. It
is there known by the name of kabouc. No
other mineral was here observable. In Ceylon
3S MISSION TO SIAM
it is found towards the base of the mountains, in
the vicinity of granite rocks.
At Malacca, the country is for the most part
low, the small hills of iron-shot clay being scarce
an exception to this appearance. About a mile
inland it is swampy and covered with wood.
The soil is a thick and stiff clay, apparently very
favourable for the cultivation of rice. There ap-
pears to be no want of water ; yet with these
advantages, the place does not raise rice for its
own consumption. The Dutch, who largely ex-
patiate on the capacity of the country, attribute
this circumstance to the indolent habits of the
Malayan race, who for the most part are cultiva-
tors of the soil on the shores of this peninsula.
The cause more probably arises from the want
of due encouragement to agriculture ; from mis-
management; from unfavourable terms in the
tenure of land ; and in part perhaps from the ex-
istence of slavery amongst the Dutch. Wherever
this, the true cause, exists, it operates forcibly to
check the cultivation of the more valuable of the
products of human industry, under circumstances
highly favourable to its development. In vege-
table products of less value, but that are reared
with little labour or care, — as fruit, the place
abounds. The Mangosteen is here found in the
greatest perfection, a most delicious fruit, and
justly the boast of the east. The Plantain, the
AND COCHIN CHINA. 39
Durian, the Champada, the Jack, &c„ constitute
a large proportion of the food of both natives
and Dutch, who may be considered as naturahzed
to the cHmate, possessing similar tastes, and in
some degree even the manners of the native in-
habitants. But fruit, however delicious or abun-
dant, when it constitutes the food of a people,
must be considered as affording at the best but
a wretched subsistence, inferior to even the worst
of the Cerealia. For the existence of an abun-
dant supply of excellent fish upon their coasts,
the inhabitants are still more indebted, than for
the produce of their fruit-trees.
On entering this place, we were forcibly struck
with the contrast which it afforded, in point of
commercial importance, with the very beautiful
and interesting settlement at Prince of Wales's
Island. Here five or six vessels at the utmost
lay scattered and straggling in an extensive bay.
There hundreds of ships of all descriptions,
sizes, and nations, were seen crowded together,
the sure indication of maritime prosperity. In
Malacca, every third house was shut up and ap-
peared to be abandoned. The streets were soli-
tary and deserted. A lonely inhabitant saunter-
ing in his verandah, or idly lolling or smoking at
his door, only served to render the scene more
dreary, sad, and melancholy. Even the Chinese,
of whom, however, but few now remain, seemed
40 MlSSrON TO SI AM
to have forsaken their habits of industry, and af-
forded the discordant spectacle of reluctant idle-
ness. In Penang all was activity, and bustle, and
zeal. The population of the two places v^ill not
bear a comparison. Yet Malacca possesses many
advantages over the other settlement. In terri-
torial extent, it is unrestricted. The climate is
mild, equable, salubrious, and agreeable. Nu-
merous tribes of Malays surround the settlement
in every direction, who it is to be supposed might,
if encouraged by proper management, be gradu-
ally brought to enter upon commercial specula-
tions, and to increase agricultural produce, to the
mutual advantage of both parties. The Dutch,
however, it is to be feared, have still to learn how
to reconcile the native powers to their system of
government. A degree of suspicion and distrust
is but too obvious in the intercourse they enter-
tain with each other.
Here we had but little opportunity of observ-
ing the mode of living and manners of the Dutch
people, in Malacca, as at the Cape, almost
all private families take lodgers into their houses.
We, during our short stay, resided at a house in-
termediate between an inn and a private house.
We here saw but little of that neatness and
cleanliness said to be inherent in Dutch people.
A room, intended for dining in, and so forth, is
kept in tolerable order. The bed-rooms are
AND COCHIN CHINA. 41
wretched, small, dirty, and ill-aired. The peo-
ple generally appear to be very poor. Their
mode of life mean ; their food coarse and indif-
ferent, except fish, which is excellent. Every
necessary of life is extremely dear. A fowl costs
about half-a-crown, and other articles are in pro-
portion.
Every family possesses a large number of
slaves, who are mostly employed in domestic af-
fairs. There were upwards of thirty of different
ages and sexes belonging to the family in which
we resided. Their condition did not on the whole
appear to be one of peculiar hardship They,
however, may be considered a wretched race, an
appearance they derive chiefly from the want of
clothing, and the existence of other marks of
their mean and abject condition. Of the domes-
tic slaves, however, some are decently and even
richly clad. Their owners, in such cases, take a
pride in dressing them even in costly ornaments,
as of gold, silk, ^-c. A considerable portion of
their property is often laid out in this way, and
the slaves themselves are said to lay out their
small gains, if such fall to their lot, in the pur-
chase of such articles.
During our short stay at this place, we pro-
cured a considerable number of birds. They
were chiefly brought for sale by the Malay in-
habitants.
48 MISSION TO SIAM
Landed on the island of Little Carimon. We
had here another proof of the alteration of
structure which the country had undergone. In
this vicinity, the islands become extremely nu-
merous, forming perhaps the most beautiful, as
they do the most extensive, Archipelago in the
world. Of these innumerable islands, many,
like that under consideration, are of a hilly na-
ture, but differ from those of primitive countries,
by exhibiting rather a moderate elevation,
rounded at top, and for the most part sloping
gradually towards their base.
These numerous islands are as various in
form, as in extent and elevation. Some are
simple masses of bare rock, scarcely appearing
above water ; others extend several miles in
length and breadth, often forming safe bays and
extensive inlets. Some are flat throughout their
whole extent, others consist of hilly masses
only ; of all it may be remarked, that wherever
any soil exists, however scanty or however poor,
and sometimes even where no soil is observable,
they are not found, as might be expected, co-
vered with a scanty, stunted, and impoverished
vegetation : but everywhere planted with forests
of the loftiest trees, forests in appearance scarce
less ancient than the rugged soil on which they
stand. The spectacle universally afforded among
these islands, is in such respects equally beau-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 43
tiful, interesting, and curious. The singular
form which many of the trees assume, is not the
least remarkable feature in the varied phenomena
displayed by the vegetable creation. I allude
more particularly in the present instance to a
remarkable and very obvious disposition in the
roots and lower part of the stem of the larger
trees, to form winged appendages of great mag-
nitude. These tabular compressed appendages
are generally three or four in number. They
obviously serve as supports to the weighty in-
cumbent mass of stem and leaves ; thus compen-
sating for the want of depth of soil, a few inches
into which the roots can penetrate, before they
are obstructed by the surface of rock, they are
thus forced to extend horizontally. A tree of this
description, torn up by its roots, affords a sin-
gular spectacle, and one in which the economy
of vegetable life is peculiarly remarkable, inas-
much as this economy is obviously exerted in
overcoming the difficulties which oppose its de-
velopment. Every crevice in the rocky base,
every chink, has been occupied by the root ; a
thin, but hardy net work extends along the
ground, to a distance often equal to the noble
altitude of the tree itself. The thin winged ap-
pendages to the tree, or its supporting walls, as
they may justly be termed, partake more of the
nature of root than of trunk, though altogether
44 MISSION TO SIAM
out of the earth. They possess generally a
smooth, softish, and very thin cuticle, green
underneath, abounding in the vegetable juices
of the tree, and are remarkably hard. They
sometimes extend horizontally, in a straight,
but more commonly in a curved, direction, fifteen
or twenty feet, their edges being six, eight, or
more feet above the ground, gradually decreasing
from the stem to the earth. In some instances
they are formed into walls, resembling fortifica-
tions. Of this sort we saw a very fine specimen
on this island.
We had now passed from granite mountains
to rocks of the secondary formation, detecting
but few of the connecting media which usually
accompany these formations, and give indica-
tions of the proximity of either the one series
or the other. At Malacca we observed exten-
sive beds of iron-shot clay. Here we discovered
the masses which compose these islands to be
formed of a series of rocks of a difierent de-
scription. Though at first sight they seemed
to be of very various structure, a more close in-
spection shewed them to consist of two principal
varieties, intimately associated, and often pass-
ing into each other. Of these the principal rock
was a horn-stone or flinty slate, disposed in
large masses or thick beds, of which perpen-
dicular sections, twenty feet or more in depth.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 45
are occasionally exposed to view. The tabular
masses are of great thickness, so as to render
the stratification somewhat indistinct. They
form an angle of nearly 40° with the horizon,
and dip towards the east. The rock is ex-
tremely indurated, for the most part of a dark
red colour, especially externally. It yields with
the greatest difficulty to the hammer, but its
edges are as brittle almost as glass, and fly
into numerous minute splinters with sharp edges
— fracture distinctly conchoidal, dull, and rather
earthy. In many parts, it bears a near re-
semblance to flint, and readily emits fire when
the hammer is applied to it. It is very uni-
form in its structure, presents no traces of im-
bedded minerals, or of organic remains. Is very
extensive.
The next rock is a porphyritic horn-stone, and
splintery horn-stone. The most common sub-
stance imbedded in the former of these, is a
Vi^hite or grayish, or greenish granular lime-
stone. It also contains rounded masses of flinty
slate. On the surface it is often cellular, the
limestone in its decomposition having dropped,
or been washed out. The masses of limestone
vary in dimensions from an inch to several feet
square.
January 20th. — Arrived at the new settlement
of Singapore. The selection of this island, for
43 MISSION TO SIAM
the purpose of a commercial settlement, has
been extremely happy. It is placed in the di-
rect route from Bengal towards China, and the
numerous islands in the eastern part of the
Archipelago. It is from its situation calculated
to become the centre of the trade carried on in
the China Seas and neighbouring countries, the
kingdoms of Cochin China, Siam, ^c, as well
as of that of the Malayan Peninsula, and the
western parts of India. It affords a safe and
convenient anchorage at all seasons of the year ;
while from its insular situation, and being sur-
rounded on every hand by innumerable islands,
it is alike exempted from the destructive typhoons
so common in the China Seas, and the scarce
less furious tempests that occur on the coasts of
India. Here indeed the atmosphere throughout
the whole circuit of the year is serene and placid,
to a degree unknown perhaps in any other part
of our globe. The smooth expanse of the seas
is scarcely ruffled by the wind. We seem, as it
were, to be coasting along the banks of a lake.
Storms are here felt as it were by reflection.
The commotion excited in the China Seas by
the tempest, is propagated to this distance,
where it is seen to give a peculiar direction and
increased velocity to the tides, and even occa-
sions a considerable swell. A similar but less
remarkable effect is produced by a tempest in
AND COCHIN CHINA. 47
the Bay of Bengal. Subject to the opposite im-
pulses derived from these extensive seas, the
tides amongst the islands become extremely ir-
regular. At times they are found to run in one
direction for several days successively, with the
effect, in embayed places, of raising the water
to a considerable height. In the numerous nar-
row channels which divide the lesser islands,
this tide runs with very great rapidity, re-
sembling water issuing through a sluice. The
regular and periodical influence of the monsoons
is but little, if at all, felt in these islands, the
winds partaking more of the nature of what
have been called sea and land breezes. Hence
proceeds that uniformity of temperature which
prevails in the atmosphere throughout the year.
Hence also proceeds the more frequent fall of
showers, and the absence of a proper, continued,
and periodical rainy season. Few days elapse
without the occurrence of showers, which thus
produce the [most agreeable effect in reducing
the temperature and cherishing vegetation.
Without the continued influence of moisture,
these regions would certainly exhibit a far less
cheerful picture, and the climate prove much
less congenial to the human frame. Heat in the
equatorial regions is thus benignly attempered
to the constitution of man. It will be found to
prove infinitely less pernicious to his system
48 MISSION TO SI AM
than it does some distance beyond the tropics,
particularly in dry and arid climates. It is thus
that the hot and dry winds of Upper India, to
the extent of more than ten degrees beyond the
tropic, exert such powerful and destructive in-
fluence on organized beings, and more particu-
larly on the human frame. Its effects are too
well known to require description. Inanimate
life is not merely at a stand ; it is threatened
with total destruction, and with difficulty pre-
serves a scanty gleam of future existence.
Animated beings retire to the thickest shades,
and even there pant for existence. The loose
frame and acclimated constitution of the native
inhabitant, is not proof against its baneful influ-
ence. What then must be its influence on con-
stitutions so highly susceptible of excitement as
those of the inhabitant of the North of Europe ?
The fatality amongst European troops has given
too ample testimony. The physiologist, who
has not witnessed the effect of high temperature
on the human system, will with difficulty believe
it capable of extinguishing life, often within the
period of a single hour from the commencement
of excitement. Its effects are no less rapid than
fearful to the spectator ; the mind in such cases
partaking of the general excitement in a degree
amounting even to complete mania. Within the
tropics such effects are of rare occurrence.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 49
The sandy shores of the ocean, offering a sur-
face highly favourable for the developement of
heat by reflection, will often be found of high
and oppressive temperature during the day. Yet
the temperature during the night is even here
agreeable. Moderation, in point of temperature,
is further attested by its benign effects on vege-
table nature, which obtains a degree of develope-
ment unknown, perhaps, in any other part of the
globe. We see trees encroaching even on the
domain of the sea, their roots and branches co-
vered with marine shells, as oysters, &c. The
bare rocks, the stems- of the smoothest trees, the
most scanty portions of soil, are covered with an
endless variety of plants. In point of adapta-
tion, we observe situations equally favourable,
and generally much more so, for the production
of plants in most other parts of the globe. The
single circumstance of a peculiarly modified tem-
perature, would alone appear to be wanting. We
are often at a loss to discover in what manner
many of these vegetables derive nourishment, un-
der circumstances, to appearance, so unfavour-
able. Moisture alone would seem to many to
be their sole source of aliment ; the elements of
water being separated and assimilated by the
organs of the plant. The quantity of simple
moisture, or rather of apparently pure water,
which some plants raise from the earth, is un-
E
so MISSION TO SIAM
commonly great. This is beautifully exemplified
in the organization of some creeping plants, in
which the moisture is frequently conveyed
the distance of forty, fifty, or a hundred yards,
before it reaches the leaves, or fruit, or perhaps
the assimilating organs of the vegetable. I have
seen a plant of this sort, that had been accident-
ally cut across, continue to pour out pure, limpid,
and tasteless water, in such quantity as to fill a
wine glass in about half an hour. The stem and
bark of this plant were quite green ; there was no
vestige of leaves, and it appeared that the water
was proceeding unchanged to the extreme
branches of the plant, in order to be assimilated.
To other plants, even moisture, at least in any
obvious quantity, does not seem to be indispen-
sable. These are to be seen on bare rocks,
without any ascertainable source of nutriment.
They probably derive it from the air itself, or
perhaps they decompose atmospheric air, and
assimilate its elements.
This effect of equable though high temperature
is not confined to the varied forms of vegetable
life. The lower orders of animal existence at-
test its power no less strongly. The earth, the
air, and the ocean, teem with life. Myriads of
insects succeed to each other, in their labours at
every varying period of the day and night. Some
are busied in removing dead animal matter;
AND COCHIN CHINA. 51
Others prey upon the living ; while, to the great
majority, the vegetable world affords an inex-
haustible source of nourishment. In the great
ocean, we observe the economy of nature di-
rected to a similar purpose, in the habits of in-
numerable Corals, Madrepores, and Molluscse;
here too, as in other departments of nature, we
observe the dependence which is established be-
tween animals of more perfect organization, and
those generally of the very simplest structure,
the operations of the latter being exerted in
eliciting from inorganic matter substances capa-
ble of maintaining the numerous tribes of the
former class. It is in this point of view, that a
Coral bank affords, perhaps, one of the most in-
teresting spectacles in nature. We scarce know
which most to admire, the great beauty and va-
riety of their forms, the singularity and simplicity
of their structure, or the magnitude of effect,
produced by means apparently so inadequate.
The analogy between them and plants is particu-
larly impressive ; nor can we overlook the cir-
cumstance, that they are destined to perform
analogous operations.
Our residence at Singapore made us acquaint-
ed with several very curious productions of this
sort, among them, a singular species of Alcy-
onium may be mentioned. It passes here, under
the fanciful name of Neptunian Goblet. It is
E 2
52 MISSION TO SI AM
in fact of the shape of a goblet, and its substance
is intermediate between that of a sponge and a
madrepore. Its colour, when fresh, is bright
saffron, which becomes brown on drying. The
body of the cup, the stalk, &c., are very neatly
formed. They vary from two to five feet in
height, and the cup is often three feet in dia-
meter.
We obtained here a very singular species of
Asteria, weighing from six to eight pounds. Its
back formed a regular pentagon, with numerous
round dots on its surface. The chasms on the
lower surface are five in number, narrow, pro-
ceeding from the centre, furnished, as in other
animals of this sort, with a double row of gela-
tinous, short, whitish feelers. The teeth not
very obvious, but placed at the angular ex-
tremity of each flap. Its shell is of the consist-
ence of very stout leather. Its internal structure
consists of innumerable series of knotted threads.
This was considered, in the place, as extremely
rare, and the Malays have no name by which to
distinguish it.
Among the more rare animals of the Class
Mammalia, to be found at Singapore, we may
reckon the following :
Halicora Dugong, called by the Malays, Du-
yong. The descriptions given of this singular
animal by systematic writers, though incorrect
AND COCHIN CHINA- 58^
and imperfect, sufficiently attest that it has been
long known to naturalists, and is therefore not to
be considered as new in our catalogues. It is
found on various islands in the Archipelago, has
been seen at Malacca, and several times taken
at Singapore. By report, it is extremely inof-
fensive, grows to the length of ten or twelve feet,
and feeds on Fuci. Its flesh is esteemed, in
flavour and delicacy, not inferior to the best beef.
The skin is remarkably thick &,nd tough ; dried
stripes of it are not to be distinguished from the
thongs usually made from the skin of the Hippo-
potamus. The structure of the stomach is said
to correspond in all respects with that of the
ruminating animals. In some crania, there
are tusks and incisors in both jaws, but in
others neither, or the former only. The tusks
scarce project beyond the jaw, probably never
beyond the lip. The absence of the teeth in
some may be owing to age. A single spiraculum
opens near the top of the head. The form of this
canal is cylindrical. Seen in the skeleton, it
suggests the idea of its performing the office of
a spiraculum. In the living animal, however, it
may possibly be clothed with skin. The lips are
said to be remarkably thick, and scantily covered
with stout bristles.
Unlike the Arctic Walrus, this animal appears
to delight in solitude. It is occasionally taken
54 MISSION TO SIAM
by surprise near the lone islands of the Archi-
pelago.
Flying squirrel, Pteromys Petaurista. This is
of nearly the same size as the Galeopithecus
variegatus, also common in this place. It is of a
bright brown colour. Is seen towards evening
flying from the tops of trees, and generally alight-
ing about the middle of other trees, often at a
considerable distance. In its flight, it merely
expands the membrane extended between its
legs, and floats gently through the air. When
it has alighted on a tree, it quickly gains its
summit, by a succession of leaps.
And lastly, two undescribed animals, of dif-
ferent genera.
The productions of the vegetable world are here
scarcely less numerous, than in the beautiful and
picturesque Island of Penang. Our herborisations
in the neighbouring woods have already sup-
plied us with some rare, and a few new plants.
There is on the whole, a very obvious and striking-
difference between the plants of this island and
that just mentioned; but there is this important
distinction, that the difference refers for the most
part to the individuals, and not to the families,
or even genera : thus the acotyledonous plants
occur in equal, if not greater, variety than in the
latitude of the former place, and the species are
almost all different. Yet only the fifth order of
AND COCHIN CHINA 6S
the acotyledones of Jussieu occurs in numbers ;
of the Fungi, Algse, Hepaticse, and Musci, the
individuals are remarkably infrequent. The de-
cayed woods of extensive forests are favourable
to the production of the Fungi, yet these are not
numerous. We, however, met with some singu-
lar plants of this description.
Of the Order Fuci, there is here a remark-
able species, usually found growing in isolated
patches upon coral banks. It is pinnated, plu-
mose, elegant, about a foot and a half in length,
and of a whitish colour. It is endued with the
property of stinging like nettles ; the sensation
produced is more acute, and more penetrating —
more instantaneous, but somewhat less perma-
nent. The hand is scarcely brought into contact
with it before the wound is inflicted. A small
corrugated, granular bag, filled with a trans-
parent fluid, would seem to be the organ by
which it produces this effect. These are no
sooner touched than they discharge the fluid they
contain. The plant soon loses this power, after
having been removed from the water. The com-
parative scantiness of the Cryptogamiae is amply
compensated for by the number, variety, beauty,
and utility, of the more interesting order of Phae-
nogamous plants. Of the former, the abundance
of a few individuals is considerable, whilst, re-
specting the latter order, we are less impressed
56 MISSION TO SIAM
with the extent to which individuals exist, than
with the great variety which they offer, a remark
still more applicable to the zoology of this region
than the botany.
Among the vegetable productions applicable
to economical, commercial, and other purposes, is
the Gambir; Nauclea Gambir and Aculeata,
Linnsei, or nat. ord. Rubiacese of Jussieu.
Gambir, Terra Japonica, or Catechu, is obtained
in large quantities from the leaves of this plant.
The process is both simple and cheap. The leaves
are collected three or four times a year : they are
thrown into a large cauldron, the bottom of which
is formed of iron, the upper part of bark, and
boiled for five or six hours, until a strong decoc-
tion is obtained. The leaves are then withdrawn,
and allowed to strain over the vessel, which is
kept boiling for as many hours more, until the de-
coction is inspissated. It is then allowed to cool,
when the Catechu subsides. The water is drawn
off; a soft soapy substance remains, which is cut
into large masses. These are further divided by
a knife into small cubes about an inch square, or
into still smaller pieces, which are laid on frames
to dry. This Catechu has more of a granular,
uniform appearance than that of Bengal. It is
perhaps also less pure. The price in the mar-
ket is four dollars per pecul, or 133|lbs. It is
exported to Java and the other eastern islands.
A.ND COCHIN CHINA. 57
where it is chiefly used for chewing with the
betel leaf. The leaves of the plant when chewed
give a very astringent taste, which is soon fol-
lowed by a sweet, agreeable, and aromatic
flavour.
We have already observed, that the most luxu-
riant vegetation of spontaneous growth affords
no certain proof that the soil which has produced
it will prove equally favourable for the production
of the usual objects of culture. The soil of Sin-
gapore, however, would seem to be highly favour-
able for the cultivation of those products which
are confined to intertropical regions. The Malay
race, accustomed to a roving, unsettled life, have
paid but little attention to agricultural pursuits.
In this respect they are much in the situation of
the Nomade tribes of northern Asia, or the more
savage banditti of the Arabian deserts. Their
labours, therefore, afford no adequate means of
forming an estimate of the capacity of the soil.
The skill and other resources of Europeans have
not yet been directed to this end ; neither has
the well-proved industry of the Chinese had time
to produce any considerable effect. The experi-
ments, however, which have been made by the
latter in the cultivation of pepper, and in the
manufacture of Terra japonica, have given good
earnest of what may be expected from agricul-
tural operations of greater magnitude. Judging
58 MISSION TO SIAM
from the natural appearance of the country, it may
be presumed that the whole island is susceptible
of a high degree of culture. The soil is gently
undulating, here and there rising into low, mam-
mated or rounded hills of inconsiderable alti-
tude ; the temperature is favourable ; irrigation
is abundant, and the soil of the interior parts is
composed of sand and stiff clay, mixed up with
a large proportion of vegetable matter, which
gives it a very black appearance. There is a
general tendency to the formation of swamps ;
but never to the extent of forming lakes. Rivu-
lets and creeks abound in various parts of the
island. The former are of the greatest value in
a commercial point of view, by the facilities, as
well as safety, which they afford for the transport
and landing of goods. The rivulets are but of
inconsiderable size. Their waters are almost al-
ways of a black colour, disagreeable taste, and
peculiar odour, properties which they would ap-
pear to derive from the pecuHar nature of the su-
perficial soil over which they pass, in many parts
resembling peat-moss, as has been already ob-
served. The water, however, drawn from wells
penetrating through the sandy base, is much less
sensibly marked by these disagreeable qualities.
It is at the point where the fresh water of rivers
and rivulets intermixes with that of the sea, that
we find Mangroves chiefly to abound. The eco-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 59
nomy of these plants is so strikingly peculiar in
character, that they claim great attention from
every observer. The species most common on
the banks of rivers, in these climates, is the
Rhizophora Gymnorhiza, a tall, handsome tree,
often growing to the height of forty feet, covered
with a thick profusion of large, oblong, fleshy
leaves, disposed in tufts at the extremities of the
branches. The singular form of the fruit in this
tree is too well known to require description. The
descriptions of botanists are, however, but indif-
ferent.
The stem would seem to perform the usual
functions of leaves, being covered with a remark-
ably thin epidermis. It is frequently submerged
to the height of twelve feet or more, on which
occasions it doubtless performs different func-
tions. Numerous roots are thrown down from
the branches, and in this manner a single tree
is often conducted, as it were on props, over a
great extent of ground, rendered intricate and
impervious to animals.
Another species, the Rhizophora Mangle, is
more independent of the presence of fresh water ;
often extending laterally along the sea-beach, or
growing entirely in sea-water. Other species are
possessed of similar habits.
The shade of these plants is the favoured abode
of innumerable tribes of insects, particularly of
60 MISSION TO SIAM
mosquitoes. Inhospitable, therefore, is the shade
or shelter they afford to man *.
One great purpose which these plants serve, is
that of preventing the encroachment of the sea
upon the land. They even overcome this ten-
dency, and produce the opposite effect, as the
coasts of Singapore manifestly evince. It may
readily be conceived, therefore, how ill judged is
the practice of destroying barriers of this sort.
* Much stress lias been laid on tlie apparent insalubrity of
marshes of this sort; and it has been maintained that in many
parts they are the chief, if not the sole, cause of the] most fatal
of intertropical diseases, remittent fever. Humboldt, in his Essay
on New Spain, lays great stress on the effect produced by the
growtli of Rhizophora Mang^le, Pothos, Arum, and of the other
plants which flourish in a marshy soil chare^ed with saline particles,
in the production of yellow fever. Without calling into question
the insalubrity of marshy situations in general, there appears great
reason to believe that we are still ignorant of the actual causes of
this frightful disease. The settlement of Singapore is possessed
in an eminent degree of the circumstances which are thought to be
most conducive in producing the disease. Yet here it is as yet un-
known. An intertropical climate on the margin of the sea, a
continually high temperature, rapid and intense evaporation, a hu-
mid and extensive series of saline and fresh water marshes exposed
to a burning sun, the vegetvitive impulse in a degree of activity un-
equalled perhaps in any other part of the globe, the occasional
suspension of herbaceous vegetation by long-continued heat, ac-
companied by drought, profusion of vegetable matter, as leaves,
felled wood, fruits, &c., intermixed with animal matter, forming
fomites in every stage of the putrefactive process, are amongst the
more conspicuous of the causes to which the occurrence of this
disease is usually attributed ; and here all the causes enumerated
operate with teufold force.
AND COCHIN CHINA. fil
In many parts they extend for miles into the
country, until the soil on which they grow has
been raised above the water, when they gradu-
ally give place to trees of another description ;
and in this manner lands favourable for the culti-
vation of rice are produced. Of this descrip-
tion extensive tracts exist in the neighbourhood,
of the settlement. A slight embankment would
prevent the ingress of salt water along the banks
of the creeks, and retain a supply of fresh water
favourable for this species of culture. As yet,
however, the pepper-vine, and nauclea, which
require a dry and exposed soil, are almost the
sole objects of culture. The neatness, the indus-
try, the ingenuity displayed in plantations of this
sort, afford a very gratifying spectacle, and attest
the great progress which the Chinese nation has
made in agricultural science. The Chinese may
be considered as the sole cultivators of the soil.
The woods are for the most part cut down by the
Malays. The Chinese clear away the incumbent
wreck, selecting the best woods for domestic
purposes, converting the refuse into charcoal,
palings, fences, &c. , and enriching the soil with
the ashes of the remainder. I have not observed
the manufacture of the vegetable fixed alkali,
potash, to be an object of attention with them.
Their plantations, whether of pepper- vines or
of gambir, are uncommonly neat, well trimmed,
Q2 MISSION TO SIAM
and healthy. Their habitations are slight and
temporary, inferior in many respects even to
those of the Malays. They are constructed of
bamboos, twigs, and rattans, and thatched with
leaves of the Pandanus laevis, sewed together.
They are always surrounded by a few garden
shrubs, esculent roots, and vegetables. Several
varieties of Musa and Amomum ; several species
of Arum ; sometimes small plantations of Jatro-
pha manihot, are of the most common occurrence.
There is a manifest air of poverty in the dwelling
of the Chinaman, and of negligence, slovenliness,
and even meanness in his dress. He has scarce
a stool or a bench to sit on. His furniture is
scanty, — of the simplest kind, and constructed of
the cheapest materials. In his culinary opera-
tions alone we observe an air of neatness and
of cleanliness. It is here indeed that the China-
man shines superior to all other Asiatics. Neg-
ligent of personal ornament, insensible to the ad-
vantages of comfortable lodging, he appears to
entertain a just, nay, we may say, an exalted
sense of the pleasures of good eating. To this
end and aim are directed all his industry and in-
genuity. The traveller who would judge of the
comforts of the Chinese planter, must see him at
his meals. How erroneous his judgment, were
he to infer, from the sordid appearance of the
labourer's hut, a corresponding degree of penury
AND COCHIN CHINA. 63
in all other comforts. The peasant, thus indiffe-
rent to the advantages of comfortable lodging,
will be found to live on the richest, though not
always the most delicate fare. Pork, ducks,
geese, the best kinds of fish, the rarest delica-
cies, are purchased at any price by the Chi-
nese. The proportion of animal food consumed
by them would appear to be incomparably
greater than that used by any other description
of labourers on the face of the globe. They
seem to regard the quality of animal food less
than the quantity or richness. The only point of
consideration is, whether the alimentary mass
will afford rich nutriment, or as Cobbett says,
whether it will lay fat on their bones.
Hence the flesh of dogs, of rats, of monkies,
of alligators, and other reptiles, afford in their
turn, a savoury meal. The marine gelatinous
fishes, Holothuria, Sepia, &c., and bird's nests,
are ranked amongst the most delicate of Chinese
dishes, for the most part reserved for the luxu-
rious gratification of tlie epicurean palates of the
wealthy. The abomination in which dog's flesh
is held by the various tribes of the Archipelago
has rendered the eating of it a reproach even
amongst the Chinese emigrants, who will not al-
ways confess their propensity to feed on this so-
cial, but unclean animal.
The most prominent feature in the character of
64 MISSION TO SIAM
the Chinese emigrant, is industry, —the best and
highest endowment which he has attained. He
is mechanically uniform and steady in the pur-
suit of what he conceives to be his immediate
and personal interest ; in the prosecution of which
he exerts a degree of ingenuity and of bodily
labour and exertion, which leave all other Asia-
tics at a distance. He labours with a strong arm,
and is capable of great and continued exertion.
He is not satisfied to bestow the quantity of la-
bour necessary for the mere gratification of his
immediate wants. Profusion and indulgence
claim a share of the produce of his toils.
Next in the catalogue of his virtues, may be
reckoned general sobriety, honesty, a quiet, or-
derly conduct, obedience to the laws of the coun-
try in whicli he resides ; and, as is affirmed, a
strong and unalterable sense of the important
duties which parental affection inculcates. To
this we may add a strong attachment to his native
country, and the very questionable virtue of blind,
undistinguishing admiration of, and submission
to, all its laws.
Notwithstanding this fair exterior, we shall
find on examination that the Chinese have but
little real pretension to moral distinction amongst
nations ; of the sublime, soothing, and pathetic
duties of religion they are as ignorant as they
are regardless ; a mean, senseless, and unworthy
AND COCHIN CHINA. 65
superstition, the offspring of fear alone, has
usurped its place amongst the many ; while the
learned affect a cold-hearted and scarcely intelli-
gible theism. In all that regards the more amia-
ble feelings of our nature, and that tends to unite
the great family of the human race in closer
union, they are still more deficient. A disgust-
ing and culpable apathy, an involved and con-
centrated selfishness of gratification, a total dis-
regard of the wants, and necessities, and help-
lessness of their fellow-creatures, marks the Chi-
nese in their conduct through life. They know
not the pleasure of doing good for its own sake.
They not only talk of, but witness the misfor-
tunes and distresses of their fellow-men, with an
apathy of feeling little short of mockery. They
will stipulate for reward with the wretch who is
sinking in the water, before they will extend a
saving arm. They will talk of the greatest
scourges to which the human race is subject,
famine, pestilence, war, as catastrophes almost
to be wished for, — considering the survivors as
benefited by the destruction of so many of their
fellow-creatures. Their industry is the result of
the quick sense of gratification which they de-
rive from the indulgence of the more grovelling
passions and animal appetites, and where these
can be indulged without labour, the Chinese
66 MISSION TO SIAM
will be found to indicate their full share of Asiatic
indolence.
It must be confessed however that the Chinese
are, in a political point of view at least, by far
the most useful class of people to be found in
the Indian Seas or Archipelago. Their robust
frames, their industrious habits, and their mode-
rate conduct, place them beyond competition.
They furnish the best artisans, the most useful
labourers, and the most extensive traders. Their
commercial speculations are often extensive, often
of the most adventurous nature ; and we may re-
mark by the way, that they are often immode-
rately fond of games of chance, as cards, dice,
cock-fighting. Inebriety is a vice of which they
are but rarely guilty. At their meals they in-
dulge in the use of ardent spirits, undiluted, but
never use them to excess.
In point of mental capacity, they would ap-
pear to be inferior to many other Asiatic tribes.
They are chiefly distinguished by a certain me-
chanical turn in all they do; and even their
mental operations partake of this distinction.
Notwithstanding the prohibitory laws of the
Celestial Empire, there would appear to be no
other limit to the extent of emigration than the
capacity of individuals to procure a passage to
the neighbouring countries, modified in some de-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 67
gree by the greater or less demand for industry.
It must be recollected however, that this emigra-
tion is to be considered as temporary, the majo-
rity of the Chinese calculating upon returning
after a time to their respective provinces. Their
wives, — or females of any description, are not
permitted to accompany them abroad, to which
circumstance it is perhaps chiefly owing, that the
Chinese have formed no colonies or settlements ;
for the establishment of which their situation is
peculiarly favourable. Superior in point of ci-
vilization, industry, and physical strength to the
nations around them, they neither aim at con-
quest nor power over their weaker neighbours.
They are content to be permitted to follow their
respective occupations, and are satisfied with
the fair returns of their labour. Yet in many of
the commercial settlements of the Archipelago,
they constitute the majority of the population ;
whilst in many of the Malay states, their pro-
portion to the latter is so great as three to one,
or even more. This is particularly the case in
the mining districts of Borneo, as at Sambas,
Pontiana, and more particularly in the surround-
ing country, where it is said that upwards of
30,000 Chinese are occupied in searching for
gold dust. Their masters are here little better
than savages ; than whom none are more cruel
or more despotic. Mild and just laws are un-
F 2
68 MISSION TO SIAM
known to people in this state of society, and
therefore cannot be urged as the cause of the un-
pretending conduct of the Chinese. This in-
stance of general submission to a people so
greatly inferior to themselves, stands so much in
opposition to the ordinary conduct of man under
similar circumstances, that we may be permitted
to doubt whether it is to be reckoned a virtue or
its opposite in the character of the Chinese ;
whether as affording a proof of their love of
peace and horror of aggression, or rather as a de-
monstration of unparalleled pusillanimity and
the total want of military ardour. Certain it is
that the Malays hold them in contempt as oppo-
nents. The emigrant Chinese are almost exclu-
sively from the provinces of Canton and Fokien,
chiefly from the latter. It is this last also which
furnishes the principal maritime population of
China. They carry on a considerable commerce
in junks throughout the China Seas and Archipe-
lago, from Manilla to Penang, the boundaries of
their maritime excursions on the east and west.
Nothing can be conceived more rude, awkward,
and unmanageable, than the vessels they navi-
gate, called junks ; except indeed we bring
into the comparison their great ignorance of the
science of navigation. A Chinese junk gives
no bad idea of what one might suppose the
ark to have been. She resembles more an oblong
AND COCHIN CHINA. 69
substantial wooden house than a ship. In mari-
time affairs, the Chinese appear to have derived
little or rather no benefit from their intercourse
v^^ith Europeans. The immutable laws of the
Celestial Empire forbid alteration : yet these
laws could never have checked improvement for
so many centuries ; and we find that all vessels
built by the Chinese, in the dominions of foreign
powers, as at Siam, Cambodia, &c., as well as in
their own country, are invariably of this form.
The Malay race on the contrary, eagerly adopt
improvements. We may observe a marked su-
periority in the naval architecture of the Buggis
people for instance, a superiority which is daily
increasing, in proportion as they become better
acquainted with Europeans.
The junks which visited Singapore during our
stay there, were from Canton Amoy, Cochin
China, and the islands to the east. The larger
vessels carried from two to three hundred tons
burden. They had neither chart nor book of
any description on board, nor any written docu-
ment to point out their route. They had no
means even of ascertaining the ship's way,
neither did it appear that they kept any account of
transactions on board. They had a rude com-
pass, set in a wooden frame, and divided into
twenty-four points, which they did not appear to
put great dependence on, and this was probably
TO MISSION TO SIAM
the only nautical instrument on board. Their
mode of proceeding, is to set out with the
favourable monsoon. After reaching a certain
point without losing sight of land, they stand
across the China Sea, calculating that they will,
as they generally do, reach the opposite side in
ten or twelve days. They make but one voyage
across the China Sea in a year; on their return,
they sometimes make a short coasting voyage in
addition, after which the junk is hauled up,
covered with straw, and laid aside till the follow-
ing season. The owner generally voyages in
his own junk, but does not always navigate it,
another individual attending to that duty. The
crew have a share in the cargo.
Their provision consists of pork, fowls, rice,
and abundant store of pickled greens in large
tubs ; the latter strongly reminds one of the sour
crout of the northern nations of Europe, from
which it probably differs but little. Tea is
their favourite beverage ; they use it at all hours
of the day, making it in small quantities at a
time ; their cups contain little more than two or
three drachms.
In a small recess in the poop, there is always
to be found a sort of temple, ornamented with
shreds of gold-leaf, or painted paper, and contain-
ing three or four small images of porcelain or wood,
dressed in a tawdry and clumsy manner. These
AND COCHIN CHINA. 71
are regarded as tutelary deities, to whom offer-
ings of meat, rice, &c., are daily made. Their
attributes, as far as we could comprehend their
nature, seemed to be analogous to those of the
Grecian deities that directed the winds and the
rains.
Similar temples are to be seen in all the
houses of the Chinese.
Inferior to these in the knowledge of all the
arts of civilized life, as well as in industry,
stature, strength, and general appearance ; but
their superiors in point of courage and military
enterprise, and above all in the possession of an
ardent mind and exalted imagination, stand the
Malays, a race of people whose origin, still in-
volved in obscurity, would seem to be of no re-
mote date. The most favoured of their tribes,
have as yet made but little progress in civiliza-
tion, whilst the majority would appear to be en-
thusiastically attached to the unrestrained con-
dition of savage life. The Malays constitute
the principal maritime population of the Archipe-
lago and neighbouring continent, in the different
setdements of which they present themselves to
the traveller under very different aspects. They
are by nature less adapted to commercial pur-
suits than the Chinese, or the Chuliahs, or other
natives of India, and are therefore easily beaten
out of the field by them at the stations frequented
72 MISSION TO SIAM
by Europeans. They are passionately attached
to a sea-faring life, and their principal occupation
is that of fishing.
Bold and enterprising in their maritime excur-
sions, they hold the peaceful arts of civilized life
almost in contempt. Neghgent, slothful, and list-
less in their moments of ease, they display in the
hour of danger and of enterprise, the most dar-
ing courage and intrepidity. They enjoy neither
the good nor ills of life with the calm sobriety and
moderation of other men. In action fierce, cruel,
and immoderate, their leisure is passed in a
sleepy indifference that approaches to the apathy
of brute life.
Their character for treachery, though founded
in truth, appears to be much exaggerated. This
vice would appear to attach more to the state of
society in which they are found to exist, than to
any inherent propensity towards it in Malays
generally. It must be confessed, however, that
many of their practices are shocking to humanity.
Their laws regarding the right acquired over
property and persons falling into their hands at
sea, by shipwreck or otherwise, shew them to
be possessed of as little of the milk of human
kindness as any other description of Asiatics*.
The condition of the lower class of Malays in
these parts, is wretched beyond what we should
*lSee Raffles, in /^static Researches. Vol. }^JI.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 73
conceive to be the lot of humanity in an inter-
tropical climate ; almost the whole of their life is
spent upon the water, in a wretched little canoe,
in which they can scarce stretch themselves for
repose, A man and his wife, and one or two
children are usually found in these miserable
sampans. For subsistence, they depend upon
their success in fishing. They have all the
thoughtlessness of to-morrow that characterizes
savage life. Their tackhng is so rude and scanty,
that they are often reduced to the most urgent
want. When they have made a meal, they lay
basking in the sun, or repose under the dense
shade of the mangrove, till hunger again calls
them into action. They have scarce a rag of
cloth to secure them from the scorching noon-day
sun, or to shelter them from the damp and noi-
some dews and exhalations of night. Their
women are not less dexterous than the men in
managing their boats. Their only furniture con-
sists of one or two cooking pots, an earthen jar
and a mat made of leaves of the Pandanus Ise-
vis, which serves to protect them from the rain.
In the numerous bays, inlets, and creeks, that
surround Singapore, an inconceivable number of
families live in this wretched manner, who have
never possessed a house nor any sort of abode on
the land. They are constantly roving about from
place to place in pursuit of fish. What they have
74 MISSION TO SIAM
succeeded in taking more than is required for
immediate use, they dispose of to the fixed in-
habitants, taking rice, sago, betel, and cloth, in
return. We are struck with the analogy between
such a life and that of the tribes which subsist by
hunting. The Malay is equally attached to his
mode of life, nor can he be persuaded by the ex-
ample of those around him to relinquish it. This
description of Malays goes by the appellation of
Orang Laut, or men who live on the sea.
Others of the Malays have proceeded a step
beyond this rude state ; they possess houses and
a fixed abode ; they use garments and cultivate
small spots of ground : their agricultural skill,
however, has rarely extended to the cultivation
of rice or other of the Cerealia. They surround
their houses with a wooden paling, of sufficient
extent to admit the culture of the plantain, the
yam, the betel, and a few other useful plants for
their own use.
They possess but little skill in the mechanical
arts, and are employed as labourers almost ex-
clusively for the purpose of cutting down wood
in the forests, and clearing ground for culture.
We neither find amongst them a carpenter, a
mason, a taylor, or a blacksmith.
We are told that in the interior of Sumatra,
the Malays are found in a still more civilized
state ; that of an agricultural people.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 75
How tenacious is man of the savage state, and
how slow and imperceptible are the steps by
which he emerges from it. The Malays of the
peninsula and of the straits of Malacca are at
the present day scarce to be distinguished from
their rude ancestors of many centuries back, as
may be seen by the descriptions which our early
navigators have given of them.
A number of the people called Orang Laut
were brought to us for inspection. They were
superior in condition ; in appearance more civi-
lized than many whom we had seen in the bays
and creeks remote from the haunts of man. A
portrait was taken of one of them, illustrative of
the physiognomy and general appearance of the
Malay race. Six of these men were more mi-
nutely examined . Their average height was five
feet three inches ; average weight nine stone eight
pounds ; average circumference of the chest, two
feet ten inches ; circumference of the clenched fist
about eleven inches ; average of facial angle 66J°;
average temperature under the tongue 100°.02.
The other tribes of people that frequent the
commercial settlements of the straits of Malacca,
are Chuliahs, from the Malabar and Coromandel
coasts, Buggis from Celebes, Siamese, Burmans,
a few Arab merchants, &c.
The situation of the new settlement of Singa-
pore may be described in few words. A plain.
76 MISSION TO SIAM
nearly two miles in length, but of inconsiderable
breadth in most parts extends along an elevated
sandy beach, terminated on the west by an ex-
tensive creek, about a hundred yards in breadth,
and running up into the land several miles.
The soil on the western bank of this creek is
broken, consisting of low, rounded, sandstone
hiJiS, interspersed with level ground. The Chi-
nese part of the population, and a few Malays,
occupy this part of the settlement. Their cam-
pong is the workshop of industry, and affords at
all hours a busy scene. The creek is navigable
to boats of every description, and even to small
ships at low water. On its banks are the store-
houses, warehouses, &c., of the European and
other principal merchants. The convenience for
commerce is such that they can at all times, and
in all weathers, land goods at their respective
doors. Several parallel and cross roads extend
from this line of houses over the plain, which is
chiefly occupied as a military cantonment. A
small stream of water divides this plain, which is
surrounded by a mud wall, probably the remains
of an ancient fortification, towards the east from
another of greater extent, but only partially
cleared of wood. In this last the Malays prin-
cipally reside.
Behind the cantonment there is a hill of con-
siderable height, on which it appears that it is
AND COCHIN CHINA. 77
intended to erect a government-house, if the place
be retained.
During our stay here, we made several inte-
resting excursions to various points on the coast,
and to the neighbouring islands, for the purpose
of ascertaining the geological structure of the
group. These were highly satisfactory. The
result of our examinations I must relate on a fu-
ture occasion. From the accuracy, experience, and
extensive knowledge of Captain Dangerfield, we
derived the most essential assistance. Without
his aid we might have had occasional difficulty in
discriminating the rocks and minerals that fell in
our way.
On the 23d February, we re-embarked, and
on the 25th left Singapore harbour, and stood
out towards the extreme point of the Malay Pe-
ninsula, the wind blowing strong against us, but
the sea, as usual, being little agitated.
On the 26th we gained the mouth of the
straits at the distance of a few miles only from
the shore. We had cloudy and rather damp
weather, but the temperature exceedingly agree-
able, and almost invariable during the day and
night, at least the variation did not exceed three
or four degrees. It seemed in every respect con-
genial to the human frame. We had again to
remark the unaccountable paucity of sea-fowl in
78 MISSION TO SIAM
these latitudes. At noon we fell in with His
Majesty's frigate Topaze, Captain Richardson,
from Canton and Manilla. The Captain sent a
polite invitation to such of us as might choose to
visit his ship. I went on board, accompanied by
Rutherfurd.
During the period of his stay in China, the
natives of that country had, as usual, assumed a
tone of insolence and presumption too marked
and too humiliating to be quietly submitted to by
a commander in his majesty's navy. This led to
representations on the part of Captain Richard-
son, which were as bold as they were displeas-
ing to the Chinese. At length the Chinese in a
tumultuous manner made a wanton and unpro-
voked attack upon his men on shore in their boat
unarmed, drove them into the sea, and wounded
a considerable number of them. The first lieu-
tenant seeing the disturbance from the ship, im-
mediately beat to arms, fired grape shot amongst
the Chinese, and sent armed boats to the assis-
tance of the men in the water ; on the approach
of which the Chinese speedily dispersed. The
lieutenant thought that the Chinese were beyond
the reach of the shot. It appears, however, that
at least five persons were killed, and several
wounded.
This affair was no sooner made known to the
AND COCHIN CHINA. T9
Chinese in authority, than they put an immediate
stop to the trade with the English, and demanded
from the frigate a number of men equal to that of
the Chinese who had been killed.
The captain resisted the proposal with indig-
nation, and in his turn demanded of them justice
and an apology for the unprovoked affront and
unwarrantable attack on his men. In proportion
as he remained firm and resolute, they became
the less urgent in their demands. They even
proposed to make the matter up, by suggesting
that the captain should sign a paper which they
brought ready prepared, to the effect that those
who had actually killed the Chinese had either
died of wounds, had fallen overboard, or other-
wise perished. As he would not incur certain
disgrace to himself and to his country, by assert-
ing a palpable falsehood, the matter remained
still unsettled, and the trade suspended, when he
set out for Manilla.
In the evening, it being calm, mild, and agree-
able, we landed in a spacious bay, with a sandy
beach, interspersed with rocks, within a few
miles of the extreme point of the peninsula. We
found the rocks to consist entirely of horn-stone
porphyry. We traced this rock to the extent of
upwards of two miles, in the course of which it
presents no appreciable difference. Large sur-
80 MISSION TO SIAM
faces, divided into innumerable irregular masses,
for the most part oblong, and occasionally brick-
shaped, with an ochry fracture, presented them-
selves. The rock is extremely hard.
The land was, as usual, thickly covered with
wood.
Forest, on the coast, formed chiefly of the fol-
lowing trees : —
Casuarina.
Hibiscus, two arborescent species.
Scsevola.
Calophyllum inophyllum. This generally grows
close by the sea-side, its roots being washed by
the tide at high water.
Cycas revoluta. Very abundant ; a more hand-
some palm than the C. circinalis. It was now in
flower. The quantity of pollen discharged by the
stameniferous plant was uncommonly great, and of
an oppressively powerful odour. It appeared to
us, on examining their structure, not at all extra-
ordinary that this plant should long have been
taken for a fern of gigantic size. A large, yel-
low-coloured, pine-shaped, squamate cone termi-
nates the stameniferous plant. Each scale is
somewhat of a triangular shape, the apex joining
the central stem. On the under surface of the
scale are innumerable sessile and minute glo-
bules, which burst exactly in the manner of many
AND COCHIN CHINA. 81
of the ferns, and discharge a fine, strong- scented,
yellow pollen. This palm rarely exceeds ten or
twelve feet in height.
Besides these we observed a species of slender
Caryota.
Also Nipa fruticans,
And a species of Calamus ; and another of
Urtica.
We caught several fish in the seine on the
27th and 28th February.
We stood over towards the coast of Borneo,
with the wind strong, and quite against us. We
now had a heavy swell and rough sea, which
soon affected the less experienced amongst us
with sickness to a distressing degree.
On the first of March we had sight of a lofty
conical hill in Borneo, and on the 2d we came in
view of the coast of that island. The wind,
which had hitherto been steady and strong, sunk
into a gentle breeze as we approached the land,
passing from the N.E. to N.W. and N.N.W.
with a calm sea.
On the 3d we were off the point called Tan-
jung api, and on the following day stood over in
the direction of the islands called Natunas, the
more southern of which we were in sight of, and
even close to. Their vegetation seemed to be
quite peculiar. We were at one time within two
hundred yards of one of these islands ; and
S2 MISSION TO SIAM
could observe along the beach several handsome
scitamineous plants, and a considerable number
of Palms. In this part of our passage, we found
the weather, though rather damp, and for the
most part cloudy, remarkably agreeable. The
thermometer did not rise above 80°, nor sink be-
low 78°, in the course of twenty-four hours, dur-
ing our passage from the coast of Borneo to that
of Cambodia.
An hourly register of the barometer, kept day
and night, indicated a double tide in the column
of mercury. At ten A.M., it was generally at
its height, which on successive days, varied at
this hour from 29.98 inches, to 30.1 inches, the
barometer being suspended about eighteen feet
above the sea. From five to six P.M., it had
attained its lowest level, varying on successive
days from 29.86 inches to 29.95. From this
period it continued to rise till about midnight,
when it had again obtained its maximum, and
from four to five a.m. was at its minimum.
About three P.M. on the 11th of March, we
came abreast of the island of Pulo Ubi, in lat. 8°
25' N., long. 104° 50' E., off the southern extre-
mity of Cambodia, and cast anchor in a bay
on theN.E. side of it, and prepared to land. In
the same bay a Chinese junk lay at anchor.
As we approached the beach, we could observe
one or two huts in a plot of tall grass, oversha-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 83
dowed by a solitary cocoa-nut tree, and several
persons walking about. Our books had stated
the place to be inhabited, but the dreary ap-
pearance of the island, the stunted form of its
vegetation, its steril and forbidding aspect, and
above all, the total absence of every thing calcu-
lated to remind us of humanity, soon destroyed
the hopes we had cherished of mingling so soon
in the concerns of our fellow-creatures, and of
observing society under circumstances which
might be supposed to confer on it a peculiar inte-
rest. We were therefore not a little gratified to
observe these traces. We were still more pleased
to observe one of the inhabitants walk towards
the point we were approaching, and thence con-
cluded that they must have been in some de-
gree accustomed to the advent of strangers.
This person proved to be a slender, but healthy
and active old man. He wore a blue cloak, and
an ample blue turban, and had a thin, scanty,
long beard. His appearance was not unlike
that of an Arab. He saluted us with respect,
and though none of our party could understand
his language, we could easily perceive that he
was not displeased with our visit. We accom-
panied him to his house close by, which we
found to be a sort of temple. On a rude altar of
wood, raised about three feet from the ground,
and covered with mats, was placed a small
G 2
84 MISSION TO SIAM
earthen image, of a reverend, though rather gro-
tesque looking old man, in a contemplative atti-
tude, his countenance not altogether destitute of
a certain air of benignity and conscious inno-
cence. He wore a long flowing beard and loose
garments. On his left stood a smaller figure of
more humble pretensions ; probably the attend-
ant of the former, or minister of his will. The
first was different from the figure or image (Joss,)
the more common object of the worship of the
lower orders of Chinese.
Before them were placed various offerings of
fruit, sugar and sweet-meats. The altar was
tawdrily ornamented with pieces of tinsel, shreds
of gilt paper, and painted silks.
Before the shrine was placed a low platform over
which a mat was thrown, on which the old man
invited us to sit down. In one end of the room
were placed baskets of rice, a few small wax
tapers, and some yams. We found that two fa-
milies lived on this spot, and one or two Chinese.
The latter had come for the purpose of collecting
the gelatinous Fucus, agar-agar. The former
had, it would appear, lived here for several
years. Their subsistence had probably been
chiefly obtained from Chinese mariners, to whom
this lofty island affords an admirable land-mark,
for which they always make in their coasting
voyages. They look upon the place as peculiarly
Ax\D COCHIN CHINA. 85
sacred, and never pass it without offering up
prayers and praises for their success in having
made it. On this occasion they leave behind
them a painted board, on which is written the
name of their junk, the date of their arrival, the
port they have left, &c. At this time several
boards of this description were in the keeping of
the old man.
If we were pleased with the civility and atten-
tion of our first acquaintance, we had reason to
be no less so with the other members of this
little community. It was altogether an interest-
ing spectacle to see them crowd round, without
the least fear or apprehension, and only anxious
to shew us kindness, and to treat us with hospi-
tality. A middle aged woman, of ratlier hand-
some appearance, after she had gratified her cu-
riosity by a hasty glance at the strangers, made
us some excellent tea, which she gave to us in
small cups, in the usual manner of the Chinese.
A man, about her own age, and apparently her
husband, lay the wretched victim of that most
distressing and horrible disease, elephantia-
sis. Our appearance for a moment seemed to
rouse him from the moody melancholy which
accompanies this complaint. Two handsome
boys and a girl made up the family.
We were forcibly struck with the difference in
the vegetation of this island from any that we
86 MISSION TO SIAM
had hitherto seen ; a difference which, as it is not
easily to be accounted for by its geographical
position, is more probably owing to an unusually
scanty supply of moisture, and perhaps in part
also to the peculiar nature of the soil, which
being very thin, and not retentive of moisture,
must be unfavourable. The vegetation here
could scarcely be termed arborescent. It was
low, scanty and bushy. The Erythrina corallo-
dendrum was among its stoutest, and the Cary-
ota mitis, of Loureiro, among its tallest, trees.
Various species of Dioscorea were common on
the sloping sides of the hills, where also the wild
plantain (Musa sapientum) grew in abundance.
We had the good fortune to find this splendid
herbaceous plant in flower. Unlike, however, to
that luscious and most delicious fruit raised by
the hand of man, the fruit of the wild plantain
contains scarce any pulp whatever. Its leathery
sheath encloses numerous series of large black
seeds, attached to a pithy central stem, and im-
mersed in a gummy substance resembling bird-
lime. It appeared by our systematic works, that
the seeds of this most useful plant have been
but rarely seen by botanists. Hence doubts had
been expressed upon the subject. In none of
the cultivated varieties are there any seeds disco-
verable, though at times we may observe minute
black points in the pulp, disposed in longitudinal
AND COCHIN CHINA. 87
rows. These are probably the feeble traces of
seeds not yet quite extinguished by cultiva-
tion, the black perisperm being the last to dis-
appear.
' We had now, therefore, a favourable oppor-
tunity of examining this matter. The seeds
were numerous, covered with a thick, black,
brittle shell, and as large as those of the custard-
apple, but of a more irregular shape. We col-
lected numbers of them. There is no necessity
to refer, as Willdenow does, the origin of all
the cultivated varieties, and of all the species
enumerated by botanists, to the Musa troglo-
dytarum, a native of the Molucca Islands, as
the parent stock. Our specimens accorded with
the descriptions given of Musa sapientum.
The seeds were in all respects perfect, and ap-
parently capable of propagating the plant. In-
deed its existence on these islands, so rarely
frequented by man, and altogether unfit for cul-
tivation, can be accounted for on no other prin-
ciple than the fertility of the seeds. It appears,
therefore, that we ought to refer to this plant the
origin of the cultivated species, which are pro-
bably no other than simple varieties of it.
The Yams found on this island are remarkably
large. The green tuberosities commonly found
on the stem of the plant were eagerly sought
after by our Chinese followers, who regard them
88 MISSION TO SIAM
as a valuable medicine. The Erythrina men-
tioned above was now in flower, and made a
handsome, shewy appearance. It was frequented
by considerable numbers of a large and beautiful
species of pigeon, a circumstance the more re-
markable, as the birds we had hitherto seen in
these latitudes were of solitary habits, few in
number, and not gregarious. This bird was ex-
tremely handsome ; its body was of a snow-
white colour ; its wings, and the extremity of its
tail, tipped with black. It appeared to be about
twice the size of our domestic pigeon. Though
we shot one, we were not so fortunate as to pro-
cure it.
The only Palm found here was that already
mentioned, the Caryota mitis, a species not
enumerated in Persoon's Synopsis, nor in the
Species Plantarum of Willdenow, for what rea-
son it does not appear. It is very well de-
scribed by Loureiro ; and it appears to be to-
tally different from the Caryota urens.
On the sea-coast there is a species of Panda-
nus extremely common. It throws up a simple
stem to the height of ten feet or more, in which
respect only it seems to differ from the Panda-
nus odoratissimus, the habit of which is to ex-
tend along the ground, throwing down straight
and stout roots into the earth for its support, as
it extends.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 89
The Scsevola, already mentioned, is common
here as on the Malacca coast.
The form, distribution, and peculiar appear-
ance of the land we had now made were calcu-
lated to excite our attention, particularly in re-
lation to the contiguous continent. We were
entering amidst innumerable groups of islands,
composing for the most part mountain masses,
and all of them much elevated. They were as
various in form and dimension, as they were
numerous and picturesque. They were all covered
with vegetation, which, after we had passed their
southern boundary, assumed a more luxuriant
appearance. They each might be imagined to
be the abode of an innocent, a happy, an un-
disturbed people. Nature, arrayed in her most
attractive colours, appeared to smile upon the
scene. The sea was calm and unruffled ; the sky
serene and unclouded. Nothing could be more
deceitful than this apparent fitness for the abode
of man. There seemed little reason to believe
that any of them had ever been occupied. The
want of a constant supply of water must ever be
a principal objection, while their steep forms and
scanty soil forbid every attempt at cultivation.
In many, the summits of the islands are rounded,
in others peaked and rugged. In fact, we here
appear to have ascended the tops of a range of
mountains, in structure partaking of the nature
90 MISSION TO SIAM
of rocks both of the primitive and secondary
kind. The direction of this partly submerged
range is like that on the peninsula of Malacca,
from north to south, bending a little from east to
west. The breadth of the range is considerable.
The islands form a continuous narrow belt ex-
tending along the coast, in this respect some-
what similar to those on the east coast of the
bay of Bengal. There, however, we observe a
stupendous parallel chain of mountains extend-
ing from one extremity of the peninsula to the
other ; whilst here the most remarkable circum-
stance was the extreme lowness of the continen-
tal land. It is an extensive alluvion on a level
with the sea ; on which we look in vain for hill
or elevation of any sort. At the distance of a
few miles, the trees only, and not the ground,
are visible from the deck, whilst the islands,
many of them rising above 1 ,000 feet, are to be
seen many miles off.
The occurrence of granite on this, the first of
the series, was rather unexpected.
This granite presents several varieties. It is
less perfectly crystallized, and more granular,
than that we found on the west coast of the pe-
ninsula of Malacca. Many of the specimens
contain hornblende ; and on the summit of the
hill there is a red granite, which breaks into
brick-like fragments. The lower granite is
AND COCHIN CHINA. 91
uncommonly hard, and breaks with much diffi-
culty.
March ISth. — We had now got amongst innu-
merable groups of islands, for the most part of
small dimensions, all of them lofty, abrupt on
their sides, and almost invariably without any
level ground attached. We remarked, however,
that in proportion as we advanced towards the
north, the vegetation had, as has already been
observed, assumed a more luxuriant appearance.
Vegetable life again assumed that vigour which
had so often already attracted our admiration,
and the intertropical forest again displayed its
unparalleled riches. This sensible improve-
ment in the forms of vegetation is probably ow-
ing to the genial influence of a milder climate,
and perhaps still more to the change which has
perceptibly taken place in the geological struc-
ture of the country. But feeble traces of gra-
nite, as rolled masses, were now to be seen.
This series of rock had been substituted by va-
rious others of later formation.
In the course of the day we visited two of
these islands. They were each about a mile in
circumference, and from 200 to 300 feet high in
the centre; the first lies in lat. 9°5S'N., and
long. 104° 37' E., about ninety-three miles
from Pulo Ubi : the other lies about three
miles north of the last. In the first, the lowest
92 MISSION TO SIAM
rock is composed of compact feldspar, of an
iron-brown colour, intersected by narrow seams
of quartz. This rock is abundant along the
base of the island, near to the sea-mark.
The bulk of the island appears to be com-
posed of a compound rock, formed of clay- stone
and potstone intermixed. This rock is rather
soft, and its fracture resembles that of some fine
grained sandstones. It occurs both on the top
and towards the base of the hill.
Considerable beds of pure potstone, in a
somewhat fohated form, occur in the last.
The other island is formed almost entirely of
potstone, and the compound of potstone and
claystone, mentioned as forming the bulk of the
other island, is here comparatively in small quan-
tity. The potstone contains imbedded small
masses of clay slate.
In our excursions to-day we were so fortu-
nate as to procure two of the pigeons seen for
the first time on Pulo Ubi. They were here
very numerous. Those we caught weighed
about a pound each. This is to be reckoned
amongst the handsomest of this handsome genus,
and if ever domesticated, must prove a valu-
able acquisition to our aviaries.
March 14. — Arrived at Fu-kok or Pau-kok, a
large island, a little to the north of the river of
Can-cau. We cast anchor in an open road^
AND COCHIN CHINA. 98
stead, nearly off the middle of the island, in lat.
10° ir N., and long. 104° 16' E. This and
several other islands in the neighbourhood at-
tain a considerable altitude towards the centre,
where the hills, disposed in ridges running north
and south, appear upwards of 2,000 feet in
height. The eminences are continuous and
gently undulating, rarely abrupt in their forms,
or exposing much rocky surface. The island is
everywhere covered with the thickest woods.
We had no where seen more luxuriant vegeta-
tion than this place afforded.
Both on the preceding night and this morning,
we observed a number of Praus sailing along
the shores, but none of them could be enticed to
come alongside. It was imagined that they
had been unaccustomed to see a ship, and we
afterwards learnt that our conjecture was cor-
rect. In the course of the morning, a prau,
after repeated solicitations, came so near as to
speak to us, but the people would not come on
board. Some time after this a native accompa-
nied one of the ship's officers on board, and
was followed by his prau. From this man, who
spoke the language of Cochin China, we learned
that the place was partly inhabited, and that at
certain periods of the year, Cochin Chinese
and Chinese fishermen came hither for the pur-
94 MISSION TO SIAM
pose of pursuing their calling ; the latter chiefly
for the purpose of collecting trepang, a black
species of Holothuria. Though the spoken lan-
guage of the people who now visited us was
unknown to our Chinese followers, yet by having
recourse to the use of a common character, to
which the same ideas are attached, they were
enabled to communicate with each other. This
was the character commonly used by the Chi-
nese, which they write by distinct letters, in
straight lines from top to bottom. We thus
learned that the island belonged to the king of
Cochin- China, and that its most valuable pro-
duction was Agila wood, the aquillaria agal-
locha, Roxb. ( Aloxylum agallochium, Lour. ) The
fair promises of our vivacious and semibarba-
rous visitor excited hopes which were not
destined to be realized. After the most par-
ticular inquiry, and the offer of considerable
rewards for specimens of the fresh plant, we
were reluctantly compelled to give up the search.
It appeared that this wood is a royal mono-
poly, and that even to point it out to strangers
is a crime never to be forgiven. In the course of
the forenoon, we landed in two parties, followed
at some distance by the native prau. The ap-
proach is over an extensive shallow bank, on
which we observed great numbers of Asterise,
AND COCHIN CHINA. 95
Medusae, Echini, and some corals. On the fish-
ing stakes, in front of the village, we shot two
sea-fowl of the genus Sterna.
On reaching the shore, about six or seven
men, armed with spears, came down from the
village, used threatening attitudes towards the
party in the first boat, and appeared desirous of
opposing our landing. Capt. M'Donnel, how-
ever, leaving his arms behind, leapt on shore,
and went up to them with the greatest confi-
dence, shewing them at the same time that he
had no hostile intention towards them. Asto-
nished at his boldness, or doubting of their own
valour, they immediately changed their line of
conduct, and appeared to welcome him with
sincerity.
We were the less surprised at this inhospit-
able reception, on learning that the persons in
question were not inhabitants of the island, but
natives of China, who having enjoyed here a
profitable fishing, without interruption, had their
jealousy awakened by the appearance of stran-
gers. Their accustomed insolence towards Eu-
ropeans was visible even here. The Chinese
now seemed anxious only to derive advantage
from our visit ; they followed us everywhere,
and promised largely. We had soon reason to
regret that we had made their acquaintance, for
the Cochin-Chinese, who were remarkably civil
96 MISSION TO SIAM
and polite to us, seemed to be somewhat jealous
of our attention towards the former, and kept
themselves at a greater distance than at first.
As we passed through their village, they invited
us to enter their houses, and spread a mat for
us to sit upon. Like all other Asiatics, they
seat themselves on the floor, or recline on cush-
ions while they converse. They offered us betel,
and gave us pipes to smoke tobacco. It did not
appear that they had tea amongst them. They
were good-natured and polite ; examined us very
attentively, were much amused with our watches,
laughing immoderately when they were held up
to their ear. They had abundance of Agila
wood in their houses, of which they offered us
some. The coarser parts of this wood they
beat up in a mortar till it has attained the con-
sistence of saw-dust. This dust is then made
into a paste with which they cover small reeds.
The party had great quantities of these reeds in
their possession. They are used by the Chi-
nese, chiefly for sacred purposes, being placed
before the images of their idols, on account of
the perfume they give out when Ughted. They
bum with a slow smothered flame, somewhat
like that of tinder. These reeds are known in
English by the appellation of Joss sticks. Yet
we looked in vain for any image of this deity.
Here and there, however, in front of their houses.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 97
small wooden cells, raised on poles, were to be
seen, which cells were abundantly provided with
Joss sticks.
The island of Fu-kok is of very considerable
extent, situated in a mild and equable climate, at
no great distance from the mouth of the river
Can-cau, and surrounded by numerous islands
which shelter it from storms in either monsoon.
The height of its mountains is such as to attract
a constant supply of moisture, and the soil would
appear to be of good quality, probably formed
from a base of decomposed clay-slate ; though
this is mere conjecture, as we were not so for-
tunate as to discover a single point of rock, or
even a stone, during our visit. Hence the vege-
tation of this island is extremely rich and luxu-
riant, and its general appearance exceedingly
beautiful. Were it not for the extreme scanti-
ness of low, or rather level, land, it would be
reckoned admirably calculated for the habitation
of man.
It is nearly of a triangular form, and broadest
towards the northern extremity. Its utmost
length is thirty-four miles, and its greatest
breadth sixteen miles. The most southern point
lies in lat. 9° 58' N., and long. 104° 14' E.
There are villages on several parts of the
coast, and some of them are said to be populous.
H
9S MISSION TO SIAM
That which we visited might consist of about
twenty famiUes, who appeared to live comfortably,
and in a friendly, social, and peaceable manner.
The men were of a stout, but short make, intelli-
gent, and rather good looking. Their houses were
constructed on poles, and covered on the roof
and sides with a thick, coarse bark, which split
into numerous layers. They were raised about
three feet from the ground. We saw but few
signs of cultivation, and those only of recent
date. The cocoa-nut and the plantain appeared
to have been planted but a very short time, yet
were thriving with great luxuriance. A small
garden was attached to most of the habitations,
in which onions and culinary herbs were culti-
vated. The island abounds in wild hogs, and we
observed skins of the Rusa. Shell fish is abun-
dant ; and considerable quantities of Holothuria
were drying in the sun. For a dollar, I pur-
chased from a native, two dried skins of a very
singular species of Ray. We shot five species of
birds in the woods. For the plants which we
found, I refer to the catalogue. Amongst them
will be found a species of Mr. Brown's new
genus Haya, natural order Asclepiadese. The
species is probably also new. It is extremely
elegant. It grows on bare rocks, or climbs
on trees, in thick, convoluted patches. The
AND COCHrN CHINA, 99
leaves are thick and fleshy, and tlie whole
plant abounds in an acrid milky juice. We here
procured specimens of the Casuarina equiseti-
folia, in flower. The tree is common along the
beach here as well as on the west coast of the
peninsula of Malacca. It is a very tall, hand-
some tree, somewhat resembling our pine. Tlie
wood is remarkably hard, yet the tree grows
with great rapidity. All the trees here were
Dioeceous ; and this seems to be the true habit
of this plant. It ought therefore to be removed
to that class.
Towards evening we got into our boats, in-
tending to visit a point of land which promised
to afford us specimens of rock, but we found
that we were not able to reach it, especially as
we were at a great distance from the ship, and
were threatened with a storm.
On the following morning we sailed round the
island, and thus ascertained the dimensions
stated above.
We continued to proceed northwards among
innumerable islands, many of which, by their
position with regard to each other, would seem
to form extensive bays and well-sheltered har-
bours. The tides in some places are very strong
and irregular. They rise to a very uncommon
height for these latitudes. In some places the
H 2
100 MISSION TO SIAM
sea was observed to be not less than fifteen feet
below high water-mark.
On the following day we landed on several
small, rocky islands, off the southern extremity
of Fu-kok. We found them composed of huge
masses of sandstone. The surface of this sand-
stone was hollowed out into numerous shallow
cavities ; it presented considerable varieties in
granular aspect and contained nodules of flint,
quartz, &c.
We had been much exposed to a powerful sun
during this day, the bad effect of which I soon
after was destined to experience, having been
laid up for some days with fever, which rendered
me totally incapable of attending to any thing.
We continued our course through the islands,
sometimes keeping to the windward of them alto-
gether, and at other times passing through narrow
straits, with fine deep passages between the
islands. Nothing could be more picturesque
than the prospect which these islands afforded on
such occasions. Mr. Crawfurd went on shore
on one of them, and brought off specimens of
granite and quartz-rock, of which it was en-
tirely composed. The islands, however, imme-
diately near to this were composed of variegated
sand-stone.
On the 21 st of March, about sun-set, some
AND CQCHIN CHINA, 101
Chinese junks were seen riding at anchor in the
harbour of Siam, and there, the same evening,
we cast anchor. On the 22d, the pilot of a Chi-
nese junk came on board, and represented that
it would be necessary to send to Packnam, a
village at the mouth of the river, for a pilot ; he
was doubtful whether the ship could pass the
bar. The chief mate set out for this place in
the morning, with a letter from Mr. Crawfurd for
the chief person of the place. He was hospitably
entertained during the night by the chief, and
returned on the following day, with a small
present of fruit from him, but no letter. In the
meanwhile they had referred to Bankok, and a
pilot was ordered to attend us.
25th. — We weighed anchor, with a light, fair
wind, and attempted to pass the bar, but stuck
on a bank of mud, after clearing the principal
bar, which is of sand. Here the ship lay quite
easy and upright, supported on one side by
props till next tide. At low water there were
but six feet on the bar. About 5 p. m. the ship
begun to float again, and after touching now and
then, got over without much difficulty as the tide
made. The entrance is tolerably well marked
out by lines of fishing-stakes. The mouth of the
river forms an angle with the entrance from the
harbour, so that the former is not perceptible
until you are close to it. The river gradually
103 M;?.§{0N Tp SIAM
opens upon the view ; it is called Menam : it is
about a mile and a half in breadth at its mouth.
After passing two or three short reaches, we
anchored opposite to the town of Packnam. The
river is here about three-quarters of a mile in
breadth, and very deep ; the banks are low, and
covered with woods.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 103
CHAPTER III.
Interpreter arrives. — Requested to land the Guns. —
Entertained by a Chief. — Physiological Remarks on
THE Siamese. — Progress to Bankok. — A floating Bazar.
— Bankok DESCRIBED. — The Governor General's Letter
TO THE King delivered to a Chief. — A suspicious At-
tempt MADE to get Possession of the Presents. — In-
terview WITH one of the Ministers. — Disgusting
Servility op his Attendants. — Negotiations respect-
ing THE Performance op the Court Ceremonies. —
Proceed to the Palace. — Addressed in good Latin by
A Native. — Observations on the Road to the Audience.
— Description of the Audience.
March 2&h. — Early in the morning, a man,
dressed somewhat in the style of an European
sailor, came off, and stated that he had been sent
from Bankok to act as interpreter, and to accom-
pany us to the capital. This was one of that de-
graded, but self-important class of society, well
known in India under the general title of Portu-
guese, a title to which a hat and one or two other
articles of clothing in the European fashion would
seem to give every black man, every native, and
every half caste, an undisputed claim. Our visi-
tor bore the characteristic national features of the
Siamese, amongst whom he had been born ; he
spoke the Portuguese language with ease and
fluency, but English very imperfectly. He said,
104 MISSION TO SIAM
that the chief of Packnam requested that the
guns might be landed, as the ship could not
otherwise be permitted to proceed upwards with-
out an order from court to that effect. It was
observed, that the Portuguese frigate did not land
her guns ; he replied, that such was a special
indulgence from the court. Mr. Crawfurd was,
at the same time, invited on shore to dinner, the
chief representing that he had received orders to
entertain all persons of the rank of ambassadors
or envoys during their stay within his jurisdic-
tion. Very little notice was taken of, and no
direct communication was held with, the inter-
preter.
This sort of verbal communication, on matters
of business, did not augur well towards the suc-
cess of our mission. We could not fail to remark,
that the different personages who had as yet
visited us, were either of very low rank, or of
none at all, neither did they exhibit any mark
by which they might be recognised as acting
from authority. The chief, or, as the gentlemen
of our party styled him, governor of Packnam,
himself, to all appearance, of small political
importance, being merely the head man of seve-
ral poor fishing villages, did not condescend to
visit us, or to hold other communication with us
than that described. It was hinted that a man
of some rank had been sent hither to receive us,
AND COCHIN CHINA. 10a
but neither did this personage make his appear-
ance. After breakfast. Captain M'Donnell went
on shore to wait upon the chief of Packnam ; he
induced the latter to send a young man, a relation
of his, on board. This man was received with
much attention ; he appeared to take little notice
of the ship, or, indeed, of any thing else ; he
was naked from the waist upwards, and rather
meanly dressed even for a Siamese ; he partook
of sweetmeats and spirits, and after inviting
Mr. Crawfurd to go on shore, and conversing
with the latter for about half an hour, he rose
and departed, Mr. Crawfurd having agreed to
visit the chief in the evening.
We accordingly set out in three different boats,
Mr. Crawfurd and Captain Dangerfield having
their servants, harkaras, silver sticks, state um-
brellas, and dressed in the uniform of the Gover-
nor-General. A crowd of people, consisting of
old men and women, and many children, were
collected on the beach, and appeared to view us
with considerable curiosity. The young man
who had visited us on board, alone received us at
the landing-place, from whence we walked through
a narrow noisome lane, paved with wood, the
distance of about fifty yards, to the chief's house,
a place of sorry appearance ; we ascended by a
flight of wooden steps into a small enclosed court,
which opened behind into the house. In an open
105 MISSION TO SIAM
room, tawdrily ornamented with Chinese paper
lanterns, Dutch glass, and scraps of painted
paper, we found the chief, a tall, slender, rather
elderly man, seated on a chair; he got up to
welcome Mr. Crawfurd, and conducted him to a
chair on his left. A table was placed in the centre
of the room, and soon after we had taken our
seats (we were luckily accommodated with
chairs), a dinner, consisting of roast pork, roast
ducks and fowls, and a pilaw, were brought in.
The dishes were cooked after the European
fashion, two or three native Christians who at-
tended, to judge by their busy manner, being
very anxious to approve themselves on the pre-
sent occasion. We had dined before going on
shore, but at the request of the chief, who, in-
deed, appeared to be very desirous of pleasing
us, we sat down to table, accompanied by the
interpreter already alluded to, but neither the
chief nor any of his family partook of the en-
tertainment. A crowd of people were collected
in the court, and viewed us as we sat, evidently
with considerable interest. Opposite to the chief
sat the personage who had been sent to receive
us ; he was a good-looking, middle-aged man, a
Malay, who had been once or twice in Bengal :
we spent nearly two hours thus conversing on
various subjects. On our getting up to depart,
the chief rose and shook hands with all of us.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 107
March 27. — No communication liacl arrived re-
specting permission for us to proceed to the capi-
tal. One of the king's boats, which had been
sent down for the purpose of taking Mr. Crawfurd
to Bankok, returned this morning. This was a
long and narrow boat, turned up at the bow and
stern, bearing resemblance to a canoe, and pro-
vided with a sort of chair in the middle, over
which a shed of mats had been erected. The
rowers were numerous, but the accommodation
trifling, as it could carry but one or two persons.
It appeared not a little absurd that they should
think of offering only this boat for the accommo-
tion of a numerous party. It was doubtless ex-
pected that Mr. Crawfurd would go up alone.
Accompanied by Mr. Rutherford, I went on
shore in the evening, and strolled through the
village. We found it difficult to land, it being
now low water, and the banks consisting of soft
mud. We ascended into a house built, as a
great proportion of the village is, over the river.
We passed thus from house to house, on elevated
boards, till we reached dry land. We found
the people remarkably civil, and even obliging.
They received us with smiles, and seemed anx-
ious to entertain us. The women were not less
forward than the men on these occasions. They
collected round us, talked, laughed, and ex-
pressed not the least apprehension. We found the
108 MISSION TO SIAM
houses dirty, and lumbered with billets of wood,
with little provision for ease. Yet the people
appeared to live in tolerable comfort, though
their means of subsistence, if we except that
which they derive from the river and the sea,
was not very evident. There appeared a great
paucity even of fish. Rice they seemed to have
in abundance. They were well fed, and stout,
but rather below the middle stature. They cut
the hair close to the head, leaving a short tuft
on the forehead, which they comb backward.
There is no difference in this respect between
the men and women, both cutting the hair off
short. Europeans are not more attentive to ren-
der their teeth white, than the Siamese are to
make them black. Amongst them black teeth
only are considered beautiful, and it must be
allowed that they succeed perfectly well in this
species of ornament. This, together with the
coarse red painting of the mouth and lips, which
they derive from the constant eating of betel,
catechu, and lime together, gives to them a dis-
gusting appearance. The face of the Siamese is
remarkably large, the forehead very broad, pro-
minent on each side, and covered with the hairy
scalp in greater proportion than I have observed
in any other people. In some, it descends to
within an inch or even less of the eye-brows,
covers the whole of the temples, and stretches
AND COCHIN CHINA. 109
forwards to within nearly the same distance of
the outer angle of the eye. The cheek bones
are large, wide, and prominent. A principal
peculiarity in the configuration of their counte-
nance is the great size of the back part of the
lower jaw. The corona process here projects
outwards, so as to give to this part of the face
an uncommon breadth. One would imagine, on
a careless inspection, that they were all affected
with a slight degree o? goitre, or swelUngof the
parotid gland. A similar appearance is often
observable in Malays. The people generally go
naked from the waist upwards, sometimes throw-
ing a piece of cloth over the shoulders. Old
women in general expose the breast ; but the
young, and the middle aged, wrap a short piece
of cloth round the chest, of sufficient length to
form a single knot in front, thus leaving the
shoulders and arms bare. From the loins to the
knee, they wrap a piece of blue or other coloured
cloth, over which the better sort wear a piece of
Chinese crape, or a shawl.
The bazar, if a few scattered huts along a
path may deserve that name, was extremely
meagre. A few plantains, pumpkins, betel, to-
bacco, and jagory, were almost the only articles
it afforded, by the sale of which a few old wo-
men contrived to gain a subsistence.
We proceeded to a monastic institution.
110 MISSION TO SIAM
situated on the bank of the river. The houses
here are well built, spacious, and convenient.
The whole is included in an extensive and open
space of ground, kept clean and neat. The ac-
commodation for the priests is excellent ; the
houses are well raised, the floors and walls
made of boards. A neat temple occupies one
extremity of the enclosure. The fraternity re-
ceived us with great cheerfulness, and, at our
request, readily admitted us into the interior of
the temple. Here, raised to about the middle
height of the edifice, on a broad platform or
altar, we discovered about fifty gilded images
of Buddha, all in the sitting posture. The prin-
cipal image, considerably above the human sta-
ture, was placed behind, and over him was
raised a sort of arched canopy of carved and
gilded wood. The others were ranged close be-
fore him. On each corner of the altar, with their
faces turned towards the images, clothed in the
usual costume of their order, and in the attitude
of devotion, stood two priests. The general
form of the figure of Buddha was not essentially
diflPerent from that worshipped by the natives of
Ceylon. The hair is short and curled, the head
surmounted by a flame or glory, the counte-
nance placid, benign, and contemplative. They
have given somewhat of a Siamese, or rather
Tartar expression to the features, by rather
AND COCHIN CHINA. Ill
prolonging the eyebrows, and giving an obliquity
to the eye ; the nose is more sharp, and the lips
very thick.
The Buddha of the natives of Ceylon, on the
contrary, is a complete model of the ancient
Egyptian or Ethiopian countenance, from which
their images never deviate in the slightest de-
gree. There can be no question, however, that
both nations intend to represent one and the
same personage.
Nearly in the centre of this enclosure, a tem-
porary building, of a pyramidal form, and con-
stituted of successive stages, was then building.
We were informed that this was intended to con-
tain the funeral pile on which the body of a
chief, who had died about five months before,
was to be burnt in the course of another month ;
it being customary, amongst Siamese of rank, to
preserve the bodies of their relations in their
houses for a greater or shorter period, according
to the rank of the deceased. Great preparations
were now making for the approaching ceremony,
and, in a building close by, we found some priests
at work, painting devices for the occasion. These
were principally grotesque figures of old men,
monsters, serpents, &c.
In the course of the evening, we called upon
the relative of the late chief He seemed well
pleased at our taking notice of the preparations
112 MISSION TO SIAM
that were going forward, and still more when I
expressed a desire to see the body, which lay in
one end of the room, behind a white screen.
He immediately led us to the place, cast the
screen aside, and exhibited an oblong box, co-
vered with white muslin, and ornamented with
green-coloured and gold-leaf fringe.
We proceeded along the bank for nearly two
miles, on a paved path- way ; the ground here
being low and swampy. This village rarely exhi-
bits more than two or three houses in depth from
the river ; yet, extending in a continuous line for
several miles, the population must be very con-
siderable. We passed several other handsome
temples. It should be observed, that at the
monastic institution mentioned above, there is a
battery facing the river, but it cannot be said
to command it. Here there are ten or twelve
iron guns, mounted on decayed carriages, half
sunk into the earth, and at present unservice-
able.
March 28th. — The boat which had gone the day
before returned during the night, and we now
saw it in its usual place. The Malay, whom we
had met at the house of the chief, and who had
been sent to meet us, returned in it. He came
on board in the course of the morning, and stated
that the ship might proceed up the river, with-
out delay or restriction of any sort. The anchor
AND COCHIN CHINA. 113
was accordingly immediately weighed, and though
the tide was against us, we proceeded up with an
easy breeze. The banks of the river were still very
low ; they were thickly planted with the attap,
which gave them a picturesque appearance ; in
the background we observed the betel palm to
grow in great abundance, and to appearance
spontaneously, the ground being too low to ad-
mit of cultivation. Besides these, the jungle
consisted of various species of Calamus, and of
bamboo, and long grass. Proceeding farther up
the river, extensive plains opened in prospect.
They presented rather a steril aspect, the har-
vest having been lately gathered in. These
plains occupy the left bank of the river, over
which they were now elevated about eight or
ten feet. We were given to understand, that in
the rainy season they are covered with water,
to the depth of two or three feet, and are there-
fore well adapted for the cultivation of rice.
They appeared to extend as far as the eye could
reach. Between them and the river, there is a
narrow strip of jungle. Houses are interspersed
along the bank, and surrounded by extensive
plantations of areca palms, plantains, and a few
cocoa-nut trees. The houses are small, but
neat, consisting of one or two rooms, raised
about three feet from the ground. The opposite
side of the river is covered with jungle. The
IH XfTSSION TO SFAM
banks are tolerably steep, with very deep water,
from thirty to sixty feet near to their edge. The
mud is stiff, plastic, forming, in all probability,
an excellent soil. The gentlemen of our party
went on shore in the evening, as we lay at
anchor, waiting the turn of tide. They shot
several species of birds, amongst which were a
beautiful Pigeon, a Minor, and the blue Jay of
Bengal.
We saw the Adjutant, and several species of
Palco flying about.
About sun-set, we again weighed anchor, and
continued to proceed up the river till about mid-
night. We now began to be much molested
with musquitoes.
March 29th. — We recommenced proceeding up
the river at an early hour, and about 8 A.M. cast
anchor nearly opposite to the middle of the town.
in the course of our progress this morning,
the various scenes upon the river afforded con-
siderable interest. Numerous small canoes, for
the most part carrying but one individual, small
covered boats, &c., were plying in every direc-
tion. The market-hour was now approaching,
and all seemed life and activity. Here one or
more of the priests of Buddha were guiding
their little canoe on its diurnal eleemosynary
excursion. There an old woman hawked betel,
plantains, and pumpkins. Here you saw canoes
AND COCHIN CHINA. 115
laden with cocoa-nuts, — there, groups of natives
were proceeding from house to house, on their
various occupations. But the most singular fea-
ture in the busy scene was the appearance of the
houses, floating on the water, in rows about
eight, ten, or more, in depth, from the bank.
This novel appearance was peculiarly neat and
striking. The houses were built of boards, of a
neat oblong form, and towards the river pro-
vided with a covered platform, on which were
displayed numerous articles of merchandise:
fruit, rice, meat, &c. This was, in fact, a float-
ing bazar, in which all the various products of
China and of the country were exposed for sale.
At either end the houses were bound to long
bamboos driven into the river. They are thus en-
abled to move from place to place according as
convenience may demand. Every house is fur-
nished with a small canoe, in which they visit, and
go from place to place to transact business. Al-
most all those collected in this quarter seem to be
occupied by merchants, many of them very petty
no doubt, and by tradespeople, as shoe-makers,
tailors, &c. The latter occupations are followed
almost exclusively by the Chinese. The houses
are in general very small, consisting of a princi-
pal centre room, and one or two small ones, the
centre being open in front, for the display of
their wares. The houses are from twenty to
I 2
ua MISSION TO SI AM
thirty feet in length, and about half that space
in breadth. They consist of a single stage, the
floor raised above the water about a foot, and
the roof thatched with palm leaves. At low wa-
ter, when the stream is rapid, there appears to
be but little business done in these shops. Their
proprietors are then to be seen lolling or sleeping
in front of their warehouses, or otherwise enjoy-
ing themselves at their ease. At all hours of
the day, however, many boats are passing and
repassing. They are so light and sharp in their
form, that they mount rapidly against the stream.
They are rowed with paddles, of which the long
canoes have often eight or ten on each side. The
number of Chinese appears to be very consider-
able ; they display the same activity and indus-
try here that they do wherever they are to be
found. Their boats are generally larger, and
rowed by longer paddles. They have a sort of
cabin, made of basket-work, in the centre, which
serves to contain their effects, and answers the
purposes of a house. Many of them carry pieces
of fresh pork up and down the river for sale.
The river at Bankok is about a quarter of a
mile in breadth, without including the space oc-
cupied on each side by floating houses. It car-
ries down a large body of water, and contains
a large proportion of soft mud ; its depth, even
close to the bank, generally varies from six to
AND COCHIN CHINA. 117
ten fathoms, whilst its rapidity is about three
miles an hour. As far as we could yet judge, not
having been on shore, we suspected that by
far the greater part of the population lived on
the water, in floating houses, moveable from
place to place. The inconveniences of a city
built in this manner must be numerous. The
houses are small, the accommodations trifling,
and the occupants must be ever on their guard
against accidents. A trifling population must
in this way occupy a vast extent of ground.
You look in vain for any thing better than a
small, low hut, of one stage only in height.
These little houses, or huts, it is true, are gene-
rally handsome and neat, but they make, on the
whole, a paltry, though to us a novel, appear-
ance. Their form is chiefly Chinese, as is also
that of their temples.
In the course of the day, two children, about
six years old, the son and nephew of the minis-
ter who conducts all the business carried on
between the court and Europeans of every de-
scription, came on board to see the ship, bring-
ing with them a present, consisting of sweet-
meats and fruits. They were neatly dressed,
from the waist downwards, and had their bodies
slightly rubbed over with a yellowish colour,
either turmeric or powdered sandal wood. They
wore round the neck several ornaments of gold
us MISSION TO SIAM
and precious stones, none of them of much value.
Each had a long necklace of moon-stones set in
gold thrown over the shoulder, and suspended
from the neck a large, broad, golden ornament,
studded with diamonds, sapphires, and rubies,
all of inferior quality and of trifling value. Like
all Indian children, they shewed a wonderful
precocity of manners, conducting themselves with
the greatest ease and propriety.
In the evening we were visited by a man of
rank, second to the minister alluded to. He was
an old, lively, and inquisitive man, upwards of
sixty-five years of age. He came in one of the
king's boats, which was rowed by men dressed
in coarse scarlet cloth.
This old gentleman conversed for some time
with great ease and affability, inquired into the
respective rank and occupation of the several
gentlemen of the mission, and seemed to wel-
come us with great cordiality. He soon intimated
that the object of his visit was to procure the
letter from the Governor- General to the King.
He had brought with him a handsome golden
cup for its reception. On this, the letter, wrapt
in gold tissue, was placed in his presence. On
his expressing a wish to depart, Mr. Crawfurd
took up the cup, and raising it to his head, pro-
ceeded through a double line of sepoys, with
presented arms, drawn out for the occasion, to
AND COCHIN CHINA. 119
the gangway, from which he handed it down to
one of the gentlemen of the mission placed in the
chief's boat to receive it. The latter delivered
it to the chief, who placed it negligently on a
piece of old carpet, on which he sat.
March 30th. — The Portuguese, who continued
to visit us from time to time, brought a message
from the minister Peea-Suri-Wong-Montree, to
the effect, that he would be happy to accommodate
the mission with a house during their stay at Ban^
kok. The offer was accepted, and^ at the re-
quest of Mr. Crawfurd, Captain Macdonald went
on shore to examine the house. His report was
far from flattering to our expectations. The
building, which appeared to be an out-house,
intended for a store-room, contained but four
small, ill-ventilated rooms, the approach to which
led through a trap-door from below, and on three
sides they were almost entirely excluded from
fresh air. There was not a single out-house for
the accommodation of a numerous train of fol-
lowers. The place was besides completely shut
out from the court, and the open space occupied
by the chief himself, whose accommodations ap-
peared to be abundantly ample and comfortable.
A list of the persons forming the suite of the
Agent of the Governor-General had been trans-
mitted to the minister at an early period after
J20 MISSION TO SIAM
our arrival, by which he must have been con-
vinced that the house he had allotted was
totally inadequate for the accommodation of the
party. Besides, the manner in which it had
been granted, was calculated to awaken sus-
picion that he either wished to have the mission
entirely at his own disposal, excluding every
one else from visiting us, and be enabled to
keep the strictest watch over our conduct, or
that he wished to degrade it, by affecting to
regard it as of but little importance. The latter
inference appeared the more probable, from the
circumstance of his own accommodations being
abundantly respectable and ample, and yet the
number of his retainers did not appear to equal
that of our followers. With Asiatics, as with
other nations, it is the custom for the government
to provide accommodation for persons sent on
the public service from one court to another, in
an official capacity.
In the present instance, it was conferred by
an individual, in a very inadequate manner, and
as a matter of favour and of indulgence on his
part. It should be observed, however, that the
number of houses built of brick and mortar, and
roofed with tiles, is here very scanty ; and,
although the house allotted for the use of the
mission was in all respects inferior to those oc-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 121
cupied by the chief, yet it is possible that they
may have considered it as admirably adapted for
the purpose.
No person of rank had yet waited on the
Agent to the Governor General, and all commu-
nication with the minister was carried on through
the Malay so often alluded to, a man to all ap-
pearance of low rank, cunning, suspicious, and
artful in the highest degree. He could be looked
upon only in the light of a vigilant spy, supple,
fawning, and familiar, yet ready to take advan-
tage of every expression, and of every act of our
conduct, nor were the most trifling and indif-
ferent matters beyond his notice ; and, on one
occasion, when a young gentleman on board,
not connected with the mission, went to visit
the Portuguese Consul, this man meanly traced
his steps, and followed him into the house. His
character was besides publicly spoken of as
being little short of infamous ; and, on more
than one occasion, he had been treated by the
captains of American and European ships with
a degree of harshness and rigour which no man
possessed of the least degree of feeling or of
credit could have possibly submitted to. His
particular duty is to superintend the conduct of
the Malays who frequent this port. I may ob-
serve of this man, that he appeared to be about
forty-five years of age. He was tall, active, and
123 MISSION TO SIAM
rather thin. In appearance, he was not to be
distinguished from that sect of Mohammedans so
numerous on the coast of Coromandel, Malabar,
and Ceylon, and usually known under the gene-
ral and indefinite appellation of Moormen. The
sect is called Mopla. They are, for the most
part, petty traders, and are generally to be seen
hawking their wares about the houses of Euro-
peans. They shave the head, and wear on its
crown a small white cap. This man always
wore such a cap : the upper part of his body
was naked : round the loins he wore a piece of
coarse cloth, turned up between the legs, and, at
times, a coarse shawl. Such were the accom-
plishments, and such the appearance of Kochai-
Sahac, a man whom it was scarce possible to
look upon without distrust.
The ship had not yet been secured, before a
message was brought by this man to demand
the presents for the king. A list of the articles
had been demanded, and forwarded as soon as
we entered the mouth of the river. Their first
object was to procure an English horse, ori-
ginally intended as a present for the king of
Cochin China. It would seem that they were
much pleased with this gift, and indeed they
were struck with astonishment at the great value
of the presents in general, and hence they could
but ill conceal their joy on the occasion, and
AND COCHIN CHINA. 123
that they had been Httle accustomed to receive
gifts of such value. Unlike the more civilized
states of further India, the Siamese court, in
the urgency and frequency of its demands, be-
trayed a degree of meanness and avidity in this
matter at once disgusting and disgraceful. For
several successive days, there was no end to
their importunities. The most valuable, as well
as the most trifling articles, were taken away
without the least ceremony, and intrusted to the
Moorman and a few common labourers. In the
course of the day, a mean-looking person came
on board, saying, that he was desired to take
away the presents. The circumstance appeared
suspicious. He was told that he could not have
them, on which he went away apparently quite
satisfied. It is probable that this man had been
sent by the prince, or some other person of
rank, to pry into the affair, as the Moorman
asserted that he was unauthorized to make any
such demand. The articles, as they came up,
with the exception of the horse, consisting of
superfine cloth, English shawls, muslins, glass
ware, muskets, and a small barouche, were
taken to the minister's house, v/here they under-
went a severe scrutiny.
The Portuguese consul at this place now sent
a person in his suite to wait upon the Agent of
the Governor General. He spoke French with
124. MISSION TO SIAM
tolerable accuracy, and excused the consul from
not coming in person, alleging as the reason,
that the court would look upon such a visit in
an unfavourable light, on account of our not
having as yet paid a visit to the king ; but that
ceremony over, he would have the pleasure of
calling.
On wishing to go on the river in the evening,
we learnt the disagreeable intelligence that we
were to be prisoners, and restricted from inter-
course with the people until the ceremony of our
introduction should be over. The only latitude
we could aspire to was to pass from the ship to
the house on shore occupied by the Agent of the
British government, at the distance ofa few yards
only. This circumstance was the more irksome,
from the day of our intended introduction having
been put off for another week, and it was ren-
dered the more disagreeable by the inadequate
accommodation they had assigned to the mis-
sion. They seemed anxious only to procure
presents, and presents in any shape were eagerly
snatched at. They shewed none of those little
attentions so pleasing to strangers, and under-
stood by every people who have made the least
progress in civilization. Their conduct in this
respect formed a striking and unfavourable con-
trast with that of the Barman people towards
Colonel Symes on a similar occasion. Neither
AND COCHIN CHINA. 125
fruit nor any other refreshment was oflfered to us ;
nor was the assistance of labourers to be pro-
cured even when soUcited. It was mysteriously
hinted that the king would provide our people
with food during our stay, but no such offer was
ever tendered. The conduct of the court was
that of marked neglect, which, in a people noto-
riously guided by ceremony and form, could only
be attributed to design, and in no degree to ig-
norance. Their conduct neither amounted to
personal insult, nor to ostensible contempt ; and
it is perfectly evident that they entertained pro-
per sentiments of respect for our government,
and an ill-concealed dread of its well-known
power, from which we might have inferred that
they would make no difficulty in granting what-
ever such a government would deign to ask.
In the evening a message was brought by the
Malay, to say that the minister would be glad to
see Mr. Crav/furd. Accompanied by Captain
Dangerfield, he accordingly made him a visit.
He received them in a large and lofty hall, open
on one side, spread with carpets, and hung with
glass lights and Chinese lanterns. They took
their seats on carpets spread for the purpose,
and were entertained with tea, fruit, and Chinese
preserves. It would appear that the conversa-
tion was of a general nature, and rather formal.
They were well-pleased with the attention of the
126 Mission to siam
chief, and spoke favourably of their reception.
He offered to make what alterations were deemed
necessary to fit the house for our convenience,
an offer which he subsequently bore little in re-
membrance. The servility which the attendants
of this man observed towards him, appears to
have been quite disgusting, and altogether de-
grading to humanity. During the whole of the
visit they lay prostrate on the earth before him,
and at a distance. When addressed, they did
not dare to cast their eyes towards him, but
raising the head a little, and touching the fore-^
head with both hands united in the manner by
which we would express the most earnest sup-
plication, their looks still directed to the ground,
they whispered an answer in the most humili-
ating tone. The manner in which he was ap-
proached by the servants of his household was
even still more revolting to nature. When re-
freshments were ordered, they crawled forward
on all fours, supported on the elbow and toes,
the body being dragged on the ground. In this
manner they pushed the dishes before them from
time to time, in the best manner that their con-
strained and beast-like attitude would admit, un^
til they had put them into their place, when
they retreated backwards in the same grovelling
manner, but without turning round.
How abominable ! how revolting this assump-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 127
tion of despotic power ! that would vainly assi-
milate a weak and frail mortal to the Deity, and
that could trample under its feet not only the
body, degrading it to the condition of the brute
beasts of the field, but even the mind of man,
and render servility perpetual !
Yet this haughty chief was himself but a mi-
nister of the fifth order in importance, doomed
to take his turn of beast-like grovelling, as was
subsequently exhibited on visiting Chroma-
chit, son to the king. Every man here is doomed
to crawl on the earth before his superior. The
nation must be considered as entirely the slaves
of the king, of whose lives, as well as property,
he can dispose at will.
Masters' commands come with a power resistless.
To such as owe them absolute subjection.
A few days after this Mr. Crawfurd, accompa-
nied by Lieutenant Rutherfurd, visited the
Prince Chroma-chit, an illegitimate son of the
reigning king. The hour appointed was about
eight o'clock in the evening.
He was seated in the middle of a spacious
hall, ornamented chiefly in the Chinese style.
Common looking-glasses, Dutch glass, shades,
lamps, and Chinese lanterns adorned the walls
and were suspended from the ceiling. The
prince received them sitting, and on their en-
trance pointed to carpets placed at a distance
128 :mission to siam
for the visitors to sit upon. Like most other
Siamese men of rank, the prince is uncommonly
stout, and rather bloated with fat. His form is
unwieldy and coarse, his manner grave and un-
bending, and his general appearance that of
being much older than he really is. The con-
versation, as reported by Mr. Rutherford, turned
upon the usual topics of public visits at Asiatic
courts ; such as the length of our voyage, the age
of the visitors, their ordinary employments ; the
health of the Governor General of India ; the
state of England, and so forth. After some
time, boxes containing betel and tobacco sprouts
were offered ; and afterwards sweetmeats in
profusion were introduced.
It is always the custom at this court to visit
the prince, previously to visiting the king. Al-
most all matters of government, in whatever de-
partment, are in the hands of this prince, who is
considered to have shewn genius and talent equal
to the great charge with which he is intrusted.
All matters relating to peace or war, to foreign
intercourse, or to domestic regulations, to affairs
of religion, of policy or of justice, are equally
at his disposal, and rarely referred to the king,
but for the purpose of gaining his final consent.
The inferior agents of government are entirely
under his control, and have no power to do any
thing of themselves without first obtaining his
AND COCHIN CHINA. 129
opinion, for which purpose they generally wait
upon him twice a-day. He, at this interview, as
did the king afterwards on the occasion of our
introduction to him, signified that Suri Wong
Montree *, the chief who had accommodated the
party with a house, would make known to him
the objects of their mission, and at the same time
expressed his authoritative expectation that this
chief was attentive to our wants.
The submission of the attendants was on this
occasion even more marked than that observed
towards Suri Wong, who was himself now
amongst the number strewed on the ground in
humble obeisance towards their prince. The
latter conversed through the medium of the
Malay, or rather Moorman, by which name I
shall call him in future, who was on this occasion
assisted by another personage of the same de-
scription, who spoke the Hindustani with to-
lerable accuracy. The two Malay interpreters
of the Agent of the Governor General were not
permitted to be present.
It is customary amongst the Siamese to send
home after the visitors the sweetmeats which had
been brought forward during the visit, as it is
also to place on the floor before them the presents
* Surya Vangsa Mantri: this title is Sanskrit, signifying- coun-
sellor of the lineage of the sun.
K
130 MISSION TO SI AM
they had made. This was done by Suri Wong,
and by this prince, and again was this ceremony
observed when we were introduced to the king,
though in the latter case the most insignificant
only of the presents from the Governor General of
Bengal were introduced, and these were so laid
out as to make the least possible display.
Numerous were the proposals, and more nu-
merous the reports brought from day to-day re-
specting the ceremonies to be performed by us
on being presented at court. Many conferences
had taken place between Mr. Crawfurd and the
Moorman on the important topic, and matters
were referred by the latter to the chief, Suri
Wong. What the nature of these conferences
were I am altogether ignorant, not having
been present at them ; and, indeed, as I do not
understand Malayan, the language in which they
were carried on, my presence was the less
necessary. It was to be feared, however, that
the cunning Moorman would exert every means
in his power, and leave nothing untried to induce
compliance on the part of the Agent of the Gover-
nor General, with all the ceremonies prescribed
by the Siamese court, of whose moderation, in
matters of this nature, we might in some degree
judge, by the haughty demeanour of the few
chiefs we had yet seen. It was, therefore, alike
AND COCHIN CHINA. 131
the interest, as it was the undisguised intention
of the Moorman to claim merit with his em-
ployers in proportion to his success in the pre-
sent matter. He commenced by introducing the
question in the most artful and clever manner,
boldly asserting that a report had gone abroad to
the effect that the public Envoy of the Government
of Bengal meant to act in a disrespectful manner
towards the King of Siam — that it was his inten-
tion, throwing his arms impudently behind his
back, to stand before the king without shewing
any mark of respect whatever. Mr. Crawfurd
replied, that so far from this being the case, he
had come to do honour to the King of Siam
before his subjects, and then mentioned what
ceremonies he was willing to perform. With
this assurance the Moorman was said to have
gone away contented.
Another matter, which appears to have created
much discussion and frequent reference, regarded
the manner in which the members of the mission
should proceed to the place of audience. It was
first proposed, that after proceeding to the usual
landing-place in boats, they should thence con-
tinue on foot to the audience hall. This proposal
was given up for that of going on horseback,
and this last finally to that of being carried in
palanquins.
K 2
132 MISSION TO SIAM
Matters were at length settled, and we were
given to understand that we were to proceed
to the palace at an early hour on the following
day.
I accompanied Mr. Crawfurd on an early visit
to the Barkalan, Suri Wong Montree. On this
occasion he was seated on a piece of red carpet,
and leaned on a velvet cushion ; he rose up as
we entered, and pointed to a mattress covered
with chintz, placed near to the door for us to sit
on. His manner appeared to me to be stiff,
haughty, assuming, and altogether without dig-
nity to support it. The conversation between
him and INIr. Crawfurd lasted nearly half an
hour, and turned chiefly on commercial matters.
He stated that the country could furnish annually
50,000 peculs of sugar, and 30,000 of pepper.
He appeared to have greatly exaggerated the
annual produce in benzoin, and observed, that
the forests could supply sapan wood in any
quantity. He desired to know if the Siamese
would be permitted to purchase arms in our ports
in India.
When we returned on board, Capt. Danger-
field remained behind after breakfast, for the
purpose of being informed respecting the nature
of the ceremonies to be performed by us on the
following day in the royal presence. In the
AND COCHIN CHINA. 133
course of the day we received a note from
Capt. D., stating that Mr. Crawfurd wished to
gee us on shore on a matter of duty. We found
that there existed a difference of opinion on the
subject in question. * * *
*****
This was the first we had heard of the mat-
ter in a serious way. We had often in a
jocular manner talked on the subject, but, as
has been observed, we were yet ignorant of
what was expected of us. Immediately there-
after, however, the nature of the intended sa-
lutations was pointed out to us, differing cer-
tainly very materially from what we had anti-
cipated, and from what Mr. C. had pointed
out on a former evening as that which we
were to perform. The mode of salutation, in
its present shape, admitted of little objection ;
and, accordingly, after a very few remarks, we
agreed to the performance of it. We were to
take off our shoes at the door of the hall of
audience ; when we had entered, we were
to take off our hats, and making a bow in the
English manner, we were to advance to the seats
appointed for us, and there sitting down, with
the legs bent backwards and under us, but a
little to one side, we were to make three saluta-
tions with the hands united before the face,
touching the forehead each time. The union of
13i MISSION TO SIAIM
the hands in this manner appearing to be ex-
pressive of supplication, and being used as the
sign thereof by many Asiatics, Capt. Danger-
field proposed that in its stead we should salute
in the manner done at some of the Hindu courts,
by performing the salam with both hands, raising
them separately to the head at the same time.
It was observed that the difference was very
immaterial, and that therefore the Siamese mode
should be preferred ; besides it appeared that
the members of the mission might perform the
salutation with more or less correctness as they
judged proper, and that it would be deemed
enough if they touched the forehead with the
hands in any way.
April 8. — It had been communicated to us
that the ceremonies of the day would commence
at an early hour. Accordingly about seven
A.M. we were in attendance on the Agent to the
Governor General. At eight o'clock two boats, a
large and a small one, shaped like canoes, and
turned up at the bow and stern, had come for
the purpose of taking us to the palace. The
larger had, I think, thirteen paddles, and a man
to steer it. It was without ornament of any sort,
plain, but neat, with a boarded space in the
centre, over which was erected a sort of matted
roof. A piece of old carpet, and a small, but
old velvet cushion, were placed upon this boarded
AND COCHIN CHINA. 13^
space. The rowers in this boat were dressed in
caps and loose jackets made of coarse red cloth.
The other boat was of* small dimensions, but
also provided with a seat in the centre, and a
cover similar to that of the former.
In this there were stationed only five or six
rowers, none of whom appeared to be Siamese.
Their appearance was very wretched and mean.
They had scarce a rag of clothes of any de-
scription, and consisted of boys and decrepit
old men. The guard of Sepoys, amounting to
thirty in number, were placed in the ship's long-
boat, and preceded us to the landing-place near
to the palace, where they waited the arrival of
the British Agent.
The Barkalan, Suri Wong Montree, set out at
an early hour, dressed in his robes of ceremony
for the occasion.
The Moorman, Khochai-Sahac, was in attend-
ance to conduct the mission to the palace, and
when the boats were ready, gave intimation that
it was time to proceed. The smaller boat was
occupied by the servants and followers of the
mission, while the Agent to the Governor General,
accompanied by the gentlemen of his suite, entered
the larger. In this we found two Portuguese,
who had been born in the country ; one of them
a respectable-looking man. They were appa-
rently sent to act as interpreters by the way.
136 MISSION TO SIAM
The more respectable-looking of the two, seeing
that I spoke the Portuguese language very im-
perfectly, to my great surprise addressed me in
the Latin language. The purity of his phraseo-
logy excited my surprise still more. It was
vastly superior to the monkish jargon, spoken
by certain orders of the clergy in some parts of
the Continent of Europe. Yet this man had re-
ceived his education in Siam, in the Catholic
seminary of this place. I concluded that he
v^^as of the clerical order, but in this I was mis-
taken.
Our boats, accompanied by a small one v^hich
conveyed the Moorman, proceeded towards the
palace at a moderate rate. Our presence seemed
to excite but little attention on the part of the in-
habitants of the floating houses which line the
banks of the river, occupied almost exclusively
by the Chinese, or on the part of those on board
the junks, or those passing and re-passing on the
river. Some were observed to laugh immoderately,
w^hile others covered the face to conceal mirth
which might be considered as rude. A few mi-
nutes brought us to the landing-place, within a
few paces of the outermost wall of the palace.
The Sepoys had arrived here before us, and now
disembarked and drew up in a line on the road.
The boat which conveyed the servants, being
very indifferently supplied with rowers, was still
AND COCHIN CHINA. 137
far behind, so that we had to wait in our boat
till their arrival. The place we landed at was
dirty, inconvenient, and lumbered with wood
and small canoes. It might have been taken for
the entrance into a wood-merchant's yard, than
many of which this was much less clean and con-
venient. As great a crowd of people, almost
entirely males, as could be collected together in
so small a space was here assembled, and
viewed us with much, but I cannot say with re-
spectful, curiosity. The gate and wall of the
palace were lofty, but mean-looking and in bad
taste ; neither were the three other gates and
inner walls that we passed remarkable for the
opposite qualities, not even for labour in their
construction, or strengthen the design.
Our servants having arrived, we landed, and
the palanquins intended for our conveyance were
produced. Without our being aware of it, they
had come along with us in the boat ; a circum-
stance which will excite but little surprise when
it is known that these palanquins consisted
merely of a netting in the exa^^t shape of a
sailor's hammock suspended from a pole. A
small piece of carpet was spread in the centre,
and each vehicle was carried on the shoulders
of two men, one at each end of the pole. We
at first experienced a little difficulty in preventing
ourselves from rolling out of this contrivance,
13^ MISSION TO SIAM
and our awkward attempts to do so seemed to
afford great amusement to the spectators, who
kept shouting aloud until we were within the gate.
We took possession of our vehicles in the
order of our respective ranks, the Agent to the Go-
vernor General proceeding first. In this manner,
accompanied by our Sepoys, the procession
passed to an inner gate, distant from the first
about one hundred and fifty yards ; the road
was dirty, and here and there coarsely paved.
At this gate we were detained for a few minutes,
when it was thrown open. Here we were di-
rected to leave the vehicles, and proceed on foot.
We were at the same time directed to take off our
swords, and to leave the Sepoys here. We had
now entered a spacious and open court of great
extent, with various ranges of large tiled build-
ings disposed in tolerable order, and traversed
by roads paved with coarse-grained granite, dis-
posed in right lines.
It deserves to be mentioned, that at the gate
last-mentioned, the Moorman, Khochai-Sahac,
was joined by another man of the same caste.
These, as well as other Moormen whom we saw
on the present occasion, were dressed in long
loose gowns and turbans, ornamented with gold
leaf or tinsel. The two Moormen proceeding in
front, and a crowd of spectators on either side,
we walked to the distance of about one hundred
AND COCHIN CHINA. 139
yards on a paved road, when turning a short
way to the right, we were shewn into a large
open building, of mean appearance, and not
particularly clean. We had as yet seen no
guards or armed persons, and no one on duty
except the people at the last gate. In front of
the building we had now entered, about six or
eight elephants had been drawn up at regular
distances, each surmounted by two men in quaint
costume.
In this room was placed a small platform,
raised about a foot from the ground, covered
with a coarse white cloth, and close by a large
old carpet was spread, on which we were de-
sired to seat ourselves. Betel and tobacco
sprouts were introduced on coarse brass dishes,
and a like attention was paid to our servants,
who sat on the opposite side of the room. The
place was soon crowded with a multitude of low
people, some of whom were resting on their
knees, and others standing, and all of them were
very noisy, insomuch, that now and then it was
deemed necessary to coerce with the rod. The
profuse and unsparing liberality with which it
was applied, seemed to argue the great utility
as well as the frequent use of this sort of argu-
ment, and we never observed it to fail in pro-
curing a temporary silence. After we had waited
somewhat less than half an hour, it was
140 MISSION TO SIAM
notified by two men, dressed in an upper gar-
ment of white cloth, in the fashion of a wide
shirt, with a narrow strip of coarse lace about the
middle of the arm, and another at its extremity,
that we were called for. These men appeared
to me to belong to the police department ; and
afterwards, when they accompanied us to see
the elephants and other objects, they occasionally
applied the rod with laudable vigour, to maintain
order amongst the rabble. Without addressing
themselves to the Agent to the Governor General,
they now delivered their message to the Moormen.
The latter proposed that we should here pull off
our shoes, and walk the remainder of the way
without them. This however was overruled,
and we again turned into the road which we had
left on entering. A line of men armed with
muskets was drawn up on each side of the road,
and extended to the next gate. Nothing could
be more ridiculous or more unsoldierlike than the
appearance of this guard, composed of puny
boys, scarce able to stand under a musket, and
of men of all ages. In their caps only was there
any thing like uniformity observable. These
w^ere all painted red, and I cannot give a better
idea of them than by saying that they exactly
resembled the slouched helmets once worn by the
workers of fire-engines at home. They scarcely
had boldness to look us in the face as we passed ;
AND COCHIN CHINA. 141
and among the whole number, which perhaps
might amount to one liundreJ, we did not observe
a single tiint, nor possibly a serviceable musket.
Some had bayonets with scabbards on their
muskets, and others scabbards without bayonets.
With their muskets awkwardly and slovenly
shouldered, some on one side and some on the
other, we passed them without exciting suffi-
cient interest to obtain the least notice.
When we had arrived at the gate in front, we
were again desired to pull off our shoes. Our
servants and followers were permitted to advance
no further, and even the interpreters to the
Agent to the Governor General were not allowed
to proceed. Leaving our shoes at this place, we
advanced,'' on a paved road, through a passage
about fifty yards in length, enclosed by a wall on
each side, until we came to another, and the in-
nermost gate. This also opened into a spacious
oblong place, in which were disposed several
lofty and handsome buildings, occupied by the
king, or appropriated to particular offices. This
space was also intersected by coarsely paved
roads, no way remarkable for cleanliness, breadth,
or beauty. Facing the gate at which we last
entered, there was drawn up a double line of
musicians, one on each side of the road through
which we advanced. A shrill pipe and nume-
rous tomtoms were the only instruments whose
148 MISSION TO SIAM
sounds we heard, though we observed a number
of men furnished with horns, trumpets, chanks,
^c. The music though rude, was not inharmo-
nious or displeasing to the ear, and the inter-
rupted beat, uniform regularity, and softness of
the tomtoms was even agreeable. On our right
a numerous body of men armed with stout,
black, glazed shields and battle axes, were dis-
posed in several close lines within a railing, rest-
ing on their knees, and almost concealed by their
shields; behind these were placed a few ele-
phants, furnished with scanty but rather elegant
housings. Still preceded by the Moormen, we
advanced slowly through the musicians to the
distance of nearly thirty yards from the last gate,
when making a short turn to the right, we en-
tered a plain-looking building, at one end, and
soon found that this was the hall of audience.
Fronting the door, and conceaHng the whole of
the interior apartment, there was placed a Chi-
nese screen, covered with landscapes and small
plates of looking-glass. We halted for a moment
on the threshold, and taking two or three steps
to the right, so as to get round the screen, we
found ourselves suddenly, and somewhat unex-
pectedly, in the presence of majesty. A more
curious, more extraordinary, or more impressive
sight has perhaps rarely been witnessed than
that on which we now gazed, with mingled feel-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 143
ings of regret, (I should say of indignation,) and of
wonder : of wonder excited by the display of taste,
elegance and richness in the decorations ; of regret,
or of indignation, caused by the debased condi-
tion of a whole nation. Such a scene was well
calculated to take a firm hold on the imagination.
I shall, however, endeavour to describe it in its
true colours, and with the least possible aid from
that faculty. The hall was lofty, wide, and well
aired, and appeared to be about sixty or eighty
feet in length, and of proportionate breadth. The
ceiling and walls were painted with various co-
lours, chiefly in the form of wreaths and festoons;
the roof was supported by wooden pillars, ten on
each side, painted spirally red and dark green.
Some small and rather paltry mirrors were dis-
posed on the walls, glass lustres and wall shades
were hung in the centre, and to the middle of
each pillar was attached a lantern, not much
better than our stable lanterns. The floor was
covered with carpets of different colours. The
doors and windows were in sufficient numbers,
but small and without ornament ; at the fiarther
extremity of the hall, a large handsome curtain,
made of cloth covered with tinsel or gold leaf,
and suspended by a cord, divided the space oc-
cupied by the throne from the rest of the apart-
ment. On each side of this curtain there were
placed five or six singular but handsome orna-
144 MISSION TO SIAM
ments, called chatt, consisting of a series of small
circular tables suspended over each other, dimi-
nishing gradually so as to form a cone, and hav-
ing a fringe of rich cloth of gold, or tissue, sus-
pended from each tablet.
A few of the presents from the Governor Gene-
ral, as bales of cloth and cut-glass, were placed
nearly in the middle of the room, and on one
side ; but we neither remarked the letter from the
Noble Marquis, nor did it appear that any notice
whatever was taken of it on this public occasion.
With the exception of a space about twenty
feet square, in front of the throne, which was
kept clear, the hall was crowded with people to
excess. Those of every rank, from the highest
to the lowest, from the heir apparent to the
throne, to the meanest slave present, had his
proper place assigned to him, by which alone he
was to be distinguished. The costume of all
ranks was plain, neither rich nor showy.
The curtain placed before the throne was
drawn aside as we entered. The whole multi-
tude present lay prostrate on the earth, their
mouths almost touching the ground ; not a body
or limb was observed to move, not an eye was
directed towards us, not a whisper agitated the
solemn and still air. It was the attitude, the si-
lence, the solemnity of a multitude simultane-
ously addressing the great God of the universe,
AND COCHIN CHINA. 145
rather than the homage of even an enslaved peo-
ple. Not even Rome, fertile in a race of tyrants,
nor Dionysius himself, ever produced any degra-
dation to compare with this in ignominy.
Raised about twelve feet above the floor, and
about two yards behind the curtain alluded to,
there was an arched niche, on which an obscure
light was cast, of sufficient size to display the
human body to effect, in the sitting posture. In
this niche was placed the throne, projecting from
the wall a few feet. Here, on our entrance, the
king sat immoveable as a statue, his eyes di-
rected forwards. He resembled in every respect
an image of Buddha placed upon his throne ;
while the solemnity of the scene, and the attitude
of devotion observed by the multitude, left little
room to doubt that the tempi e had been the
source from which the monarch of Si am had
borrowed the display of regal pomp. He was
dressed in a close jacket of gold tissue, on his
left was placed what appeared to be a sceptre ;
but he wore neither crown nor other cover-
ing on the head, nor was the former emblem
of the office of royalty displayed on the occa-
sion. The throne was hung round with the same
sort of cloth which formed the curtain in front,
and behind it were placed two of the coni-
cal-shaped ornaments formerly mentioned ; ex-
cept in the quality of the cloth with which the
148 MISSION TO SIAM
throne was surrounded, we could observe no in-
dication of opulence, or of magnificence. There
were neither jewels, nor costly workmanship,
nor precious stones, nor pearls, nor gold ob-
servable about the person of the king, his throne,
or his ministers. The latter were disposed in
three lines laterally, extending from the curtain in
front ; and thus bounded on each side the empty
space at the foot of the throne, according to their
respective ranks. The chief Suriwong was
placed at a very respectful distance. A consi-
derable degree of light was thrown laterally on
the floor at the base of the throne, where large
and elegant fans were waved by persons placed
behind the curtain. This circumstance added
considerable effect to the scene.
Such is a sketch of the form and appearance
of Siamese royalty, displayed on our entering
the hall. When we had passed the screen, and
come in sight of the throne, we pulled off our
hats and bowed in the European manner, the
two Moormen at the same time falling prostrate,
and crawling before us on the ground towards
the throne. We were desired to advance in a
stooping posture ; a narrow space, about three
feet in width, was left open in the centre for us
to advance through. When we had advanced a
few paces in this narrow space, being closely
surrounded by the crowd of people, and distant
AND COCHIN CHINA. 147
from the throne more than half the length of the
hall, all the ministers being a considerable way
in front of us on either side, we were desired
to seat ourselves on the carpet, in the narrow
lane or space through which we had advanced,
which we did in the best way we could, the two
Moormen placing themselves immediately in
front of the Agent to the Governor General and his
Assistant, for the space would only admit of two
persons sitting beside each other. Mr. R. and
I, therefore, placed ourselves immediately be-
hind the former. We now performed the salu-
tations agreed upon, after which a voice from
behind the curtain in front of the throne in-
terrupted the silence which had hitherto pre-
vailed, by reading in a loud tone a list of the
presents which had been sent by the Governor
General.
The King now addressed some questions to
the Agent to the Governor General. He spoke in
a firm though not a loud voice ; in his person he
was remarkably stout, but apparently not bloated
or unwieldy ; he appeared to be about sixty-five
years of age. The questions were repeated by
the person who had read the list of presents,
and from him they were conveyed in whispers by
several individuals, till they reached the Moor-
man, Kochai-Sahac, who, prostrate like the rest
on the ground, whispered them to the Agent to the
L 2
US MISSION TO SIAM
Governor General, in a tone which I could not
hear, though placed immediately behind the
latter. The answers to the throne were passed
on in the same way. From the tenor of these
questions, as related afterwards by Captain Dan-
gerfield, it would appear that they were of a very
general nature, and not particularly interesting.
While these questions were passing, betel was
introduced in handsome silver vessels and gold
cups. The audience having lasted about twenty
minutes, the King rose from his seat, and turn-
ing round to depart, the curtain was immediately
drawn in front of the throne. On this all the
people raised a loud shout, and turning on their
knees, performed numerous salutations, touching
the earth and their forehead alternately, with
both hands united. The princes and ministers
now assumed a sitting posture, by which, for the
first time, we were enabled to observe their re-
spective places. We left the hall of audience
without further ceremony. A heavy shower of
rain had fallen during the interview, and the
roads leading to the different parts of the palace,
at no time noted for cleanliness, were now covered
with water and converted into a dirty puddle ;
we therefore requested to have our shoes, but in
vain, for no notice whatever was taken of our
request. On leaving the door of the audience-
hall, a paltry Chinese umbrella, which might
AND COCHIN CHINA. 14§
be purchased in the bazar for a rupee, was
given to each of us. Not knowing with what
view it was presented, I was about to reject
it, when I was told that it was meant as a
present from the King.
160 MISSION TO SIAM
CHAPTER IV.
White Elephants and White Monkies. — Taste op the
Siamese. — Brahmans and Hinduism in Siam. — Librarit
OF thr Temple. — Enormous Guns. — Trade of Siam a
Roval Monopoly. — Chinese Emigrants. — Sugar. — Sia-
mese Policy respecting Trade. — Policy of the Ultra
Gangetic Nations. — An Embassy arrives from Cochin
China. — Procession of Royal Barges op Siam to receive
it. — Siamese Music. — Reflections on the Result of
THE Mission.
The Moormen, and the two men who had con-
ducted us to the audience-hall, now conducted us
through the different courts of the palace. We
were still followed by a dirty, mean-looking
rabble, whose impudent behaviour was from
time to time checked by the two police men,
our guides. The streets were remarkably dirty,
so that for the greater part of the way we
had to walk up to the ancle in mud and water.
However, no offer was made to procure us our
shoes until we had gone through the whole cere-
mony of seeing the strange sights of this palace,
a tedious and not very gratifying ceremony,
which occupied us nearly two hours. The sun
had, after the shower, shone out with intense
power ; the stones over which we passed had in
consequence been rendered very hot, and the
AND COCHIN CHINA. 151
alternate passing from these stones into the wet
and puddles rendered the promenade not alto-
gether agreeable to persons unaccustomed to
walk bare-footed.
We were first conducted to the stables of the
white elephants, which, being held in great vene-
ration by the Siamese, are kept within the inner
enclosure of the palace, and have habitations
allotted to them quite close to those of the King
himself.
Of white elephants there are at the present
time no fewer than five in the possession of the
King, whence we may infer that this variety is
far less rare than we are accustomed to believe,
at least, that is so in the further peninsula of
India. It has, however, seldom happened that
so many have been collected at one period, and
the present is regarded as auspicious in conse-
quence of an event so unexpected, and so much
desired. A white elephant is still reckoned as
beyond all value, every effort is made to take
them when they are by chance discovered, and
the subjects of the King can perform no more
gratifying service than that of securing them.
They, and indeed all elephants, are the property
of the King only.
The appellation white, as applied to the ele-
phants, must be received with some degree of limi-
tation; the animal is in fact an occasional variety,
152 MISSION TO SIAM
of less frequent occurrence indeed, but in every
respect analogous to what occurs in other or-
ders of animals, and, amongst the rest, in the
human species. They are, correctly speaking, Al-
binos, and are possessed of all the peculiarities of
that abnormal production; but of these white
elephants, it was remarkable that the organ of
sight was to all appearance natural and sound, in
no way intolerant of light, readily accommo-
dating itself to the different degrees of light and
shade, and capable of being steadily directed to
objects at the will of the animal ; in short, simi-
lar in all respects to that of the common ele-
phant, with the exception of the iris, which was of
a pure white colour. In this respect, they re-
sembled all the quadrupedal albinos that I had
hitherto seen, as those among horses, cows, rab-
bits. This circumstance I should scarce have
thought worth the noticing, were it not that I
shall have occasion to mention in the sequel an
instance of an animal of the albino kind, pos-
sessed of the peculiar eye of the human albino.
In one or two of the elephants, the colour was
strictly white, and in all of them the iris was of
that colour, as well as the margins of the eye-
lids ; in the rest, the colour had a cast of pink in
it. The hairs upon the body were for the most
part yellowish, but much more scanty, finer, and
shorter than in other elephants ; the strong hairs
AND COCHIN CHINA. 153
of the tail were darker, but still of a yellowish
colour. In none did the colour and texture of
the skin appear entirely healthy. In some, the
cuticular texture of the legs was interspersed
with glandular knobs, which gave a deformed
appearance to these members. In others the
skin of the body was uncommonly dry, while the
natural wrinkles were unusually large, secreted
an acrid-like fluid, and seemed ready to burst out
into disease. These beasts were all of small size,
but in excellent condition, and one of them was
even handsome. They were treated with the
greatest attention, each having several keepers
attached to him. Fresh-cut grass was placed in
abundance by their side ; they stood on a small
boarded platform, kept clean ; a white cloth was
spread before them, and while we were present
they were fed with sliced sugar-cane, and
bunches of plantains.
In the same place we observed rather a fine-
looking elephant, but a small one, which ap-
peared to me to be a greater object of curiosity
than any of the others. This animal was covered
all over with black spots, about the size of a
pea, upon a white base. It is not unusual to
observe a partial degree of this spotted appear-
ance in the elephant of Bengal, as on the fore-
head and trunk of the animal, but in this
154 MrSSJON TO SIAM
instance the skin was entirely covered with
them.
The greatest regard is entertained in Siam
for the White Elephant. He who discovers one
is regarded as the most fortunate of mortals.
The event is of that importance, that it may be
said to constitute an era in the annals of the
nation. The fortunate discoverer is rewarded
with a crown of silver, and with a grant of land
equal in extent to the space of country at
which the elephants' cry may be heard. He and
his family, to the third generation, are exempted
from all sorts of servitude, and their land from
taxation.
The next and only other animals that we saw
here, are certainly of very rare occurrence, and
objects of great curiosity. These were two
White Monkies, perfect albinos in every respect.
They are about the size of a small dog, furnished
with a tail about as long as the body. They are
thickly covered with fur, which is as white as
snow, or that of the whitest rabbit. The lips,
eye-lids, and feet are distinguished by the in-
animate whiteness of the skin noticed in the
human albino, while the general appearance of
the iris, the eye, and even the countenance,
the intolerance of light, the unsettled air they
assumed, and the grimace they affected, afforded
AND COCHIN CHINA. ISS
SO many points of resemblance between them
and that unhappy variety of our species, as ren-
dered the sight disgusting and humiliating. One
who had seen a perfect albino of the human
species, would find it impossible to separate the
impression of his appearance from that of the
animals now before us. These had but little of
the vivacity or mischievous disposition for which
this tribe is so remarkable. All their move-
ments, all their attitudes, had for their apparent
object the lessening the effect of light and glare,
towards which they always turned their backs.
Their eye-brows seemed pursed up and con-
tracted, the pupils were of a light rose-colour,
the irides of a very pale cast of blue. One was
very old, and had but few teeth in his head.
His lips were beside remarkably thick, and ap-
parently diseased. The other was much younger.
It did not appear that they were held in any
degree of veneration by the Siamese ; we learned
that they were placed here from superstitious
motives, with the object, as they said, of pre-
venting evil spirits from killing the white ele-
phants.
We next proceeded to visit a temple situated
at a short distance beyond the hall of audience.
The court is spacious and neat, containing, be-
sides the temple, a handsome small building, in
which their sacred books are deposited. At
156 MISSION TO SIAM
each of the principal gates are placed gigantic
earthen images, of grotesque form, with clubs
in their hands, and at each angle of the temple
brass figures of a fanciful animal, somewhat re-
sembling a lion. Besides, there were other figures
made of clay, paltry in appearance and absurd
in design. The temple is of a pyramidal form,
highly wrought with minute figures, somewhat
in the Chinese style. The character of the orna-
ments, like that of the paintings on the stern
of a Chinese junk, is operose, unmeaning, and
grotesque ; yet the general effect was in the
present instance not unpleasing to the spectator,
who regarding it at some distance, overlooked
the minuteness alluded to. I remarked that the
Siamese have adopted the pyramid, generally a
quadrangular one, instead of the dome, the only
form in which the Bauddhists of Ceylon build
the sepulchral edifice called Dagoba, the archi-
tectural characteristic of their religion. The
cause of this difference, in a matter so closely
interwoven with their religion, is probably to be
looked for in the different genius of the nations,
to which cause also we must attribute the dif-
ference observable in their respective images of
Buddha himself, for to the individuals of neither
people are we to look for the original exemplar
of that form. The Siamese, like other tribes of
the Moghul race, seem to have formed to them-
AND COCHIN CHINA. I57»
selves a standard of beauty, differing both from
that of Europeans and of Indians. Hence the
sharp, the harsh, the fanciful, the improbable,
are more considered by them than the soft, the
majestic, and the just in architecture. The dif-
ferent forms given to the Dagoba, and to their
temples and palaces, would illustrate this re-
mark. A similar taste is displayed in the de-
corations of their private houses, in which you
look in vain for truth or nature in the representa-
tion of animal beings. A wild unchastened
fancy prevails among them ; hence the origin of
monsters and of the grotesque figures which cover
the walls of the houses of their chiefs. Yet,
though monstrous, unnatural, and unmeaning,
they are not altogether destitute of a certain
degree of spirit and of boldness in the execution.
What degree and kind of genius they may
possess in music and in the arts remains to be
seen. In the actual state of our knowledge, I
cannot but consider the Siamese as prodigi-
ously inferior to the rude inhabitants of the in-
terior of Ceylon, with whom, as professing the
same religion, they will admit of a comparison.
In the elegant and imposing structure of the
Dagoba, in the numerous figures of Buddha,
whether made of earth, stone, ivory, brass,
wood, silver, or gold, the latter are manifestly
superior artists and architects. The Siamese
158 MISSION TO SIAM
would appear to excel in the number of their
images, the Kandians in their quality. The
Siamese temple, rich in the frippery and tinsel
of a Chinaman's toy-shop, with its three hun-
dred images, reminds you more of children's
playthings than of the place of devotion ; while
the Kandian, by the skilful distribution of light
and shade, and proper position of one, or, at
most, of a few well-executed images, produces
an effect at once solemn, majestic, and im-
pressive.
But if this obliquity of genius, if I may so
call it, be so remarkable in the matters already
alluded to, it is still more so in all that is calcu-
lated to give an insight into the constitution of
their mind. The people are governed by opinion,
absurd and unjust, not by reason, by sense, nor
by kindness. The most degrading and brutal
tyranny is mistaken for well-meaning patriarchal
kindness ; and the oppression of the multitude,
and the grinding of the many, is regarded as the
will of the Deity. No man either wishes for, or
aspires to, freedom of thought or of action ; and
tyranny has cast its roots so deep, that change
would seem hopeless.
But to return to the temple. I have observed
that it was of a pyramidal form, the point termi-
nating in a slender spire, about 200 feet high.
Within, the building constituted a single lofty
AND COCHIN CHINA. 159
chamber, about 50 feet long, and nearly as much
in breadth, paved with stones. In the centre
were placed, on irregular stages, a countless
number of small figures of Buddha, intermixed
with bits of looking-glass, scraps of gilded paper,
and Chinese paintings. Surmounting the rest
was a figure of Buddha, about a foot and a half
high, in a sitting posture, made, as our guides
would have us to believe, of emerald. The stone
was either the Chinese figure-stone, or Helio-
trope, but it was placed at too great a distance
for us to be able to say exactly which. There
was here nothing in the shape of an altar, nor
any convenience save the floor on which to place
fruit and flowers, the usual offerings made to
Buddha. A number of vagrant, idle people,
had followed us. They entered the temple, and
behaved with a degree of noisy indecorum, which
could not fail to surprise us.
Surrounding the temple, and forming its en-
closure, there is a paved passage, covered in
above, and supported by pillars. The walls of
this passage are covered with rude paintings of
allegorical subjects, chiefly taken from the story
of the Ramayana, a celebrated epic poem of the
Hindus. It would appear, indeed, that many
of the absurdities of the Hindu rehgion are inter-
mingled with that of Buddha. There are in
Bankok a few Brahmans, who are entertained
IGO MISSION TO SIAM
by the king, and have built a small temple.
The Siamese cultivate a lock of hair on the fore-
head, which lock they preserve from birth to the
age of twelve, fourteen, or sixteen, untouched.
At the expiration of this period, they institute
a great feast ; presents are made by all the rela-
tions and friends of the family, and the occasion
is rendered one of great joy. The Brahman
then, sprinkling a little water on the head, and
repeating certain prayers, cuts the lock. When
the children of the king undergo this ceremony,
an artificial hill is constructed, on which the
Brahman performs the ceremony.
Close to the temple stands the pyramidal
building, in which the sacred books are kept.
You ascend to it by a flight of steps, covered
with plates of tin, as is also the floor of the
room. The books cannot be very numerous.
They are contained in a pyramidal upright cup-
board, richly ornamented with small pieces of
mother-of-pearl.
Returning by the road we had entered, we
repassed the inner and second gates of the pa-
lace, when we found ourselves in the enclosure
where we had halted for some time before enter-
ing the audience-hall. The only objects worthy
of remark in this place were several ridiculously
and uselessly large brass guns. They must,
from their size, be equally unserviceable and
AND COCHIN CHINA. 161
unmanageable. They seemed, however, to pride
themselves not a little in possessing guns of such
a calibre. They appeared to have been uncom-
monly well cast.
Having now been shewn all that was thought
worthy of notice, we were reconducted to the
room in which we had first halted. It was again
soon filled with the rabble. A plentiful dessert
of sweet-meats was introduced, and the Moorman
was particularly desirous that we should partake
of it. But it was impossible to overlook the
mean condition of those left to entertain us, the
disreputable appearance of the building, or the
jeering and disrespectful conduct of the herd of
spectators that crowded round us. It seemed as
if the court had said, See them feed.
As we were leaving the palace, several of the
chiefs were returning home at the same time, and
afforded us an opportunity of observing that they
used vehicles more respectable and more com-
fortable than those they had assigned for the use
of the Agent to the Governor General. We now
procured our slung hammocks, and were carried
back to our boats. About one, P. M., we reached
the ship.
A large quantity of sweet-meats, those which
had been placed before us on our visit to the
palace, was sent home after us ; and, in the
course of the afternoon, the chief, Suri-wong,
M
163 MISSrON TO SIAM
paid the Agent to the Governor General a visit,
and said that he had been desired to entertain
us with a dinner. A profusion of roasted pork,
goats' flesh, ducks, fowls, &c., was then brought
by his servants and laid on the table, together
with a couple of decanters of a wine nearly as
strong and fiery as brandy. He remained a
spectator of the entertainment, but would not
eat or drink with us. He conversed with more
ease with us than he had hitherto done. He
said we had been highly honoured, and seemed
to be quite pleased with the transactions of the
day. He asked many questions, and wished to
be thought easy and free, but his manner was
coarse and impolite to a degree quite unusual in
an Asiatic. * * * ^i? *
On reviewing the transactions of this day, and
connecting them with the general conduct of the
officers of the Siamese government towards the
mission, from the period of our arrival in the
country, it will appear that we had but little rea-
son to be elated with success, or proud of our
reception at court.
In their visits, the most petty officers arrogated
a superiority which certainly did not belong to
their inferior station, for some of them turned out
to be low retainers of the chiefs, to whom they
performed the offices of menials, and crouched
on the ground before them, as we afterwards
AND COCHIN CHINA. 163?
found on visiting those chiefs. The demand that
the guns should be landed before we proceeded
up the river, though a punctilio they readily con-
ceded, but little stress having to all appearance
been laid upon it from the commencement, shewed
that nothing was beneath their notice, and we
may infer from their sending a single narrow
boat, capable of holding at most but three per-
sons, on a short journey, for the accommodation
of the Agent to the Governor General, that they
wished to hold the mission very cheap.
After we had arrived nearly opposite to the
palace, no notice whatever was taken of the ship,
any more than if she had not been there, and the
first communication had for its object to obtain
possession of the presents sent by the Governor
General. It was impossible to attribute to igno-
rance their affected indifference, and studied
inattention to whatever related to the accommo-
dation, the wants, or the comforts of the gentle-
men of the mission. Hospitality is a virtue not
altogether unknown to any nation or people ; with
politeness, it is much the same. Their leading
features are acknowledged by all people. Na-
tions differ only in the mode of their expression.
On these points there seems no reason to believe
that the Siamese are much behind their neigh-
bours. To individuals they had often behaved
with attention and kindness, and particularly so
to the captains of ships and European traders.
164. MISSION TO SIAM
The inference therefore is, that, in the present in-
stance, they listened to political motives only,
and though the matter was of that trifling import-
ance as scarce to deserve mention, yet, taken in
conjunction with their conduct in other matters,
it throws some Ught upon the view in which they
held the present mission. Every person of rank
carefully abstained from coming near us, Kochai
Sahac, being the channel of reference to the chief
Suri-Wong Montree, who is not among the per-
sons of the highest rank, but only acting * Bar-
kalan, the chief, whose office this is, being either
too old, or otherwise incapable of attending to
his duties. Our introduction to the king, and
the particular place assigned to the mission, at
the audience, and other circumstances before al-
luded to, require no comment. The court in
granting a public audience had displayed its
power, and perhaps its riches, motives of them-
selves sufficient to induce a government sup-
ported chiefly by appearances, to grant such au-
dience. It is known that the king receives en-
voys from other potentates in a very different
manner, with ceremony, with pomp, wearing his
crown at the audience. It was evident therefore
that they affected to treat the mission from
the Governor General of Bengal as of inferior
consequence, and that they meant to consider it
* According to Loubere, Pra-Klang is the same title as
Bavkalati.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 165
in the light of a deputation from the governor of a
province, such deputations being common amongst
the neighbouring powers. This matter was placed
beyond a doubt some days afterwards, the moor-
man Kochai stating that the mission had been re-
ceived by the king as a deputation from a provin-
cial government.
Seeing that no notice whatever was taken, nor
even mention made, of the letter from the Gover-
nor General at our public presentation, we could
no longer entertain doubts as to the idea which
they wished to impress upon the public mind
respecting the importance of the government of
Bengal. We, however, had abundant reason to
believe that well-informed persons about the go-
vernment were not ignorant of the vast power,
the extensive dominion, the unparalleled equity of
that government.
The presents from the Governor General were
laid out before us in the hall, and a crier read
in a loud voice a list of them, a circumstance
also open to suspicion, particularly as the inter-
preters to the mission were not permitted to be
present, or even to pass the inner gate of the
palace. Under such circumstances it appeared
that they might represent our word presents in
whatever light was most flattering to their pride,
their vanity, or their crooked policy.
With respect to the actual objects of the
16(j MISSION TO SIAM
mission, the proposals were so moderate, so ob-
viously of mutual advantage, that, from all we
could yet learn, the government would be as
anxious to confer them as ours to receive them.
The encouragement given to the Chinese traders
and labourers, and the limited adventures of the
king and some of the principal men about him,
had given them a foretaste of the advantages of
commerce, which they were now very anxious to
improve. They were becoming sensible of the
errors created by their cupidity, in imposing in-
numerable and vexatious duties. Blind to their
real interests, as well as ignorant of the practice
of commerce, the king and his ministers still con-
tinue to be the sole merchants, retaining in their
own hands the monopoly of all articles of conse-
quence, and holding it contraband for any others
to intermeddle. They have yet to learn that it is
possible to fill the treasury with less risk, less
trouble, and more credit, from the industry and
fair profits of their subjects ; and hence King
Chau-chee-veet, " the Lord of Life," continues
to be the first trader in his kingdom.
It is to the Chinese nation that they are in-
debted for whatever knowledge they possess of
the advantages of commercial intercourse. In
defiance of the laws of the celestial empire, there
would appear to be scarcely any limit to the ex-
tent of emigration from that great empire. Her
AND COCHIN CHINA. mr
subjects are the best and most industrious part
of the population of the surrounding nations, over
whom their industry, their superior intelligence,
and knowledge of the arts, have given them a
great and decided superiority. Siam, a country
sunk under the most debasing tyranny, destitute
alike of arts and commerce, offered a fair field
for the developement of their superiority. Fear
had long opposed obstacles to the increase of the
Chinese, till at length the government either
from conscious incapacity of restraining them
longer, or from motives of a different nature, has
at length given them the most unbounded encou-
ragement, and granted them privileges which
render their condition infinitely preferable to that
of the natives of the country. On the other hand
the benefits which the Chinese emigrants have
conferred upon this rude nation, are of obvious
and striking utility, and of no ordinary import-
ance. They have sown the seeds of commercial
enterprise. They have created commerce where
none previously existed, and with their hands
they have, as it were, called into existence some
of the more valuable objects of commerce. Scarce
twenty years have elapsed since the first sugar
canes were planted in this kingdom. The annual
produce in sugar, at the present time, is stated
to amount to 30,000 peculs, of 133 Jibs, each, or
168 MISSION TO SIAM
1788 tons. This constitutes, in fact, the most
valuable commercial article of the realm. The
culture is managed solely by the Chinese, and it
is the opinion of the chief Suri-Wong, that it may
be carried to an almost unlimited extent. Such
being the nature of the advantages derived from
the unremitting industry of the Chinese, it is not
to be wondered at, if that people should enjoy
privileges denied to European and other nations.
Chinese traders are accordingly subjected to less
vexatious proceedings in their commercial trans-
actions, and are even allowed to purchase the
principal commodities at a lower rate of duty
than other nations, the difference in the article of
sugar amounting to fifty per cent, less than the
general rate.
Not satisfied, however, with the trade carried
on by the Chinese junks, the king has shewn a
strong desire to increase its extent, although the
means which he has adopted are not well calcu-
lated to effect that object. His proper subjects
are altogether ignorant of maritime science, and
seem to possess but few of the qualities neces-
sary to ensure success in such employments ; he
is therefore under the necessity of employing
foreigners, as native Christians, Arabs, and other
Mahommedans, to navigate his vessels. He,
nevertheless, sends annually to various ports in
AND COCHIN CHINA, 169
China from ten to twelve junks, of moderate size,
laden with sugar, pepper, sapan, and iron
wood.
It is, however, with the commercial nations of
Europe that he is most desirous to establish the
relations of trade. The great size of their ves-
sels, their valuable and select cargoes, and more
particularly their ready command of capital, and
integrity of conduct, place them at once beyond
competition and rivalship. A conscious sense of
his own weakness, however, operates strongly
as a check upon his intercourse with Europeans.
To these fears a debasing cupidity is superadded,
and the result is exhibited in a code of irksome
and illiberal regulations, calculated at once to
disgust and to disappoint the liberal-minded
trader. In the actual condition of the existing
government, there is but little room to hope for
amelioration of policy, or improvement of cir-
cumstances. Still less, I conceive, are we to
expect that they will lay aside their old pre-
judices, and adopt in their stead those regula-
tions which, amongst Europeans, are the found-
ation of what is called free trade. They may,
indeed, be induced to lower the duties on certain
articles, but it is to be feared that neither the
king nor his ministers will abandon their favourite
system of monopoly.
That the Siamese government is not disposed,
170 MISSION TO SIAM
at the present time, to adopt the European no-
tions of free trade, we have a proof in its con-
duct with regard to the trading brig. Phoenix,
belonging to Mr. Storm. Trusting probably to
the favourable disposition produced by the mis-
sion, this vessel was freighted with articles from
Calcutta, which were conceived to be adapted to
the Siamese market. She had no sooner arrived
at the mouth of the river, than it was communi-
cated by the Siamese government to the Agent to
the Governor General that this vessel should afford
an instance of the disposition of the government,
and that she should enjoy all the privileges and
advantages which the royal Majesty of Siam
meant to confer upon British merchants. The
ordinary policy was immediately resorted to.
The king and his ministers insist on the privilege
of purchasing before any permission can be
granted to trade. They send to demand musters
of the articles imported, and affix their own price
for such as they wish to purchase. Three weeks
have thus passed before any final answer is re-
turned, or the musters sent back, during the
whole of which time no boat, no trader, no indi-
vidual of any description, is permitted to visit
the ship, or to hold intercourse with the owners
on board. It may be readily conceived that no
subject will dare to offer a higher price than that
which has been tendered by the king and his
AND COCHIN CHINA, 171
ministers. The waste of time must of itself be
no little inconvenience to the merchant. It would
seem as if it were the object of the Siamese
government to disgust the trader, in this manner,
by unnecessary delay, hoping thereby to reduce
him to the necessity of selling his goods on their
own, or, at least, on more moderate terms. In
the meanwhile the most evasive answers are re-
turned to every proposition. The slightest and
most indifferent matters are rendered a source of
annoyance, nor is any proposition or representa-
tion on the part of the trader met openly and
candidly, but shuffled off in a mean and paltry
manner.
From the conduct of the government towards
this ship, it soon became apparent how little
they were disposed to grant to British mer-
chants. The Agent to the Governor General had
been assured that the duties should be lowered
two per cent, below the present rate. It was
now unequivocally stated that no such reduction
should take place until the English sent five ships
annually : it was afterwards stated that this re-
duction would be enforced after the period of
two years or so.
The most urgent and frequently repeated soli-
citations could not induce them to give any an-
swer on the subject of trade for the course of an
entire month, nor could the musters which they
178 MISSION TO SIAM
had demanded from Mr. Storm be got back
again. It afterwards appeared that one object
of this delay was to give time to the junks to
arrive from Singapore with their cargoes, by
which means during this delay the prices of ar-
ticles were reduced twenty per cent.
While the ship lay here, it was vain to expect
to be able to dispose of any thing until the go-
vernment had returned an answer. At length a
communication was made to the eflfect that the
government would purchase, but on terras to
which Mr. Storm could not accede. The latter
now expected that he should be able to dispose of
his goods to the inhabitants of the place, but
none of them ever came near him, nor could
they dare to offer a higher price than that ten-
dered by the Pra-Klang.
It will no doubt appear strange that a people,
so anxious for the commerce of European nations,
as to hold out privileges in proportion to the ex-
tent of that trade, should notwithstanding raise
so many obstacles against the obvious tendency
of their apparent measures. Various and very
opposite feelings would appear to have given
birth to this manifest inconsistency of conduct —
of which national pride, and undisguised cupi-
dity, vindicate a large share. There can be
little doubt but that much of the annoyance given
to the European trader is viewed by them as a
AND COCHIN CHINA. 173
matter of exultation — and it must be confessed
that the eagerness with which the former have
sought for their commerce, leading them to sub-
mit to insult and degradation, has cherished this
sentiment on the part both of the government and
of the people. It is the nature of the Ultra-
Gangetic nations to rise in their demands in pro-
portion as they can enforce, or in any way pro-
cure submission to their will. They are uni-
versally more influenced by firmness, boldness,
and decision, than by the most sound and con-
clusive arguments, the most mild, inoffensive,
and conciliating conduct. They are either in-
sensible to, or regardless of, the latter sort of
argument. He that would have them listen to
arguments of reason and common sense, must be
backed by the hand of power, and hold the rod
in reserve. From such people nothing but insult
is to be expected by submission ; and as these
nations have an unquestionable and natural right
to dictate the terms on whir.h they will hold inter-
course with Europeans, it becomes a question of
some interest, how far the conduct usually pur-
sued by the latter has had a good or bad effect
in promoting the interests of their respective
countries.
Unfortunately for the credit of the commercial
nations of Europe, their subjects have conducted
themselves in this trade with views solely of per-
174. MISSION TO SFAM
sonal interest, totally disregarding the honour
and character of the nation to which they have
belonged. In order to gain paltry advantages,
they often submitted to accumulated injuries, and
to the most degrading insults. It has thence
happened that the character of Europeans, even
at the present time, stands but very low with the
nations occupying the Eastern ports of Asia.
The Chinese, the most intelligent of these na-
tions, affect to consider the British as a nation
of ingenious tradesmen, Httle better, in fact, than
watch-makers, who owe their prosperity to their
intercourse with their country. The Siamese,
conscious of the power of our Indian government,
affect a less haughty tone, yet fancy themselves
infinitely superior to us, inasmuch as we are so
eager to purchase their commerce. In common
with most nations, they entertain a high opinion
of the bravery of their countrymen, — of the
strength of their armies, and of the superior
wealth of their country.
The petty disputes in whch they are often
engaged with the captains of ships and other
traders, who subject themselves to systematic
annoyance, have tended to confirm them in this
good opinion. They are either too ignorant, or
too infatuated, to perceive, that the latter, being
in a great measure placed at their mercy, unsup-
ported by the authority of their own government,
AND COCHIN CHINA. 175
and destitute of every means of redress, afford
them a conquest as easy as it is inglorious and
dishonest. Every petty and unworthy ad-
vantage thus gained, is magnified into a triumph,
not merely over the individual, but over the
government of which he is the subject ; for as
they are ignorant of the manners and customs
and superior civilization of other nations, so they
cannot conceive that such great ships, and such
valuable commodities, can belong to any one but
the king, or to some one of his principal officers.
Another circumstance which has contributed
to render the present government more haughty
and assuming in its transactions with strangers,
is the tranquillity which for a considerable num-
ber of years has prevailed in this country ; tran-
quillity for which they are more indebted to the
ignorance of their neighbours, than to the wisdom
of their own measures. They have not yet
measured their strength with a power more
civilized than themselves.
It may be doubted also whether, notwithstand-
ing their apparent wish to increase commerce,
the innumerable obstacles which Europeans in
particular have to contend with be not inten-
tional, as tending to increase the safety of their
kingdom by discouraging the access of strangers.
The conduct of the government would seem to
justify such an opinion, though from motives of
176 MISSION TO SIAM
policy, it may be deemed prudent to cloak such
sentiments under feigned representations.
That a great, generous, and warlike nation,
such as Great Britain, should incur the possibility
of having her national honour slighted, if not
tarnished, by any nation under the sun, far less
by a semi-barbarous people, experience has
rendered less a matter of surprise than of regret.
It cannot be altogether a matter of indifference
what opinion shall be entertained of her by so
large a portion of the human race, as that occupying
the countries between the Ganges and the Yellow
Sea. Neither is national honour a mere sound
or but an empty name — for in this sound rests
the strength of kingdoms, the safety of nations.
It is this that fans the flame in the patriot's
breast — it is this that nerves the soldier's arm —
it is this motive which more than any other con-
verts the man into the hero.
Britain may well command the esteem, if not
the homage, of such nations. An open, manly,
and disinterested conduct, on the part of her sub-
jects, is alone sufficient to establish such an
opinion ; but while the success of commercial
enterprise is alone regarded, national honour will
be left to shift for itself The immense value of
the commerce with China, doubtless, is an object
of the most powerful temptation — but with respect
to Siam, no such motives exist. Her commerce,
AND COCHIN CHINA. 177
supposing it 'altogether unshackled, and left to
full and free operation, is after all but very
trifling. It seems doubtful whether it be equal
to employ annually four or five ships of moderate
size ; and the most valuable commodities of the
country are bulky, such as sugar. The consump-
tion of British manufactures by the natives is
trifling in the extreme. Britain has more to give
than to receive from such a nation.
But it more immediately concerns the honour
and safety of our Indian government to maintain
a dignified and imposing attitude in its inter-
course with these nations. The existing go-
vernment having established an everlasting fame,
upon the firmest basis, has also raised its honour
and its faith to an enviable height. They will
doubtless continue to watch over it with the most
jealous care.
That the crazy, disjointed, and puny govern-
ment of Siam should affect to treat the govern-
ment of Bengal as inferior, and that it should
impudently dare to consider an authorized envoy
from that state, as a messenger from a provincial
government, may well excite our surprise and
indignation.
May Qth. — About this period intelligence was
was brought to court that an ambassador from
Cochin China had arrived at the mouth of the
river. After crossing the peninsula of Cambodia,
N
178 AilSSTON TO HIAM
he took shipping at the port of Saigon, and,
attended by a numerous train of followers, ar-
rived at Paknam in a small fleet of praws.
Notice of his arrival was immediately conveyed
to Court. The Chief of Paknam was ordered
to entertain the ambassador during his stay at
that place, and in the mean time the requisite
measures were taken for the purpose of convey-
ing him to the capital in a manner suitable to his
rank. The festivities of Paknam, though not of
the most costly nature, were probably the best
the country could afford. They lasted for se-
veral days, and consisted chiefly of scenic repre-
sentations, musical entertainments, and gymnas-
tic exercises.
An event of this nature was calculated to
excite attention and awaken curiosity ; it was
altogether unexpected by us. We were natu-
rally desirous to compare our own situation with
that of the Cochin-Chinese, endeavouring thence
to form a judgment of the real sentiments of the
Siamese respecting the English mission.
What the real object of this embassy may
have been, we had no correct means of ascer-
taining, but the avowed and ostensible one was
said to have originated in a feeling of gratitude
on the part of the reigning king of Cochin China,
for the asylum and protection that had been granted
to his predecessor by the King of Siam, in the
AND COCHIN CHINA, 179
midst of his misfortunes, when his country was
usurped by his own rebeUious subjects, and he
himself an exile and a suppliant in the land of
strangers. He had now sent his ambassador to
assure the King of Siam of his good and peaceable
intentions, and of his desire to confirm the bonds
of amity with a nation which had behaved with so
much disinterestedness towards his family, dur-
ing the anarchy of the civil war which had
driven them from the throne.
An embassy which the same king had some
time ago sent to the Barman Court had excited
distrust and jealousy in the Siamese, who regard
the Barmans as their natural and most impla-
cable enemies. Watchful at all times of the
conduct of the Cochin- Chinese, and uncertain
how the new king of that country might be
affected towards them, this unexpected embassy
to the Court of Amarapura awakened their fears.
An embassy was immediately sent to Cochin-
China, for the avowed purpose of discovering
the motives of the embassy to Ava, as well as to
sound the inclination of the new king towards
the Siamese. The present embassy, therefore,
might be considered as complimentary to the
Siamese, while the distinction with which it was
received evidently shewed that they were flat-
tered by it. It would perhaps be deemed more
curious than useful or flattering, to contrast the
N 2
180 MISSION TO SUM 13 ""
reception which this ambassador, a simple mes-
senger from a comparatively small state, re-
ceived, with that which had so lately been be-
stowed upon the mission from the Governor
General of British India. It is sufficient to
observe, that even the Prince Chroma Chit, one
of the principal members of the Government,
was known to express his regret publicly that
the Cochin- Chinese ambassador should have ar-
rived at such a time, as the English gentlemen
could not fail to make unfavourable comparisons.
About a week after the arrival of the ambas-
sador at Paknam, it would appear that all the
necessary preparations for conveying him to the
capital had been made ready. A numerous set
of boats was appointed for his service. In these
he embarked with his train of followers, and
proceeding by easy stages up the river, treated
with entertainments and every mark of distinc-
tion and civility by the way, he arrived at
Bankok.
The weather was mild and agreeable, particu-
larly calculated to display a procession of this
nature to every advantage. The scene, too,
was interesting beyond expectation ; it was both
beautiful and picturesque. The rapidity with
which the boats and barges moved, the order
and regularity with which innumerable rowers
raised and depressed their paddles, guided by
AND COCHIN CHINA. isi
the shrill notes of a song that might well be
deemed barbarous, together with the singular
and barbaric forms, the brilliant colours, the
gilded canopies of the boats, the strange and
gaudy attire of the men, the loud and reiterated
acclamations of innumerable spectators, — gave
to the transient scene an effect not easily de-
scribed.
It was now, for the first time, that we had an
opportunity of seeing those singular and highly-
ornamented royal barges which had attracted the
attention of M. Chaumont and suite, ambassador
to Siam from the Court of Louis XIV. The
description given of them by Loubere, in his
Histoire de Siam, will, with very little alteration,
apply to those now in use. They are in general
from sixty to eighty feet, or more, in length,
about four in breadth, and raised about two feet
in the middle from the water, the bow and stern
rising boldly to a considerable height. They
are highly-ornamented with curious and not ine-
legant devices, all of which are neatly carved on
the wood and gilt. The form is that of some
monstrous or imaginary animal. In the centre
there is erected a canopy, generally well gilt, and
hung with silken curtains, or cloth interwoven
with gold tissue. The space under the canopy is
calculated to contain but one or two persons, the
182 > MISSION TO SIAM
rest of the boat being entirely occupied by the
rowers, often to the number of forty or fifty.
The procession moved in the following order :
Four long boats in front, with numerous
rowers, dressed in red jackets, and wearing tall
conical caps of the same colour. These boats
were covered with a light awning of mats.
Six richly-ornamented boats, with gilded cano-
pies, in the form of a dome, and richly carved.
In these were the assistants and suite of the
ambassador. Each boat carried two small brass
swivels in front ; the men Were dressed as in the
former. About forty rowers were in each boat.
A very handsome, richly-ornamented barge,
with a gilt canopy of a conical shape, and rich
curtains ; in which was the ambassador, bearing
the letter from the King of Cochin China.
Four or six boats similar to those in front.
In the course of a few days after his arrival at
Bankok, he was admitted to an audience of the
king, without going through those forms which
had been pointed out as necessary to be ob-
served by the Agent to the Governor General.
The Cochin- Chinese ambassador neither visited
the Prince Chroma- Chit, nor his deputy the
Pra-Klang, Suri-Wong, before he had obtained
an audience of the king.
His first, and public interview with the king is
AND COCHIN CHINA. 183
said to have been friendly and somewhat fami-
liar. No business is ever transacted on such
occasions. The king, seated under a rich ca-
nopy, received the ambassador in the hall of
audience, according to his more usual custom.
The ambassador was carried to the palace by
his own followers in a palanquin, preceded by
a number of armed men. He got out of his ve-
hicle at the inner gate, and walking up to the
hall of audience, without laying aside his shoes,
took his seat in the place allotted to him, taking
his own interpreter along with him.
Although no business was transacted, the in-
terview lasted for a considerable time. The hall,
as on the occasion of our introduction at court,
was crowded with persons of various rank.
On the 20fA, the ambassador paid his first
visit to the Pra-klang, on which occasion we had
an opportunity of seeing him and his suite, our
chambers being so situated as to afford a view
of all that passed during the interview. The
Siamese choose the early part of the night to
-pay their visits. The Pra-klang, on this occa-
sion, had lighted his rooms in the handsomest
style, and had disposed of his gayest furniture
with all the taste he was master of A new
carpet and cushion were produced for his own
use, while the old one was abandoned to his visi-
tor, who was also to occupy the place the chief
184 MISSION TO SIAM
was wont to recline on during visits, the latter
retiring to a more distant part of the room.
All the servants and retainers of the chief
were summoned to attend on this important occa-
sion, and now lay prostrate on the floor, like so
many inanimate images, at one end of the room,
in a double row. A number of lights were
placed outside, and persons bearing torches were
posted from the bank of the river to the house.
It was evident that the Pra-klang was anxious
to make as great display as possible before the
stranger, and though the taste exhibited through-
out, and more particularly in the too profuse de-
corations of the room, were widely different from
what we are accustomed to admire, yet it must
be admitted that the effect produced was alto-
gether surprising, and far beyond what we could
have anticipated from a people unquestionably
very rude in many of the arts of civilized life.
It deserves to be mentioned, however, that the
glass manufacturer of Europe had contributed
not a little towards this display.
The ambassador seemed little inclined to abate
one jot of his dignity on this occasion. Afler
keeping the anxious chief and his bustling at-
tendants in suspense for several hours, he at
length appeared with twenty or thirty attendants,
and some persons bearing presents in boxes.
The ambassador was rather an elderly man.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 185
below the middle stature, of a thin, lanky, and
spare habit, with sharp eyes and sunk cheeks.
He was remarkably fair for an Asiatic. He
wore on his head a piece of black crape, loosely
rolled into the form of a turban. He had on a
loose gown, with wide sleeves, of the same ma-
terial and colour as his turban, and both he and
his suite were habited in black. Several chobs
were carried before him, and three black um-
brellas were held over him. A few menials were
dressed in jackets of coarse red cloth and coni-
cal caps, surmounted by a plume of red hair.
The address of the ambassador was both dis-
nified and easy. He stood on the threshold for
an instant, surveying the room, regardless of the
chief, and advanced to the carpet in the centre
of the place. He here made a slight salutation
by raising his right hand towards his face. His
interpreter and a few others seated themselves
by him. Sweetmeats were now introduced, and
after the lapse of an hour or so, they parted.
On the I7ih Mm/, the noisy ceremony called
Khon-chook terminated, on which occasion the
English and Portuguese in the place, consisting
of Mr. Crawfurd and suite, Mr. de Sylveira, the
Portuguese consul, and his secretary Mr. Bap-
tiste. Captain M'Donnell of the John Adam and
two of his mates, Captain Smith and Mr. Storm
of the brig Phoenix, and two Portuguese from
tm MISSION TO SIAM
Macao, were invited by the Pra-klang to a din-
ner prepared in the European fashion.
I have before remarked that it is an invariable
and very ancient custom amongst the Siamese to
preserve a lock of hair on the forehead of their
children, which is guarded intact until a certain
period of their age, when it is cut with great
ceremony. The ceremony is called Khon-chook,
and takes place at the llth, 13th, or 15th year
of age, according to the inclination of the pa-
Tents. It is a time of great festivity and shew.
The relations and friends of the family make
presents according to the extent of their ability ;
the priests are frequently assembled to say
prayers ; are fed and presented with new robes
of yellow cloth, that being the only colour they
are permitted to wear. Different bands of na-
tional music are assembled, and the festivities
are kept up with unceasing attention for the
space of five days. On this occasion, the eldest,
and favourite son of the Pra-klang, a puny,
sickly, but intelligent boy, had attained the pro-
per age for the performance of this ceremony.
The rank and situation of the father was such as
to command a very bountiful supply of presents.
Of these we may instance that of the Prince
Chroma-chit, who is said to have given four cat-
ties of silver, equal to 240 ticals, and that of the
Agent to the Governor General, who gave five.
AND COCHIN CHINA. IW
The tical is somewhat less than a third more in
value than a rupee.
This ceremony would appear to be more
agreeable to the tenets and practice of the Hin-
du than of the Bauddhic religion. The priests
of the latter took no farther interest in it than to
repeat certain prayers at particular periods,
whilst the tonsure is, in fact, performed by a
Brahman, with great ceremony, and an affectation
of mystery, after he had repeated a set of unin-
telligible prayers. A few Brahmans are main-
tained in the country for the due performance of
this particular ceremony. The Siamese enter-
tain considerable respect for the professors of the
Hindu faith. It is not to be expected however
that Brahmans so situated, exiled from the soil
which originated and cherished their faith, would
long preserve its tenets in purity. The pray-
ers of the priests of Buddha were repeated by
several persons at once, in a sort of recitative
style, and, as usual, in the Pali or sacred text, a
language altogether unintelligible to the vulgar,
and but imperfectly understood even by the
greater number of priests. The multitude listen
to these prayers with the most perfect indiffer-
ence. They neither observe decorum nor re-
spect on such occasions, each seeming by his
conduct to imply that this was a business which
touched him little, either as regards this world or
188 MISSION TO SI AM
the next. Even in the temple, their respect for
the sanctity of the place, which the presence of
their idols might be supposed to command, is
but little observable. Both priests and laymen
are often seen squatted on the pavement playing
at chess, and other games of chance, before the
shrines of the gods.
Several of the best bands of music were as-
sembled on this occasion, and relieved each
other in succession. One of these consisted of
female performers only ; the others of male per-
formers, whose music was occasionally inter-
spersed with the plaintive notes of a female voice.
The difference of the several bands consisted
chiefly in the greater or less power, or body of
the music, if I may so express it ; the softest and
most pleasing being that of the female band.
The Siamese are naturally very fond of music,
and even persons of rank think it no disparage-
ment to acquire a proficiency in the art. This
music is for the most part extremely lively, and
more pleasing to the ear of an European, than the
want of proficiency in the more useful arts of
civilized life would lead him to expect of such
a nation. Whence this proficiency has arisen
may be somewhat difficult to explain, more espe-
cially as the character of their music partakes
but little of that eccentricity of genius and
apparent heaviness of mind and imagination, for
AND COCHIN CHINA. 18d
which they are, in other respects, so remarkable.
We have no means of ascertaining what is of
domestic origin, or how much they may be in-
debted to foreign intercourse for the improvement
of their music. On inquiry we were told that
the principal instruments were of Barman, Pegu,
or Cliinese origin, and that much of the music
had been borrowed from the two first mentioned
nations, particularly from Pegu.
It is somewhat singular that these nations
again consider the Siamese as superior in mu-
sical skill, and attribute to the latter the inven-
tion of the principal instruments, as may be seen
in Colonel Symes's account of those countries.
It might be supposed that the Siamese had
borrowed their music from the same source
that they have their religion, the softness, the
playful sweetness and simplicity of the former
seeming to harmonize in some degree with the
humane tenets, the strict morality and apparent
innocence of the latter. The prominent and lead-
ing character, however, of the music, appears to
be common to the Malays, and other inhabitants
of the Indian islands, as well as to the whole of
the Indo Chinese nations.
My friend Captain Dangerfield, himself an
adept in musical science, remarks, that the music
of the Siamese differs from that of all barbarous
tribes, in being played upon a different key — on
IflO MISSION TO SI AM
that, if I understand him right, which charac-
terizes the pathetic music of certain European
nations. There is certainly no harsh or dis-
agreeable sound, no sudden or unexpected
transition, no grating sharpness in their music.
Its principal character is that of being soft, lively^
sweet, and cheerful, to a degree, which seemed
to us quite surprising. They have arrived
beyond the point of being pleased with mere
sound — the musician aimed at far higher views,
that of interesting the feelings, awakening
thought, or exciting the passions. Accordingly
they have their different kinds of music, to
which they have recourse according as they wish
to produce one or other of these effects.
Their pieces of music are very numerous. A
performer of some notoriety, who exhibited be-
fore us, stated that he knew one hundred and
fifty tunes. This man brought with him two
instruments, the one a wind, the other a stringed
instrument. The former, called klani, resembled
a flageolet, as well in form as in the tones, which
however, were fuller, softer, and louder, than
those of that instrument. His manner of blowing
on it resembled that of a person using the blow-
pipe. He was thus enabled to keep up an unin-
terrupted series of notes.
The other, a more curious, as well as more
agreeable instrument, is called tuk-kay, from its
AND COCHIN CHINA. 191
fancied resemblance to a lizard, though in point
of form, to me it appears to approach nearer to that
of a Chinese junk. It is about three feet long, has
a hollow body, and three large sounding holes
on the back, which is of a rounded form. It is
composed of pieces of hard wood, inlaid with
mother-of-pearl. Three strings, one of brass
wire, the others of silk, supported on small bits
of wood^ extend from one end of the instrument
to the other, and are tuned by means of long
pegs. The performer pressing his left hand on
the cords, strikes them at proper distances, with
the fore-finger of the right.
There is another instrument, called khong-
nong *, the music of which is also very pleasant.
It consists of a series of small cymbals of diffe-
rent sizes, suspended horizontally in a bamboo
frame, forming a large segment of a circle. It
is sometimes so large, that the performer may
sit within the circle of the instrument, his back
being then turned to the vacant space.
The tones of this instrument are very pleasing.
It is usually accompanied by the instrument
called ran-nan ; this is formed of flat bars of wood,
about a foot in length, and an inch in breadth,
placed by the side of each other, and disposed so
as to form an arch, the convexity of which is
downwards. Both this and the last-mentioned
* See R.^FFLEs' Java, Vol, 1. 470.
192 MISSION TO SIAM
instrument are struck with a light piece of wood,
or a small mallet.
The task were more tedious than useful or
entertaining to enumerate all the musical instru-
ments used by the Siamese. They have herein
displayed much ingenuity, and no inconsiderable
proficiency, combining various instruments so as
to produce a very pleasing effect. In conclusion,
we may observe, that there is a very remarkable
difference between the character of their vocal
and instrumental music, the former being as
plaintive and melancholy, as the latter is lively
and playful.
20th May, 1822.— Though but little of an
agreeable or satisfactory nature has occcured
respecting the commercial or political objects of
the mission since our arrival, it seems proper
that we should here take a brief and cursory view
of these transactions. As the subject was un-
avoidably rendered one of public notoriety, and
often became matter of conversation between
Captain Dangerfield and the Agent to the Gover-
nor General, occasionally even at the table of the
latter, it became no very difficult matter to gain
some insight into the affair ; I mean that persons
who, like myself, were unconnected with politi-
cal and commercial matters, could thus become
in some degree acquainted with what was going
forward : the more so, as the Portuguese of the
AND COCHIN CHfNA. 193
place, and the captains and officers of the two
English ships in the river were favourably situ-
ated for acquiring the fullest information on the
subject. From these sources my information
has been principally drawn.
o
194 MISSfON TO SIAM
CHAPTER V.
ISTKRVIEW WITH THR PrA-KlANG. — ^]Mr. FiNLAYSON CALLRD
lIPO>f TO VISIT A CASE OF ChoLERA IN THE PaLACE. — MIS-
SION NOT VISITED BY ANY PERSONS OP RESPECTABILITY. — ■
Parties AT the Court of Bankok. — Nothing granted in
FAVOUR cFCo:\mERCE. — Agent to the Governor General
leaves WITHOtTT AN AUDIENCE. — BaNKOK, THE DWELLINGS
MOSTLY Floating Rafts. Inhabitants mostly Chinese.
Manufactures of Tin, Leather, Cast-Iron Vessels. —
Balachang. — Siamese eat Flesh, but do not kill.
Palaces and Temples, or Prachadis of Bankok. — Images
OP Buddha excessively numerous. — Analogies between
the Pyramid of Egypt and the Bauddhic Dagoba.
It has already been mentioned that the Agent
to the Governor General had visited the Prince
Chroma-Chit, previously to his introduction to the
king. On that occasion, however, neither poli-
tical nor commercial matters were so much as
touched upon, as will be seen by reference to
the account of the interview given by Lieu-
tenant Rutherfurd, the prince having merely
observed, relative to such matters, that the Pra-
klang would, in ordinary matters, be the me-
dium of communication between them, but that
he would at all times receive the Agent to the
Governor General.
Sometime after the audience of the king had
taken place, the Agent had a second interview
AND COCHIN CHINA. 195
with this prince ; but neither on this occasion did
the objects of the mission enter into the subjects
of conversation, either directly or indirectly.
Mr. Rutherfurd and I accompanied Mr. Craw-
furd on this occasion. The interview took place
at the particular request of the prince, who also
named the hour of audience. We reached his
mansion, a dirty and mean-looking building,
though spacious within and tolerably well fitted
up, at the appointed hour. We were shewn into
an open court, at one end of the edifice, as a
waiting-room ; this place was 'neither decent nor
respectable. A crowd of noisy, dirty, and ill-
bred slaves or attendants crowded round the
place, or were lolling on the floor, never taking
the least notice of us, unless to shew intentional
insolence. One or two small rushlights placed
upon the floor cast a dim and gloomy light around
the room, by the aid of which we could discover
in a niche, a number of small wooden images,
partly Chinese, and partly Siamese. In this
place the Agent to the Governor General was
kept waiting upwards of two hours. The chief
Suri-Wong happening to come in, stated that the
prince was at prayers, and that this was the
cause of delay. Yet the hour had been named
by the prince himself.
At length, however, it was intimated that the
prince was ready to receive the Agent according
O 2
196 MISSION TO SIAM
to the usual custom of the Siamese ; we found
him extended upon his back, and rolling about
upon a small piece of carpet. He took no notice
of us on our entrance ; the attendants, who were
all prostrate, near to the threshold, directed us
to sit down upon a piece of handsome carpet,
near to the door, and at a distance from the
prince ; which might be deemed more than re-
spectful. Mr. Crawfurd's interpreter was not
permitted to enter with him, but by perseverance
he forced his way near to the door, where he had
to undergo many a severe pinch and other insults
from the out- door attendants, who wished to drive
him away.
The conversation turned upon the government
of our Indian possessions, and particularly on
that of CeyJon. The prince hearing that I had
been in that country, for which they entertain
the highest respect, calling it by the name of
Lanka, and regarding it as the source from which
they have drawn their religion, put numerous
questions respecting the state of the Bauddhic
rehgion, the number, size and condition of the
temples, pra-chadis and images, as compared
with those of Si am.
He then inquired into the state of medicine
amongst the people of Europe, asked how many
diseases the human body was subject to, whether
they all admitted of cure, and so forth. This sort
AND COCHIN CHINA. 197
of conversation lasted for nearly two hours, at the
end of which, conceiving probably by our manner
that we were heartily tired, both by his ques-
tions, as well as by the constrained posture
which we were obliged to assume in sitting upon
the floor, he told us that we might depart. The
conversation of the prince would lead us to infer
that he is a man of more curiosity than talent,
though in respect to the latter, he did not appear
to be particularly defective. He seemed desirous
that vaccination should be introduced into the
kingdom, and inquired, as it were incidentally,
if it were possible to procure a gentleman of the
medical profession from Bengal. On being told
that such a person might be procured by his
writing to the Governor General on the subject,
he took no further notice of the matter.
Some time in the course of this month, I was
requested to wait upon the prince, about mid-
night, on account of a lady of rank in the palace,
who was said to be labouring under a severe at-
tack of cholera morbus. He expressed his thanks
for the promptitude with which I had attended
to his request ; stating that the person on whose
account I had been called was now considered
to be somewhat better, and that she had fallen
asleep ; that however in the course of a few mi-
nutes he should receive another report, and
begged that I would remain, in order to accom-
198 MISSION TO SIAM
pany him to the palace of the king, if the report
should be unfavourable. In the meantime he
ordered betel, ^c, to be laid before me, and com-
menced a conversation in which he seemed much
interested, respecting the sick lady, and our
method of cure in this disease. A report came
that she was better and still asleep ; he asked if
the latter circumstance were favourable, and
seemed surprised when told that in this disease,
in particular, sleep was in general rather appa-
rent than real, and therefore a very fallacious
symptom, and to be judged of correctly by actual
inspection only. He now shewed great eagerness
to obtain some portion of the medicines used in
the cure of cholera. In answer to his demands
on this subject, I replied that it was necessary I
should see the sick person before I could say with
accuracy what would be proper for her ; that he
must necessarily be but imperfectly acquainted
with the manner of describing diseases, and that
I myself was but very imperfectly acquainted
with the language through which we communi-
cated ; and that therefore I could not be sup-
posed to acquire very correct information on the
subject of the disease in question ; and that be-
sides, it happened that medicines which were
proper at one period of the disease were hurtful
at another.
He was by no means satisfied with these rea-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 199
sons ; for after a few minutes he returned to
the same subject, saying that he should wish
to have some of my medicines by him, to give to
his people in the event of their being seized with
the complaint. With this request I readily com-
plied, and gave the necessary instructions, which
were carefully -written down by an attendant.
He continued in conversation on this and other
subjects, for nearly three hours ; when, becom-
ing impatient at this idle and unnecessary occu-
pation of my time, I told him that it was my
wish to depart as it did not seem likely that my
advice would be required. With this request he
complied, again stating his obligations to me,
and that he would request me to attend in the
morning on the lady, if she should not be better.
The poor lady, however, was not destined to see
the light of another day. It had happened, as I
had forewarned the prince, that after the more
violent symptoms of the disease had subsided,
she fell into a state of stupor, which the attend-
ants had mistaken for that of sleep, and she never
awakened again.
At one period of her illness, they certainly ap-
peared disposed to break through all ceremony,
and, for once at least, to admit an European into
the interior apartments of the women. The fal-
lacious change which had taken place some time
previous to death, seems alone to have prevented
them from breaking through the rule.
200 MISSION TO SIAM
But to return from this digression, to the ob-
jects of the mission. It has been aheady men-
tioned that to Chroma-Chit*, an illegitimate son
of the reigning king, the commercial affairs of the
nation are intrusted ; besides which he is inspector
of the eastern maritime provinces of Chantibond
and Bombasoi. He is but the fourth in point of
rank among the king's ministers, though com-
monly, but erroneously, considered to be the
first and even heir to the throne, by the few Eu-
ropeans who visit Bankok. This notion has
arisen from their being unacquainted with the
others, wdth whom, as they have no business to
transact, and being for the most part incurious
respecting such matters, they have but little
chance of becoming acquainted. It was only
after repeated inquiry, that we were enabled to
ascertain his rank. Of the princes superior in
rank to Chroma-Chit, we know nothing but by
report, as we have neither visited nor been in-
vited to visit or to meet them, the prince Chroma-
Chit and his assistant Suri-Wong being the
only persons of any rank whom we obtained an
opportunity of visiting. Neither did any persons
of respectability visit us, unless we might by
* Tliis prince, it is understood, has since succeeded to the
throne, and commenced his reig'n by allowing' a general freedom of
commerce to his subjects and foreigners, except in the articles of
fire-arms, opium, and some few royal monopolies, v;hich are still
retained.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 201
chance induce them in passing to step into our
rooms, or unless they wished to procure medi-
cines, which was sometimes the case. We had
anticipated, this circumstance, and were not
therefore much surprised at being left so much
to ourselves.
It had been well for the success of the mission,
if our acquaintance had not extended to persons
of meaner condition. But from what has been
already stated, it will be seen, that persons, des-
titute alike of rank, of respectability, of au-
thority, and above all of honesty and good faith,
were left to conduct the affairs of the mis-
sion with the British Agent. This was
but a sorry compliment to the government
of Bengal, which, with a degree of liberality
equalled only by its disinterested conduct, held
forth to the Siamese far greater advantages than
it asked for its own subjects.
The Siamese are too low in the scale of na-
tions to be able to form a just estimate of the
advantages of friendly intercourse with such a
government. It is to be suspected too that the
mean-spirited and grovelling persons who con-
duct the commerce of the kingdom, have greatly
thwarted the objects of the mission, by misre-
presenting its real views. What else was to be
expected of such men as the Malay Kochai, and
a tribe of exiled and emigrant natives of the
202 MISSION TO SIAM
coasts of Malabar and Coromandel, whose
interests depend solely upon the exclusion of
Europeans from the country .; or at least upon
the prevention of a free trade.
Yet it was with such persons chiefly, I might
almost say exclusively, that the negotiations
had been carried on ; with the exception of a
few interviews with the Pra-Klang. Even the
Prince Chroma-Chit, much less the other minis-
ters of the government or the king, obtained
nothing directly from the British Agent, but al-
ways through the medium of others, and ge-
nerally through Kochai Sahac. Mr. Crawfurd
at length discovered that this man was totally
unworthy of his confidence, and that his con-
duct was altogether worthless, but it was now
unfortunately too late. The cunning and du-
plicity of Kochai were calculated to deceive.
He is in fact an agent employed only for mean
purposes, and to agitate affairs which his prin-
cipals might consider discreditable to them-
selves. It might, doubtless, have been foreseen
that nothing liberal or honest could come from
such a quarter. It had been well, too, to have
rejected all communication with agents of such
inferior rank and worthless conduct. They are apt
to injure national as well as individual character.
It must be confessed, however, that it is no
easy task to conduct affairs to a favourable ter-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 203
mination with such people as the Siamese ; and
that it is much more easy to detect difficulties
than to surmount them ; to discover errors than
to obviate or to remedy them. We arrived in
the country ignorant of the manners of the people,
and of the state of political opinion ; for even in
this despotic government the spirit of party is
not unknown. That knowledge which we sub-
sequently acquired would, doubtless, have been
of the first importance to the British Agent, had
he possessed it on landing in Siam.
The history of past negotiations is sufficient
to prove that neither privileges, nor immunities,
nor advantages of any kind, are to be gained
from the Ultra- Gangetic nations, by submission,
by condescension, or even by conciliation, or by
flattery. They despise the former as a proof of
weakness ; the latter, as arguing a mean spirit.
Threats and aggression are neither justifiable nor
necessary. A dignified, yet unassuming con-
duct, jealous of its own honour, open and dis-
interested, seeking its own advantage, but will-
ing to promote that of others, will doubtless
effect much with nations of this stamp of cha-
racter, and must in the end be able to accomplish
the object desired.
It deserves to be mentioned that the king's
ministers are divided into two parties. The
Prince Chroma-Chit, enriched by the commerce
204 MISSION TO SI AM
of the nation, and supported by the influence
which the management of the treasury has thrown
into his hands, stands at the head of one party,
and exerts a degree of influence in the councils
of the king, to which his rank alone does not
appear to entitle him. He is more feared than
beloved or respected by the people. He and
his party are more remarkable for their wealth,
than for respectability. They are well disposed
to extend the limits of foreign commerce, as
bringing the means of increasing their own power
and influence, but they are either too ignorant
or too weak to effect this on sound principles.
The other and more respectable party, consisting
of the princes Chroma-Lecong, chief judge.
Chroma Khun, minister of the interior, and
Chau- Chroma- Sac, commander of the forces, en-
tertain no very exalted opinions of the advan-
tages of commerce in general, oppose the plans
of the others, and are unwilling to lay aside their
ancient prejudices.
The business of the mission, as has been al-
ready observed, was agitated in detail with the
Malay Kochai. It is stated that Mr. Crawfurd
drew up a treaty consisting of thirty-nine arti-
cles. These were listened to with great attention,
and it seemed as if matters were going on
very successfully for the mission. After they
had all been agitated, however, they were sue-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 205
cessively thrown aside, till nothing whatever re-
mained of the treaty which could be interpreted
into a concession in favour of commerce, unless
we consider the reduction of the duties, one or
two per cent., as deserving of that appellation ;
and even this paltry matter they refused flatly
on the very first occasion, by telling Mr. Storm,
when concluding some commercial transactions
with them, that they would not reduce the duties
until five English ships should visit the port an-
nually, or until after the lapse of a specified
number of years.
This was in fact the coup-de-grace.
Nothing whatever had been granted in favour
of commerce. The business of the mission had
now come to an end.
It was stated by Mr. Crawfurd, that the king
was to grant an interview to the Agent of the Go-
vernor General on his taking leave. We have
heard nothing further of this matter. It is
the acknowledged custom of the court to grant
such interview *. The ambassador from Cochin
* For an account of the embassy in 16S5, from Louis XIV. to
the court of Siam, the reader may consult the work of the Jesuit
Tachard ; Des Farg-es' relation of the revolutions in Siam in 16SS ;
Extracts from a voyag-e with the armament of M. du Quesne, in
1690 ; and also the Memoirs of Count Forhin, and the Universal
History. The French interest was cliiefly indebted for the fa-
vourable reception and lofty honours with wliich the monarch of
Siam was pleased to honour his good friends and faithful allies,
206 MISSION TO SIAM
China had obtained his audience of leave, and
dropped down the river this day, (11th June,) on
his return home.
The king of Siara did not condescend to re-
turn a written answer to the Governor-General of
British India. It was stated that the Pra-klang
would write to him, on which Mr. Crawfurd re-
presented that in this case the letter must be ad-
dressed to the secretary of government.
It now appeared, however, that this office was
delegated to a person of still inferior rank, the
Pra-klang's assistant, Pya-pee-pat Ko-sa. This
letter was written in the Siamese and Portuguese
languages. That in the latter was shewn to me
by the writer. It went merely to specify, that
Mr. Crawfurd had brought presents and a letter
from the Governor General. That the tenor of
this letter stated that England had enjoyed pro-
found peace for some years past, — that Bengal
did so also, —that the Governor General was de-
sirous to contract friendship with the king of
Siam, — that all British ports were as free to the
Siamese as to our own subjects. In reply, the
letter from Pya-pee-pat stated that British vessels
the Chevalier tie Chaumont and suite, to the good offices of
Constantino Phaulkon, prime minister of Siam, a native of Ce-
phalonia, who had commenced his career in the service of the
English company. Can we imagine that the events of those days
are forgotten by the statesmen of Siara ?
AND COCHIN CHINA. SOT
may at all times visit Bankok ; but nothing was
said of privileges, or freedom of commerce, or
even of the reduction of duties.
The Chuliahs and Portuguese, or rather the
descendants of the latter, v^^ere assembled at the
house of the Pra-klang, to deliver this letter to
the Agent of the Governor General, but neither
the Pra-klang himself, nor even his assistant, at-
tended. It would appear that there was some-
thing informal in the letter, or that they would
not give the letter written in the Siamese lan-
guage. It had not, therefore, been as yet deli-
vered over to the British agent.
June llth. — The Cochin Chinese ambassador
and suite passed down the river, in two praus,
adorned with numerous standards, on their re-
turn to their country.
June \2th. — It had been reported for several
days back, and occasionally stated by Mr. Craw-
furd, that the delay which has occurred in the
delivery of the letters to the British mission,
had led the Siamese government to consider
further of the matter, and that they now in-
tended to grant documents, in the form of a
commercial treaty. In the course of the even-
ing of this day, the documents alluded to were
produced, and delivered to the Agent in our
presence. They consisted of the Siamese and
Portuguese letters formerly alluded to, the
SOS MISSION TO sia:m
former wrapped up in silk, and sealed, in-
tended to be delivered to Mr. Prinsep ; the
other, said to be an exact translation of the
former, was open, and intended for the inspection
of the Agent of the Governor General. To these
were now added a brief letter, also in Siamese
and Portuguese, from the Pia-chulah, the head
chuliah or moorman of the place, inferior in rank
to Pya-pee-pat, and an under- collector of the cus-
toms. This was addressed to Mr. Crawfurd, and
a sealed copy was sent for Mr. Prinsep. This
states merely that English ships will be received
into the port, on their complying with the usual
rules, landing their guns and small arms at
Bankok, paying the usual export and import
duties, and port charges. That the Pia-chulah
will assist them in disposing of their cargoes ;
and that no more than the usual duties will be
exacted.
June 17 th. — Sufficient time had elapsed since
we arrived in this place, to have enabled us to
gain a tolerable acquaintance with the city and
its environs. Unfortunately, however, for my
pursuits, it had so happened, that I was able
to turn this tedious and irksome delay to
little advantage ; for having been seized with a
slight bilious fever on the passage from the
coast of Borneo to that of Cambodia, which was
soon after followed by an attack of pneumonia,
AND COCHIN CHINA. 209
attended with several relapses, I have been re-
duced to the necessity of keeping much at home.
A few visits to the city have been all that we
have yet accomplished. The country affords but
little facility for walking, or travelling in any
way, so that we have been able to penetrate but
a mile or two in any direction, except by water.
All attempts to proceed into the interior, and
even to Yuthia, have been jealously watched, and
our requests have been carefully evaded, though
not directly refused. Thus situated, we are
but ill qualified as yet to speak of the agriculture
of the country, or the condition of the peasantry.
Frequent conversations with respectable indivi-
duals among the natives, together with what we
have ourselves occasionally seen, have given us
some insight into the habits of the people, their
manners, their laws, their religion, &c.
Bankok, as being the capital of the kingdom,
deserves to be more particularly mentioned.
Though but of modern date, it has become the
chief city in the kingdom, a distinction which it
owes chiefly to its having been rendered the seat
of government, by the Chinese king Pia-tac.
Previous to his time, the place was of little
importance, and noted chiefly for the excellence
of its fruits, which were sent in great abundance
to Yuthia, at that time the capital.
The capture and plunder^ of the ancient city
810 MISSION TO SI AM
by the Barmans, together with the disastrous
events which followed, induced many of the inha-
bitants to abandon the place. Pia-tac collecting
the scattered remains ofthe dispirited inhabitants
around him, was soon in a condition to establish a
new city. The site of Bankok offered several ad-
vantages over that of Yuthia. He constructed a fort
on the right bank of the river, the walls of which,
as well as his palace, if a building of such wretched
appearance deserve that name, are still to be
seen. The successes of Pia-tac, in his wars
against the Barmans, enabled him to realize his
views with regard to Bankok. Since this time
it has constantly been on the increase. The suc-
cessors of Pia-tac have had it equally in view
to aggrandize the place. They have built seve-
ral new palaces, and other public buildings ; but
the edifices on which the greatest care, labour,
and expense, have been bestowed, are the tem-
ples, including the usual ornamental building,
called Pra-cha-di, of a spiral form, probably the
sepulchral monument of Buddha. The palace of
the present king is situated on the left bank of
the river, nearly opposite to the old palace of
Pia-tac, upon an island from two to three miles
in length, though of inconsiderable breadth.
The palace, and indeed almost the whole of this
island is surrounded by a wall, in some parts of
considerable height, here and there furnished
AND COCHIN CHINA. Sll
with indifferent-looking bastions, and provided
with numerous gates both towards the river and
on each side. Both the king and several of his
ministers reside within this space. The persons
attached to the court are very numerous, and
also reside here, in wretched huts made of palm-
leaves. There is, in fact, but little distinction
between this place, and other parts of the town,
except it be that you see few Chinese there,
and that the shops are of inferior quality. The
greater part, however, of the space included by
the wall, consists of waste ground, swamps, and
fruit-gardens ;
The city is continuous with the palace, extend-
ing on both sides of the river to the distance of
three or four miles ; it lies principally on the left
bank, and the most populous as well as the
wealthiest part lies nearly opposite to the house
of the Pra-klang, but a little lower down. The
town is built entirely of wood, the palaces of the
king, the temples and the houses of a few chiefs
being alone constructed of brick or mud walls.
The mildness of the climate, the cheapness of
the materials used in building, and the few
effects of which the natives are possessed, render
them indifferent to the destructive ravages of fire.
The ruin occasioned by this element they regard
with perfect indifference. From the great length
which the city occupies along the banks of the
P 2
212 MISSION TO SIAM
river, it might be supposed to be a place of vast
extent: this, however, is not the case. The
Siamese may be said to be aquatic in their dis-
position. The houses rarely extend more than
one or two hundred yards from the river, and by
far the greater number of them are floating on
bamboo rafts secured close to the bank. The
houses that are not so floated are built on posts
driven into the mud, and raised above the bank,
a precaution rendered necessary both by the
diurnal flow of the tides, and the annual inun-
dations to which the country is subject. It has
been said that there are but few, I had almost
said, no roads or even pathways. To every
house, floating or not, there is attached a boat,
generally very small, for the use of the family.
There is little travelling but what is performed
by water, and hence the arms both of the women
and men acquire a large size from the constant
habit of rowing.
The few streets that Bankok boasts are
passable on foot only in dry weather : the prin-
cipal shops, however, and the most valuable
merchandise, are found along the river in the
floating-houses. These floating-houses are occu-
pied almost exclusively by Chinese. In the
most populous parts of the town the latter would
appear to constitute at least three-fourths of the
whole population ; and if we were to form an
AND COCHIN CHINA. 213
estimate of those that are to be seen at all hours
moving up and down the river in boats of various
kinds, often forming a very animated scene, the
proportion would be still greater on the side of
the Chinese. There are but very few parts of
Bankok where the Chinese do not appear to
exceed the natives in number. The greatest
uniformity prevails in the appearance of the
houses — a handsome spire here and there serves
to enliven the view, and these are the only orna-
ments which can be said to produce this effect,
for the singular architecture displayed in the
construction of the temples and palaces can
hardly be considered in this light.
A more particular account of the floating-
houses has been given above : like every other
building in the place, they consist of one floor
only. The houses generally have a neat appear-
ance ; they are, for the most part, thatched with
palm-leaves, but sometimes with tiles. They
are divided into several small apartments, of
which the Chinese always allot the central one
for the reception of their household gods. The
shops, forming one side of the house, being
shut up at night, are converted into sleeping
apartments. The whole is disposed with the
greatest economy of space: even the narrow
virandas in front, on which are usually disposed
jars of water, pots with herbs and plants, bundles
«4 MISSION TO SIAM
of firewood, ^c. They have become so habi-
tuated to this sort of aquatic life, as scarcely to
experience any inconvenience from it. The w^alls
and floors of the houses are formed of boards, and
considering the nature of the climate, such build-
ings afford very comfortable shelter. The houses
of the common people are equally wretched in
appearance with those of a common bazar in
India. Those occupied by the Chinese are in
general neater and more comfortable. The latter
people are not only the principal merchants, but
the only artificers in the place. The most com-
mon trades are those of tin-smith, blacksmith,
and currier. The manufacture of tin vessels is
very considerable, and the utensils being po-
lished bright, and often of very handsome forms,
•give an air of extreme neatness to the shops in
which they are displayed. Were it not for the
very extraordinary junction of the trade of cur-
rier, such places might readily be mistaken for
silversmiths' shops. The occupations just men-
tioned are carried on in the same shop con-
jointly, and by the same individuals. The pre-
paration of leather is carried on to a great
extent, not for the purpose of making shoes,
which are scarcely used, but for covering mat-
tresses and pillows, and for exportation to China.
After tanning, the leather is dyed red with the
bark, I believe, of a species of Mimosa. The
AND COCHIN CHINA. 215
hides used are principally those of the deer,
which are to be had in the greatest abundance.
Besides these, they use that of the ox and
buffalo. Leopards', tigers' skins, ^c, are pre-
served with the fur on, and exported to China.
There are, in the place, one or two manufactories
of shallow cast-iron pots, also conducted by
Chinese : the process is extremely simple,
and the articles are sold remarkably cheap.
From the practice of these and other trades, the
Chinese derive a very handsome livelihood;
they are consequently enabled to procure more
generous food than the natives. It is even a
common boast with the labourers of this class,
that they live better than the first chiefs of the
country. Their food, however, is gross and rich
to excess ; pork is their principal and favourite
diet, oil is reckoned scarce less savoury, and
their vegetables are invariably brought to table
floating in a sea of fat. A Chinese thus ex-
pends more money on eating, in one week, than
a Siamese in two or three months, and his supe-
rior industry will enable him to do so.
The food of the Siamese consists chiefly of
rice, which is eaten with a substance called Ba-
lachang, a strange compound of things savoury
and loathsome ; but in such general use, that no
one thinks of eating without some portion of it.
Religion offers but a feeble barrier against the
216 MISSION TO SIAM
desire to eat animal food, and the Siamese easily
satisfy their conscience on this score. They
conceive that they have obeyed the injunction of
the law, when they themselves have not killed
the animals. They do not hesitate to purchase
fish, fowls, S'c-, alive in the market, desiring the
seller to slay them before he delivers them over,
well contented that the crime must remain at-
tached to the latter. Their devotion, at times,
goes the length of inducing them to purchase
numbers of living fish for the purpose of turning
them loose again, and the king has often in this
manner given liberty to all the fish caught on a
particular day. Yet the privilege of fishing is
sold by the king to the highest bidder, and from
this source he derives a very considerable annual
revenue. The Siamese, however, are more
choice in their food, and less indulgent of their
appetites than the Chinese.
The town derives but little architectural orna-
ment from the state of its public buildings, if we
except the sacred edifice called Pra-cha-di. The
palaces are buildings of inconsiderable size in-
dividually, in the Chinese style, covered with a
diminishing series of three or four tiled roofs,
sometimes terminated by a small spire, and more
remarkable for singularity than for beauty. The
palace of the king is covered with tin tiles.
Many of the temples cover a large extent of
AND COCHIN CHINA. 217
ground ; they are placed in the most elevated
and best situations, surrounded by brick walls or
bamboo hedges, and the enclosure contains nu-
merous rows of buildings, disposed in straight
lines. They consist of one spacious, and in ge-
neral lofty hall, with narrow but numerous doors
and windows. Both the exterior and interior
are studded over with a profusion of minute and
singular ornaments of the most varied descrip-
tion. It is on the ends, and not on the sides of
the exterior of the building, that the greatest
care has been bestowed in the disposition of the
ornaments. A profusion of gilding, bits of look-
ing glass, China basins of various colours, stuck
into the plaster, are amongst the most common
materials. The floor of the temple is elevated
several feet above the ground, and generally
boarded or paved, and covered with coarse mats.
The fabulous stories of Hindu theology fi-
gure in all the absurdity that gave them birth,
upon the interior walls. The wildest imagina-
tion would seem to have guided the artist's
hand ; yet here and there he has portrayed, by
accident, perhaps, more than by design, human
passions with a degree of spirit and of truth
worthy of better subjects. Notwithstanding the
great demand there is for painting in this way,
the circumstance is singular and remarkable,
that this divine art should not only continue
218 MISSION TO SIAM
in its infancy among them, but that their perform-
ances should not even indicate a capacity of
attaining to greater flights. If, as some believe,
Asia has given birth to the arts, the experience
of ages has proved that she is quite incapable of
carrying them to perfection.
Here, for the first time, did I observe obscene
paintings in a temple dedicated to Buddha. In
Ceylon they would have been deemed altogether
profane. We were amused to find suspended in
a very handsome temple, two coarse paintings of
French ladies, in rural costume.
At one end of the temple a sort of altar is
raised, on which is placed the principal figure of
Buddha, surrounded by innumerable lesser ones,
and by those of priests ; and here and there is
disposed the figure of a deceased king, distin-
guished by his tall conical cap, peculiar phy-
siognomy, and rich costume. The figures of
Buddha have a cast of the Tartar countenance,
particularly the eye of that race. They are very
commonly disfigured by having tattered um-
brellas of cloth or paper suspended over the
head, or tied to it, and by having rags of dirty
cloth wrapped round them, it being reckoned
devout to deck the statues in this way ; though
as the images are all gilt, and in general well
cast, this gives them a very sorry appearance.
It will scarcely be credited how numerous the
AND COCHIN CHINA. 219
images of Buddha are in the temples. They are
disposed with unsparing profusion on the altar,
of all sizes, from one inch to thirty feet in height.
In the outer courts of the temple they are dis-
posed in still greater number. The arrangement
observed in the temple called Waat-thay-cham-
ponn, may be given as an instance of what occurs
in the rest.
This consists of a number of temples, Pra-
cha-dis *, and buildings allotted for the accom-
modation of priests, enclosed in an ample square,
rather more than a quarter of a mile on each
side. The principal temples are further sur-
rounded by a piazza open only towards the tem-
ple, and about twelve or fifteen feet in breadth,
and well paved. Against the back wall, a stout
platform of masonry extends round the temple,
on which are placed gilded figures of Buddha,
for the most part considerably larger than the
human size, and so close to each other as to
leave no vacant place on the platform. Of these
statues the greater number are made of cast iron,
others are made of brass, others of wood or of
clay, and all with careful uniformity. Several
hundreds of such images are thus seen at one
glance of the eye. In other and less spacious
passages, minor figures, chiefly of clay or wood,
are heaped together in endless numbers. They
* Literally the roof of the Pra or Lord.
220 MISSION TO SIAM
would appear to accumulate so fast, that it seems
probable the priests are at times reduced to the
necessity of demolishing hosts of them.
From what has been said, it will be seen that
images are here manufactured in vast num-
bers. The expense in gilding alone, for every
image is gilt, must be great. Some are of
enormous size ; in this temple there is one about
thirty feet high. The attendants attempted
to persuade us that it was made of copper,
but the application of the knife proved it to
be of hard wood in different pieces. This
statue is erect, and stands alone in a building
apparently erected as a covering for it. The
more common posture in which Buddha is repre-
sented is that of sitting cross-legged, in a con-
templative attitude, the soles of the feet turned
up. In other instances he is reclining on a pillow,
the attitude also contemplative. These three
are the only postures in which the natives of
Ceylon represent him. Here he is to be seen
asleep, and, as I have been told, there are even
some figures that represent him as dead.
The minor arrangements of the temples are
hardly deserving of notice. The apartments
allotted for the accommodation of the priests are
clean, neat, substantial, and comfortable, without
ornament or superfluity.
The Pra-cha-di of the temple called Waat-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 321
thay-cham-ponn, is the handsomest of the khid
in Bankok, and indeed deserving of notice on
account of its architectural beauty.
The Pra-cha-di, called, by the Bauddhists of
Ceylon, Dagoba, is a solid building of masonry,
without aperture or inlet of any sort, however
large it may be. It is generally built in the
neighbourhood of some temple, but is not
itself an object or a place of worship, being
always distinct from the temple itself*. In its
* The design of the small chambers in the Pyramids of Egypt
has been variously explained ; some considering them as sepulchral
depositories, and others as the adyta of the more sacred and retired
mysteries. The truth possibly may be that each conjecture is cor-
rect, and that in the office of a sepulchral shrine, as well as in
form, the Pyramid and the Dagoba exactly coincide.
Among the Mackenzie collection in the Library of the Honour-
able East India Company, is a volume of drawings representing
the ruins of Amarawati, an ancient city on the Kishna river, in
which the form of the interior of the Dagoba, or sepukhre of
Buddha is amply illustrated.
Several circumstances and ceremonies in the religion of Buddha
would seem to identify its origin, in a great measure, with that of
ancient Egypt. The physiognomy, the form, and the stature of
Buddha are as distinctly Ethiopic as they are different from those
which characterize the various tribes which inhabit either the western
or eastern parts of tlie Asiatic continent. That it is areligion foreign
to Asia, the uncertainty which still exists Vi^ith regard to the country
or district which gave it birth would seem to render probable.
The proofs which have been brought forward in favour of Ceylon,
and of Magadha, would seem to rest upon very slender foundations.
Several festivals in this religion bear a strong resemblance to the
ceremonies performed by the ancient Egyptians on the rising of the
Nile. That called Periharah is of this nature. The Pyr.amids of
222 MISSION TO SIAM
origin, it would appear to have been sepulchral,
and destined to commemorate either the death of
Buddha, or his translation into heaven. Even at
the present time, these ornamental buildings are
thought to contain some relic of Buddha. This
one in particular makes a light and handsome
appearance : the lower part consists of a series
of dodecahedral terraces, diminishing gradually
to nearly one half of the whole height, where
they are succeeded by a handsome spire, fluted
longitudinally, and ornamented with numerous
circular mouldings. The minor ornaments are
numerous, and towards the summit there is a
small globe of glass. The total height would
Egypt, are they not the prototype of the Dagobah, or Pra-cha-di?
Instead of considering" these stupendous monuments of human
labour as the tombs of earthly kings, ought we not rather to
regard them as owing their origin to religious motives ? It is
scarcely possible to believe that any other motive could induce men
to undertake or to execute works of such magnitude. The small
chambers found in the interior of some of them might have con-
tained, or at least had been intended to contain relics, such as bones
of their deity. This conjecture receives confirmation from Sir
Everard Home's account of those bones which he examined at the
desire of Lieutenant-Colonel Fitzclarence, and which, when com-
pared mth the skeletons in the Hunterian Museum, were decidedly
those of the Bos genus. These bones were found in the sarco-
phagus of the pyramid of Cephrenes. See Fitzclarence" s Route
through India and Egypt to England, page 499. In addition it
may be remarked, that Mnevis and Apis, the sacred bulls, were
considered as emblems of the God of Justice, and that Dharma
Rajah, or the King of Justice, is a very common appellative of
Buddha. — Editor.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 23S
appear to be about two hundred and fifty feet
from the ground.
Minor edifices of this sort are common in
every temple. They are in general raised upon
a base of twelve sides, but sometimes of eigh-
teen.
We have no accurate data to enable us to esti-
mate the population of Bankok. It has been
stated that the Chinese constitute at least one-
half of the whole. The remainder is composed
of Siamese, native christians of this place and
of Cambodia, Barmans, Peguers, and natives of
the Malay islands and of Laos*. These oc-
cupy distinct portions of the town, and associate
only with each other.
* Laou or Laos is the country north of Siain Proper, and im-
mediately adjoining the southern border of the Chinese province of
Yuunan ; from this circumstance, from the reported difference of
language, and from the boundary of Siam not including the
Northern Laos, the people of Laos are, in all probability, nation-
ally distinct from the Siamese.
MISSION TO SIAIM
CHAPTER VI.
Physical form and character op the Siamese.— Manners
AND Customs. — Treatment op the dead, and funereal
OBSEQUIES OP the MONARCH. — LaWS. — ADULTERY.— ThBFT.
History. — State of defence. — Revenue. — Siamese nu-
merals. — Kalendar. — Annual festival at the close of
THE YEAR. — ReLIGION. — LaWS OF BuDDHA. — PROVINCE OP
ChANTIBOND THE RICHEST PORTION OF THE TERRITORY OP
SiAM. — Its PRODUCTS. — Mines op gold and of precious
STONES. — Zoological remarks.
I HAVE already, on more than one occasion,
briefly alluded to the physical form of the Si-
amese. At present I shall make such observa-
tions as more extensive experience has enabled
me to collect.
That the Siamese are one of the numerous
tribes which constitute that great and singular
family of the human race, known generally by
the appellation of Mongols, will appear to most
persons sufficiently obvious. If they do not
possess, in the most acute degree, the peculiar
features of the original, they are at least stamped
with traits sufficiently just to entitle them to be
considered as copies. There is, however, one
general and well-marked form, common to all
the tribes lying between China and Hindostan.
Under this head are comprehended the inhabi-
AND COCITTN CHINA. 225
tants of Ava, Pegu, Siam, Cambodia, and even
of Cochin-China, though those of the latter
country more resemble the Chinese than the
others. This distinctive character is so strongly
blended with the Mongol features that we have
no hesitation in considering these nations as de-
riving their origin from that source. It appears
to me that to this source also we ought to refer
the Malays*, who cannot be said to possess
national characters, at least of physiognomy and
physical form, sufficiently distinct and obvious
to entitle them to be considered as a distinct
race. Where there is a difference between the
Malays and the tribes mentioned, it is more to
be referred to the condition of the mental faculty,
* If we compare the IVIalays with the move acute forms of the
Tartar race, with the Chinese ou the one hand, or with the Arabs or
Hindoos that frequent their islands, on the other, v/e may be dis-
posed to consider them as forming a different race. Their affinity
with the Indo-Chinese nations, whom we have every reason to
consider as of Tartar origin, is, however, quite unequivocal ; and it is
through this medium, it appears to me, that we ought to trace
their fihation. The sea-coasts of the peninsula of Malacca, Su-
matra, and a few other places in that neighbourhood, will be Ibund
to afford the best forms illustrative of the character of this tribe ;
as for instance, the people called Orang Laut. In the better-cul-
tivated islands, the physical form is much modified, as well as the
manners, by intermixture with other tribes ; probably with those
who preceded them in the possession of the country. Let the in-
habitants of the places referred to be compared, not directly with
the Chinese, but with the Siamese, Barmans, &c., and little doubt
will be entertained .as to the probable origin of this people.
Q
ms MISSION TO SIAM
than to that of bodily form ; to the state of man-
ners, habits of Hfe, language ; in short to circum-
stances altogether, or in great part, produced by
mind. In other respects they would appear to
differ but little from the tribes mentioned above.
Traces of a much ruder people are to be met
with in the mountainous districts of these king-
doms, particularly in the peninsula of Malacca.
Our knowledge of these is much too scanty to
enable us to trace their filiation. Though gene-
rally asserted, there are no records to prove that
they are the aboriginal inhabitants of the coun-
try, at least of any other part of it than the
wilds and impenetrable forests which they con-
tinue to occupy. The woolly-headed race, and
another resembling the Indian, are not uncom-
mon*. Their origin will probably ever remain
uncertain.
The following observations will be found to
* A comparison of languages, both in the grammar and vocabu-
lary, niaj' yet produce nuich light on the interesting subject of tlie
family origin of nations. A comparative vocabulary of some of
the Indo-Chinese languages was published by the lamented Dr. John
Leyden ; to render such a compilation perfect, it should embrace,
not merely the more obvious dialects, but those of the inland re-
fcesses. Is there any affinity between the language of the tribes
who inhabit the hilly wildernesses of the Goand country, of Raje-
mahal and Malwa, and^those similarly situated on the Malay pe-
ninsula, Kassai and Asam ?— or extending the investigation, do any
ancient languages of the cast bear aflinity to those of Ethiopia or
Africa ?—E(L
AND COCHIN CHINA- S27
apply to the several nations already mentioned,
and in general to the Chinese also, whom I con-
sider as the prototype of the whole race. A
multitude of forms are to be seen in every na-
tion, not referable to any particular family or
variety of the human race. For our present
purpose, we must select such only as possess the
peculiar form in the most characteristic degree.
But as all the requisites of this form are not al-
ways developed in a very acute degree in all,
we must collect from a multitude of instances,
what appears to be the predominating tendency.
In this way we may make out a portrait of the
whole.
The stature of the body would appear to be
much alike in all the tribes of the Mongol race,
the Chinese being perhaps a little taller, and
the Malays lower than the others. In all it is
below that of the Caucasian race. The average
height of the Siamese, ascertained by actual
measurement of a considerable number of indi^
vidualSy amounts to five feet three inches.
The skin is of a lighter colour than in the ge-
nerality of Asiatics to the west of the Ganges ;
by far the greater number being of a yellow
complexion, a colour which, in the higher ranks,
and particularly amongst women and children,
they take pleasure in heightening by the use of
a bright yellow wash or cosmetic, so that their
Q 2
22g MISSION TO SIAJI
bodies are often rendered of a golden colour.
The texture of the skin is remarkably smooth,
soft, and shining.
Throughout the whole race there is a strong
tendency towards obesity. The nutritious fluids
of the body are principally directed towards the
surface^ distending and overloading the cellular
tissue with an inordinate quantity of fat. The
muscular textures are in general soft, lax, and
flabby, rarely exhibiting that strength or deve-
iopement of outline which marks the finer forms
of the human body. In labourers and mecha-
nics, particularly the Chinese, the muscular parts
occasionally attain considerable volume, but
very rarely the hardness and elasticity deve-
loped by exercise in the European race. On a
simple inspection, we are apt to form exagge-
rated notions respecting their muscular strength,
and capacity for labour. A more close exami-
nation discovers the reality, and we find that
something more than volume is necessary to con-
stitute vigour of arm.
In point of size, the limbs are often equal to,
if not larger than those of Europeans, particu-
larly the thighs, but this magnitude of volume
will be found to depend upon the cause alluded
to above. The same circumstance gives to the
whole body a disproportionate bulk ; and hence
they form what is called a squat race.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 239
The face is remarkably broad and flat, the
cheek-bones prominent, large, spreading, and
gently rounded. The glabellum is flat and un-
usually large. The' eyes are in general small.
The aperture of the eye-lids, moderately linear in
the Indo-Chinese nations and Malays, is acutely
so in the Chinese, bending upward at its exte-
rior termination. The lower jaw is long, and re-
markably full under the zygoma, so as to give to
the countenance a square appearance. The nose
is rather small than flat, the alae not being dis-
tended in any uncommon degree ; in a great
number of Malays, however, it is largest towards
the point. The mouth is large, and the lips
thick. The beard is remarkably scanty, consist-
ing only of a few straggling hairs. The forehead,
though broad in the lateral direction, is in gene-
ral narrow, the hairy scalp descending very low.
The head is peculiar. The diameter from the
front backwards is uncommonly short ; and hence
the general form is somewhat cylindrical. The
occipital foramen in a great number of instances
is placed so far back, that from the crown to the
nape of the neck is nearly a straight line. The
top of the head is often unusually flat. The hair
is thick, coarse, and lank, in some shewing a dis-
position to curl on the forehead, but this is more
peculiar to the Malays. The colour is always
black.
(830 . MISSION TO SI AM
The limbs arc thick, short and stout, and the
arms rather disproportionate in length to the
body.
The arms, particularly in Malays, are uncom-
monly long. The foot is, in general small, but
the hand is much larger than in the natives of
Bengal.
The trunk is rather square, being nearly as
broad at the loins as over the pectoral muscles.
There is in this respect the greatest difference
between them and the inhabitants of either India,
who are in general remarkable for small waists.
The diameter of the pelvis is particularly large,
and the dimensions of the cavity would appear to
be somewhat greater than in the other races.
From this account of their form, they would
appear to be admirably calculated to execute
and to undergo the more toilsome and laborious,
but mechanical, operations which are the usual
lot of the labouring classes of mankind. They
have the frame, without the energy of London
porters. The greater number of them are indeed
more distinguished for mechanical skill, and pa-
tience under laborious occupations, than for
brightness . of imagination or mental capacity.
Others of them are equally remarkable for indo-
lence and aversion to labour.
AND COCHIN CHINA. ;83l
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE SUMJISE.
TREATMENT OP THE DEAD.
The treatment of the dead is not amongst the
least singular of the customs peculiar to the Si-
amese. It is more or less expensive according
to the rank which the individual held in the com
munity, or the ability of his relations. The
poorest amongst them are negligently and with-
out ceremony thrown into the river. Those a
little higher in the scale of society arc burnt;
often very imperfectly, and their partially-con-
sumed bones are left to bleach on the plain, or
to be devoured by ravenous beasts. Children,
before the age of dentition, are interred in a su-
perficial grave, to one end of which an upright
board is attached. Women who have died preg-
nant are interred in a similar manner. After the
lapse of ^ few months, however, their remains are
taken up for the purpose of being burnt.
With the exceptions mentioned, the practice
of burning the dead extends to all ranks. The
ceremony may be witnessed almost daily in the
environs, and within the precincts of the temples.
The latter are generally provided with a lofty
shed, of a pyramidal form, open on all sides, and
supported on tall wooden posts, of sufficient
339 MISSION TO SI AM
height to admit of the combustion of the body
without injury to the roof. Nor is even this
simple shed common to all. The avarice of the
priesthood, taking advantage of the weaker feel-
ings of the human mind, has even here esta-
blished distinctions at which death mocks. The
poorer sort, therefore, raise the pile at a humble
distance from the roof of pride.
A singular custom takes place in many in-
stances previous to the ceremony of combustion.
It is that of cutting the muscular and soft parts of
the" body into innumerable small pieces, until
nothing is left of the corpse but the bare bones.
The flesh thus cut up is thrown to dogs, vultures,
and other carnivorous birds, which on this
account resort to such places in great numbers.
We found one of those pyramids covered with
vultures, and the enclosure much frequented by
dogs. The scene was loathsome and disgusting
in the extreme, and sufficiently attested the pre-
valence of this custom. The practice is looked
upon as charitable and laudable, and the Siamese
arrogate to themselves no small share of merit in
thus disposing of the body as food, the material
of life, to the beasts of the field, and to the birds
of the air. It seems probable that this singular
practice is connected with their notions of a
future existence, and may have derived its
origin in some way from the ancient doctrine of
AND COCHIN CHlNAo 233
Metempsychosis/ so strongly inculcated by their
religion *.
A different custom prevails among the higher
orders of Siamese, which, considering that the
body is finally destined to be consumed by fire,
is as unaccountable as the other is barbarous
and unfeeling. The custom I allude to is that
of embalming the dead. But what seems most
singular in this custom is, that the body has no
sooner undergone that degree of preparation
which renders it capable of being preserved for
a longer period, than it is destined to be totally
consumed. Were it not for this apparent incon-
sistency, we should have little hesitation in
attributing the origin of this practice to that
warmth of filial affection, and the well known
devotion to their ancestors, for which the Chinese
are so remarkable.
The art of embalming, as known to the Siamese,
is extremely imperfect, notwithstanding that it
has been practised from very ancient times. Its
actual state is characteristic of that general igno-
rance of the ornamental, as well as of the useful
* A custom somewhat similar is not unknown to the Baiulil]iit.ts
of Ceylon. During [the late war in that countrj', a chief of some
rank was sentenced to undergo the punishment of death by decapi-
tation. It was intimated to him that government would not pre-
vent his relations froua rendering to his body tlie funeral rij^Iits «tf
his country. He replied that it was his debire that his body might
bs left to be devoured by the jackals and other wild beasts.
234. MISSrON TO SIAM
arts of civilized life, which I have already hinted
at on several occasions.
The process is for the most part left to the
relations of the deceased, who call in the assist-
ance of the more experienced.
After washing the body with water, the first
step is to pour a large quantity of crude mercury
into the mouth. Persons of the highest rank
alone, however, can have recourse to a mate-
rial so expensive. The others substitute honey
in its stead, but it is said with a less favourable
result. The body is now placed in a kneeling
posture, and the hands are brought together be-
fore the face, in the attitude of devotion. Nar-
row strips of cloth are then bound tightly round
the extremities, and the body is compressed in
a similar manner. The object of the ligatures
is to squeeze the m.oisture out of the body. They
act also in preserving the required posture, and
with this object the more flexile tendons of the
extremities are divided. In this posture the
body is next placed in an air-tight vessel of
wood, brass, silver, or gold, according to the.
rank of the deceased. A tube, or hollow
bamboo, inserted into the mouth of the de-
ceased, passes through the upper part of the box,
and is conducted through the roof of the house
to a considerable height. A similar bamboo
is placed in the bottom, and terminates in a
vessel placed under it to receive the draining
AND COCHIN CHINA. 235
off from the body. If the deceased is of the
rank of a prince, the sordes thus collected is
conveyed with great formality and state, in a
royal barge, highly ornamented, to be deposited
at a particular part of the river below the city.
That collected from the body of the king is put
into a vessel, and boiled mitil an oil separates,
which oil is carefully collected, and with this they,
on certain occasions, (as when his descendants
and those of his family go to pay their devotions
to his departed spirit), anoint the singular image
called Sema, usually placed in the temple after
his death.
Notwithstanding the precaution of using the
tubes and the tight box, the odour, it is said, is
often most offensive. In a few weeks, however,
it begins to diminish, and the body becomes
shriveled and quite dry.
The body thus prepared by this rude process
is, at the proper period, brought forth to be burnt,
the relations having in the mean time made every
necessary arrangement for the solemn occasion.
Early in the morning a number of priests are as-
sembled at the house of the deceased ; having re-
ceived robes of yellow cloth, and been feasted,
they repeat prayers in the Pali language, after
which the body is carried forth to be burned. The
priests receive the body as it approaches the
temple, and conducting it towards the pile,
236 MISSION TO SIAM
repeat a verse in the Pali language, which has
been thus interpreted to me :
Eheu ! mortale corpus,
Ut fuinus hie nunc ascendlt, sic et
Animus tuus ascendat in coclum *.
After the body has been destroyed, the ashes,
or rather the small fragments of bone which
remain, are carefully collected, and the use that
is made of them is somewhat singular. The
priests are again called in ; prayers are again
repeated in the Pali language, and various
requisite ceremonies are performed, after w^hich
the ashes which had been collected after com-
bustion, are reduced to a paste with w^ater, and
formed into a small figure of Buddha, which
being gilded, and finished by the priests, is either
placed in the temple, or preserved by the friends
of the deceased.
This last ceremony is attended with consider-
able expense, and, therefore, the poorer orders,
when unable to engage priests for its perform-
ance, keep the ashes of their relations by them,
until they are in a condition to have it carried
into effect in a becoming manner.
It must be confessed, that in matters of this
sort, the Siamese shew the greatest regard to the
memory of their relations and ancestors. Where
death and its dread apparatus are thus brought
* Ah ! nuntal is (he budy, as now ascends this smoke.
So may thy soul ascend to heaven.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 237
daily liome to the ieelings, — wliere the mind is
accustomed to view the disgusting and humi-
liating phenomena that attend the last scene of
mortality, it might be thought that a stupid in-
sensibility, if not scornful indifference, would be
the general result. We have no reason to
believe that such is the case with the Siamese.
The care and attention they have bestowed upon
the remains of their relations, seem but to endear
their memory the more to them. The fear of
death is, besides, of that nature, that neither the
most deliberate reason, nor the most obtuse feel-
ing, can lay it altogether aside. On the minds
of the multitude more especially, this fear operates
strongly, and produces effects in proportion to
their degree of intelligence. Where there is
already a strong tendency tov/ards superstition,
this bias is still more heightened, and there are
perhaps few nations more strongly imbued with
this sentiment than the Siamese ; and, in general,
all the tribes of Mongol origin. AVith them
judicial astrology still holds the rank of the most
important of sciences, and is cultivated with the
most scrupulous attention. Its pretended results
are rec[uired on all important occasions, either of
a public or a private nature. Nor are the most
gross and revolting superstitions confined to the
vulgar, as the following anecdote respecting the
present Pra-klang, Surec-wong Montree, will
shew.
:?38 MISSION TO SIAM
This gentleman hearing of the wonderful
effects said to be produced by mercury, became
extremely desirous to make proof of the popu-
lar belief, that this metal when reduced to a
solid state, confers on its fortunate possessor the
most extraordinary power, and amongst others
that of travelling into the most distant regions of
the globe, without other effort than that of the
will to do so. The prospect of seeing neigh-
bouring kingdoms in all their nakedness was
irresistible, and the terms were so easy, and
attended with so little labour, as to be quite in-
viting even to the phlegmatic imagination of the
Pra-klang, whose fat, ponderous, and unwieldy
corporation was more than enough to have ex-
cited doubts of success. A quantity of the
metal was procured. The most expert magi-
cians, alchymists, and astrologers were assem-
bled on the occasion, but their united skill failed
to produce the much desired effect. They
boiled, and they roasted, and they tortured in
every possible way the stubborn slippery metal,
but all to no purpose. The poor Pra-klang,
ashamed and disappointed, instead of flying
through the air, saw himself reduced to the sad
necessity of carrying his unwieldy bulk about
the streets of Siam for the rest of his life.
Further proofs of the superstitious nature of
this people were easily furnished. The belief in
the agency of evil spirits is universal, and though
AND COCHIN CHINA. 239
disclaimed by the religion of Buddha, they are
more frequently worshipped than the latter. Nor
will the darker periods of German necromancy
and pretended divination be found to exceed, in
point of the incredible and the horrible, what is
to be observed amongst the Siamese of the pre-
sent day.
It is usual to inter women that have died preg-
nant ; the popular belief is that the necromancers
have the power of performing the most extraor-
dinary things when possessed of the infant which
had been thus interred in the womb of the mother :
it is customary to watch the grave of such per-
sons, in order to prevent the infant from being
carried off. The Siamese tell the tale of horror
in the most solemn manner. All the hobgob-
lins, wild and ferocious animals, all the infernal
spirits are said to oppose the unhallowed deed ;
the perpetrator, well charged with cabalistic
terms, which he must recite in a certain fixed
order, and with nerves well braced to the daring
task, proceeds to the grave, which he lays open.
In proportion as he advances in his work the
opposing sprites become more daring ; he cuts
off the head, hands, and feet of the infant, with
which he returns home. A body of clay is
adapted to these, and this new compound is
placed in a sort of temple; the matter is now
240 MISSION TO SI AIM
accomplished, the possessor has become master
of the past, present, and future.
The funeral ceremonies observed on the death
of a king are somewhat different from those
mentioned above, but the principle is the same.
All the people go into mourning. All ranks and
both sexes shave the head, and this ceremony is
repeated a third time. An immense concourse
is assembled to witness the combustion of the
body. The ceremony is said to constitute the
most imposing spectacle which the country at
any time can boast.
Within the first enclosure a line of priests are
seated, reciting prayers from the sacred books,
in a loud voice. Behind them the new king has
taken his station. In the succeeding enclosures
the princes of the royal family and other persons
of distinction have taken their places. It will
be seen by the manner in which the funeral-pile
is lighted, how much attention has been bestowed
upon the arrangement even of the most trivial
matters. A train is laid from the pile to the
place where the king stands, others to those occu-
pied by the princes of the family, with this dis-
tinction in their distribution, that the train laid
to the king's station is the only one that directly
reaches the pile. That of the next person in
rank joins this at a little distance, and so of the
AND COCHIN CHINA. 241
Others, in the order of rank. These trains are
fired all at the same moment.
The outer circle of all is allotted to the per-
formance of plays, gymnastic exercises, and
feats of dexterity, and sleight of hand. The
plays are divided into Siamese, Barman, Pegu,
Laos, and Chinese ; and they are so called more
from the performers being of these several coun-
tries, than from any essential difference in the
drama.
The external forms of reverence for the de
ceased king are impressive and unbounded ; and
the image formed from his ashes, being placed
upon the altar, claims scarce less devotion than
that of Buddha himself That during life, while
he yet grasped the sceptre, and made his sub-
jects tremble, he should impiously assume the
attributes of divinity, and claim from the un-
willing mind the adoration due only to the Deity,
seems even less strange, and less revolting,
than this shameful, because voluntary prostitu-
tion of human intellect.
LAWS.
Where the government is perfectly despotic, it
will readily be conceived that law and right are
but empty names, at least, as far as regards the
king, and his under-despots ; that, in fact, power
is law, and right, and justice. Yet where the
11
242 MISSION TO SIAAI
interests of these are not directly involved, we
shall find in the system of laws a marked atten-
tion to distributive justice on the part of govern-
ment. Necessity itself dictates this policy, with-
out which no government could long exist.
Under this form of administration the laws are
often strictly equitable, and severely just. Yet
though the laws are good, the propounders of
them are in general corrupt ; and where the
channels of justice are tarnished, it matters little
to the people that they have derived good laws
from their ancestors.
ADULTERY.
The laws regarding this crime have un-
dergone considerable changes, and seem to
have kept pace with the state of civilization.
Anciently, the punishment was left entirely in
the hands of the injured husband, the govern-
ment taking no cognizance of the affair. He
could put one or both of the offending parties to
death in what manner he chose. Compensation
in money or goods often reconciled the parties.
Subsequently, this unlimited power was taken
out of the hands of the individual, and the law
declared that the husband had a right to put both
the offending parties to death upon the spot,
but not one alone. The punishment, to be legal,
must have been inflicted instantly, and without
AND COCHIN CHINA. 243
deliberation. The present laws have left no
part of the punishment in the hands of indivi-
duals ; the crime is punishable only by fine.
The amount of the fine, though fixed, is in pro-
portion to the rank of the criminal. Thus, a
man of low rank, offending in this manner, his
equal, or one of superior rank, pays two catties of
silver, about two hundred Bengal rupees, or
twenty-five pounds sterling. A man of rank
again pays six catties.
It is reckoned a capital crime to seduce any
female belonging to the palace.
THEFT— DEBT.
The laws regarding theft are in many instances
particularly severe. After restoring the property
or its value to the rightful owner, a fine is im-
posed, and the culprit is cast into prison, for a
longer or shorter period, during which he is
obliged not only to maintain himself, but he is
made to pay for light, and even for his lodging.
Of the greater number of debtors, begging is the
only means of existence. They are supplied
with food by the people as they pass along in
chains through the bazar. Their necessities im-
pel them to greater crimes, and they ultimately
become involved in perpetual slavery. Yet the
Siamese are undoubtedly a very charitable people,
and appear to take delight in assisting the needy,
R 2
244 MISSION TO SIAM
feeding the hungry, and helping the wretched.
Nor is this virtue in +hem connected with osten-
tation. Wherever want exists, wherever dis-
tress is observed, there their aid is freely
bestowed.
HISTORY.
My information on this subject is extremely
scanty, and extends back but a few years.
The principal event which has occurred of late
years in the history of Siam, is the capture of
the old capital Yuthia, by the Barmans, under
their ambitious and enterprising leader Luong
Pra, whom Captain Symes calls by the name of
Alompra. This took place in the year 1767.
The king was at the same time taken prisoner,
and by this decisive blow, the Barmans may be
said to have effected the entire conquest of the
country. Yet their footing was insecure. The
people were rather dispirited than subdued, and
their long-cherished hatred of the Barmans had
undergone no change. In this state of things, a
leader soon started up amongst them, who
though of foreign extraction, speedily acquired
influence from success.
Pe-ya-tac, the son of a wealthy China-man, by
a Siamese woman, had been brought up as a
menial in the palace of the king, who became at-
tached to him as he grew up. He obtained the
AND COCHIN CHINA. 245
government of the province called Muong-tac,
where he conducted himself to the satisfaction of
his master, and amassed great wealth.
The war with the Barmans was soon followed
by famine. Pe-ya-tac had, on the approach of
the enemy, removed with his wealth to the pro-
vince of Chantibond. In this remote quarter, his
generosity fed multitudes who were starving.
He collected around him the dispirited inhabi-
tants, and ventured to make head against the
enemy. His first efforts were crowned with
success ; his followers increased in number, vic-
tory led on to victory, until he saw the enemy
expelled, and himself at the head of the nation.
He declared himself king, and removed the capi-
tal of the kingdom from Yuthia to Bankok. He
fortified the place, and built himself a palace
which is still to be seen. Every second or third
year, he was involved in war with the Barmans,
whom he always repulsed. He not only reco-
vered all the former dominions of the kingdom,
but added to them. Having subdued his ene-
mies, he next turned his attention to the peaceful
arts.
He readily appreciated the superior industry
of his countrymen, and granted them peculiar
privileges. He behaved with the greatest mo-
deration, and is still extolled for his regard of
justice.
In the latter years of his reign, his conduct
S46 MISSION TO SIAM
became greatly changed. The combined influ-
ence of suspicion and fanaticism rendered him an
object of general dread. At the same time the
most sordid, avarice took possession of his mind,
and led to the commission of numerous acts of
cruelty. The father of the present king headed
a conspiracy against him, and put him to death.
The massacres which took place on this occasion
were less numerous than was to have been ex-
pected from the existing state of society and
public opinion.
We know but little of the character of the suc-
cessor to Pe-ya-tac, but that the kingdom readily
yielded to him. He died in 1782, and the pre-
sent king ascended the throne at the same time.
The first public act of the present king's reign
was inauspicious. He was yet scarcely seated on
his throne, before he put to death his nephew,
the Prince Chau-pha, with upwards of a hundred
persons of rank, who were supposed to be too
much attached to the latter. The pretensions of
Chau-pha to the throne were, if they had any
existence, but ill-supported. His popularity was
the cause of his ruin. The death of so many
persons of distinction, some of whom had ren-
dered themselves famous in war against the Bar-
mans, was displeasing to the people, and occa-
sioned considerable discontent, which nothing
but the subsequent good conduct of the king
could have overcome.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 247
The present king has been engaged in almost
constant wars with the Barmans ; and it is the
boast of his reign that he has lost nothing in the
contest. The Malay and other dependent states
have made no effort to throw off the yoke. Yet
the kingdom is but little indebted to the govern-
ment for the tranquilhty which it has enjoyed.
Nothing can be conceived more weak, or more
contemptible, than the measures instituted for its
defence.
It would seem as if it feared its own subjects
as its greatest enemies ; as if it dreaded domes-
tic sedition, more than an attack from abroad.
The country lies open in every quarter, without
even a shew of defence. Thus it must ever be
with governments founded on despotism. All
confidence must be destroyed, where the interests
of the people are trampled upon.
REVENUE.
The land-tax is paid chiefly in kind. Besides
this, a considerable revenue is derived from the
privilege of fishing m rivers, and of distilling
arrack. Other taxes are levied in a more odious
and oppressive manner, as in the case of com-
mercial and other monopolies. The principal of
these are monopolies of sugar, pepper, benzoin,
agila wood, and, in short, of all valuable commo-
248 MISSION TO SIAM
dities. They are delivered to the king at a fixed
price.
Arrack is consumed almost exclusively by the
Chinese, and the manufacture of it is entirely in
their hands.
The privilege of distilling arrack at Bankok, is
let for eighteen peculs of silver = 72,000 ticals *,
At Yuthia, for . . 6 peculs
Sohai . . .1 do.
Ta Saim . . . 1 do.
Rahain , . . 1 do,
Camphen • • • I do.
Cha-naat . . . 20 catties
Koraat . . , 2
Ban-chang . . c 3
Kan-buri . . . 20 catties
Chan-pon . . . 30 do.
Pat-thee . . . 20 do.
Chia . . . 8 do.
To-long . . , 30 do.
Fruit trees, &c., are taxed as follows : —
1 Mangoe tree . . 1 fuang t.
Mangosteen . 1 do,
Durian . . .1 tical each tree.
Cocoa-nut , . 1 fuang for eight trees.
Arecanut , . 1 do. for 100 trees.
Piper betel . . 1 do. do.
Tobacco • . 2 fuang s for 100 plants.
Sugar cane . . 2 do. per bed.
* The tical is about twent3^-five per cent, more valuable than the
Sicca rupee.
+ A fuang is the eighth part of a tical.
AND COCHIN CHINA.
249
No other fruits pay duty.
The revenue derived from fruit trees alone, is
said to amount to 7000 catties of silver.
That derived from the gambling houses is said
to equal that from arrack.
The privilege of fishing in rivers is said to be
let for eight peculs.
NUMERALS.
The notation of the Siamese seems to be ex-
actly similar in principle to our own, and is evi-
dently derived from the mode used in Sanskrit,
from some ancient form of which the notation of
Arabia and the west has branched off.
1 Nung.
11 See-bayt.
21 Y-see-boyt.
2 Song.
12 Seep-song.
30 Saam- seep.
3 Saam.
13 Seep-saam.
40 See-seep.
4 See.
14 Seep- see.
50 Haa-seep.
5 Haa.
15 Seep-haa.
60 Hoc-seep.
6 Hoc.
16 Seep -hoc.
70 Chayt-seep.
7 Chayt.
17 Seep-chayt.
80 Payt-seep.
8 Payt.
18 Seep-payt.
90 Kao-seep.
9 Kao.
19 Seep-kao.
100 Roy
1 Seep,
20 Y-seep.
DAYS OF THE WEEK.
Days.
Siamese name. Signification of Siamese name.
Sunday .
. Van-a-thed . Day of the
sun.
Monday . .
Van-chan . do.
moon.
Tuesday .
. Van-ang-khan do.
star ang-khan.
Wednesday Van-phoodh
do. do. phood]i.
S5(5
MISSION TO SIAM
Days. Siamese name. Signification of Siamese name.
Thursday . Van-pra-hadh Day of the star pra-hadh.
Friday . . Van-sookh . do. sookh
Saturday . Van-sao . do. sao.
NAMES OF THE MONTHS.
Months. Siamese name. Literally.
January . . Duan-aij. . . 1st. month.
February . Duan-jee. 2d. do.
March . . Duan-saam. . 3d. do.
April . . . Duan-see. &c. &c.
May . . Duan-haa.
June . . . Duan-hok.
July . . Duan.ched.
August . . Duan-ped.
September . . Duan-kao.
October . . Duan-seep.
November . Duan-seebet.
December . . Duan-seep -song.
The Siamese year commences with the first
moon in December. At the close of the year
there is a grand festival, called the feast of the
souls of the dead. At this period also the
Siamese propitiate the elements ; the fire, the air,
the earth, and water. Water is the favourite
element. Rivers claim the greatest share in
this festival. Rice and fruits are thrown into the
stream ; a thousand fantastic toys are set afloat
on the water ; thousands of floating lamps cast a
flickering light upon the scene, and the approach
of evening is hailed as the season of innocent
amusement, as well as of religious duty.
AND COCHIN CHINA.
251
The Siamese affect to bestow great attention
upon the construction of their calendar. There
is little difference between it and that of the
Chinese ; and it is very doubtful if they could
construct one without the assistance of the latter,
which they procure regularly from Pekin. For-
merly a Brahman was entertained at court for
the purpose of regulating the calendar. That
office is now executed by a native of the country,
by name Pra-hora.
The Siamese years are divided as below into
duodecennial periods, thus :
Years.
Siamese name.
In English meaning.
1st.
Chouat . k
Rat's year.
2d.
Cha-lou
Cows' do.
3d.
Khan
Tiger's do.
4th.
Tho
Hare's do.
5 th.
Maron
Dragon's do.
6th.
Maseng
Snakes' do.
7th.
Ma-mia
Horses' do.
8th.
Ma-may
Goats' do.
9th.
Vock
Monkey's do.
10th.
Ray-ka
Fowls' do.
nth.
Cho
Dog's do.
12th.
Khun
Pig's do.
RELIGION.
Our inquiries respecting the origin of the Baud-
dhic religion amongst the Siamese have been
attended with but little success ; nor do they
leave us much ground to hope that any docu-
252 MISSION TO SIAM
merits or writings they possess are calculated to
throw any certain or steady light upon this in-
teresting, but very obscure, subject.
The general persuasion amongst the priests,
however, is, that it had its origin in the country
called Lanka*, which they acknowledge to be
Ceylon, for which island they still entertain the
highest reverence, and imagine that there the
doctrines of their faith are contained in their
greatest purity. Others maintain that it had its
origin in the country called Kabillah Path, the
common name amongst the Siamese for Europe ;
while others again assert it to be of domestic
origin, and taught by a man sent from God.
The person who taught them this religion is
known under various names, as,
Ong-Sam-ma, Sam Puttho, which is said to mean Omni-
potens.
Sommonokodam, i. e., one who steals cattle. Phut, and
Phuti. (Pati, a lord ?)
Pra-phut, the high Lord.
Pra-phuti-roop, i. e., the image of the high Lord.
Before he was considered sacred, his name was Pra-si
Thaat.
He is said to have been born of a father called Soori-soo-
thoght, and of a mother called Pra-Soori-maha-maya.
* The Barmans entertain the highest reverence for Magadha ; a
deputation from his Majesty of Ava visited the sacred places in
that vicinity a few years ago. Possibly this veneration for locali-
ties changes according to political circumstances.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 253
Other names of Buddha : —
Y-thee-pee-so. Pa-ka-wa. Ora-hang.
They state that 2340 years have elapsed
since the rehgion was first introduced ; a date
which is said to be stated in their sacred books,
and particularly in that called Pra-sak-ka-rah,
which was written by Buddha himself, or at least
under his direction.
He commenced the task of converting men,
by teaching them a more civilized mode of life,
directing them to avoid rapine and plunder ; to
cultivate the soil and to lay aside their ferocious
manners, and to live in peace with each other,
and with all other animals of the creation.
His commands were, at first, but five ; they
were afterwards increased to eight. The five
first alone are essential to the salvation of man,
and he who observes them will assuredly merit
heaven. These five are more particularly calcu-
lated for the lower orders ; but it is very meri-
torious to observe the other three.
Commands of Buddha : —
1. * Panna Thi-bat, ham-mi klia Satt.
You shall not kill an animal or living creature of any
kind.
* According' to Loubere, this enactment suffers various inter-
pretations, sonic abstaining' from feeding- on vegetables so as to
hurt the seed, and so, says he, eat only fruit ; others vary the prac-
tice of the law in the opposite direction, and hang- tlieniselves out
of devotion, which action, if performed on a certain sacred tree, is
considered as havinii' ffreat merit.
254 MISSION TO SIAM
2. Ad thi ma than, ham-mi hai lac sab.
You shall not steal any thing.
3. Kham-mi sumi cha-chan, ham-mi hai somg sel nai phi
ri yan than puun.
You shall not have intercourse with the \^aves of other
men.
4. Moo-sa va tha, ham mi hai phAt kohoc sab plab.
You shall not speak an untruth or any falsehood on any
occasion.
5. Sura me rai, hai mi hai duum kin sung nam maou.
You shall not drink any intoxicating liquor, or any sub-
stance calculated to intoxicate.
6. Ka me sumitsa cham, ham-mi hai non kab mia.
During the increase of the moon, you shall not, on the
8th, or on the 15th, have coimexion with woman.
N.B. These two days are called von-pra, i. e., Dies Do-
mini, the days of the Pra.
7. Vi ka la po chana, ham-mi hai kin khong noek vela.
You shall not eat after mid-day.
S. Oocha se jana, ham mi hai non niia thiang an vi chit
ang gnam.
It is not becoming to sleep on costly, soft, rich, and ele-
vated beds. You shall sleep on a clean mat.
There are, as has been already observed, set
days, on which it is proper to worship at the
temples, as on the 8th and 15th of the moon.
There are also other days that are held sacred,
and they are pointed out as such by persons who
profess to be acquainted with judicial astrology.
This sort of divination, however, is not culti-
vated by the priests, who affect to consider it as
profane and improper. Yet when the astrologers
AND COCHIN CHINA. 2.55
have pointed out particular days as proper for
devotion, or as being lucky or the contrary, the
priests observe them.
It is customary for every Siamese to enter the
rank of priests in the course of his life. He may
remain in it or leave it at pleasure.
PROVINCE OF CHANTIBOONA, or CHANTIBOND.
The reverses of fortune which this province
has undergone, within a comparatively short
period, have been remarkable. It for a long
time belonged to the ancient kingdom of Cam-
bodia, but on the partition of that admired and
beautiful, but unfortunate country, was seized
upon by the Cochin-Chinese. It has since
passed into the hands of the king of Siam, and
has constituted an integral part of his dominions
since the reign of the Chinese king.
Chantibond is a mountainous country, form-
ing the eastern boundary of the kingdom of
Siam, dividing it from Cambodia, and situated
at the head of the Gulf of Siam. It is said to
be one of the richest and most valuable provinces
of the king of Siam. It is singularly beautiful
and picturesque, diversified by lofty mountains.
256 MISSION TO SIAM
extensive forests, and fertile vallies and plains.
The passage thence to Cambodia is of short
distance, a ridge of mountains dividing the two
countries. It possesses a good and convenient
harbour, well protected by numerous beautiful
islands in front. The river is obstructed in a
great measure at its mouth, but affords conve-
nient and safe navigation to small vessels and
boats. It once possessed an extensive and pro-
fitable commerce, which has been upon the de-
cline since the place fell into the hands of the
Siamese. The produce of the country is an-
nually removed to Bankok, and the commerce
with foreign ships is prohibited.
■" The principal productions are pepper, the
cultivation of which may be increased almost to
an unlimited extent, benzoin, lac, ivory, agila
wood, rhinoceros' horns, hides of cows, buf-
faloes, deer, &c., gamboge, some cardamoms,
and precious stones, the latter of inferior quality.
The forests abound in excellent timber, and af-
ford the best materials for ship-building: ac-
cordingly, many junks are built at this place.
Many of the islands in front of the port, and
particularly that called Bangga-cha, produce
abundance of precious stones. The island Sa-
ma-ra-yat, to the east of the harbour, is said to
produce gold. In the former of these islands,
there is a safe and convenient harbour.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 257
At a short distance from the coast, there is a
very high mountain, called Bomba-soi, com-
manding an extensive view both of Chantibond
and of Cambodia.
The amount of population is uncertain, some
stating that it amounts to nearly one million,
while others reckon it under half that number.
It is composed of Chinese, Cochin Chinese,
Cambodians, and Siamese ; but by far the
greater number are Chinese, in whose hands are
all the wealth, and the richest products of the
country. There are also from two to three hun-
dred native Christians in the place, who, like
those in other parts of Siam, are placed under
the care of the bishop of Metellopolis, Joseph
Florens, a Frenchman.
The place is governed by a man of Chinese
extraction, appointed by the king of Siam.
Of pepper, the principal object of culture, the
annual produce, at the present time, is said to
amount to 20,000 peculs. It is sold to the king
on the spot, for eight ticals a pecul. The price
in Bankok is eighteen.
The cardamoms produced in Chantibond are
reckoned of inferior quality. Those of Cam-
bodia are reckoned the best. They are pur-
chased on the spot by the king, for 120 or 140
ticals, and re- sold at Bankok for 270, 280, and
s
S58 MISSION TO SI AM
even 300. They are carried exclusively to
China, where they are held in high esteem.
The agila wood of Chantibond is reckoned
among the best, and is only equalled by that
of Cochin China.
The consumption of this highly odoriferous
substance is very considerable even in Siam,
but the greatest part is exported to China. Its
use is of the highest antiquity, and it has in
general been allotted chiefly for sacred purposes,
for the service of the temple, and the solemn
ceremonies of funeral rites. Much of it is con-
sumed in the combustion of bodies of persons of
distinction. The Chinese would appear to use
it chiefly in their temples, both public and pri-
vate, and as every Chinese house is furnished
with a small temple for the reception of their
household gods, the consumption of this wood
by them must be very extensive. It is used
in a very economical and neat mode. A quantity
of the wood is first reduced to a fine powder,
which, being mixed with a gummy substance,
is laid over a small slip of soft wood, about the
size of a bull-rush, so as to form a tolerably thick
coating. These small sticks are stuck on end
in the temple, and being lighted, give out a
feeble but grateful perfume, the substance burn-
ing with a slow and smothered flame. This sort
AND COCHIN CHINA. 259
of taper is made up into bundles, wrapt up in
fine paper, and sold in almost every shop.
The odoriferous principle in agila wood re-
sides in a black, thick, concrete oil, resembling
tar or resin while burning *. It is disposed in
numerous cells, and gives to the wood a blackish,
dotted appearance. It is generally asserted
that this is the effect of a disease in the tree ;
but the opinion may well be called in question.
It would rather seem to be the natural effect of
a necessary modification of the living principle
of the plant itself, no more partaking of the na-
ture of disease than an inevitable and destined
change and termination of life can be said to
constitute such a state.
The odoriferous part is found in comparatively
few trees, and those chiefly where the trees have
either died, or have been possessed of feeble
remains of vitality. The perfect trees, those
bearing leaves, or fruit in perfection, rarely
possess any part of it : neither does it appear
to depend much upon the size of the tree^ small
ones often affording it in large quantity, while
large ones yield very little or none at all. Is it
not probable that it proceeds from an effort of
nature to support the feeble remains of vegetable
life ? In this case, the juices of the plant, like
* It is, perhaps, a combination of an essential oil with resin.
S 2
260 MISSION TO SIAM
the blood of animals, retreat towards the centre,
where they still, for a time, maintain the feeble
spark. The oil, in the case of this plant, is
secreted in larger quantity ; and accumulating in
the thicker and central parts of the tree, and
towards the root, forms the substance in question.
The Siamese name this substance — Nuga-mai,
also, Mai-hoam. For a botanical description of
the tree, see Loureiro, page 327. Roxburgh
has also described this tree under the title
Aguillaria Agallocha. Loureiro states, that a par-
ticular, and that the most valuable variety of
this wood, is called Colambac, or Calampac.
This last is represented by the Siamese as the
produce of a tree totally different.
The cause which has been assigned above for
the scantiness of my information on matters of
general interest, will apply with still greater
force to the subject of natural history. Ill
health, and the restrictions under which we were
placed by the government, have rendered this
subject almost a complete blank ; a circumstance
the more to be regretted, for that we had reason
to expect an ample accession to our knowledge
in this quarter. The few facts which I have
been enabled to collect, I shall now briefly
relate.
In speaking of the peninsula of Malacca, I have
AND COCHIN CHINA. 261
said, that its unfrequented forests seemed to
contain zoological treasures yet unknown to us.
A similar remark is no less applicable to the
kingdom of Siam generally. There seems every
reason to believe that an extensive search would
be attended with the happiest results to the
science of natural history. Restricted as we
were from researches of this nature, we have
discovered animals in the classes Mammalia,
Aves, and Reptilia, which are either imperfectly,
or altogether unknown to the European world.
Of that uncommon variety of the elephant, the
white or Albino, a description has already been
given. This, however, cannot be considered
other than a variety of the common elephant of
the country, which does not appear to differ in
any considerable degree from that of Hindostan
and Ceylon. All the elephants here were less
in size than the Ceylon elephant; their tusks
were also shorter, and less curved ; although
in one or two of those we saw, a greater degree
of symmetry was noticed than is common in this
animal.
At Bankok, the elephant is hardly available
to any useful purpose, few roads existing on
which he can walk. They are kept about the
palace, and used only on state occasions. The
king is said to have a great number in his
possession. They are employed as beasts of
98d MISSION TO SIAM
burden with the troops in the interior of the
country.
A description has also been given above, of a
species of white Simia. This, likewise, is a
genuine Albino. I was informed by several
persons, that about two years ago, the king
had in his possession an Albino of the deer kind.
Albinos among buffaloes are in this country very
common, often indeed the most frequent and
only variety of that animal, and generally ex-
ceeding in bulk the common or original black
one. It is of frequent occurrence in the Malay
Islands, and in all agricultural countries, from
Penang as far east as Java.
This prevalence of the leucsethiopic habit
among so many of the more perfect and larger
animals of the Class MammaHa is deserving of
remark. How far the habit is developed by
peculiarity of climate, it is difficult to determine ;
the geographical limits, however, within which
this variety of animal occurs, with unwonted fre-
quency, are not very extensive.
It is, perhaps, but little connected with this
subject to state, that on the coasts of Siam we
saw, on two occasions, a species of Porpoise of
a white colour, with a slight cast of pink. View-
ing these animals from a distance, it is of course
impossible to say whether they were of the leuc-
sethiopic habit or not. The fact that this dis-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 263
tinction has not hitherto been observed in any
animal with cold blood, would seem unfavourable
to the first supposition.
The Royal Tiger is extremely common in the
interior parts of the country. Their bones, as
well as skins, constitute a considerable article of
commerce with China ; and, from the very great
numbers in which they are exposed for sale, we
may infer their frequency. The bones are said
to be used as medicine by the Chinese, and a
quantity of them may be seen suspended in
every medicine-shop. The Black Tiger is by no
means rare. Both this and the former, I con-
sider smaller than the Bengal Tiger.
Leopards w^ould also appear to be common.
Many of the handsomest skins are exposed in
the shops on the river. Of this animal I have
observed no variety. No Jackalls, Hares, or
Rabbits were seen.
264 MISSION TO SIAM
CHAPTER VII.
Depart from Siam. — Sechano, or Dutch Islands. — Inha-
bitants. — Enormous Yam. — Bay of Siam. — Geological
Remarks. — Pulo Panjang. — Two Brothers Islands. —
PuLo Condore. — Geology. — Inhabitants. — Hospitable
Character. — Cape St. James Current. — Bay of Cocoa
Nuts. — Geology, &c. — Vung Tao. — Costume. — Governor
of Kan-dyn, a Singular Character, takes charge of an
Official Communication to the Governor of Saigon. —
Inhabitants very polite. — Dress almost exclusively in
Silk. — Physiognomy and Form.— Habitations. — Costume.
— Shops.— Royal Boats.
Our residence at Bankok was not of a nature to
excite regret on leaving it. The mean, suspi-
cious, and weak conduct of the Government,
selfish in all its measures, regardless of the
welfare of its subjects, was more calculated to
excite feelings of contempt than of respect.
The restrictions under which they had placed
the members of the mission were certainly un-
necessary, and are an additional proof of the
weakness, as well as of the ignorance of the
Government. All attempts to visit the interior of
the country were unavailing. It has already
been stated that the Government of Siam is alto-
gether despotic^ and circumstances have been
AND COCHIN CHINA. 265
related which will throw some light upon the state
of manners under this condition of government.
I may here briefly remark, before taking final
leave of the Siamese, that the manners of the
highest ranks are far from engaging. We should
here look in vain for that courtly ease, and that
polished exterior, so common to almost all
Asiatics of high rank. An offensive coarseness,
a manifest disregard to the feelings of others,
and arrogance unbounded, have usurped its
place.
Bad government has not been able to produce
effects so baneful on the manners of the lower
orders of the people. If we except low cunning
and falsehood, twin crimes, bred under the wing
of despotism, we shall find, in the manners of
the latter, more that is deserving of praise than
of blame. They are kind and charitable to-
wards each other, peaceable and quiet subjects,
and remarkable for fidelity and honesty in their
transactions. Towards strangers they are affa-
ble, and extremely kind, polite, and attentive:
they at once inspire them with confidence ; they
are communicative and obliging. They have,
on all occasions^ appeared to us the more amiable
part of the people, and with a very few excep-
tions, they were the only class that either shewed
us attention, or from whom we could gain any
266 MISSION TO SIAM
information. From this class I do not separate
the priesthood, in general very attentive to
strangers.
On our leaving the capital, the Court did not
confer the least mark of attention on the mission,
not even so far as to learn the period of our
departure. Presents for the Governor General,
consisting of Elephants' Teeth, Agila Wood, Ben-
zoin, Cardamoms, Pepper, Sugar, and Tin, had
been previously delivered. The Chief, Suri-
Wong, asked Mr. Crawfurd to visit him on the
day of our embarkation, and on the following
night, Chroma-chit made a similar request.
Our departure from Bankok had taken place
earlier than we had contemplated, for it had been
long maintained by Captain M'Donnel, that the
ship could not get over the bar of the river before
the month of September. A difference of opi-
nion had now occurred amongst the navigators,
and it was determined that the trial should be
made, after lightening the ship as much as was
consistent with safety. The resolution was gra-
tifying to all of us.
We embarked in the evening of the 14th of
July, and on the 16th we began to drop slowly
down the river. On the ISth^ we passed * Pack-
* Packnam is a term of frequent occurrence in Siam, apparently
signifying the mouth of a river.
AND COCHIN CHINA. S57
nam, and on the 24th, we crossed the bar. The
S. W. monsoon blows right in upon the river,
and there is consequently great labour and diffi-
culty in warping a ship over a mud-bank up-
wards of ten miles in extent.
On the 2d of August we moved over to some
islands in front of the river, called Sechang, or
Dutch Islands, for the purpose of completing our
quantity of water, taking in ballast, and fitting
the ship for sea, the rigging having been all
taken down while she lay at Bankok.
On the 4th of August, we anchored in a fine
deep bay, formed by the islands just mentioned.
We availed ourselves of the necessary delay
of the vessel at this place, to make daily excur-
sions to the surrounding islands.
The name Sechang is properly applicable only
to the principal island of the group ; the next in
point of size, about a mile distant to the W., is
called Ko-kan. The other islands are of trifling
extent ; some of them, like the large ones, are
covered with rather stunted wood, and others are
merely bare rocks, appearing above water. The
two larger islands bear marks of a considerable
extent of former cultivation, and on both, a few
miserable looking inhabitants are still to be
found. The quantity of level ground is too
scanty to maintain a population of any extent,
and the few persons we found here, had been
268 MISSION TO SIAM
compelled by the King of Siam to live on the
spot. It is difficult to conceive any other motive
for this species of banishment, than political am-
bition ; for such islands must be totally unpro-
ductive to the government. It should at the same
time be acknowledged, that nothing is expended
in their occupation. Though by their own
account compelled to adopt this residence, the
few people whom we found here, in appearance,
at least, abundantly miserable, seemed to attach
no particular hardship to their lot.
Upon a small sandy beach, at the northern
extremity of Ko-kan, are twelve small huts, with
two apartments in each, constructed of palm-
leaves, which the occupiers must have carried
with them from the inhabited parts of the conti-
nent. Of these huts, some were now empty, but
a part of the population, consisting of two or
three old women, as many old men, and a consi-
derable number of sickly children, came out to
meet us on our landing. Premature old age had
seized upon those that had grown up, whether
from the scantiness of their food, its inferior qua-
lity, or uncertain supply, or from cares insepara-
ble from this rude condition of society, is perhaps
doubtful. Their shrivelled limbs, their wrinkled
and contracted features, their half-famished
forms, their scanty dress, bespoke a people
supremely wretched ; yet their wants were but
AND COCHIN CHINA. 269
few, nor did they importune us for the gratifica-
tion of them. The men that were present were
reserved, if not sullen, and viewed us with little
interest, or perhaps with suspicion. The women,
on the contrary, were evidently pleased at our
approach, and gave every demonstration that our
visit was welcome to them. Here, where we might
have expected selfishness in the most exclusive
degree, we were delighted to witness nothing
but the most disinterested kindness. A plan-
tain, a yam, and a few pepper-corns, reared by
their own hands, were, in their eyes, commodities
of the highest value, — yet these, though they had
but a scanty supply of them, were instantly pro-
duced,- and we were eagerly solicited to take
them with us. They neither asked for, nor
expected any thing in return, and they seemed
surprised, as well as delighted, when on a subse-
quent visit Mr. Crawfurd made them presents
of cloth.
Fish forms the principal article of their food,
and the surrounding seas afford an abundant
supply ; but such is the poverty, or want of
energy or ingenuity in these poor creatures, that
they are often very ill-supplied from this quarter.
These poor people had laid at our feet all that
was valuable in their eyes. They gained con-
fidence during our visit, and all of them became
more familiar. Mrs. Crawfurd had accompanied
»rO MISSION TO SIAM
US to the village, and her presence conferred a
degree of interest upon the scene not easy to be
described. The men, stupid with wonder, seemed
to look upon her as a being of another creation ;
and indeed, if we cast our eyes upon the con-
trast in the female forms now before us, their
wonder will not appear surprising, and these rude
and wretched savages might well doubt that they
had but little connexion with our race. Never, per-
haps, was savage life more strikingly contrasted
with refined ; an accomplished female, brought
up in all the elegance and refinement of the first
metropolis in the world, stood opposed to the
rude, scarce human forms of the savage islanders
of the Gulf of Siam !
With more confidence, but with no less sur-
prise and wonder, the women and children
seemed anxious to approach a form which was
eminently pleasing to them, but were withheld
by a sort of awe. Such a scene were worthy of
the painter's skill.
We now ascended, a neighbouring hill, on which
were cultivated the Dioscorea alata, Convolvulus
Batatus, Zea Mays, and Capsicum. The energy
of vegetation in the Dioscorea seemed to have
been too great for the moderate share of industry
exerted by the natives in their rude agriculture.
This luxuriant plant had spread over all the
cleared ground, choking every plant near it, and
AND COCHIN CHINA. 371
obstructing even its own growth by the over-
abundant production of stem. We have ob-
served this tendency in the same plant, on the
opposite island. Yet it is not to be found in the
forest, nor of indigenous growth. I have never
seen it but in spots that have once been culti-
vated, nor have I observed solitary plants of it.
Other species of this genus are common in the
forest, and are in general solitary.
It is deserving of remark in this place, that
we found on the various islands which form this
bay, and particularly upon the lesser ones, a
considerable number of plants, whose economy
bears a striking analogy to that of Dioscorea ;
like that useful plant, too, they belong to the
natural order Asparagi, of Jussieu. They are
all creeping plants, elegant in their form, pro-
ducing abundance of fine foliage, ascending to
the tops of the tallest trees, often covering them,
as it were, with a mantle. The most extraor-
dinary of these is a plant bearing affinity both to
Dioscorea and to Menispermum, but differing
from both in some essential generic characters.
The great beauty of the creeping stem, sus-
pended in elegant festoons from the branches of
the surrounding trees, were sufficient to attract
attention. But the most singular property of
this herbaceous plant is the disposition which it
has of forming tuberous roots of a most extra-
272 MISSION TO SIAM
ordinary size, a circumstance the more singular,
because, independent of the small size of its
stem, scarcely larger than a quill, it is found
growing in the most arid and steril situations,
without a particle of earth to conceal its roots ;
neither are its leaves succulent, nor its stem nor
root of a texture apparently fitted to convey a
large proportion of vegetable juice, both being
rather hard and fibrous. The singular tuberosity
of this plant is formed at the exit of the root
from the rock or surrounding stones, and is, in
general, buried about one-fourth under the sur-
face. The part exposed is globular, of a dirty-
white colour, warty, and internally the yam is
tough and fibrous rather than spongy. One
brought on board, on account of its size, weighed
474 lb., and measured 9| feet in circumference ;
others, of still greater size, were not uncommon.
It will be conceived, that such vast masses of
vegetable matter are but little adapted to become
the food of man ; it is, however, not altogether
neglected for that use, though but rarely had
recourse to. For this purpose, the farinaceous
matter is separated from the juice, vegetable
fibre, and other products, by drying, maceration,
^•c. The root is also used in medicine.
Of all the tuberous roots this would appear to
be by far the largest and most extraordinary.
In other plants of the kind, the tuberosities are
AND COCHIN CHINA. 273
proportionate to the size of the plants, and their
visible means of nourishment. In this, the yam
is of the most gigantic size, and its stem ex-
tremely small. The means of nourishment are
by no means apparent. Earth and water, the
ordinary sources of vegetable nutriment, are al-
most altogether wanting ; the stem is not of a
structure to require any thing but simple support
from the surrounding trees. There remains no
visible source but the atmosphere, to which its
numerous leaves are amply exposed, through the
aid of the surrounding trees.
To the botanist these islands afford a most
interesting field ; and, notwithstanding the nu-
merous visits which we have made to them,
much still remains to be done. We never re-
turned from them without considerable numbers
of plants that were new to us, amongst which
there are some undescribed in our systematic
catalogues.
The islands abound in plants of that beauti-
ful natural order Apocynese ; we found several
most elegant species of Hoy a amongst them.
The plants of the order Euphorbise are still more
numerous. Ficus, several tall species.
Of the Caprifolia there is a considerable
number ; but it is remarkable that Rhizophora is
not amongst them, neither are there any plants
T
^4> MISSION TO SIAM
of similar habits. The absence of alluvial soil
upon the sea-coast is probably the cause.
We were somewhat surprised to find that
there were no palms. We had found them on
similar islands not far distant.
The AroidesB are numerous ; several of the
plants very handsome, exceeding the usual size
of plants of that genus.
The arborescent form of vegetation prevails,
but attains no considerable height.
On the larger islands the tamarind-tree occurs
frequently, and in situations which might lead
us to conclude it to be of indigenous origin. For
the most part, however, it is found in places that
were formerly cultivated, where they have in all
probability been planted. The tree is of incon-
siderable size, and produces but little fruit.
For a further account of the rich vegetable
products of these islands, I must refer to the bota-
nical catalogue.
The zoology of these islands is scarce less in-
teresting, though more limited, than its vegeta-
tion. Of the class Mammalia, the number of
species is extremely scanty. A species of rat,
and a white squirrel, were the only members of
this class that occurred to us. The latter is rare,
about eight inches in length ; an active, lively,
and handsome animal.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 2rS
A species of white porpoise is common in the
seas about these islands. It is of a clear white
colour, with a very slight tinge of pink. I esti-
mated its length to be about eight or nine feet.
Of birds we procured a fine species of black
Pelican, a blue-coloured Heron, several specimens
of Columba litoralis, and a variety of the same
bird of a bluish cast ; another handsome spe-
cies of Columba, of an iron-brown colour, a green-
coloured species of the same bird ; a species of
Falco of a white colour, and a few others, to-
gether with some curious fish, of which, as well
as of the former, figures have been taken.
Amongst the more curious objects, will be found
a very beautiful species of Lacerta, and several
large species of Cancer, found by the people at
the watering-place. Descriptions of these will
be found in the catalogues.
In the examination of the rocky shores and
bare cliffs of Sechang, the geological student will
find an ample field for speculation. We have
visited few islands whose structure has interested
us more.
For an account of the mineral masses, see the
Catalogue, and the accompanying specimens. I
shall here attempt, what these, in their insulated
state, are not well calculated to convey, some in-
formation respecting their relative position, &c.
At various distant points on several of the
T 2
270 MISSION TO SI AM
islands, are to be seen, chiefly at the time of low
water, extensive masses of a coarse-grained
granite, abounding in plates of gray and black
mica, and possessing a considerable degree of
slaty structure, the mica being disposed chiefly
in parallel laminae. There is reason to suppose
that this rock constitutes the base of the islands,
as well as of the bay formed by them. On its
horizontal surface, it terminates abruptly, without
ascending into elevated or peaked masses, hav-
ing a rough, horizontal surface, rarely rising
above high- water mark. It is not to be seen at
any distance from the sea-shore, being there
concealed by the superincumbent rocks.
On this horizontal surface of the granite are
placed two principal superincumbent rocks,
quartz-rock, and granular limestone. These
seem to rest alike upon the granite of their
base, their relative position being lateral with
regard to each other. They are much inter-
mixed, and often alternate with each other. The
quartz-rock rises into the highest peaks ; the
limestone often laps over it, so as to appear to
have it for its base.
The quartz-rock varies in appearance. The
grey and the white are the principal varieties ;
in both there is a considerable proportion of cal-
careous matter, and they effervesce briskly.
Some parts are compact, with a fracture nearly
AND COCHIN CHINA. 277
conchoidal ; such are often traversed by small
seams of pure white quartz. Other parts are
distinctly slaty, and here the strata are displaced,
contorted, and curved ; such parts are soft ; pe-
netrated by caves of considerable extent.
Masses of pure quartz abound in some parts
of this rock.
The granular limestone is also of various ap-
pearance. It is intermixed with small veniform
portions of dolomite, finely crystallized. Both
the dolomite and granular varieties are com-
pletely soluble in sulphuric acid.
On the smaller islands, the quartz-rock is in-
tersected by retiform veins of iron ore.
Both are stratified rocks ; direction of the
strata from east to west, dipping to the north.
On the morning of the 13th we landed on the
principal island, in pursuit of white squirrels.
Mr. Crawfurd following a narrow path-way in
the jungle, pursued it to the distance of nearly a
mile, when it suddenly opened upon a small
plain, neatly cultivated with Indian corn, chillies,
yams, and sweet potatoes. It was on all sides
surrounded by hills and thick woods, and had an
appearance of neatness, comfort, and simplicity,
calculated to convey an exaggerated, if not erro-
neous, notion of its actual state. The cultivated
part might extend to eight or ten acres, a space
too extensive for the labours of the feeble hands
278 MISSION TO SIAM
of its actual occupants, who had been simply left
in charge of the rude plantation. These were a
very old man and woman, the former a China-
man, the latter a native of Laos. They were
both nearly blind. The man, on whom we had
stolen unobserved, paid at first but little regard
to his visitors. The old woman welcomed us
with clamorous expressions of hospitality. She
lamented that she had nothmg to offer us but
some plantains and Indian corn. Their hut,
though small, was clean and neat. The transi-
tion from civilized life to this rude spot appeared
to have occasioned no regrets on the part of
either. However miserable the condition of
rude life, man easily yields to it. No pair could
live in more rude simplicity than this. A few
vegetables and the pure stream were their only
viands ; the face of unrestrained nature seemed
to smile upon them ; yet it was but a fallacious
smile ; whatever was necessary for their comfort
sprung from the labour of their own hands.
Their wants were but few and easily satisfied.
They felt the effects neither of luxurious habits,
nor of capricious appetites. They Avere exempt
from many of the miseries that accompany a
more civilized state. Age alone had laid his
hand upon them, and they were gradually sink-
ing into the grave. Deafness was added to the
loss of sight ; yet they complained only of the
AND COCHIN CHINA. 279
loss of the latter. They had naught to complain
of but the loss of that sweetest of our senses ;
that which adds delight to all the rest.
The soil was here abundant, and apparently
good, consisting of vegetable mould in consi-
derable proportion, intermixed with lime and
quartz. It was much too good to have been
formed from the detritus of quartz-rock. I may
express a doubt whether the rock which we have
called by that name is fairly entitled to it.
In other parts, and particularly on the smaller
islands, the soil, on the contrary, is evidently
of the nature of that formed from such a rock, —
steril, dry, earthless, stony.
Several streams of excellent water will be
found on various parts of this island, and a very
fine one on the east side, to which a foot-path
leads from a fine sandy beach. On the sloping
sides of the hill at this place, is built a small
Pra-cha-di or Dagoba.
The junks usually take shelter under a pro-
jecting point, which terminates the sandy beach.
The place is also convenient as affording excel-
lent water. Though it answers their purpose, it
will not that of European ships. Our men found
out a convenient watering-place, about a mile
beyond, on the same side of the island, towards
the north.
2S0 MISSION TO SI AM
Notwithstanding the apparent natural luxuri-
ance of these islands, they will be found, with
regard to man, to be rather steril. The pro-
portion of level ground is besides very inconsi-
derable, and the hills are too steep to admit of
easy or profitable culture. It is not therefore
likely that they will ever become settlements of
any extent on their own account.
As a depot favourable to commercial enter-
prise, much might be said in favour of their
occupation. The bay is spacious and safe at all
times, the entrance wide, the anchorage good,
the defence of the place would not be difficult.
It seems probable that the trade of Siam and of
Cochin China might be brought to centre here.
It lies quite contiguous to the countries which
produce pepper, cardamoms, agila wood. Ben-
zoin, &c., articles of great demand in China.
The principal island Hes in lat. 13° 12' N., and
long. 155° E.
August \Ath. — The ship being now completed
for sea, weighed anchor, and stood over, with a
fair light wind, for the west side of the gulf.
On the following morning both sides of the bay
were in sight. We were within twelve or fifteen
miles' distance of the west coast. Its appearance
is singularly picturesque, yet greatly dissimilar
from that of the opposite side. The most marked
AND COCHIN CHINA. 281
difference consists in the absence of islands on
this, while on the opposite they are innume-
rable.
An extensive low ground, covered with thick
woods, stretches along the sea-coast. We could
here see abundance of palms growing; the Pal-
myra appeared to be the most common. Ap-
pearances would lead us to infer this Ioav ground
to be well inhabited. The lofty mountains in
the back-ground render this country singularly
picturesque. Sam-rayot, signifying three hun-
dred peaks, the name by which the Siamese
designate this tract, is expressive of its appear-
ance. The mountain ranges run in the direction
of north and south. They are very elevated,
extremely rugged on their flanks, as well as
summits, projecting into innumerable bold coni-
cal peaks. It is perhaps a singular circumstance,
considering that the direction of these mountain
ranges is from north to south, that they are
steepest towards the east, while, of mountains
so distributed, it has been observed, that the
steepest acclivities lie towards the west.
Another singular circumstance in the appear-
ance of these mountains, is that of the insulated
situation of some of the loftiest peaks, or rather
mountains. Three of the latter are perfectly
conical, lofty, and very steep, and their position
is perfectly insular, miles intervening between
2S2 MISSION TO SIAM
them and the mountain ranges from which they
stand detached. They are situated upon the flat,
apparently alluvial, ground already mentioned.
The greater hardness of the granitic mass in
these will hardly account for this circumstance.
I6th. — Continued our course along the west
side of the gulf, until we had nearly gained
Point Kui. From this part of the coast we
could descry the islands off Cape Liant on the
opposite side of the gulf The mountain ranges
which were first visible when we were opposite
to Sam-ra-yot, stretch southward as far as the
eye can trace them, without apparent deviation
of form or altitude.
On the 17th, we stood over to the opposite
coast. We had now the regular monsoon from
the south-west. The wind steady, and the sea
moderate, but the weather almost constantly
cloudy and damp. A small species of swallow
abounds in this part of the bay. Several of
them alighted on the ship, and suffered them-
seh^es to be taken.
On the morning of the 19th, Pulo Panjang, an
island about three miles long, surrounded by
several lesser ones, situated a little way within
the entrance of the gulf, and distant from the
land on both sides, came in sight. The situation
might be considered singular. It has been
rarely visited by Europeans, and the accounts
AND COCHIN CHINA. 283
we have of it, as well as of its geographical po-
sition, are very imperfect. On viewing scenes
unfrequented by man, the imagination is but too
apt to disappoint the sober expectations of expe-
rience. From the familiar and the common, it
leaps at once into the extravagant, captivated
with the visionary fabric of its own creation.
The imperfection of our knowledge, inde-
pendent of the peculiar situation of P. Panjang,
in an extensive gulf, little subject to the influ-
ence of storms, had awakened expectation, which
the magnitude of the island, the tabular form of
its central range of hills, and the appearance of
bold, precipitous rocks, were calculated to aug-
ment on a more close inspection.
But nature does not always appear under new
forms when we most expect them. At four p. m.
we cast anchor on the north side of the island,
about its middle, and immediately landed. An
aspect more steril than ordinary seemed to
forbid our approach. The shores were rocky
and precipitous, and though there was but little
swell in the sea, we found some difficulty in
reaching the shore. From the centre of the
island to the sea- shore, the land was abrupt and
steep, there being not the smallest extent of
level ground. It is everywhere covered with
vegetation, of which a great part of that nearest
the beach and exposed to the direct influence of
2S4 MISSION TO SI AM
the monsoon, is stunted, herbaceous, and dis-
posed in what may be called laid plains or ledges,
as if the herbage had received the impression of
pernicious blasts.
The coast of this island is everywhere sur-
rounded by large fragmented masses of sand-
stone, in which there is, on the whole, but little
variety of appearance. In situ, it is disposed
in large, nearly horizontal, tabular masses, at a
distance wearing somewhat of a slaty appear-
ance. The sand-stone is for the most part red,
at other times white or gray. It is coarse-
grained and gritty, presenting no vestige of or-
ganic remains ; here and there it is coloured
with iron. The cement in most parts seems to
be calcareous. Here and there, large masses of
conglomerate are found ; the masses that I have
seen were all detached, but in some parts the
surface of the sand-stone shewed where they had
adhered ; the structure of this was complex ;
iron seemed to form the cement; rounded peb-
bles of quartz, sand- stone, iron ore and jasper,
with small bits of clay-slate, form the aggre-
gate. Scattered over the beach, there were
found masses of coarse jasper.
Such were the principal, and almost the only
mineral masses exposed to our view, and of
which, we have every reason to believe, the
whole of the island is composed.
AND COCHIN CHfNA. 285
It is not to be expected that such an island as
this would afford many zoological specimens.
Of the MammaHa, we saw two animals ; a hand-
some species of gray-coloured Sciurus, which we
had the good fortune to procure, and a small
species of Vespertilio, which fluttered about
amongst the thickest shades of the forest.
Of the Aves, we saw several of that species
of Falco taken at the Sechang Islands, the
Columba alba in great numbers, and a singular
species of Columba, of a black colour and a
white tail. All our endeavours to procure the
latter were unsuccessful. These, with the blue-
coloured Heron, and a small bird of the Passe-
rine kind, were all that we saw here.
Of vegetable productions, we procured a
hardy species of vine, Vitis Labrusca, common
in the forest ; it was covered with great quan-
tities of grapes, which, though not yet quite ripe,
were not ungrateful to the taste. The vine
stretches along the trees, often to the distance of
fifteen or twenty yards.
We found also two species of Palm, and an
elegant tree of the Nat. Ord. Guttiferse was dis-
covered by Mr. Crawfurd ; its affinity to Garcinia
is well marked, but as the leading characters
do not agree with those of that plant, it is not
improbable that ours will form a new genus.
286 MISSION TO SIAM
All elegant species of Begonia, apparently
the Begonia crenata, grows in the greatest
abundance on the bare rocks, and on the sides
of the hills. Pandanus, Sceevola, Ixora, Mo-
mordica, Calophylium, and Erythrina, are com-
mon here ; but as we had seen all the species to
be found here in other places, it is unneces-
sary to take further notice of them. A species
of Scolopendrium, usually found on trees, is here
terrestrial; it grows to an immense size, the
fronds being from three to four feet in length;
the greater beauty of the frond, and its singular
magnitude, are the only circumstances in which
it differs from our Scolopendrium vulgare.
The Island Pulo Panjang is, on the whole,
inhospitable, affording no temptation whatever
to man to take up his abode on it. It is unpro-
tected against the vicissitudes of the weather, it
IS fully exposed to the pernicious influence of
either monsoon ; it is steep, rugged, and unpro-
ductive, and totally destitute of level ground.
It has no safe port, nor convenient anchorage,
and the few streams of water that trickle down
the rocks afford but a scanty and uncertain
supply. The shores of the island are so near to
its central ridge of mountains, that but few
streams can be formed.
We lay off the island all night, and set sail at
AND COCHIN CHINA. 287
an early hour on the following morning, after an
unsuccessful attempt to procure the black pigeon
we had seen here on the night before.
Aus:iist 20th. — We continued an easterly
course, and about noon had come in sight of
False Pub Ubi. About four a. m. of the 21st,
we passed the Island of Pulo Ubi, and towards
evening, the barren islands called the Two Bro-
thers. The latter are abrupt, precipitous, and
naked rocks, covered with myriads of a species
of Sterna. A large and handsome species of
Pelican, with a black body and white bill, was
seen flying about here.
On the approach of night, we had a distinct
view of Pulo Condore, a mountainous island,
with a singular sharp peak in its centre. We
stood towards the island till we were within six
or eight miles of it, when the ship lay-to for the
night.
On the morning of the 22d, we cast anchor
under the shelter of a bold, elevated ridge of
mountains, in a spacious and beautiful bay.
After breakfast we landed on the rocks opposite,
and proceeded along them until we came to an
extensive sandy plain.
The physical features of Pulo Condore may
be described in few words ; the chief charac-
teristic being a number of very steep ranges of
hills, irregularly distributed, in some parts forming
288 . MISSION TO SIAM
semicircular bays, in others narrow inlets, and
in the interior disposed in deep basins, ravines,
and plains of small extent. It is everywhere
covered with vegetation, which on those parts
most exposed to the influence of the monsoon is
stunted, almost exclusively herbaceous, and dis-
posed in numerous narrow and parallel ledges ;
while that which grows in ravines, vallies, and
other sheltered places, attains a loftier magni-
tude. Towards the summits of the hills, there
is scarce any vegetation. The paucity of the
GramineaB in all these islands, and in all kinds of
soil, is a singular circumstance in intertropical
vegetation. The peculiar form and modification
of vegetable life in the islands we have lately
visited, as well as in this, cannot, I imagine, be
altogether attributed to the influence of the mon-
soons.
It seems to me that much is owing to the na-
ture of the soil, or more properly of the rocks
forming these islands. In all of them the rocks
are either strictly primitive, or composed of ma-
terials which once constituted such formations.
In some the mountain masses are so steep, that
whatever soil is formed is constantly carried off
into the sea. In others, the mass is of such
hardness, as scarcely to yield any detritus for
ages. Such is the case here, where the rocks
are composed of granite and sienite, so hard as
AND COCHIN CHINA. 289
scarce to be fractured by any means. It detaches
large and solid masses, but yields little earth. The
material is besides unfavourable to the growth
of plants. Yet the force of vegetation, aided by
the climate, and a constant source of moisture,
is such as to overcome every difficulty; and
where we should expect nothing but sterility
and nudity, we find all is beauty, and life, and
luxuriance ; so easily does nature, with means
which seem to us impossible, accomplish the
greatest ends.
Of the geology of this island I have little
more to say than has already been mentioned,
that the rocks are of the form described, and
that they are composed of granite and sienite,
both of extreme hardness.
On the sea-shore we found, in full blossom,
several fine trees, of the Barringtonia speciosa,
a tree well deserving of the encomium which its
beautiful appearance has elicited from authors.
We had found its seeds cast on the shores of
islands in the straits of Malacca ; but had not
seen the tree till now. We found here several
other interesting plants. Amongst them was
another species of vine, the fruit of which made
an excellent tart.
The only quadruped which we saw in the
woods, was a large species of black squirrel. A
specimen of this animal was caught alive, but
u
290 MISSION TO SIAM
unfortunately escaped from its cage on board
the ship. We were informed that monkeys and
wild hogs are to be found on the island, and that
of birds there is great variety.
After leaving the rocky coast and steep sides
of the hills, we came to a sandy plain, several
miles long, through which two considerable
streams of fresh water discharge themselves
into the sea.
About the middle of this plain, protected on
two of its sides by an elevated sand bank, we
discovered the scanty remains of what had once
been an English factory or fort. Some native
soldiers from Macassar, who had been in the
service of our countrymen, rose upon them, and
massacred the greater number, a few only es-
caping, by flying to their boats. This happened
in 1704.
At the extremity of this plain we came to a
village of considerable size, said to contain 300
inhabitants.
It is surrounded by plantations of cocoa-nut
trees, which although they grow in great abund-
ance, are rather stunted in the stem, and their
fruit, as well as the fluid it contains, has a pe-
culiar and rather bitter taste. A few scattered
plants of the Ricinus communis, Jasminum, and
some other low bushes, afford ample shelter to
their houses, which are even lower, though neat
AND COCHIN CHINA. 291
and apparently comfortable. Here, as in most
parts of India, the Vinca rosea grew luxuriously
in every part of the village. At the short distance
of even fifty yards beyond it, though there was
no ascertainable difference in the soil or other
circumstances, you look in vain for a single
plant.
We found here a numerous, interesting, and
lively people, who no longer had any complexion
of the savage state. The colony was origin-
ally from Cochin China, and might be sup-
posed to be little less civilized than that accom-
plished people ; besides the intercourse with that
country is frequent. Some of the inhabitants,
however, bore a strong resemblance to the Malay
race. A number of boys and girls were en-
gaged at play upon the beach ; on our approach
they behaved in the most respectful manner, and
it was to us a sight as gratifying as it was
unexpected, to find so much urbanity, hospi-
tality, and politeness in this little community.
They left off play on our approach, and being
joined by several elderly persons, conducted us
to an open hut, with an elevated bamboo floor,
in which the chief or governor of the place was
accustomed to receive visitors. We were here
soon surrounded by a considerable number of
respectable people, among whom there were but
one or two women, who kept at a distance.
U 2
-292 MISSION TO SIAM
Here were mained for some time, in expectation
of seeing the chief, who was rather tardy in
making his appearance. This individual was a
fine old man, of an animated and interesting ap-
pearance, as, indeed, were the greater number
of the people, being equally removed from the
clumsy, loutish form and coarse, incurious man-
ner of the Siamese, as from the more muscular
and developed frame, and the oblique and mo-
rose character of the Chinese. All the old men
wore a thin, straggling beard. Our friend con-
versed with great animation. He had not seen
an European ship for many years ; he had been
born on the island, which paid a tribute in turtle,
and in oil obtained from that animal, to the king
of Cochin China. There are several villages on
the island, and the total number of the inhabitants
is said to amount to 800. They subsist chiefly by
the products of their fisheries, which they either
carry to Cochin China, or dispose of to junks
and coasting praus, in return for grain. The
quantity of rice raised in the island is very li-
mited. They have some buffaloes ; fowls are
common. They raise yams, pumpkins, melons,
capsicum, limes, and a little Indian corn. Some
cocoa-nuts were brought at our request. On our
proposing to visit the houses of the inhabitants,
the chief conducted us to his own, the largest
and best in the place. A few spears and a tom-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 293
torn lay before the door. A number of persons
were here assembled, and in one corner of the
room were the women of the chief. An old man
happening to sit beside me, I endeavoured to
converse with him through the medium of signs.
He was much pleased with this mark of attention,
and paid me many civilities, offering betel and
samsoo. I took a piece of coarse white cloth,
and wrapt it round his head by way of turban,
at which he was quite delighted. He called to
a boy, and ordered him to bring a fowl ; it was
in vain that I represented to him that I wished
for nothing in return, and when I refused his gift,
he coolly unfolded the cloth from his head in
order to return it. I now gave him a small piece
of money, but he was not to be overcome in this
way either ; and the only condition on which he
would receive this also, was that of my taking
two more fowls in return.
I might have added other traits of conduct
favourable to the candour and disinterestedness
of the simple inhabitants of Pulo Condor ; but
this one speaks loudly. At parting, the old man
extended his arms, and expressed, in very signi-
ficant terms, that he had been pleased at our
meeting. The principal people, with the chief,
proposed to visit us on board. I was happy to
find my old friend among the number, and had
29i MISSION TO SIAM
the pleasure of giving him great delight by pre-
senting him with an English knife.
We looked here in vain for the grape men-
tioned by Dampier, as growing on trees in the
woods. We found a species of vine, however,
which afforded a grape of tolerable size, and not
ungrateful to the taste. We saw numbers of
trees in the forest, which the natives had cut in
the manner mentioned by Dampier, for the pur-
pose of obtaining a sort of resin or pitch.
In the evening we sailed from this place, and
passed out through a wide channel towards the
north, with islands on each side.
On the morning of the 23d, the high land of
Cape St. James was in sight, and on the even-
ing of the same day we came to anchor some
miles off from the mouth of the river. Cape St.
James is the extremity of a ridge of hills of mo-
derate height, (about 300 feet,) forming the left
bank of the mouth of the river. It is seen at a
great distance ; the land on the opposite side of
the river is extremely low, and an extensive sand
bank stretches out in front of this low land to the
distance of several miles. This bank produces
a singular effect at the period of ebb tide. As
we were sailing along, at some distance from its
outer edge, the depth of water being eleven fa-
thoms, we observed the sea towards the land to
AND COCHIN CHINA. 295
be of a muddy colour, and its edge quite abrupt
and defined. On its border there was a distinct
ripple with a slight noise, and the whole extended
as far as the eye could reach. It was in rather
quick motion, and advancing towards the sea,
and soon left us in the middle of it. I have seen
currents similar to this, but of less extent, off the
Maldive Islands.
On the 24th we came to anchor, near to the
Bay of Cocoa-nuts, a few miles within Point St.
James, and with the evening tide stood up the
river to a village called Kan-dyu. From Cape
St. James to this village, the distance is about
nine miles. The river here forms a fine, spaci-
ous, and beautiful bay, of a semi-circular form,
being bounded on the left by the ridge of hills
already mentioned. While the ship lay at an-
chor near to the Bay of Cocoa-nuts, we landed
on the rocks opposite.
The formation of the rocks here approaches
very nearly to that which we had observed at
Pulo Condor ; the materials of the granitic com-
pounds were however differently aggregated, and
the mass here was more easily frangible than in
the former place. Granite and sienite were the
only rocks we discovered ; in both, small veins
of a rich iron ore were observable. The granite
was seamed in every direction ; and it was not
296 MISSION TO SIAM
possible to say that either rock was stratified.
They appeared to exist in equal quantity, and to
alternate with each other on the rounded sides of
the hills.
We found the bamboo growing in abundance
on the hills, and in a few places the Nipa fruti-
cans. We found also an elegant species of Tra-
descantia, with a blue flower. We could hear
the notes of the jungle cock, or Phasianus gallus,
in the woods, but there were on the whole very
few birds to be seen here.
As the ship was proceeding up the river with
the tide, a boat came off from the village of
Vung-tao, in which was an old man and six
or seven others. The visit, it would appear,
had been voluntary on their part ; they wished
to point out what they considered to be the
proper course of the ship, and seemed very
anxious to procure our continuance near their
village during the night. The people of this
boat were affable, and remarkably polite and
animated, but rather too loquacious. They were
all decently clad ; their common dress consisted
of a close shirt of black or white cotton cloth,
which reached down to the thighs ; a pair of
coarse loose trowsers, which reached to the knee,
and a piece of coarse cloth or handkerchief,
wrapped round the head. Persons in better cir-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 297
cLimstances wear a black crape turban of large
size, and the other parts of their dress are made
of silk.
These men stated that the principal person in
authority here, resided at Kan-dyu. They of-
fered to take a letter to him, which was sent.
On the 25th, the Chief of Kan-dyu paid us a
visit on board, and took charge of an official
communication, written in English and French, to
the Governor of Lower Cochin China, who re-
sides at Saigon. Mr, Crawfurd was naturally
anxious to see that city, the first in the empire,
in respect of commercial importance ; and in his
communication requested permission to visit the
place, and to confer with the Governor on the
subject of his mission.
Whilst we waited here for an answer from
Saigon, we paid occasional visits to the neigh-
bouring village of Kan-dyu, built upon the banks
of a creek, in a situation somewhat swampy, the
banks being shaded with mangrove. The man-
ners of the people here were so different from
those of the Siamese, that we could not but feel
both surprised and pleased at the contrast. The
Governor of Kan-dyu is a singular character in
many respects : he is upwards of sixty years of
age, has a long, spare, lanky visage, in which he
exhibits, in the most lively and animated manner,
a considerable variety of passion. It was truly
898 MISSION TO SIAM
ludicrous to see with what rapidity his features
passed from the serious to the whimsical, from
vacancy to the intensity of anger or disap-
pointment. The manners of the people in gene-
ral were polite, I should say refined ; they were
kind, attentive, and obliging ; they courted
rather than shunned our society, and seemed to
have less of the weakness or ostentation of na-
tural pride than any of the tribes we had yet
met. Their curiosity was naturally excited by
the contrast which they could not but draw be-
tween themselves and us, but in the gratification
of this feeling, or in its expression, was neither
coarseness nor absence of good-breeding; and
the greatest liberty they ventured to assume was
that of simply touching our dress, with the
design, I presume, of ascertaining the materials
of its texture, they themselves having little no-
tion of any other fit for this purpose than silk, in
which all ranks are almost exclusively clothed.
In point of stature, the Cochin-Chinese are
below the standard of the Malays and Siamese ;
they are at the same time less bulky, and less
clumsily made, yet even they too have something
of squatness in their figure. The general form
of the face is round, and that in an extraordinary
degree ; it is short, the direct and transverse
diameters being very nearly equal. The fore-
head is short, but broad ; the cheek-bones wide.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 299
not particularly salient; the chin is large and
broad; they want the fulness of the coronoid
process of the lower jaw, so large in the Malays
and Siamese. The affinity to the Tartar race is
obvious, but less so than in the former. The
beard is grisly and thin ; the hair coarse, copious
and black ; the eyes are more round than those
of the Chinese or Siamese, they are also smaller,
but more lively ; they are, as usual, intensely
black. The nose is small, but well formed, with-
out flatness or alar expansion ; the lips are mo-
derately thick ; the cheeks are destitute of hair,
and the beard, as has been said, is very scanty.
The general form of the head is globular.
There is no unusual degree of obesity at any
age. In females, at an early period, it is, how-
ever, more developed than in men. The body is
well proportioned, and the limbs are well made,
though for the most part small. The colour is
remarkably fair ; in many it is more so than is
that of the inhabitants of the southern parts of
Europe.
They are good-natured, polite, attentive, and
indulgent to strangers. Their manners are
agreeable, and they are for the most part found
in a lively, playful humour, and strongly dis-
posed to indulge in mirth. They are the gayest
of Orientals, yet the transition from mirth to
sorrow, and the more hateful and mean passions.
300 MISSION TO SIAM
seems to cost them nothing ; it is as rapid as it
is unaccountable, insomuch that to a stranger
their conduct appears quite unreasonable, as well
as fickle. Like the monkey race, their attention
is perpetually changing from one object to
another.
The houses are large and comfortable, con-
structed in general with mud walls, and roofed
with tiles. The palm-leaf is but little used.
The interior disposition of the house is some-
what peculiar. About one half forms an open
hall, in which they receive visitors, transact busi-
ness, and, if shop-keepers, dispose their wares.
In the back part of this hall is placed an altar,
and other emblems of religion. The private
apartments are disposed in recesses behind;
these are in the form of square chambers, open
on one side only. Their beds are formed of a
bench raised about a foot, and covered with
mats.
The costume of the Cochin Chinese is more
convenient than elegant. In both sexes it is
much alike, consisting of two or more loose
gowns with long sleeves, reaching to the knee,
and buttoned close round the neck. Beneath
this they wear a pair of wide pantaloons, and,
on occasions of ceremony, persons of distinction
throw a large black mantle of flowered silk over
the whole. The head is covered with a turban
AND COCHIN CHINA. 301
of crape ; that of the men is in general black.
Over the turbans, females wear a large hat, si-
milar to a basket.
Dress is with all ranks an object of great
attention ; even the poorest among them are
clothed from head to foot, and the populace thus
make a more decent and respectable appearance
than other eastern nations.
At this place we entered several of the houses,
and were entertained with kindness and hospi-
tality. The bazar of Kan-dyu is well supplied
with fish, ducks, fowls, eggs, and whatever else
is necessary for the comfort of the natives. The
shops are individually poor, and almost every
house is a shop. They are in general held by
women. If they furnish little to gratify the
curiosity of a European, they supply in abun-
dance all that is necessary and useful to the
native inhabitants. The practice of smoking to-
bacco is universal, as is that of chewing betel.
Their cheroots are made by wrapping the tobacco
up in paper.
On the morning of the 28th of August, an
answer was received from the Governor of
Saigon, who despatched a mandarin of rank to
wait upon the Agent to the Governor General,
and to invite him to visit the city. He was ac-
companied by several lesser mandarins, and
had brought with him three large, handsome.
302 MISSION TO SIAM
and highly ornamented barges, for the accommo-
dation of the Agent to the Governor General.
The larger contained from thirty to forty rowers
each. The rowers were dressed in coarse red
cloth, faced with yellow. They wore a light
cap, surmounted with a plume of feathers. Thus
dressed, they made a very handsome appear-
ance. Every thing here is done by soldiers;
the meanest offices fall to their lot, and these
rowers were a detachment of the mihtary force,
Mr. Crawfurd was doubtful whether he should
have time to visit Saigon, as it was possible he
might be delayed there, until it was too late to
get to Turon, the south-west monsoon being
about to cease. The mandarin assured him that
he should be permitted to return in three days,
and used such arguments as convinced us that
they were very anxious that he should visit the
Governor of Saigon.
On this assurance of the mandarin, Mr. Craw-
furd consented to go, and asked me to accom-
pany him. Being uncertain how we should be
received, he left instructions with Captain Dan-
gerfield to sail in the course of ten days, in the
event of his not hearing from him in that time ;
to proceed to Turon, and to communicate his
arrival to the court. Lieutenant Eutherford was
to accompany him. Mrs. Crawfurd remained
also on board.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 303
CHAPTER VIII.
Thb Author proceeds to Saigon. — River of Saigon.—
Saigon. — Superstitious Emblems. — M. Diard. — Cochin
Chinese Females and Morality. — Markets, — Manufac-
tures. — Bingeh and Saigon. — Fort. — Conference re-
specting THE Governor General's Letter. — Retinue
OF THE Mandarins. — Hospitality of the Chinese Set-
tlers. — Audience of the Governor op Saigon. — Combat
between a Tiger and Elephants. — Proceed to Turon.
— Coast of Cochin China. — Fishing Tribes. — Boats. —
Turon Bay. — Geology, &c. — Visit Turon. — A limited
Number allowed to visit Hue. — Wretched Accommoda-
tions for the Passage.
At six, P.M., we left the ship, a salute being
fired on the occasion, and the ship's crew giving
us three cheers. The barge selected for our ac-
commodation was comfortably as well as ele-
gantly finished. Continuing to row all night,
notwithstanding that it rained incessantly, we
were at day-light but a short way from Saigon,
and reached it at nine, A. M. Each boat is fur-
nished with a suitable number of officers. The
discipline of the men rests chiefly with the se-
cond, whose rank may be equal to that of Ser-
jeant or corporal. He cheers the rowers by the
repetition of a few wild notes, which can scarce
304 MISSION TO SIAM
deserve the name of a song ; and he beats time
to the stroke of the oar by means of two short
sticks of hard wood. The discipUne of these
soldiers is severe, for even this petty officer has
the power of inflicting several hundred lashes of
the rattan for slight offences. The rattan is kept
in constant exercise, as we found on our arrival
at the town.
The river of Saigon is about the size of that
of Siam, but appears to carry a greater body of
water. It is navigable to ships of all sizes. It
is less tortuous than most rivers, and its waters
are less turbid. Its banks are mostly covered
with mangrove. We found amongst them a very
elegant species of Rhizophora, but observed
no cultivation until we were within twenty or
thirty miles of the town. The number of boats
that were passing and repassing was but infre-
quent. As we approached the town, we were
surprised to find it of such extent. It is built
chiefly on the right bank of the river. We had
already passed a distance of several miles, and
were still in the midst of it. The houses are
large, very wide, and for the climate, very com-
fortable. The roof is tiled, and supported on
handsome large pillars, of a heavy, durable,
black wood, called Sao. The walls are formed
of mud, enclosed in frames of bamboo and
plastered. The floor is boarded, and elevated
AND COCHIN CHINA. 305
several feet from the ground. The houses are
placed close to each other, disposed in straight
lines, along spacious and well-aired streets, or
on the banks of canals. The plan of the streets
is superior to that of many European capitals.
We were now conducted to a house that had
been prepared to receive us. Several thousands
of the people, besides a numerous guard of
soldiers, armed with lances, were collected to
receive us. The crowd conducted themselves
with a degree of propriety, order, decency, and
respect, that was alike pleasing as it was novel
to us. All of them were dressed, and the greater
number in a very comfortable manner. They
all appeared to us remarkably small ; the ro-
tundity of their face, and liveliness of their fea-
tures, were particularly striking. The mandarin
who had accompanied, conducted us to our house,
and placed us in the hall, upon benches covered
with mats, opposite to each other. A number
of people were in attendance to take up our
baggage, and to make such arrangements in our
quarters as we should deem necessary. The
house was one of the best in the place. It was
difficult to say, whether it partook more of the
temple, or of the court of justice. In every
house, in every building, whether public or pri-
vate, even in the slightest temporary sheds, is
placed something to remind you of religion, or,
X
30a ailSSION TO SIAM
to speak more accurately, of the superstitious
disposition of the people ; and, as the emblems
of this nature have for the most part a brihiant
appearance, they produce an effect as agreeable
to the first glance as it is striking. At one end
of this hall was an altar, dedicated to Fo, orna-
mented with various emblematical figures, and
hung round with inscriptions. It was easy to
perceive, that affairs of state and of religion
were here inseparable. Each partakes of the
same gold and the same varnish. Immediately
behind this, were placed our private apartments.
A crowd of soldiers at all times fiUed the court
and the ante-room, and a guard was placed in
attendance at the gate and wicket.
At noon, two mandarins of justice came to
confer with the Agent to the Governor General.
We received them upon our benches, immedi-
ately in front of the altar of Fo. They were
men that had passed the age of fifty, short in
stature, of easy and affable manners. They
were dressed in black turbans, and black robes
of silk. They commenced the conversation by
making inquiries respecting our accommodations ;
then turned to the objects of the mission, in-
quiring how long since we had left Bengal ; whe-
ther the letter for the king of Cochin China was
from the king of England, or from the Governor
General of India ; what were the precise objects
AND COCHIN CHINA. 307
of the mission ; whether we had orders to visit
Saigon, or the contrary ; and if we had been at
the court of Siam. To all of these queries the
answers were so plain and so candid, that it
seemed impossible they could either misunder-
stand or misrepresent them. On one or two
subjects, they shewed the greatest anxiety. We
were earnestly and repeatedly asked, if we came
into their country with friendly or with hostile
intentions. This subject was urged with so
much earnestness, that it was impossible not to
forgive their fears, though groundless, and to
participate in feelings which appeared to pro-
ceed solely from the love they bore their country.
They now requested that the letter to the king
of Cochin China should be sent for, in order that
the Governor or Viceroy of Saigon might be
enabled to forward a translation to court, toge-
ther with a full report upon the subject of our
visit, but it was thought improper to comply with
this request for the present. They seemed quite
satisfied with the answers that were given,
and continued the interview for nearly six
hours, conversing almost all the while on matters
of business. Before their departure they ordered
provisions for our use ; and soon after arrived a
living pig, ducks, fowls, eggs, sugar, plantains,
and rice.
In the evening, we were visited by M. Diard,
X2
30S MISSION TO SIAM
a lively and well-educated Frenchman, of the
medical profession, who had been led into these
countries by his desire to prosecute subjects of
natural history. He had already traversed most
of the Indian islands, in which he has made
numerous and valuable zoological discoveries,
the subject which has principally attracted his
attention. Already he has discovered four or
five new species of Simla, and as many species
of the genus Sciurus. In Java, he discovered
that the large deer of that place was a species
altogether unknown to naturalists. He thinks
that he has discovered a fourth species of Rhino-
ceros, and is satisfied that the Sumatran species
is a distinct one. The number of new species of
birds which he has discovered is very considera-
ble. M. Diard is evidently a man of great en-
terprise and acuteness, and admirably qualified
for the arduous pursuit in which he is engaged.
He is fond of adventure, and ingenious in over-
coming obstacles. From him we may expect a
full account of the zoology of these countries.
He has wisely assumed the costume, and adopted
the manners of the people among whom he re-
sides. If there be any thing amiss in the cha-
racter of Diard, it is, (and it is with hesitation
and doubt that I make the remark,) perhaps, a
disposition to over-rate the number, extent, and
value of his discoveries ; and perhaps too, an
AND COCHIN CHINA. 309
ardour of zeal, which may be apt to lead one
beyond the precise limits of accurate observa-
tion. He has been about a year in Cochin
China, and four months at this place. It is
with the greatest difficulty that he can obtain
from the government permission to visit any part
of the interior. He had but very few objects of
natural history, in consequence, to shew us.
Aitgust 30th. — On going out in the morning,
the guard placed at the gate seemed doubtful
whether he ought to let me pass. On my ap-
proach, however, he drew back respectfully ;
but strenuously objected to allow any of our
people to pass the gate, till seeing me wait for
the painter, he permitted him to accompany me.
An early visit to the market-places served to
confirm the observations I have already made
respecting the manners of the people. The
Cochin Chinese cannot, I think, be considered
as a handsome people in any way, yet, amongst
the females, there are many that are even hand-
some, as well as remarkably fair, and their
manners are engaging, without possessing any
of that looseness of character which, according
to the relation of French travellers, prevails
amongst this people. The conduct of both sexes
is agreeable to the strictest decorum. Chastity,
in which they have been accused to be wanting,
would appear to be observed, in the married
aid MISSION TO SIAM
state, with as much strictness as amongst their
neighbours, or any other Asiatic nation. The
breach of it is held criminal, disgraceful, and
liable to punishment. It is not so, however,
with regard to young and unmarried females.
Here the utmost latitude is allowed, and, for a
trifling pecuniary consideration, the father will
deliver up his daughter to the embraces of the
stranger or visitor. No disgrace, no stigma^
attaches to the character of the female, nor does
this sort of connexion subsequently prevent her
from procuring a suitable husband.
Such commodities as are used by the natives
were to be found in great abundance in every
bazar. No country, perhaps, produces more be-
tel or areca-nut than this. Betel-leaf less abun-
dantly ; fish, salted and fresh ; rice, sweet pota-
toes, of excellent quality, Indian corn, the young
shoots of the bamboo, prepared by boiling ; rice,
in the germinating state, coarse sugar, plantains,
oranges, pumeloes, custard apples, pomegra-
nates, and tobacco, were to be had in the great-
est quantity. Pork is sold in every bazar, and
poultry of an excellent description is very cheap.
Alligator's flesh is held in great esteem, and
our Chinese interpreter states that dog's flesh is
sold here.
The shops are of convenient size, in which the
wares are disposed to the best advantage. One
AND COCHIN CHINA. 311
circumstance it was impossible to overlook, as it
exhibits a marked difference of taste and man-
ners in this people from that of the nations of
India. Articles of European manufacture have,
amongst the latter, in many instances, usurped
the use of their own ; and you can scarce name
any thing of European manufacture which is not
to be had in the bazars. Here, with the sole
exception of three or four case bottles, of coarse
glass, there was no article whatever to be found
that bore the least resemblance to any thing
European. A different standard of taste pre-
vails. A piece of cotton cloth was scarce to be
seen. Crapes, satins, and silks, are alone in
use, the greater number of them the manufacture
of China or of Tonquin, there being, in fact,
little or no manufacturing industry here.
The articles which they themselves had made
were not numerous. I may specify the follow-
ing : handsome and coarse mats, matting for the
sails of boats and junks, coarse baskets, gilt
and varnished boxes, umbrellas, handsome silk
purses, in universal use, and carried both by
men and women ; iron nails, and a rude species
of scissors. Every thing else was imported from
the surrounding countries. In exchange, their
territory affords rice in abundance, cardamoms,
pepper, sugar, ivory, betel, S'c There are a few
wealthy Chinese who carry on an extensive
312 MISSION TO SLVM
trade here ; the bulk of the people is miserably
poor, and but few amongst them are in a con-
dition to trade but upon the most limited scale.
Few of the shops in the bazars appear to contain
goods of greater value than might be purchased
for forty or sixty dollars, and the greater number
are not worth half that sum.
It is difficult to conceive that a population so
extensive can exist together in this form, with
trade on so small a scale: there are, in fact,
two cities here, each of them as large as the
capital of Siam. That more recently built is
called Bingeh ; the other, situated at the dis-
tance of a mile or two, is called Saigon. The
former is contiguous to a fortress which has
been constructed of late years, on the principles
of European fortification. It is furnished with
a regular glacis, wet ditch, and a high rampart,
and commands the surrounding country. It is
of a square form, and each side is about half a
mile in extent. It is in an unfinished state, no
embrasures being made, nor cannon mounted on
the rampart. The zig-zag is very short, the
passage into the gate straight ; the gates are
handsome, and ornamented in the Chinese style.
•We could not procure any information respecting
the population of the two cities.
A mandarin of higher rank, together with the
two we saw yesterday, came to transact business
AND COCHIN CHINA. 313
with the Agent of the Governor General ; a pro-
tracted conversation, in all respects similar to
that which had taken place yesterday, was com-
menced by him. He insisted that the letter, as
well as Mr. Crawfurd's credentials, should be
sent for ; this point was acceded to, and a boat
was immediately despatched to the ship, for the
letter to the King of Cochin China. The man-
darins continued with us till a late hour in the
evening.
31.s^, at eleven a. m. — The letter arrived, and
in the course of an hour thereafter, the man-
darins who had visited us first, came to ascertain
its authenticity, and to report upon the contents
of it. It was late in the evening before they
could be made to understand the subject of it, or
the nature of the Governor General's proposals
respecting commerce. An English copy of the
letter, and translations in Portuguese and Chi-
nese, were furnished to them. M. Diard was
present at, and took a part in, the conferences
that were held with the mandarins.
Sept. \st. — It would appear that the Governor
of Saigon had no objections to offer upon the
subject of the documents which had been fur-
nished yesterday ; a mandarin now returned for
copies of them, stating that those which had been
first furnished were to be immediately despatched
to Court. As soon as these had been furnished.
814 MISSION TO SI AM
we set out in a boat with M. Diard, to visit
Saigon. The distance of this town from the
citadel is about three miles, but there are houses
along the banks of the river the greater part of
the way. The paucity of junks and coasting
vessels in the river was accounted for by the
lateness of the season. The number of boats
that were passing and repassing was, however,
very considerable. The country here presented
the appearance of extreme fertility ; tlie banks
were covered with areca and cocoa-nut trees,
plantains, jack, and other fruit-trees. Numerous
navigable canals intersect the country in every
direction, offering every facility for the increase
of commercial industry. Here, as in Siam, the
more laborious occupations are often performed
by women, and the boats upon the river are in
general rowed by them. A practice, as ungallant
as it is unjust, prevails both here and in Siam ;
that of making females only to pay for being
ferried across rivers, the men passing always
free. The reason alleged for the practice is,
that the men are all supposed to be employed on
the King's service. It is lamentable to observe
how large a proportion of the men in this coun-
try are employed in occupations that are totally
unproductive to the state, as well as subversive
of national industry. Every petty mandarin is
attended by a multitude of persons.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 315
The town of Saigon is built upon a consi-
derable branch of the great river, and upon the
banks of numerous canals. It is the centre of
the commerce of this fertile province, the town
of Bingeh being but little engaged in such pur-
suits. A few settlers from China carry on trade
on an extensive scale, but the Cochin Chinese
are for the most part too poor to engage in occu-
pations of this nature.
We landed about the middle of the town, and
after proceeding a short way, we entered the
house of a Chinese. He received us with
great civility, and invited us to partake of re-
freshments ; he said that he was anxious for
traffic with the English, and had now upon his
hands commodities suited for that trade.
We passed several hours in visiting various
parts of the town, and returned to our quarters
in the evening highly gratified with all we had
seen, and with the most favourable impression
of the manners and disposition of the people.
The attention, kindness, and hospitality we ex-
perienced, so far exceeded what we had hitherto
observed of Asiatic nations, that we could not
but fancy ourselves among a people of entirely
different character. We were absolute strangers,
who had come to pass a few hours only in the
town ; yet in almost every street we were invited
by the more wealthy Chinese to enter their
316 MISSION TO SIAM
houses, and to partake of refreshments. They
could not have known beforehand that we were
to visit the place, yet some of the entertainments
laid out for us were in a style of elegance and
abundance that bespoke the affluence, as well as
the hospitality, of our hosts.
Amongst others, we were invited by three
brothers who had been settled in the country for
some time. They wore the Cochin- Chinese
dress, and in appearance differed but little from
the native inhabitants. Their manners were
engaging, perfectly easy and polite ; their house
was both handsome and spacious, nor did
any thing appear wanting to render it a very
superior mansion, even in the opinion of an
European. They received us in a large, well
furnished ante-room ; a table was soon covered
with a profusion of fruit, the most delicate sweet-
meats, and a variety of cakes and jellies. They
insisted upon attending us at table themselves,
nor could they be induced to seat themselves
while we were present. Tea was served out to
us in small cups ; a large table was also spread
for our followers, who were supplied with sweet-
meats in profusion. Our hosts conversed but
little ; they were apparently as much pleased
with our visit, as we with the kind reception
they had given us.
Let others say from what motives so much
AND COCHIN CHINA. 317
hospitality and attention were bestowed upon
perfect strangers by these intelligent and liberal-
minded Chinese ; for my own part, I must do
them the justice to believe that they were of the
most disinterested nature.
The bazars of Saigon contain in greater
abundance all that is to be found in those of
Bingeh. Coarse china and Tonquin crapes,
silks and satins, Chinese fans, porcelain, &c.,
are the more common wares in the shops. The
streets are straight, wide, and convenient. The
population extensive. We entered a very hand-
some Chinese temple, built in good taste, and
highly ornamented. The Cochin Chinese tem-
ples, though apparently dedicated to the same
objects of worship, are of inferior appearance.
Sept. 2d. — We were told that the Governor
would give an audience to the Agent of the
Governor General at an early hour. About ten
a.m. the mandarin, who had conducted us from
the ship, came to say that the Governor waited
our arrival. Being asked what conveyance had
been prepared for us, he said that we must pro-
ceed on foot. This being objected to, five ele-
phants were sent for. These were furnished
with haudahs, such as are used by the natives of
India. A few minutes brought us into the
citadel, where the Governor resides. His house,
though large, is plain, and without ornament, in
318 MISSION TO SIAM
the interior or exterior. It is situated nearly in
the centre of the fort, in an open space. When
we had arrived within fifty yards of the entrance,
we were requested to descend from our ele-
phants, and to proceed the remainder of the way
on foot. A crowd of soldiers, armed chiefly with
spears, occupied both sides of the court. The
Governor, surrounded by the mandarins, was
seated in a large hall, open in front. We ad-
vanced directly in front of him, and taking off
our hats, saluted him according to the manner of
our country. Chairs had been provided, and
we took our seats a little in front, and to the
right of the mandarins. In the back part of the
hall sat the Governor, upon a plain, elevated plat-
form, about twelve feet square, and covered with
mats, on which were laid one or two cushions.
On a lower platform to his left, and a little in
front, was seated the Deputy Governor, a fine-
looking old man, who appeared to have passed the
age of seventy. Directly opposite to the latter
about a dozen mandarins, dressed in black silk
robes, were seated in the Indian manner, on a
platform similar to that opposite ; and behind
these stood a number of armed attendants,
crowded into one place. In front of the Governor,
two Siamese, who had come hither on their pri-
vate affairs, lay prostrate on the ground, in the
manner that they attend upon their own chiefs.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 319
The Governor of Saigon is reputed an eunuch,
and his appearance in some degree countenances
that notion. He is apparently about fifty years
of age, has an intelligent look, and may be
esteemed to possess considerable activity both
of mind and body : his face is round and soft,
his features flabby and wrinkled; he has no
beard, and bears considerable resemblance to
an old woman : his voice, too, is shrill and femi-
nine ; but this I have observed, though in a less
degree, in other males of this nation. His dress
is not merely plain, but almost sordid, and to the
sight as mean as that of the poorest persons.
He had requested that the letter from the
Governor General of Bengal should be brought
with us to the audience. Seeing it in my hand,
he inquired what it was I held ; and having ex-
amined the gold cloth in which it was contained,
he returned it, at the same time observing that
having, according to the custom of the country,
taken copies, it must not be again opened.
He now inquired how long it was since we
left Calcutta, and what our respective ages were.
He observed that it was customary for kings only
to write to kings ; — " How then," said he, " can
the Governor General of Bengal address a letter
to the King of Cochin China ?" He seemed to
comprehend what the objects of the mission were,
and to view them in a favourable light. " All
320 MISSION TO SIAM ,
ships," he observed, " are permitted to trade
with Cochin China. If, " he continued, *' the
subjects of the King of Cochin China visit Ben-
gal or any other British settlement, it is right
that while there they should be amenable to the
laws of the country, and be judged by them. In
like manner the subjects of other nations resort-
ing to Cochin China must be governed and
judged by the laws in use in that country ; that
otherwise there could be no strict justice." He
asked if we were going direct to Turon, or the
port of Hue, and what conduct the Agent of the
Governor General meant to pursue on arriving at
that place. He was told that a report of our
arrival should be immediately forwarded to court
from that place ; on which he observed that the
mandarin of elephants was in charge of matters
of this nature, and would give all requisite in-
formation on the subject of commercial affairs.
I have above described, in general terms,
the nature and extent of the conversation that
transpired. The mandarins appeared to be
perfectly at their ease in the presence of the
Governor, exhibiting neither fear nor awe of any
kind. They frequently addressed questions to
us during the interview. The conversation was
carried on through the medium of the Portuguese
language, by means of a native called Antonio.
Towards the close of the conversation, M.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 321
Diard came in, dressed in the style of a mandarin,
and took his seat beside us. Tea was offered to
us, according to the usual custom.
In front of the hall was a cage containing a
very large tiger, which the governor had caused
to be caught, in order that he might exhibit to us
a fight between that fiercest of animals, and the
elephant. We were asked if the spectacle would
be agreeable to us, and on our replying in the
affirmative, he gave the necessary directions on
the subject. In the midst of a grassy plain,
about half a mile long, and nearly as much in
breadth, about sixty or seventy fine elephants
were drawn up in several ranks, each animal be-
ing provided with a mahawat and a hauda, which
was empty. On one side were placed convenient
seats ; the governor, mandarins, and a numerous
train of soldiers being also present at the
spectacle. A crowd of spectators occupied the
side opposite. The tiger was bound to a stake,
placed in the centre of the plain, by means of a
stout rope fastened round his loins. We soon
perceived how unequal was the combat ; the
claws of the poor animal had been torn out, and a
strong stitch bound the lips together, and pre-
vented him from opening his mouth. On being
turned loose from the cage, he attempted to
bound over the plain, but finding all attempts
to extricate himself useless, he threw himself
Y
ass MFSSJON TO ST AM
at lengtli upon the grass, till seeing a large
elephant with long tusks approach, he got up
and faced the coming danger. The elephant
was by this attitude, and the horrid growl of the
tiger, too much intimidated, and turned aside,
while the tiger pursued him heavily, and struck
him with his fore paw upon the hind quarter,
quickening his pace not a little. The mahawat
succeeded in bringing the elephant to the charge
again before he had gone far, and this time he
rushed on furiously, driving his tusks into the
earth under the tiger, and lifting him up fairly,
gave him a clear cast to the distance of about
thirty feet. This was an interesting point in the
combat ; the tiger lay along on the ground as if
he were dead, yet it appeared that he had
received no material injury, for on the next
attack, he threw himself into an attitude of
defence, and as the elephant was again about
to take him up, he sprung upon his forehead,
fixing his hind feet upon the trunk of the former.
The elephant was wounded in this attack, and so
much frightened, that nothing could prevent him
from breaking through every obstacle, and fairly
running off. The mahawat was considered to have
failed in his duty, and soon alter was brought up
to the governor with his hands bound behind his
back, and on the spot received a hundred lashes
of the rattaai.
AND COCHIN CHINA„ 323
Another elephant was now brought, but the
tiger made less resistance on each successive
attack. It was evident that the tosses he re-
ceived must soon occasion his death. All the
elephants were furnished with tusks, and the
mode of attack in every instance, for several
others were called forward, was that of rushing
upon the tiger, thrusting their tusks under him,
raising him, and throwing him to a distance. Of
their trunks they evidently were very careful ;
rolling them cautiously up under the chin. When
the tiger was perfectly dead, an elephant was
brought up, who, instead of raising the tiger on
his tusks, seized him with his trunk, and in
general cast him to the distance of thirty feet.
. The tiger fight was succeeded by the repre-
sentation of a combat of a different description.
The object of it was, to shew with what steadi-
ness a line of elephants was capable of advancing
upon, and passing the lines of the enemy. A
double line of entrenchments was thrown up, and
in front of it was placed upon sticks, a quantity
of combustible matter, with fire-works of various
descriptions, and a few small pieces of artillery.
In an instant the whole was in a blaze, and a
smart fire was kept up. The elephants ad-
vanced in line, at a steady and rapid pace, but
though they went close up to the fire, there were
very few that could be forced to pass it, of all
y 2
SS4 MISSION TO SIAM
them shuffling round it in some way or other.
This attack was repeated a second time, and put
an end to the amusements.
The governor now called us to the place where
he was seated, and said it would be agreeable
to him if we would remain another day, to see
the city ; and that a comedy should be prepared
for our amusement. Mr. Crawfurd stated our
reasons for wishing to depart, and we took our
leave of him, much gratified with the attention
he had shewn us.
Sept. Srd. — The boats we had come in were in
attendance at an early hour. We embarked at
six a.m., and reached the ship about five p.m. of
the same day.
On the following morning, we weighed anchor,
and continued our voyage to Turon with a strong
s.w. wind. On going out of the river, the ship
had very nearly struck upon a shoal or bank, not
marked in the charts.
Sept. lAth, — The voyage from Cape St. James
to the western bound of the bay of Turon, was
accomplished in moderate weather, and with a
fair wind, until we approached the bay, when
the winds, though light, became contrary. We
have in consequence been off* this point for the
last four days, without being able to get into
the harbour though so near, a strong current,
apparently from the gulf of Tonquin, carrying
AND COCHIN CHINA. 325
the ship to the westward. The coast of Cochin
China, from Cape St. James to the bay of Tu-
ron, is singularly bold and picturesque. A con-
tinuous and lofty chain of mountains stretches
throughout the whole of this distance, in the di-
rection of the sea-coast, that is from s.e. to n.w.
There rarely intervenes any considerable dis-
tance between the mountains and the sea-shore,
the latter being either abrupt, bold, and precipi-
tous, or begirt with a narrow sandy beach. The
ranges of hills are numerous, and for the most
part are seen to rise above each other in gradual
succession, as they recede from the sea. Their
abrupt, acuminated, and ridgy forms, their steril
summits, their steep flanks, leave little room to
doubt that the greater part, and the whole of the
western half of these mountains are granitic.
Near to the middle of the chain, they become
less bold and less elevated, while their forms are
rounded at top. With this change, increased
fertility of the soil, and a country better adapted
for the support of man, comes into view. Here
human industry struggles against the inequality
of the soil. Numerous fields are observed to
occupy the sides of the hills, and a vast fleet
of boats plying in the open sea, indicates the
existence of a numerous population. Some of
the islands along the coast are also cultivated
in a similar manner. Indian corn, the smaller
83S MISSION TO SIAM
kinds of grain, as the Cynosurus coracaniis, some
species of pulse, yams, sweet potatoes, and cap-
sicum, are all that such soils can be expected to
produce ; and together with an abundant supply
of fish, would appear to constitute the food of
the inhabitants of this part of the coast. Their
boats are in shape similar to those of the Malays,
but are differently rigged, having a large square
shaped sail in the middle, and one at each end,
somewhat similar to the former. At a distance
they look like small ships. They are extremely
numerous, several hundreds of them being some-
times in sight, and all under sail. They are not
to be induced to visit ships upon their passage
this way.
Such numerous fleets of boats naturally sug-
gest scenes of industry, social happiness, and
domestic comfort, connected with them. We
imagine that in them we see the active aim that
is to furnish to thousands of their fellow-citizens
a large proportion of their daily sustenance. We
imagine that this numerous body of men cannot
but acquire wealth themselves, while they at the
same time enrich the state. How different the
picture which a more close inspection portrays !
With scarce a rag of clothes to cover them ;
without either house or home, other than that
which their frail bark, covered with a sorry
matting, affords, with a scanty supply of poor and
AND COCHIN CHINA. 327
perhaps, unwholesome, food ; in this way docs a
numerous but wretched population lead a life of
misery. The more barbarous of the Orang Laid
are not more squalid, or more wretched, than
many of the fishing tribes that occupy the coasts
of Cochin China. The facility with which sub-
sistence, though a miserable one, is to be pro-
cured in this occupation, will account for the
great numbers that are engaged in fishing. It
requires no funds, and but httle industry, to put
a family in the way of providing for itself
Hence every boat is for the most part the resi-
dence of a single family, and as the source from
which they derive their subsistence is inexhausti-
ble, there appears to be no limit to the increase
of marriages amongst them. A man of ordinary
industry is capable of constructing with his own
hands, the machinery and materials necessary
for the existence of himself and family. Of
these, the boat is the principal and an indis-
pensable part, and here we observe a much
cheaper and easier mode of constructing them
than is generally adopted throughout these seas.
The practice of hollowing out single trees must
be painful, tedious, and difficult. The Cochin
Chinese have substituted, in its stead, a sort of
basket work, of very close texture, of which they
form both the bottom and the greater part of the
sides of the boat. This close basket-work, or
328 MISSION TO SIAM
matting, is made of split rattans, and being
stretched upon the frame, is well covered with
pitch. The upper work is, however, formed of
one or two planks, and the boat is further
strengthened by a deck of the same materials.
In the centre there is a small space covered with
matting, the sole accommodation of the occu-
piers ; bamboos serve for masts ; the bark of
trees is made into tackling ; a few mats, sewed
together, are the only sails, all of which, as well
as fishing nets and lines, are made by every man
for his own use. Thus equipped, they launch
into the deep, carrying with them all that they
possess, wander from bay to bay in quest of a
subsistence, which their squalid and wretched
forms would lead us to believe to be precarious
and inadequate. Though for the most part under
the shelter of a bold and rocky coast, they are to
be found at times far out at sea. The night and
their idle time are invariably spent under the
shade of trees, or on some sandy beach. Here
they indolently saunter away their time till
necessity again calls for exertion. Their share
of toil may be considered moderate ; the structure
of their boats being such as to admit of their
saihng with all winds, and in every direction.
On the I5th September, we succeeded in
gaining the bay of Turon. A salute of twenty-
one guns was fired from the ship as soon as she
AND COCHIN CHINA. 329
had cast anchor ; a small fort on shore returned
three.
The bay of Turon is completely land-locked,
and were its entrance as easy as its interior is
safe, it would be justly numbered among the
best of harbours. The difficulty we experienced
in gaining it was no doubt, in some degree, to
be attributed to the lateness of the season, the
contrary winds having by this time set in, which
together with a current of great strength, carried
the ship to the westward.
We found ourselves here transported as it
were into a fine, tranquil lake, surrounded almost
on every hand by bold and lofty hills, covered
with wood to their summit. Though there was
here an assemblage of all that is usually consi-
dered favourable to the production and develope-
ment of the rich and beautiful in natural scenery,
the general effect fell short of our expectation.
We had, in fact, passed beyond that favoured
belt of the equatorial region, on which nature
has so lavishly bestowed her richest and most
striking beauties. The activity and energy of
vegetable life, which had so often attracted our
admiration by the vast and varied forms to which
it gave birth, was no longer sustained. A
prospect more steril, and less varied, met the
eye. A soil more than usually barren, sup-
ported more stunted forms of arborescent vege-
330 MISSION TO SI AM
lation. Extensive sandy beaches for the most
part surrounded the shores, except where they
are rendered more bold by the projection of
granitic rocks. The great extent of the bay,
indeed, forming a basin of a circular form, the
serrated tops of the mountain ridges, partially
enveloped in mist and gray clouds, the number
of boats that are always to be seen sailing to and
fro, and the bold forms of a few rocks, confer
upon this harbour a peculiar interest. In point
of scenery, however, it is greatly inferior to that
of Trincomalee, to which the absence of culti-
vated land, and the want of human habitations,
assimilate it in other respects. Here and there
on the shores of the bay are to be found the huts
of a few wretched creatures who live by fishing :
whilst agriculture may be said to have no exist-
ence. Neither the betel, nor the cocoa-nut, is
to be seen, nor a palm of any description ; a
few acres of rice ground are scarcely deserving
of mention. The sweet potatoe and the Sesa-
mum orientale thrive better; yet every thing
indicates an ungrateful soil.
To the botanist, the mountains that surround
the bay afford a field for researches as interest-
ing, as it is inexhaustible. It v/ould be difficult
to specify any locality that produces a greater
variety of plants than this. The taller wood on
the hills being cut down for fuel, appears to be
AND COCHIN CHINA. 331
highly favourable to the production of herbaceous
plants. The daily excursions of our party were
the means of adding many valuable plants to my
collection. To the kindness of Mr. Crawfurd, I
am indebted for a considerable portion of these ;
he not only gave directions for the necessary
accommodations for my servants, who had by
this time become experienced collectors, but was
himself successful in making discoveries.
When we had been some hours at anchor, a
mandarin of respectable appearance came off,
accompanied by a considerable number of fol-
lowers, dressed in uniform. This mandarin was
a remarkable contrast to the generality of his
countrymen. He talked but little, and that very
slowly ; he asked few questions, yet shewed
considerable curiosity. He was about forty
years of age, had a thin person, short stature,
and like the rest of his countrymen, a round face.
His manners were uncommonly good. He was
well dressed, according to the costume of the
country. It is scarcely requisite to observe
that the object of his visit was to ascertain
whence we came, and what were our views.
We learned from him that our arrival had been
expected for some time. He inquired first of all,
if the letter for the King of Cochin China was
from the King of England : he then desired to
have a list of the names of the persons on board.
333 MISSION TO SIA3I
After remaining several hours, he took his
leave, stating that he should report the arrival
of the mission to his superior, the chief mandarin
of Fai-Foh, he himself being a mandarin of
letters, and chief of the village ofTuron.
This man returned on board on several occa-
sions ; on one of which he carried with him a
letter from the chief of Fai-Foh to the Agent of
the Governor- General, together with presents of
fish, fruit, ducks, fowls, pigs, and a bullock. It was
rumoured that w^e should be invited to visit Fai-
Foh, w^hile an answer was expected from the
capital. This appears, however, to have been
merely a vague rumour, and we have heard
nothing further of it since.
20th Sept. — Mr. Crawfurd visited the man-
darin of Turon, who had been now several times
on board. Lieut. Rutherford and myself accom-
panied him on this occasion. The village of Tu-
ron lies nearly three miles distant from the usual
place of anchorage. The approach to it is
through an extensive shallow bank, which lies
against the mouth of the river ; at which place,
and on the left bank, there is a small, nearly
quadrangular fort, surrounded by walls of sand
and a ditch. On the opposite side of the river,
at a considerable distance, we observed several
redoubts. The walls of the fort were well
manned as we approached ; every man was
AND COCHIN CHINA. 333
armed either with a lance or musket, and these
alternated with each other. The appearance
they made was rather imposing.
We proceeded to a public building, where, af-
ter waiting for a short time, we were joined by
the mandarin. Refreshments were ordered, and
he conversed on indifferent subjects. A number
of attendants, all of them well dressed, occupied
the room. Some of them were seated at a distance
on low platforms, while others stood erect. We
were soon after joined by a mandarin of the
army, commander of the fort, and equal in rank
to the other man. He was a little, meagre, smart
man, about the middle age. His dress was su-
perior to that of the other, more in point of quality
than in form. He was accompanied by about
thirty well-dressed soldiers, armed with spears.
He excused himself, on account of sickness, for
not waiting upon Mr. Crawfurd sooner.
Taking our leave of the mandarins, we passed
on to the village. It is disposed in a straggling
form, along the bank of the river, to the distance
of a mile or more. The houses are neat, com-
fortable, and clean. They are generally sur-
rounded by a paling of small sticks. We ob-
served little or no culture of any sort. The
Jatropha curcas formed hedges ; the Calophyl-
lum inophyllum shaded walks. A few Convol-
.334 MfSSION TO SFAM
vuli and other flowers were all that we found
here. The bazar is an indifferent one, but
poorly supplied even with fish. The people be-
haved towards us with remarkable civility.
23rfl. — Each day adds considerably to the
number of our plants.
In the evening, the mandarin of Turon came
on board, accompanied by an interpreter, who
spoke the Portuguese language, from the capital.
He came to inform Mr. Crawfurd, that two
barges had been sent from Hue for the purpose
of taking him to that place; that these would
afford accommodation for ten persons, and re-
quested that no more than that number might be
brought, for that his orders on the subject were
peremptory.
This communication was a disappointment to
us all. Our curiosity, augmented and heightened
by what little we had already seen of the coun-
try, was thus doomed to be disappointed at the
very moment we thought its gratification within
our reach. It was evident that the whole party
could not proceed to the capital ; and yet it may
be supposed that all were anxious to see a coun-
try so little known and so little frequented by
Europeans,— a country which, adopting the ex-
ample, and policy, and discipline of European
nations, yet not involving itself in the slightest
AND COCHIN CHINA. 335
degree in their interests, or the dangers of
their influence, has, within the period of a few
years, made advances in civilization, in political
strength, and in military science, which render
it formidable to the surrounding nations.
After much discussion, it was finally agreed,
that fifteen persons, including the crew of the
ship's long boat, required for the transport of our
baggage, should be allowed to proceed.
It next remained to be decided what persons
were to accompany Mr. Crawfurd. Captain Dan-
gerfield, his assistant, represented that his si-
tuation gave him the first claim, and that he
would not waive it without sufficient reason, an
argument v/hich was forgotten when Mr. Craw-
furd represented that I spoke the Portuguese
language, and that therefore I should be more
useful on this occasion than one who did not.
Matters being thus arranged, the requisite num-
ber of followers was selected. It was made a
particular request that none of the sepoys might
be brought.
Had nothing been said respecting the number
of persons that were to proceed in the boats, it
might have been supposed that the government
had concluded that they had sent what they con-
ceived to be ample accommodation for the whole.
But they had already been put in possession of
the fullest information on every subject regarding
the mission : and a list of the number of persons
336 MISSION TO SIAM
constituting it had been transmitted, together
with other documents. They were therefore per-
fectly aware of our numbers. Had the mission,
as fitted out from Bengal, appeared at court, it
would have made an appearance both respectable
and imposing ; but this, it was very obvious to
perceive, the court was desirous to avoid. Not
only did they strenuously and firmly oppose
every thing like a decent and respectable appear-
ance in the mission, but they carried this con-
duct so far as to infringe even upon the personal
comforts of the reduced number that were to
proceed. It was evident that their object was
to render the mission as obscure as possible,
and to give it an indifferent reception. This
was subsequently rendered the more conspicuous
by their sending persons of mean condition to
confer with Mr. Crawfurd on the subject of the
letter to the king. The governor of Saigon, who
had behaved in a polite and courtly manner
toward us, had said, that on our arrival at Hue,
the Mandarin of Elephants would transact busi-
ness with the Agent to the Governor General;
but this personage was contented to send his
deputies for that purpose.
On the 24:th, about three p.m., the two barges
sent from the capital came alongside. The man-
darin who commanded them was the finest figure
of a man we had yet seen since we entered the
country. He was advanced in years, yet hale
AND COCHIN CHINA. S^
and even athletic. He was, in fact, a perfect
figure of an old soldier, inured to toil and accus-
tomed to hardships. He proposed that we should
sail towards evening, and stopped to dine with
us. The Cochin Chinese make no difficulty of
eating of whatever is placed before them : and
both this man, who sat with us at table, and his
followers, partook of almost every dish. They
are, in fact, rather coarse feeders. When we
came to examine the boats, we found the accom-
modation they afforded more wretched than we
had anticipated. The boats, indeed, made up in
length for what they wanted in breadth; they
are fashioned like canoes, very narrow, but ex-
tremely long. They contained forty rowers each,
and were provided with a few small brass swi-
vels. The only accommodation left for us, was a
narrow, close place, covered with a paltry bam-
boo matting, of a rounded form, one end of which
was left open to creep in at. It was not suffi-
ciently high to allow even of our sitting erect.
We had, of course, concluded that the two
boats were to be at our disposal, but to this ar-
rangement the Mandarin strenuously objected,
insisting on keeping the best accommodation for
himself. When we came to take possession of
our hut, we found it barely sufficient for two per-
sons to squeeze into side by side in a recumbent
posture.
338 MFSSION TO SIAM
CHAPTER IX.
Voyage from Turon Bay to Hue'.— Mouth of the River
OP Hue', — Politeness of the Cochin Chinese has not
TENDED to AMELIORATE THE TREATMENT OF FEMALES. —
Arrive at Hue'. — Perpetual avatch kept over the
Members of the Mission, — Military costume, — The
Governor-General's letter to the King sent to the
Mandarin of Elephants. — The Chinese translation
altered. — Interview with the Mandarin. — Canal sur-«
ROUNDING the CITY. — BEAUTIFUL PROSPECTS ON THE RIVER
OP Hue', — Neatness of the Villages. — Horses. — Soil. —
Fortified city. — French Mandarins. — Conference
WITH THE Mandarin of Elephants, — Difficulty re-
specting AN audience with THE KiNG. — An ENTER-
TAINMENT SERVED. — Further discussion,~The Audience
WITH the King refused. — Beauty and strength of the
FORT. — InHOSPITALITY OF THE G0VERN3IENT, — RoYAL BAR-
RACKS, — Artillery Store-Houses, — Enormous Gun, —
Citadel. — Remarks on the French Interest at court,
— The Presents prom the Governor General and an
Audience refused. — Poverty of the Bazar.
Collecting together whatever seemed most es-
sential during our excursion, we took possession
of our boat about six p.m., and left the ship,
which as on the former occasion, fired a salute.
Neither the painter, nor any one likely to be of
much use in procuring objects of natural history,
was permitted to accompany me.
It was feared that, at this season of the year,
AND COCHIN CHINA. 339
we should experience tempestuous weather, a
prospect not altogether agreeable to us, consider-
ing that we were to go to sea in an open boat.
The Mandarin comforted himself with the know-
ledge that the coast, though bold and rocky,
abounded in excellent harbours, which he could
at all times gain without much difficulty. Fortu-
nately, however, the weather was agreeable dur-
ing the whole of the passage, and though we
obtained little aid from our sails from the time we
left Turon Bay, we reached the mouth of the
river of Hue^ at three p.m. on the 25th, after a
passage of twenty hours.
It was thought that the ship's long boat would
have kept pace with the barges, but it turned out
quite otherwise. She fell into the rear from the
commencement, and did not reach Hue for a day
and a night after our arrival.
From Turon to Hue, the country, as seen from
the ocean, bears a similar appearance to that be-
tween the former place and Saigon. It is bold,
rugged, and picturesque. The chain of moun-
tains is continued; the ridges bear the same
forms and direction. There can be little doubt
but that they are of granitic structure. As you
approach the river of Hue, they increase in alti-
tude, and the peaks become more acuminated.
Yet the aspect is, perhaps, more sterile. On the
approacli of morning, however, we were delighted
Z 2
340 MISSION TO SIAM
with the union of grandeur and beauty in the
vast prospect before us. The dense white clouds
yet rested tranquilly mid-way upon the moun-
tains, whilst their bold summits were seen to
project into the pure ether. The darker shade
of the valley contrasted admirably with the
lighter colour of a few scanty patches of culti-
vation. Industry laboured at the oar, and a
multitude of small boats gave life and animation
to the scene.
The nature of the soil was too evident, from
the situation of numerous villages erected upon
bare and sandy beaches. These had no vestige
of cultivation or of vegetation in their neigh-
bourhood. They depended solely for subsist-
ence upon the fisheries ; and upon the dry sands
we often saw small boats drawn up to the num-
ber of several hundreds in the same place. On
the left bank of the mouth of the river of Hue,
there is constructed a small, but remarkably neat
fort, with a rampart surrounded by a stone wall,
and the guns mounted en barbet. This place
commands the entrance into the river very com-
pletely, but does not appear capable of affording
much resistance to a force capable of using ar-
tillery with advantage. The place is remark-
ably clean and neat. The walls were almost
covered with soldiers, armed with muskets and
lances. To man the walls of a fort is considered
AND COCHIN CHINA. Sil
by the Cochin Chinese complimentary, and to
be equivalent to our custom of firing a salute as
a mark of distinction.
A little way beyond the fort, the Mandarin
brought the boats to anchor. Here we waited
nearly six hours, and when towards evening we
expressed a wish to take a short walk on shore,
it was hinted that we must not go far. A num-
ber of people, soldiers and others, followed us.
There was indeed nothing to be seen but a num-
ber of miserable huts built upon a barren and
sandy beach.
The mouth of the river of Hue is rather
narrow, considering the size of the river which
here discharges itself. On one side it is con-
fined by an elevated and extensive sand bank,
which stretching along-shore, forms a boundary
to an extensive sheet arm of the river, which
seems to stretch towards the W. in search of an
outlet. A less elevated sand bank, on which is
erected the fort alluded to, confines it on the
opposite side. At time of high water, there are,
it is stated, sixteen and eighteen feet upon the
bar. The entrance is formed by the sand banks
mentioned, and is not more than two or three
hundred yards in length. When you have
passed this, you seem to have entered a vast
fresh- water lake, and to be completely excluded
from the sea.
343 MISSION TO SIAM
The scenery becomes now very interesting.
Islands, covered with cultivation, are visible at a
distance ; several vast rivers appear to pour
their waters into one basin. Thousands of boats
are seen returning from, or proceeding to sea.
There were women in all the boats, and they
seemed to have more than their due share of
whatever labour was going forward. The su-
perior politeness which we had remarked amongst
these people has not ameliorated the condition
of females in society.
Whilst we remained here, the Mandarin had
sent to Hue to communicate our arrival, and to
request orders. He was directed to wait the
arrival of the ship's boat, and to send ours on
towards the capital. About nine p.m., we again
proceeded, and came to anchor about midnight.
The distance we had traversed may have been
about nine miles.
Sept. 26th. — At this place we remained till
morning in our boat. There was no appearance
whatever of a town, yd they declared that we
were now close to it ; few houses were visible.
The bank was marshy, and overgrown with
weeds ; so that it was difficult to approach the
land, but by the assistance of a narrow board.
Several spears were stuck up against a hedge,
within which, we were informed, stood the house
the Mandarin of Elephants had allotted for our
AND COCHrN CHINA. 343
reception. About seven p.m. a handsome boat
came along-side, and soon after we were re-
quested to land, and to take possession of our
quarters, which we found ample and convenient.
The place was everywhere surrounded by armed
soldiers ; but the only inconvenience we ex-
perienced arose from the number of persons who
occupied the house with us, and who, by their
incessant loud talking, left us not a moment's
quiet by night or by day. They were specta-
tors of all our actions, and never permitted them-
selves to lose sight of us, but occupied the
rooms with us, as well when we were at meals,
as at other times. We were instructed not to
pass the sentries, but to remain within the house
until we should be presented at court. Even our
servants were watched with the strictest observa-
tion ; and it was not without difficulty that they
would grant permission to one of them at a time
to go to the bazar close by, though accompanied
by one of their own people. Nothing could ex-
ceed their strictness in this particular.
Compared with the troops of the native princes
of India, and of the king of Siam, the soldiers
we saw here made a very respectable appear-
ance. Though exceedingly short in stature,
they are well made, and of a robust form. They
would appear to be well calculated to act as
light troops ; their dress is both convenient and
3fl MISSION TO SIAIVI
shcwy. It would, perhaps, be difficult to devise
one better adapted to the nature of the climate,
the comfort of the soldier, and at the same time
uniting that smartness of appearance so con-
stantly aimed at in military costume.
The principal parts of the dress are as follow :
A conical helmet, without peak, made of
basket work, lackered, and in general gilt : this
is strong, but light, and perfectly water-proof.
On the summit of this some wear a plume of
red horse-hair and feathers ; in others the plume
is wanting. This helmet is worn over the com-
mon turban of the country, and bound by straps
under the chin. In dry weather, and when the
men are off duty, the helmet is thrown over
their shoulder, suspended by the straps, in
which state it resembles a small shield.
The body is covered with a loose jacket of
red serge, or coarse red cloth, with a short, close
collar ; this habit is wide, has long sleeves, is
fastened in front by loops and small buttons ; it
reaches down to the knee, and is slit on each
side ; it is turned up with blue or yellow ; over
this they wear one or two habits, according to
the state of the weather ; these are of yellow
serge, the borders of various strongly-contrasted
colours. In shape these exactly resemble the
other habit, except that they have no sleeves.
A pair of wide trowsers, scarce descending
AND COCHIN CHINA. 345
below the knee, and made of coarse red or white
silk, completes the dress. The arms, as has
been already stated, are either a musket or
spear. The greater number of the former appear
to be of French manufacture. They are fur-
nished with a bayonet like ours, but they are
considerably lighter. They appear to take bet-
ter care of their fire-arms than even European
soldiers do. They always carry a cover for the
lock, and, on the approach of rain, they care-
fully wrap up their muskets in a cloth cover.
The accoutrements are similar to those of our
own soldiers, but the leather of which they are
made is ornamented with gilded figures. The
cartouche-box is smaller than an English sol-
dier's. I had the curiosity to look into one, and
found the contents as follows :
A set of men for playing at cliess ;
A small bottle of scented oil ;
A small horn, with pricker, containing apparently
priming powder ;
A bundle of small, hollow bamboos, each containing a
charge of powder, stopped at one end with paper ;
No ball, or shot.
To the outside of the cartridge-box is at-
tached a bucket of basket-work, for the purpose
of containing a couple of sticks, about six inches
long, and an inch broad, a necessary part of
thQ equipment of every soldier. A similar
3t(5 lAIISSION TO SIAM
bucket is attached to the shaft of the lance. It
is by striking these sticks against each other
that the sentinels give note of their watchfulness,
and not by passing the word as with us. The
noise is sufficiently loud and shrill. They beat
three strokes every half hour, and it passes thus
through the chain of sentries.
The lance is about twelve feet long. The
shaft is of bamboo, admirably adapted for this
purpose ; the head about eight inches long. Two
bundles of red horse-hair ornament the summit.
We had scarcely entered our lodging, when a
messenger came from the Mandarin of Elephants
to obtain the letter for the king, in order to its
being examined previously to its being submitted
to him. Mr. Crawfurd delivered the letter, to-
gether with Portuguese and Chinese translations,
the latter executed by the missionaries at Seram-
pore.
In the course of the day, the mandarin sent
some trifling presents of rice, oil, salt, candles,
&c. , and a small sum of money, about fifteen or
twenty dollars.
The Mandarin of Turon came to visit us in the
evening, and conversed with us for several hours.
21th. — The clerk who came yesterday for the
letter, now returned with the Chinese translation,
stating, that there were certain expressions in
it which rendered it unfit to be laid before the
AND COCHIN CPIINA. 347
king. Mr. Crawfurd had, on the previous day,
told him that ho would alter any expression that
did not accord with the notions of propriety en-
tertained by the court. What the objections now
were, I am unable to say. Mr. Crawfurd men-
tioned one which was to this effect, — that the
Governor General vva'ote as if he were writing to
his equal. This man and several others, toge-
ther with Mr. Crawfurd's Chinese interpreter,
were all day occupied in making the required
alterations.
28f/i. — The same personage returned with a
request to have another copy of the Chinese trans-
lation. It was said that this v/as intended for
the governor of Saigon; but, on visiting the
Mandarin of Elephants, he told us that he meant
to keep that copy by him. About noon, this copy
was finished, and a messenger came to say, that
the Mandarin of Elephants desired to have an
interview with the Agent to the Governor-Gene-
ral. A comfortable and neat boat, rowed by
soldiers, dressed in red, was sent to convey us.
We set out at one o'clock, accompanied by some
Cochin Chinese, who were usually waiting at
our quarters. We were two hours in reaching
the Mandarin's house, and the distance could not
be less than six miles from our quarters. We
were nearly at an equal distance from the town,
though we had been told that we were quite
S48 MISSION TO SLVM
close to It. The river is so much divided by
islands of various dimensions, and so intersects
the country in every way, that it is difficult to
state more of its course than the general direction
which it takes, and this is, for the most part,
from west to east. In ascending the river, to
reach the Mandarin's, we soon quitted the branch
which we first occupied, and turning to the
right, entered a fine and wide canal, partly na-
tural and partly artificial. This canal surrounds
three sides of the capital, and at both extremities
joins the great river, which lies in front of the
fourth. The canal is about forty or fifty yards
wide at its lowest part, where we entered; it
becomes narrower as you ascend, and, at the
upper extremity, it is little more than eighteen
or twenty yards across. It is maintained in per-
fect order. The sides are regularly sloped, and
supported by embankments, where requisite.
Its depth would appear to be, in most parts,
about eight feet. It affords the double advan-
tage of an outward defence to the place, for
which it was doubtless originally intended, as it
bounds the glacis throughout its course, and is
extremely serviceable, as affording water-con-
veyance to the various parts of an extensive city.
We had seen little more than the bare walls
of our habitation since our arrival. The most
beautiful and luxuriant scenery now burst upon
AND COCmiN CHINA. .349
our view, and we were soon agreed that tlie
banks of the river of Hue presented the most
beautiful and interesting scenery of any river we
had seen in Asia. Its beauties, however, are
the gifts of nature more than of art. A vast ex-
panse of water, conveyed by a magnificent river
through a fertile valley, not so wide but that the
eye can compass its several parts ; ridges of
lofty and bold mountains in the distance ; the
cocoa-nut, the areca, the banana; the sugar-
cane, hedges of bamboos, that wave their ele-
gant tops in the air ; rows of that beautiful plant
the hibiscus, are the principal materials which,
grouped in various forms, delight the eye of the
spectator. From this we must not separate the
no less interesting prospect of numerous and
apparently comfortable villages. In these the
most remarkable circumstance is the neatness
and cleanliness of the houses of the natives, and
the cheerful, contented, and lively disposition of
the people. The liouses of the better sort are
substantial and large, covered with tiles, the
walls being partly made of brick and mortar,
and partly of wood. Besides, they exercise
considerable taste in adorning their grounds
and little gardens with flowers and ornamental
trees.
Though we were in the immediate vicinity of
a large city, few people were to be seen ; these
.350 jMISSION to SIAM
were at work in the fields, collecting weeds from
the canal, or passing on the public roads. We
were still more surprised to find so few boats
upon the river, and of junks we saw no more
than three or four. It is true, that the commer-
cial season had gone by, yet a large city must
have great and constant demand for transport, at
least by means of boats. Besides, the former
remark was alike applicable to Saigon, yet at
that place vast numbers of boats were constantly
visible, It is difficult to conceive how so much
solitude should exist under such circumstances.
Of those who were passing on the roads, some
were mounted on small ponies, active, but neither
handsome nor strong. There are no horses in
the country, and it is only the lower orders that
ride these ; nor have we seen them used for any
other purpose.
In our excursions, we observed a considerable
extent of the landscape: on the right bank,
which is at no great distance from the hills, it is
diversified into low and high ground, and often
rises into hills of moderate size, the sides of
which are cultivated. The general extent of cul-
tivation is but limited, and the quantity of
ground fit for the production of rice very small ;
and wherever this is the case, countries in these
latitudes must be considered as poor. Nor can
this place, therefore, be exempted. It is in-
AND COCHIN CHINA. 351
debted to Saigon and Tonquin for the supplies
of rice. Considerable diversity of soil exists
here; in some parts it is a dry, friable, and
almost pure sand ; in others, it consists of stiff
clay, and elsewhere these are intermixed. The
alluvion which this great river has formed is ex-
tremely small.
As soon as we had entered the canal, we
found ourselves in front of one face of the Fort.
The term Fort, which has been applied to this
place, is apt to convey erroneous notions, though
it is perhaps as much a fort as a place of such vast
extent can well be. It is, in fact, a fortified
city ; and if the French had compared it with
such places as Delhi and Agra, instead of Fort
William, the comparison had been more just.
The fortifications of this place are, without ques-
tion, of a most extraordinary nature, whether
considered in the magnitude of extent, the bold-
ness of design, the perseverance in execution, or
the strength they display. The Fort appears to
be built with the greatest regularity, and accord-
ing to the principles of European fortification.
It is of quadrangular form ; each side appeared
to us to be at least a mile and a half in lengUi.
The rampart is about thirty feet high, and cased
with brick and mortar. The bastions project
but little, contain from five to eight embrasures,
and are placed at a great distance from each
352 MfSSION TO STAM
Other. The walls are in excellent order. We
could not distinctly see whether there was a
ditch at the foot of the wall, but were told that
there is. The glacis extends to the canal, and
is about 200 yards in breadth. In many parts,
it is rather higher on the banks of the canal
than towards the Fort, but is everywhere com-
manded by the latter. Numerous sheds for
boats, and for other purposes, are erected on
the glacis.
An enemy on the opposite side of the canal
would, in many parts, find shelter in the brush-
wood and hedges, and even villages, within
reach of the guns of the Fort, and thence would
find the means of attacking the place with little
exposure of his men. But it is not to be ex-
pected that such places are capable of much
resistance. They may serve as a temporary
defence against a sudden alarm, and against a
tumultuary attack from irregular troops ; but a
handful of brave and enterprising men would
soon possess themselves of the place.
The gates are ornamented in the Chinese
style, but the approaches are calculated for the
purposes of defence. "Within the walls is con-
tained a square building, surrounded by lofty
walls, and apparently very strong. This is pro-
bably the citadel. We had but a very imperfect
view of it.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 353
There appeared no reason to doubt that we
were brought by this circuitous route, in order
that we might see the extent of the fortifications.
On leaving the canal, we entered the great
river. At the point of their junction, the view is
uncommonly fine ; the body of water very great,
the country opposite beautiful and much diversi-
fied. The ground here would appear to be
adapted chiefly for the cultivation of sugar-cane,
Indian corn, vegetables, and such seeds as are
adapted to a dry soil. We passed the houses of
several persons of rank ; they were surrounded
with stone walls and bamboo hedges. The
roads in front were good. After we had pro-
ceeded about a mile on the great river, we came
to the house of the Mandarin of Elephants. We
waited for a few minutes in our boat, when we
were told to land. As we approached the house,
we met the two French mandarins, Messrs. Van-
nier and Chaigneaux, who entered the house
along with us. They were dressed in silk robes,
according to the Cochin-Chinese fashion. They
are both of them fine-looking old men, of an
amiable expression of countenance. The former
had served in the American war, and appeared
to be about sixty-five years of age ; the latter is
somewhat younger. They both left France on
the breaking out of the Revolution, and de-
voted themselves to the service of the late King of
2 A
354 MISSrON TO SIAM
Cochin China, who raised them to their present
rank. They were the companions of the King
in his misfortunes as well as in his prosperity :
of twenty Frenchmen who were in his service,
they are the only survivors.
In the court of the mandarin's house was
a crowd of vagrant-looking people, some dressed
in masks, some with painted faces, and hideous
looks. I was informed by M. Chaigneaux that
these were players, and that a Chinese co-
medy was now performing ; and that this and
the other festivities were going forward in
consequence of the marriage of the mandarin's
son, who had just carried home his bride, a
lady of high rank. The music, which was harsh,
shrill, and disagreeable, ceased as we entered.
The mandarin was seated upon a small table or
bench, covered with a carpet and furnished with
handsome cushions, at one end of a large, plain,
and neat, but rather naked room, open on two
sides. Behind him were the apartments of the
women, separated only by a curtain ; they were
spectators of the play, and continued here during
the whole time we were present.
On the opposite side of the hall were also
suites of apartments, now occupied by the
players, who made their appearance from that
quarter. To the right and left, were disposed a
crowd of people in three or four rows. They
AND COCHIN CHINA. 355
consisted of men, women, and children, and
many of them appeared to be miserably poor.
Few or no soldiers were present, but one or two
attendants bore swords. We walked up to where
the mandarin sat, and bowed to him. Without
quitting his seat, he returned our salute, and
pointed to a couch on his left, where we seated
ourselves ; the French mandarins sat in chairs
on each side of us. The conversation which
ensued was carried on in French, on our part,
and partly in Portuguese, the French mandarins
being the medium of communication in the
former, and a native Christian in the latter.
When we were seated, the chief asked if there
was any thing else to be communicated than what
was contained in the letter to the King. Mr.
Crawfurd replied, that the letter contained almost
every thing that was to be said ; but that he had
a few words to state on commercial matters,
which he would now, or at any time the mandarin
thought most proper, enter upon. The mandarin
desired that he might now enter upon whatever
he had to propose.
Mr. Crawfurd then said, that what was chiefly
required was that permission might be granted to
British ships to trade to the ports of Cochin China,
mentioning in particular Saigon, Turon-bay, and
Tonquin; and that instructions might be deli-
vered to him respecting the duties demanded, and
2 A 2
35G MISSION TO SIAM
the regulations by which the commerce of these
places was conducted. To this the mandarin
answered, that the ports of Cochin China were
open to all nations, that the duties had of late
been very considerably diminished, first by the
late King, and latterly by the present ; that he
would furnish a table or scheme of the duties
collected at different ports ; that he would always
expedite the affairs of traders, by immediate
attention to them, well knowing the importance
of expedition in matters of that nature.
Mr. Crawfurd said, that this being the case,
there was nothing for him to ask, and that the
regulations were very liberal. The mandarin
now observed, that the matter being so very
simple, our affairs would soon be settled ; that
until they were so it was not usual for strangers
to appear in public ; but that being done we had
merely to signify to him when we wished to go
abroad, and that he would send a boat for us
and people to conduct us. He farther observed,
that he would send the tariff, and an answer to
all matters to-morrow.
Whilst this conversation was going forward,
in a loose and somewhat desultory manner,
M. Chaigneaux brought forward the affair of the
damaged muskets sent from Madras by Messrs.
Abbot and Maitland. The mandarin was well
acquainted with the circumstance, and it was
AND COCHIN CHINA. 357
very evident that it was now agitated with no
good intention.
Mr. Crawfurd now took occasion to ask the
mandarin when he might expect to have the ho-
nour of obtaining an audience of the king. We
Avere but little prepared for the answer to this :
that the business of the envoy being entirely of
a commercial nature, it altogether precluded the
possibility of his being admitted into the pre-
sence of the king ; and that it was an affair for
the cognizance of his ministers. To this Mr.
Crawfurd answered, that it was right that com-
mercial affairs should be conducted by the king's
ministers, and that he should be happy to have
the honour of conferring with them on this sub-
ject, but that commerce was not the sole object
either of the letter to the king or of the mission ;
that he had been sent from a distant country, by
a powerful and mighty government, to congratu-
late the king of Cochin China on his succession
to the throne. That this was of itself to be con-
sidered as an honourable distinction of the king
of Cochin China ; and that the obvious and ge-
neral tendency of the mission was to unite and
to cement the bonds of friendship between the
two nations. That the determination not to re-
ceive the envoy of the Governor General of
India, a man of the most exalted rank, the inti-
mate friend of his sovereign, looked up to by
358 MISSION TO SIAM
all the world, and holding correspondence with
the greatest kings of the east, was the more sur-
prising, and indeed altogether unaccountable,
for that the late king had received the envoy of
the Governor General, and had given him two
public audiences. He concluded by requesting,
that the Mandarin would represent this matter to
his majesty, and obtain from him an early an-
swer. The mandarin answered that he had
already communicated with the king upon the
subject, and such was his determination. That
had the Agent to the Governor General come on
any other than commercial affairs, he would have
been presented to the court, but that it was alto-
gether contrary to its customs to give audience
on such, occasions. That had Mr. Crawfurd been
the envoy of the king of England, or of any king,
he would have been received. That in this case
it was as if the governor of Saigon had sent an
envoy to the imperial court. It was contrary to
usage, contrary to the customs of the country,
and could not be done ; but for the satisfaction
of Mr. Crawfurd the matter should be again re-
presented to the king.
In the interval, tea had been served, and, at
this part of the conversation, the table was co-
vered with roast pigs, geese, fowls, and fruit.
The subject of the damaged guns was again in-
troduced by M. Chaigneaux.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 35^
We were requested to sit down to dinner.
The mandarin continued upon his seat, a tran-
quil spectator of what was going on around him.
The meat was served up on China dishes, and
the fruit on japanned trays. A few small liqueur
glasses, of coarse manufacture, were placed upon
the table, together with a bottle of common
French claret. The knives were also French,
with gilt handles.
After we had partaken of a little fruit, the
things were removed, and the chief asked if we
had a desire to see the comedy. Mr. Crawfurd
said that he should wish first to say a few words
on the subject of the late conversation. The
Portuguese interpreter was now requested to ex-
plain that it must be well known to the mandarin,
and to the court at large, as it was also to the
two French gentlemen now present, that in the
year 1804, the envoy of the Governor General
of Bengal, Mr. Roberts, who was sent in a
capacity similar to that of Mr. Crawfurd, had
been received honourably at court, and had ob-
tained two audiences of the king ; that therefore
this was a clear and unequivocal proof that it
was not contrary to the usage of the court, that
he should be received by the king ; that the en-
voys of the Governor General were received with
distinction at the courts of the first monarchs of
India, and that very lately he had obtained an
360 MISSION TO SIAM
audience of a neighbouring monarch, that of
Siam. He concluded by begging that the matter
might be taken into serious consideration.
The Mandarin stoutly asserted and reiterated
his assertion that Mr. Roberts had not obtained
an audience of the king. He was reminded
that documents proving the contrary, written by
the express order of the king, were in the pos-
session of the government of Bengal, and that
both Messrs. Vannier and Chaigneaux, who were
present on that occasion, could now testify to the
fact. M. Chaigneaux stoutly denied that he knew
any thing of the matter, said that he was sick, and
absent. M. Vannier neither could nor did deny
the matter, but remained silent. The Mandarin
knew that nothing but the truth had been stated ;
yet he equivocated in the most palpable manner ;
saying at one time that he had not been admit-
ted ; at another, that it was during war, when
any one might have been admitted to the king ;
and that since that time the customs of the court
had been altered ; and that the magnificence of
the court was reserved solely for the greatest oc-
casions. It was here observed that the change
which had taken place in court etiquette was not
known ; and that with respect to the manner in
which the mission was to be received, it was for
the king to decide whether the audience should
be public or private, Oo this the old gentleman
AND COCHIN CHINA. 361
dryly observed, that it was indeed very natural
that we should use every expedient to gain an
audience of the king, having come so far for that
purpose, and plainly insinuated that it was all to
no purpose. The coolness of his manner, and
the direct inference of the remark, were too much
for us, and we could contain our gravity no longer.
The Frenchmen seemed equally surprised with
the Mandarin at seeing us laugh so heartily.
The old gentleman was in fact quite at a loss
what to say ; and at last dwelt upon the argu-
ment that the etiquette of the court had been
changed. He promised to return an answer to
all matters on the following day.
The players were now introduced. Their per-
formance was so grotesque and ridiculous, un-
meaning and tiresome, that it is not worthy of
further observation. The music also was abo-
minable. We were soon tired of both, and re-
quested permission to retire. The French gen-
tlemen accompanied us to our boats.
We returned home by a different route from
that by which we came, so as to make the circuit
of the fortress, but it was now dark, and we
could see but little.
Sept. 29th. — No answer came from the Man-
darin regarding the subjects agitated yesterday.
He sent to say that a boat would be sent to take
us to see the place ; and in the evening the
362 MISSION TO SIAM
French gentlemen came to accompany us. Pro-
ceeding up the river, we passed along that part
of the fortress which the darkness had prevented
us from seeing on the preceding evening. This
part of the wall has been finished, in the course
of the present year, in a very complete manner.
The present king, however, is not altogether
pleased, as his predecessor was, with the prin-
ciples of Vauban. He has accordingly built the
embrasures on a plan of his own* invention.
The order of them is quite reversed, that is, they
are narrow towards the ditch, and wide towards
the rampart ! This is the case with all the em-
brasures on this side of the fort, and they would
seem to be the only objectionable part of the
work. We were now more struck than ever
with the great beauty, magnitude, regularity and
strength of this extraordinary work, for such it
is in every point of view. Nothing can be more
neat and regular than all the works, the glacis,
the covered way, the ditch, the walls, and the
ramparts. Some of the bridges are made of
stone and mortar, others of wood, supported on
blocks of masonry, and all of them remarkably
neat.
When we had passed nearly mid-way along
this front, we entered the place by a principal
* This mode of constructing embrasiues had been lung- before
strenuously recommended by some railitdry writers.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 383
gate, neatly and strongly built in the European
style, and with simple and few ornaments. The
glacis is covered with short grass, and about 200
yards in breadth- The wet ditch is about thirty
feet broad, supported on each side by masonry,
and being on a level with the river, it ahvays
contains water. The wall cannot, I should think,
be less than from twenty to thirty feet high. The
French gentlemen told us that the length of each
side was 1,187 toises of six feet each, and that
the walls would contain 800 pieces of cannon.
On entering the gate we turned to the right, and
passed along the rampart. As much care has
been bestowed on the construction of the interior
as of the exterior. The place is laid out in
squares or quadrangles, the roads are wide and
convenient, and a navigable canal, which leads
to the granaries and magazines, passes through
the place. The town, if so it may be called, is
rather paltry ; the greater part of the ground
appears to be laid out in ill-cultivated gardens,
attached to miserable, but probably only tempo-
rary, huts. The bazars have an appearance of
poverty, yet the regularity of the streets gives an
air of great neatness to the place, and the view
both of the country and town, as seen from the
rampart, must be considered very fine. After
passing for more than a mile along the rampart,
we were conducted to the public granaries, con-
364 MISSION TO SIAM
sisting of a vast number of well-built, substan-
tial store-houses. The greatest attention has
been bestowed upon every thing ; and the pow-
der-magazines are erected in the midst of tanks.
We were, however, unfortunate in the day we
had chosen. It now commenced to rain with
great violence, and the crowd of idle spectators
who had inoffensively followed us so far, began
to disperse. We next passed on towards the
palace and the citadel. I could not help reflect-
ing on the different reception we had experienced
at Saigon, and at this place. There the people
were anxious to shew us every attention, and
their hospitality was unbounded. Here we
passed in front of a palace, where there were
numerous officers and persons of rank that saw
us, yet though we Vv^ere on foot, without umbrel-
las, without the means of conveyance, overtaken
by the rain and drenched with wet, there was no
offer of assistance made from any quarter. It is
easy to conceive what appearance we made under
these circumstances.
The palace of the king is surrounded on every
side by handsome and well-built rows of bar-
racks. These were uncommonly clean and very
complete in their structure. The arm-racks, the
arms of the men, the platforms on which they
sleep ; the apartments for officers, were all dis-
posed with the greatest neatness and regularity.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 3fi5
The men though not armed, were disposed with
regularity in the verandahs ; and all of them in
uniform. Of some regiments the uniform is
blue, with red sleeves ; of others, white with
red, and so forth. The officers are distinguished
by a circular patch of embroidery in front of each
shoulder. These barracks would lose little in
comparison with the best we have in England.
When we had passed through several suites of
these, we were proceeding on towards our boats,
being unwilling to continue longer in the wet.
The commander of artillery wished, however, to
shew us his department, and sent to recal us.
His department was indeed well worth seeing.
We had not seen one gun on the walls of the
fort, but here was a display calculated to surprise
us. It were an endless task to enumerate all
the different sorts of iron and brass guns, their
sizes, and other circumstances connected with
them. Four very large buildings, or sheds, were
entirely filled with guns mounted and dismounted,
of every description. There were also a con-
siderable number of mortars, and an ample sup-
ply of shot and shells. A great number of very
fine brass guns were pointed out to us that had
been cast by the late king, and among them nine
of immense size. The officer of artillery ob-
served that the latter were too large to be ser-
viceable in war, but that the king had intended
366 MISSION TO SIAM
them as a memorial both of himself and of the
works executed during his reign. They were
mounted upon carriages, finished with as much
care as the guns themselves. The gun-carriages
in general were uncommonly well finished, and
made of a hard and durable wood called Sao,
procured chiefly from the province of Dong-nai
or Saigon.
The palace of the king is so completely sur-
rounded by the barracks, that except on passing
one or two of the gates, we could see nothing
whatever of the buildings. The citadel is a
small quadrangular building, with strong and
lofty walls, close to the palace. It is altogether
an edifice not calculated to excite any peculiar
interest.
It had now become so dark that we could see
nothing more of the buildings, and therefore re-
turned to our boat. What we had seen was well
calculated to give us very favourable notions of
the capacity of the Cochin Chinese. Every
thing was in a style of neatness, magnitude, and
perfection, compared to which, similar undertak-
ings by other Asiatics were like the works of
children. These wear the semblance of the pre-
parations of a bold, enterprising, and warlike
people. Such were the sentiments which a view
of these objects was calculated to produce. A
more extensive acquaintance with the people
AND COCHIN CHINA. 367
tended to qualify them. It was already easy to
perceive that the master-mind which had pro-
jected and created such great works no longer
influenced their continuance. He had set that in
motion which his successors, it may be suspected,
are scarce equal to carry on or to preserve.
Above all, it was easy to perceive that the ge-
nius which had directed every thing was French.
The late king shewed, doubtless, a great and un-
prejudiced mind in following their plans. But
another Pharaoh has arisen who knows not * Jo-
seph. The French interest, there seems every
reason to believe, declines daily, and with the
two Mandarins of that nation, one of whom is
about to return to his native country, it will pro-
bably cease altogether. The proposals made by
the French court since the peace, and their at-
'■^- Possibly we may be allowed to doubt the validity of our au-
tlior's opinion on this point ; it may be that the monarch of Cochin
China in 1S22, had heard of the drama of Constantine Phaulkoii,
M. Chaumont, and the Jesuits, which was acted by coraniand of
His JVIajesty the French king in 1GS8, at Bankok and Louvo.
For an account of the extraordinary alliance projected between
the king's of France and Cochin China, and which was disconcerted
only by the breaking out of the French revolution, sec the historical
sketch in Barrow's Cochin China from p. 230 throughout. The
political importance attaching to such a connexion is incalculable ;
every one must in this agree with the opinion of Mr. Barrow, that
" it is difficult to say what the consequences of such a treaty miglit
have been to our possessions in India, and to the trade of the East
India Company with China ; but it is sufficiently evident that it
had for its object the destruction of both."
868 MISSION TO SIAM
tempts to enter into a more close union, have
been kept a profound secret. Whatever may
have been their nature, it is clear that they have
been rejected by the Cochin Chinese. China,
and not France, is the example which the pre-
sent court follows in every thing. No French-
men have been received into its service since the
death of the late king ; and though we have rea-
son to believe that the councils of the two, now
in office, have not been favourable to the inte-
rests of the mission, it is alike evident that they
were totally incapable of influencing the court in
favour of the proposals of their own countrymen.
When they saw that we were surprised and dis-
appointed at the determination of the court to
refuse an audience to the envoy of the Governor
General of India, they insinuated indirectly that
there were others who had also been refused ; and
subsequently told us more plainly that we ought
to be the less concerned at this refusal, for that
M. Cargariau, Captain of the French frigate Sy-
bil, bearing letters and presents from the French
minister of marine, had been refused an audience
of the king in 1817. It was to little purpose
that we told the Frenchmen that the cases were
by no means parallel ; like the Mandarin of Stran-
gers they always dwelt as a derriier resort upon
the change of court etiquette that had taken
place.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 369
With this manifest decline of French inte-
rests and councils, it remains to be proved,
whether without such influence, the Cochin Chi-
nese are capable of maintaining that spirit which
has raised their country to its present rank, and
advanced it beyond the condition of its neigh-
bours.
1st Oct. — We went to visit M. Chaigneaux,but
not finding him at home, we proceeded towards
the principal bazar accompanied by his nephew,
an intelligent young man. We had seen but a
small part of the bazar, when a petty officer in-
formed Mr. Crawfurd that we must have an order
from the Mandarin of Strangers, — on which we
turned back. The bazar was well supplied
with the more coarse and common articles of
Chinese, but afforded very little of domestic,
manufacture.
Soon after our return home, the assistant to
the Mandarin of Strangers, the same old man
that had come to take the letter for the king,
came from the former to say that as the English
had not yet had any commerce with the country,
and could not therefore have gained any advan-
tages, his majesty could not think of accepting
the presents ; but that if the English should re-
turn another year, he would then accept what-
ever was agreeable to him, paying for the same,
in money, or in produce ; that with respect to the
2 B
370 MISSION TO SIAM
ceremony of being presented at court, it was ne-
cessary to have all the mandarins in their robes,
and all the court in their full dresses ; that this
was a great ceremony, reserved for the envoys of
kings; that had Mr. Crawfurd come from the
king of England, he would have been presented,
but that in the present case it was as if the go-
vernor of Saigon sent an envoy to a monarch.
He added further that the tariff should be
sent, and that the English should be permitted to
trade to all the ports of Cochin China and Ton-
quin, on paying the established duties. He ad-
vised that the ship's long boat should be sent
back without delay, for that the bad season might
otherwise prevent her altogether from returning ;
that we ourselves might proceed either by sea or
by land to Turon bay.
This was probably the most favourable, and
perhaps the only, opportunity for making a re-
presentation on the subject of the presentation.
Such representation might, it is possible, though
in my opinion not at all likely, have produced
some delay or alteration in the commercial con-
cerns, and this was doubtless Mr. Crawfurd's
reason for expressing his satisfaction at the
arrangements that had been made. There re-
mained, in fact, nothing to be asked on the sub-
ject of commerce ; so that they had made no con-
cessions, no sacrifices whatever on that account.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 371
They would receive our ships as they did those
of the Chinese, the French, the Dutch, the
Americans. Where we had no favour to ask,
no boon to soKcit, we might, it seems to me,
have urged what is due to a great government,
and has been accorded by other nations of India,
with the greater warmth.
Before this man had left us, Messrs. Vannier
and Chaigneaux came to visit us. They had
been sent by the king to explain what had been
said by the assistant to the Mandarin of Stran-
gers. Their communication was to the same
effect as that of the other. It was on this occa-
sion that they mentioned that M. Cargariau had
not seen the king.
October 3. — After passing the morning with
M. Chaigneaux, we visited the principal bazar.
It consists of a spacious street about a mile in
length, with shops on either side the whole of
its length. Many of the shops are mere paltry
huts, made of palm-leaves ; the rest are more
substantial houses, constructed chiefly of wood,
and have tiled or thatched roofs. Here, also,
the poverty of the shops was particularly striking.
A very large proportion contained nothing but
shreds of gilt and coloured paper used in reli-
gious ceremonies, and at funerals. Chinese
porcelain, of a coarse description; fans, lacquered
boxes, Chinese fans, silks, and crapes, the two
2 B 2
872 MISSION TO SIAM
latter in small quantity ; medicines without num-
ber, coarse clothes made up, large hats made of
palm-leaf, and a sort of jacket of the same ma-
terial ; rice, pulse, and fruit ; sago, made from
the seeds of a species of nymphsea, were the
common articles exposed for sale. There were
but few, and those very coarse articles of manu-
factured iron, as nails, hatchets, and chisels,
which bore a high price.
The Cochin Chinese carry purses, in which
they put their betel and tobacco ; these are very
neat, and usually thrown over the shoulders of
the men; they are made either of plain blue
silk, or embroidered in gold, and may be had at
all prices, from half a dollar to fifteen. Men of
rank have them carried by their servants. In
this bazar the shops are held almost entirely by
natives of the country. There are scarcely any
Chinese amongst them.
AND COCfllN CHINA. BTS
CHAPTER X.
Physiological Exterior op the Cochin Chinese. — Cos-
tume. — Moral Character. — Religion. — Brutalizing
Effects of a Despotic Government. — Military Servi-
tude. — Population. — Rains and Inundations. — Costume
OF the Rainy Season. — Visit to the Tacoon. — Tablets
and Boxes ornamented with the Mya Shell. — Letter
and Presents for the Governor General. — The Agent
declines accepting the Presents for the Governor
General. — Regulations respecting Trade. — Extent
of Permission retracted. — A Repast. — Rotten Eggs
AND Chickens in the Shell a Chinese Delicacy, and
Token of Royal Favour. — The Mandarin op Han. —
Letter to the Governor General refused. — Pitiful
Spirit of the Cochin Chinese Government. — Chinese
Player. — The King of the Drama Bambooed. — Final
Interview with the Mandarin op Strangers. — Return
TO TuRON. — Beautiful Country. — Canal.— Salt-water
Lake. — Grand Scenery. — Route. — Botanical Observa-
tions. — Palanquins and Bearers. — Granitic Country.
— Excellent Roads. — Re-embark.
We had by this time seen a large proportion of
the people, and our intercourse with them had
brought to light traits of moral character,
which, under a less intimate acquaintance, had
lain concealed ; while at the same time we
gained a more intimate knowledge of their phy-
sical form. It is extraordinary how little diver-
374 MISSION TO SIAM
sity there exists in the latter, in regard either of
stature or of features.
In their physical exterior, they present a com-
pound which accords not very correctly with any
of the tribes whose peculiarities we have before
attempted to describe. In some respects, in-
deed, the resemblance is sufficiently obvious ;
yet in others it is much less so, if not rather of
an opposite character. It appears to me, how-
ever, that a strict analysis of the aggregate in
their physical form, will lead to the conclusion
that this nation also has sprung from the Tartar
race, and that it constitutes a variety of that
great and widely-disseminated branch of man-
kind.
In point of stature, the Cochin Chinese are,
perhaps, of all the various tribes that belong to
this race, the most diminutive. We remark that
they want the transverse breadth of face of the
Malays ; the cylindrical form of the cranium, as
well as the protuberant and expanded coronoid
process of the lower jaw of the Siamese, and
the oblique eyes of the Chinese. In common
with all of these, they have a scanty, grisly,
straggling beard ; coarse, lank, black hair ; small
dark eyes ; a yellowish complexion ; a squat,
square form ; and stout extremities.
I shall here, however, enter more at large into
the description of this variety. It is no very
AND COCHIN CHINA. 375
difficult task, at least for an attentive observer,
to seize upon those points in the form of
the Cochin Chinese, which serve to distin-
guish them both from the neighbouring and
other nations. It is more difficult to convey, in
accurate and precise terms, correct notions of
these distinctions to others. The subject of the
filiation of nations, though one of the deepest
interest, is still involved in much obscurity. We
see impressed upon the whole of the human race,
through every variety, every modification of cli-
mate, under every condition of barbarous or of
civilized life, one general, one universal form,
from which there is, in fact, no deviation. It is
true, that there are tribes so different from others
in appearance, that we almost conclude that they
constitute different species of animal beings.
Yet the difference is, perhaps, in all cases, more
apparent than real, more imaginative than na-
tural. When we would inquire into the origin,
the history, the connexions, of a particular tribe,
or the prevalence of a particular form or feature,
we are often compelled to confess that we are at
a loss to discover characters in all respects
satisfactory. The interest of the subject will
always claim for it the patient investigation of
reflecting men, and will in time, doubtless, re-
move many of the difficulties in which it is at
present involved.
376 MISSION TO SIAM
To return to the subject of the Cochin Chinese.
In the consideration of their external form, the
circumstance which chiefly strikes an European
observer is their diminished form. Their squat
and broad shape augments the effect of this cha-
racteristic, so that they appear more diminutive
than they actually are. Of twenty-one persons,
taken chiefly from the class of soldiers, the
others being citizens, the average height was
five feet, two inches, and three-fourths : of eleven
of the same persons, the average length of the
arm amounted to 12.4 inches : of the fore-arm,
10.15 inches, and the girth of the chest at the
broadest part, to two feet, nine inches. It has
been remarked, that the Cochin Chinese are of
a yellowish colour. It is very rare to find
amongst them any that are very black. Many
of the females in particular are as fair as the
generality of the inhabitants of the south of
Europe.
The globular form of the cranium, and the
orbicular shape of the face are peculiarly cha-
racteristic of the Cochin Chinese. The head
projects more backwards than in the Siamese;
it is smaller and more symmetrical, in regard to
the body, than in the tribes already noticed, and
the transverse diameters both of the occiput and
sinciput are very nearly equal. The forehead is
AND COCHIN CHINA. 377
short and small, the cheeks round, the lower
part of the face broad. The whole countenance
is in fact very nearly round, and this is more
particularly striking in women, who are reckoned
beautiful in proportion as they approach this
form of face. The eyes are small, dark, and
round. They want the tumid, incumbent eye-
lid of the Chinese, and hence they derive a
sprightliness of aspect unknown to the latter.
The nose is small, but well formed. The
mouth is remarkably large, the lips are promi-
nent but not thick. The beard is remarkably
scanty, yet they cultivate it with the greatest
care. There are amongst them those who can
number scarce one dozen of hairs upon the chin,
or on the whole of the lower jaw. That on the
upper lip is somewhat more abundant. The
neck is for the most part short. Before quitting
this part of the subject, I may remark that there
is in the form of the head a degree of beauty,
and in the expression of the countenance a de-
gree of harmony, sprightliness, intelligence, and
good-humour, which we should look for in vain
either in the Chinese or Siamese.
The shape of the body and limbs in the
Cochin Chinese, differs but little from that of
the tribes already noticed. The chest is short,
large, and well expanded ; the loins broad ; the
3W MISSION TO SIAM
upper extremities are long, but well formed ; the
lower are short, and remarkably stout. There is
this remarkable difference from the others of the
same race, that here the tendency to obesity is
of rare occurrence. The limbs, though large,
are not swollen with fat. The muscular system
is large and well developed, and the leg in par-
ticular is almost always large and well formed.
The Cochin Chinese, though a laughing, are
not a fat, people.
The costume of the Cochin Chinese may be
described in a few words. The subject is more
deserving of attention, in that it also presents
them to us in a peculiar light different from that
under which their neighbours appear. Though
living not only in a mild, but warm climate, the
partiality for dress is universal. There is no
one, however mean, but is clothed at least from
the head to the knee, and if their dress is not
always of the smartest, it is owing more to their
poverty than to their want of taste. Nor is it
comfort or convenience alone that they study.
They are not above the vanity of valuing them-
selves on the smartness of their dress, a failing
which often leads them into extravagance. You
will often see a well-dressed man without a sin-
gle quhan in his possession.
The principal and most expensive article in
AND COCHIN CHINA. 39^
their dress is the turban. That of the men is
made of black crape, of the women of blue. On
occasions of mourning, it is made of white crape.
A loose jacket, somewhat resembling a large
shirt, but with wide sleeves, reaching nearly to
the knee, and buttoning on the right side, con-
stitutes the principal covering of the body. Two
of these, the under one of white silk, are gene-
rally worn, and they increase the number ac-
cording to their circumstances and the state of
the weather. Women wear a dress but little
different from this, though lighter, and both
wear a pair of wide pantaloons, of various co-
lours. The dress of the poorer class is made of
coarse cotton, but this is not very common,
coarse silks being more in vogue. Those of
China and Tonquin are worn by the more opu-
lent classes. Shoes also are worn only by the
wealthy, and are of Chinese manufacture, clogs,
in fact, rather than shoes.
After this account of the physical exterior of
the Cochin Chinese, I shall add a few words re-
specting their moral character. Any account of
a matter so intricate, must, on so short an ac-
quaintance, be necessarily imperfect. The sub-
ject, in its different bearings, is besides so ex-
tensive, that I can at most but hint at a few
points.
Of these the most important and most remark-
380 MISSION TO SIAM
able is religion. The nation may, in fact, be
said to be without any religion whatever. They
have neither religious instruction nor instructors,
priests, nor any body of men, whose function is
to encourage its cultivation, or by their conduct
to set an example to the great body of the peo-
ple. Every man is free to act in this matter as
he thinks fit. The better sort affect to follow the
precepts of Confucius. The theism of the Chi-
nese is as cold-hearted and unaccompanied by
feeling, as it is crude, undefined, and uncertain
in its principles. It appears to have no effect
whatever on their conduct, nor do they enter-
tain any intelligible notions on the subject. It
would appear to be fashionable to profess it ;
but they neither talk of it, nor have any means
of knowing what fashion perhaps alone induces
them to profess.
The human mind, under every condition of
life, has formed to itself certain notions of a
future state. The untutored mind, led away by
its fears, soon becomes involved in the intricate
mazes of superstition, in which the mind too
often paints undefined, unreal terrors. Such is
the case with the Cochin Chinese, whose reli-
gion, if it is ever thought of, consists in the
ceremony of placing on a rude altar some bits of
meat and a few straws covered with the dust of
scented wood, or in scattering to the winds a few
AND COCHIN CHINA. 381
scraps of paper covered with gold foil; or in
sticking a piece of writing on a post or door, or
to a tree. You inquire in vain for the motives of
such acts. The objects of their fear are as nu-
merous as they are hideous. One form of super-
stition is observed by sea-faring people, another
by those who live upon the coast, and a different
form by those inhabiting agricultural districts.
Thus, if not absolutely without religion, the
Cochin Chinese can scarcely be said to derive
moral feeling from this source. It may, perhaps,
with truth be observed, that it is better that a
people should have no religion than a false one.
The nation in question will furnish an argument
in favour of this opinion. It might be supposed
that the first, the necessary consequence of the
want of religion, would be a total disregard of
right and wrong : this, however, is not the case>
for in many respects the Cochin Chinese are
superior to their neighbours, who are devoted to
their national religion. If they are destitute of
that aid which is derived from true religion, they
are likewise free from the degrading trammels
of a false one. A more direct engine than
that of religion itself, has modified, if not formed,
the moral character of the people ; it is that of
an avaricious, illiberal, and despotic government,
the effect of which, so sedulously pursued through
a course of ages, it is melancholy and revolting
382 MISSION TO SIAM
to human nature to contemplate. It has involved
the whole body of the people in perpetual and
insurmountable poverty ; it has debased the
mind ; it has destroyed every generous feeling ;
it has crushed in the bud the early aspirations of
genius ; it has cast a blasting influence over
every attempt at improvement. Such being the
character of the government, it will not appear
surprising that the moral character of the people
should in many respects be brutalized. What is
defective in their character has been occasioned
by perpetual slavery and oppression ; yet not-
withstanding all this, they display traits of moral
feeling, ingenuity, and acuteness, which, under a
liberal government, would seem capable of rais-
ing them to an elevated rank amongst nations.
But they are perpetually reminded of the slavery
under which they exist; the bamboo is perpe-
tually at work, and every petty, paltry officer,
every wretch who can claim precedence over
another, is at liberty to inflict lashes on those
under him. But the tameness with which they
submit to this degrading discipline, alike appli-
cable to the people as to the military, is the most
extraordinary circumstance. Their obedience is
unlimited, nor do they, by word or by action, ma-
nifest tlie sUghtest resistance to the arbitrary de-
cisions of their tyrants. It will not appear sur-
prising that this system should render them
AND COCHIN CHINA. S8S
cunning, timid, deceitful, and regardless of truth ;
that it should make them conceited, impudent,
clamorous, assuming, and tyrannical, where they
imagine they can be so with impunity. Their
clamorous boldness is easily seen through, and
the least opposition or firmness reduces them to
the meanest degree of submission and fawning.
Such are the more revolting traits in their
character : they are in a great measure counter^
balanced by a large share of others that are of a
more amiable stamp. They are mild, gentle^
and inoffensive in their character, beyond most
nations. Though addicted to theft, the crime of
murder is almost unknown amongst them. To
strangers, they are affable, kind, and attentive ;
and in their conduct they display a degree of
genuine politeness and urbanity quite unknown
to the bulk of the people in other parts of In-
dia*. They are besides lively and good-hu-
* In their persons, the Cochin Chinese are far from being- a
cleanly people. Many of their customs are, in fact, extremely
disgusting. Those ablutions so much practised by all the Western
Asiatics, are here unknown ; and their dress is not once washed
from the time it is first put on, till it is no longer fit for use.
There appears but little ground for an opinion commonly en-
tertained of this people, that they are dissolute, and that female
virtue is held in little repute. The conduct of both sexes in public
is altogether correct and decorous. The frailties of married
women are said to be looked upon by all ranks with the greatest
indignation and abhorrence, while the punishment awarded by the
laws amounts to the greatest, and even to revolting, severity. With
3S4 MISSION TO SI AM
moured, playful, and obliging. Towards each
other, their conduct is mild and unassuming, but
the omission of accustomed forms or ceremonies,
the commission of the slightest fault, imaginary
or real, is followed by immediate punishment.
The bamboo is the universal antidote against all
their failings. Like the Chinese, this nation is
addicted to the worship of ancestors, and reveres
the memory of relations. This may, in fact, be
considered as the only trait of religion that
exists amongst them. Whatever may have been
its origin, whether, like most institutions of a
similar nature, it has degenerated into a set and
formal ceremony that touches not the heart, we
ought perhaps to consider it as of an amiable
nature. The political aim of the institution, the
only one of the kind in which the government
takes a part, inculcating it strongly upon the
minds of the people, is not be overlooked. It is
respect to unmarried women, the greatest liberty is conceded in
matters of this sort, nor does even public opinion oppose the
smallest obstacle to the freest indulgence of their inclinations.
The utmost degree of liberty is conceded to them, and the con-
nexions they form with their male acquaintances, whether tem-
porary or durable, whatever consequence may follow, is in no
manner prejudicial to the woman's future prospects, nor is she
the less respected by her future husband. The lesser chiefs make
no scruple in giving their daughters, for a sum of money, to
any one who is to reside for a short time in the country. Indeed,
there seems to be little other ceremony in matrimonial treaties than
that of giving.
AND COCHIN CHINA. 3S5
that of preventing its subjects from going abroad,
and thereby contributing to retain them in a state
of ignorance and slavery.
The Cochin Chinese are more industrious than
we should be apt to suspect, considering the op-
pressive nature of the government. Where the
government interferes but little, as in the fishe-
ries on the coast, their industry is indeed very
conspicuous, and there seems every reason to
believe that, w^ere they freed from oppression,
they would be equally so in other branches.
They are capable of supporting a large share of
fatigue ; and the quantum of daily labour, as for
instance in the operation of rowing, or of run-
ning, is in general very considerable. But the
greatest obstacle to the developement of indus-
try proceeds from the oppressive nature of the
military system, by which about two-thirds of the
male population are compelled to serve as sol-
diers, at a low and inadequate rate of pay. Of
all the grievances they labour under, it would
appear that they consider this the most oppres-
sive. It not only takes from agriculture and
other occupations, the hands necessary for such
labours, but by the idle habits which the mili-
tary service generates in the men, it renders them
unfit to return to that condition of life. The
consequence of this system may easily be con-
gc
3S6 AFISSION TO SIAM
jectured, tliough not perhaps to the full extent.
Almost all kinds of labour are performed by wo-
men, whom it is not unusual to see guiding the
plough and sowing the seed. Besides, the la-
bour of women is paid at an equal rate with
that of the men. The daily wages for either is
one mas and their food, or two mas, without it.
Another great evil arising out of the military
system of levy, consists in the destruction of fa-
mily connexions and ties. From the age of seven-
teen to twenty, a selection of the youth is made
for military service, from which there is no re-
tiring until age or infirmity has rendered them
incapable of further service. It is true that, from
time to time, they are allowed to return to their
homes on leave of absence ; but it is to be
feared that a temporary residence of this nature
affords a feeble barrier to the unsocial tendency
of the system.
But in order to form correct notions of the ef-
fect of the military system, we ought to know
precisely the proportion taken out of a certain
number of the people. This proportion, however,
has been so differently stated by different per-
sons, that it is extremely difficult to assume any
degree of probability on the subject. It has
been stated that usually two-thirds of the male
population from twenty to fifty are taken. It
AND COCHIN CHINA. 387
should be observed that the French gentlemen
state that, in general, one-third of the soldiers are
on leave of absence.
The answers to our inquiries respecting the
population of the country, or of any particular
town or district, have been attended with the
same degree of uncertainty, and therefore I have
for the most part passed the subject over in si-
lence. It has rarely happened that we have had
an opportunity of conversing with persons suffi-
ciently enlightened to possess correct notions on
this subject ; and it seems very doubtful if any
exact data, calculated to provide an accurate esti-
mate of the amount, are in the possession even
of the government. The French gentlemen,
speaking from conjecture, estimated the popula-
tion of the kingdom at 10,000,000. French
writers have estimated it at three times that
amount. It is agreed by ail that Tonquin is more
populous than Cochin China. The gold and
silver mines alone of that country give employ-
ment to no less than 10,000 industrious China-
men, with their families.
Oct. I2th. — TheTacGon, or Mandarin of Stran-
gers, sent to say, that the letter for the Governor
General of Bengal, and the papers relating to
commercial affairs were in readiness, and that he
wished to deliver them. A boat was sent for us
at an early hour, and we set out for the Tacoon's
2 c 2
388 MISSION TO SIAM
house immediately after breakfast. We were
several hours in reaching the place, on account
of the rapidity of the current. From the 5th
instant, with but one or two days of intermis-
sion, it had rained almost constantly, and in such
quantity, that the rains we had experienced near
to the line, in Siam and in Bengal, where they are
periodical, seemed insignificant compared with
these. The waters poured down in drenching
torrents, frequently for two days and nights with-
out intermission. They were accompanied with
but little lightning. For the most part a strong
-wind from the north-east prevailed. The baro-
meter which, previous to this change in the wea-
ther, had scarcely indicated any perceptible vari-
ation, even in its ordinary diurnal tide, being al-
most constantly at 29.8, or from that to 29.85,
now gradually fell to 29.635, at which it conti-
nued stationary during the rain. The thermo-
meter at the same time scarcely varied from 77. 5°.
The country was speedily deluged with water,
and in a short time the rooms we occupied were
scarce an inch above the level of the inundation,
it having already overflowed the other parts of the
house. Our neighbours in the same street were
in still worse plight, the water having already
entered their houses. The people were now
seen moving about the streets in boats^, where
but the day before they had passed on dry
AND COCHIN CHINA. 389
ground. The lower orders make use of a dress
well calculated to defend the body against injury
from wet ; and in no country perhaps is such a
dress more required. It is made of palm-leaves
closely sewed together, and reminds you, by its
appearance, of the Siberian dressed in shaggy
skins. It consists of a hat, in the shape of a
basket, that comes down over the shoulders, and
is from two and a-half to three feet or more in
diameter. It is bound under the chin. The
body is covered by a round jacket without
sleeves. The hat and jacket are impervious to
water. There were few to be seen abroad at
this time who were not dressed in these useful,
but rude habiliments. From these they derive
so much protection, that the rain apparently OC'
casions but little interruption to their occupa-
tions.
When we arrived at the Tacoon's house we
found the two French mandarins in their boats,
and ready to enter with us. The Tacoon was
seated as before, and dressed in plain robes of
blue silk. Behind him was suspended, against
the wall, a board on which were written some
Chinese characters ; the letters were executed in
mother-of-pearl, and from the manner in which
the light was reflected from their surface, ap-
peared as if they were embossed in the richest
style. The workmaniijhip was of extreme beauty ;
890 MISSION TO SIAM
the chief seeing that it attracted my attention,
took care to inform us that he had caused it to
be made in his own house. We had already
seen some very elegant boxes inlaid with mother-
of-pearl. Some of them displayed a correctness
of taste, and a degree of beauty which we had
but little expected. They were not to be com-
pared with what we now saw. These boxes are
only to be procured from the chiefs. The best
of them are said to come from Tonquin, and the
shell, an extremely thin, translucent, and elegant
species of Mya, is brought from the mouth of
the river of Saigon. If the Japan boxes are
more elegant, these are the most durable. The
colours never change, and the varnish is excel-
lent.
On this occasion there were but few people in
attendance at the house of the Tacoon. He re-
ceived us as on the former occasion, without
quitting his seat, and we took our places at a
table opposite to him, upon a form covered with
carpets, and opposite to four mandarins, who
were seated at the table with us.
It seemed as if the old man were pleased at
having brought the affairs of the mission to a
favourable conclusion. He was in high spirits,
talked and laughed much and very heartily, and
evidently wished to impress us with notions fa-
vourable to himself and his countrymen. He
AND COCHIN CHINA, 391
commenced the conversation, by observing tliat
whatever might be the custom in Europe, it was
quite contrary to their notions of propriety to
open a letter intended for the king, and that the
letter from the Governor General of Bengal to
the king of Cochin China had been opened at
Saigon. It was explained to him that this was
done, contrary to the inclination and to the great
inconvenience of the Agent of the Governer Gene-
ral, by the governor of Saigon, who insisted upon
seeing the original letter. It was added that
the governor of Saigon had received us in a very
friendly manner, and that his motive in wishing
to see the letter seemed to arise from some
doubts that he probably entertained respecting
the real objects of the mission. No further no-
tice was taken of the matter.
Some papers were lying before him on the
table. He observed that these were copies of
the letter to the Governor General, and of the
commercial regulations ; that correct copies should
be delivered to the Agent of the Governor Ge-
neral, but that it was their custom carefully to
seal up and enclose in a box the original letters,
which were to be delivered in that state to the
Governor General.
The papers were now delivered to be read.
The letter for the Governor General was not in
the name of the King, but from the Tacoon him-
S92 MISSION TO SIAM
self; the general import was as follows: that
Mr. Crawfurd had brought a letter for the king,
which, being in the English language, they could
not understand ; but that having a Chinese inter-
preter with him, they understood through the
latter that the object of the letter was to obtain
for the English commercial intercourse with
Cochin China ; that Mr, Crawfurd had offered,
on the part of the Governor General, 500 mus-
kets and two chandeliers. The English should
be permitted to trade on the same conditions as
the Chinese, Portuguese, and French nations.
The King sent as a present to the Governor
General, a few catties of cinnamon of the first
quality, some of inferior quality, some agila
wood, two rhinoceros' horns, elephants' teeth,
and a few peculs of sugar-candy. The Agent of
the Governor General had been presented with
some agila wood, two elephants' teeth, and the
horn of a rhinoceros. Such was the subject of
the letter.
Mr. Crawfurd now expressed his satisfaction
at the hospitality and kind treatment we had
experienced since our arrival, as well as with
the manner in which the objects of the mission
had been conducted ; that he had no doubt, the
more the two nations were acquainted with each
other, the better friends they would become ; that
he should accept of the presents which the King
AND COCHIN CHINA. 393
had been pleased to offer to him, with all be-
coming respect, and consider them as an honour-
able mark of personal distinction; that with
regard to the presents intended for the Governor
General, the mandarins must well know that
things of this sort were by no means necessary
to ensure the friendship of powers so well dis-
posed towards each other ; that he hoped, there-
fore, the King would not take it amiss if he
declined receiving them ; that he would, however,
do what might be considered equivalent, he
would go, as proposed at first, to the hall of
ceremonies to view them, and that he would
report to the Governor General that such things
had been offered.
It seems as if the mandarins had been pre-
pared to receive an answer of this nature, and
the French gentlemen observed that they had
stated it as their opinion that the presents for
the Governor General would not be received.
The mandarin, in a good-humoured way, used
every argument that he could think of to induce
Mr. Crawfurd to accept them ; but being as-
sured repeatedly that this could not be done
without an express order to that effect, he de-
sisted, and the matter seemed amicably, if not
satisfactorily, adjusted on both sides. The Ta-
coon said that the letters should be delivered on
the following day, and that at an early hour a
394; MISSION TO SIAM
boat should be sent to convey us to the hall of
ceremonies, in the palace, where the presents
would be laid out for inspection. He had asked,
on our entrance, whether we wished to return by
sea or by land ; and on its being answered by
land, he said that it was not at present very
practicable to go by sea; and that he would
give us his boat to convey us the first stage of
our journey, which it would be more agreeable to
accomplish by wa,ter, the navigation being in-
land. Palanquins and bearers should be pro-
vided to convey us the rest of the way. vSatisfied
with this arrangement, we fixed our departure
for the morning of the 14th. He observed, that
a certain number of bullocks, hogs, goats, ducks,
fowls, rice, and sugar, would be offered for the
use of the ship, and conveyed to Turon.
Mr. Crawfurd answered that he would accept
them with pleasure, and again expressed his
satisfaction at the liberality of the commercial
regulations. During the time we remained here,
the Mandarin had sent his assistant to communi-
cate respecting the commercial regulations. It was
agreed that the English should be permitted to
trade to all the ports of Cochin China ; and that
their ships should be measured in the manner that
the Chinese junks were. The Mandarin now ob-
served that permission had been granted to trade
to the ports of Saigon, Han, (Bay of Turon,)
AND COCHIN CHINA. 395
and Hue. This is, in fact, restricting it to the
two former; the difficulties attending the entrance
of the latter, impeded by a shallow bar at its
mouth, and exposed to a wide and open sea,
rendering the permission almost of no avail.
He observed that Tonquin being a lately con-
quered country, the King had thought proper to
restrict the trade in the manner mentioned.
From the readiness with which leave had in
the first instance been granted to trade to all the
ports in the kingdom, and from the surprise
which that communication excited in our very
obliging friends, but very certainly also our poli-
tical enemies, the French gentlemen, when the
matter was mentioned to them incidentally by Mr.
Crawfurd, there appeared reason to suspect that
the restrictions now made were of their coun-
selling. Mr. Crawfurd expressed his assent to
these restrictions.
Whilst the latter part of the conversation was
going forward, preparations were making for a
repast. The table was soon covered with sweet-
meats, jelhes, roasted ducks and fowls, and a
great variety of fruits, of which we were re-
quested to partake. The Mandarin now laid
aside the distant and formal manner which he
had hitherto observed, and, approaching the ta-
ble, conversed with much familiarity, laughing
as before very loudly at times. Four or five
396 MISSION TO SIAiM
young children had collected round him. He
observed that these were part of thirty-six
children who were now alive and in his house,
and that the entire number of whom he had been
the parent was fifty-four. He said that he was
now sixty-six years of age, that he had served
three kings, and had filled the office he now holds
for the last twenty-one years, and that he ex-
pected to have more children born to him. All
his children had been born, he said, since the
late king had ascended the throne. Previous to
that period, being engaged in war, flying from
place to place, pursuing or pursued, he had found
how unfavourable such a life is to the increase of
families, but that he hoped he had profited by
the quiet which followed.
The mandarins opposite to us seemed to re-
lish the repast. They devoured rather than ate
of it, and, with an avidity and coarseness of
manner which was altogether disgusting. Fat
pork and rotten eggs they seemed to consider as
delectable morsels, and were not sparing of
their powers of consumption. It will appear
scarcely credible to an European, that both here
and in many parts of China, fresh eggs are
looked upon with indifference, while those that
have become to a certain degree putrid are
much esteemed, and that the latter cost in the
market thirty per cent, more than the former.
AND COCHIN CHINA. .397
Eggs that contain young ones arc still more
highly esteemed, and, amongst the numerous
dishes sent to us by the king, were two plates
full of hatched eggs, containing young that were
already fledged. We were assured that this
was considered as a mark of great distinction.
Doubting still of the fact, we sent them to the
soldiers appointed as our guard, who gobbled
them up in haste with the most luxurious voracity.
The table was now cleared, and the conversa-
tion that followed was of a general nature ; when,
to our great astonishment, the little mandarin of
Han, a man who had often visited us both here
and on board ship, without giving us any more
favourable notion of his capacity than that of his
being a poor silly creature, with scarcely two
ideas in his head, got up, and, in a loud and
sharp voice, exclaimed, that we had come from
the Governor of a province, that we had offered
presents to a great king, who, not receiving
them, we were now returning without the pre-
sents he had deigned to offer. Had the little
man done that justice to the bottle, which he
did to the fat pork and hatched eggs, one might
have supposed this intemperate remark to have
proceeded from inebriety. It would appear,
however, to have been the result of pure folly,
for on this, though not on all the occasions we
had seen him, lie was apparently sober. Before
398 MISSION TO SIAM
he had time to proceed further, Mr. Crawfurd
replied, that he had not called for the opinion of
this mandarin, and would hear no more from
him. That the matter having been fully dis-
cussed with the Tacoon, in their presence, it was
now surely at rest. The little mandarin evi-
dently felt this as a keen rebuke. Mistaking the
nature of the part which I had performed in the
transactions of the day, and conceiving himself
to be on terms of great intimacy with Mr. Craw-
furd, he thought that such an observation could,
only have come from me. So, rising again, with
still more animated energy, he observed, that
there was but one name in the Governor Gene-
ral's letter, meaning thereby, that but one had
a right to speak there. He said nothing further,
and sat dovv^n, apparently much offended ; the
more so for that I could not help laughing at his
mistake. The Tacoon also laughed very heartily
at the occurrence. The observation however,
though seemingly thrown out by accident, made
some impression upon the two mandarins, se-
nior to that of Han ; and the Tacoon, seeing that
it Vv'as likely to lead to further discussion, ter-
minated the affair by saying, that he would re-
fer the matter to the king. Thus, by one un-
lucky, unnecessary expression of a weak and
foolish man, were our plans entirely frustrated.
The conversation on our part was carried on
AND COCHIN CHINA. 399
entirely in the French language, M. Chaigneaux
acting as interpreter between us.
Oct. I5th. — Two of the assistants to Tuan-
kam, (Mandarin of Elephants,) who had been
present at our last interview with him, called
upon Mr. Crawfurd with a sealed copy of the
Commercial Regulations. They said, that the
letter for the Governor General could not be de-
livered unless the presents were accepted; that
those intended for Mr. Crawfurd and the ship
should be delivered at Turon. They asked if
Mr. Crawfurd really wished to have the letter ;
and that if he would accept of the presents for
the Governor General, it would be made out
without delay. Mr. Crawfurd replied, that he
had already delivered his sentiments on the
subject of the presents, and that as to the letter,
it was for the king to decide whether he should
receive it or not. They inquired when we
wished to depart, and were told, on the day
after to-morrow. They said that we might visit
the Tuan-kam on the following day, which was
agreed to. They now took their leave, appa-
rently disappointed at the result of the interview.
It appeared that they thought Mr. Crawfurd
could not return to Bengal without an answer to
the letter to the king.
IQth. — We visited the Mandarin of Strangers.
He had sent a clerk early in the morning, to say
4oe iAiissroN to stam
that four men only would be provided for carry-
ing the baggage of Mr. Crawfurd, myself, a
European clerk, an interpreter, and servant.
We had been requested to state the day before,
in writing, the number of persons that would be
required for this purpose, and had mentioned
twelve. We were now not a little surprised to
learn that they had reduced this number to four,
and not conceiving that such an order could have
been authorized by the minister, sent the man
away.
Since the affair of the presents had been last
agitated, a marked change had taken place in the
conduct of those about Court towards us. They
descended to acts of petty meanness which were
altogether contemptible, and much more calcu-
lated to excite contempt, derision, and pity, than
any hostile feeling. It was but too evident that
the King was piqued at the refusal of the pre-
sents, and we had every reason to believe that
the mean conduct which his ministers now ob-
served was authorized by him. On this occa-
sion we were landed at some distance from the
minister's house, purposely, as it would seem, in
order that v/e might have to walk some way in
the sun, and over bad roads. In the court of
the minister's house there was, as usual, a
crowd of idle people, interspersed with players.
The Chinese play would seem to be a favourite
AND COCHIN CHINA. 401
amusement with the old man, for we found al-
ways a band of players in attendance. The
performance ceased as we entered the court.
We had here a good proof in what esteem the
heroes of the buskin are held. Not all their
gibes and jokes are sufficient to raise them above
the discipline of the bamboo. The Richard of
the piece, the Kean of the party, was at this
moment prostrate on the ground, with two men
holding him down, and a stout fellow inflicting
blows upon a tender part with all his might.
The scene was inconceivably ridiculous. The
gay, gilded casque of the hero, contrasted
with his rueful and lengthened countenance, so
abundantly expressive of the pain he suffered ;
the gay flowing robes of flowered satin which
formed his dress ; his large Tartar boots, &c.,
and the serious manner of those who held him in
this state, were altogether irresistibly laughable.
The Tuan Kayn received us on this occasion
with even less ceremony than formerly. He
was dressed in a plain flannel or cloth jacket, of
a green colour, and a black turban, without any
ornament whatever. Bare and naked wooden
benches were given us to sit on ; the carpets,
with which they and two old chairs had formerly
been covered, being now removed. There was
no one present but the chief himself, and a
2 D
402 MISSION TO SIMA
number of his retainers, who had apparently
assembled to witness the play.
•rr The conversation was carried on through Mr
Crawfurd's Chinese interpreter.
The mandarin observed, that as the presents
had not been accepted, the king had thought
proper to countermand the letter to the Governor
General ; but that the supplies for the ship's use
should be delivered at Turon. Mr. Crawfurd
mentioned the subject of the people for our
baggage ; he observed that this had been done
by the express order of the king himself, and
that the order could not be reversed without
much delay. He seemed as if conscious of
there being some degree of meanness attached
to this affair, for immediately thereafter he ob-
served that it was no arrangement of his, and
that he had nothing to do with it. He said that
if English vessels came to trade, he would do all
in his power to assist them, and to expedite their
business. Mr. Crawfurd said, that as they were
so anxious about the matter of the presents, he
would take them on board, but he could not
answer for their being received by our Govern-
ment, and that he must protest against receiving
them in the name of the Governor General. He
replied, that it was better that matters should
now rest as they were. This interview lasted •
:^tco(< oitJ'io onO THOO bed
AND COCHIN CHINA. 408
about half an hour. The old gentleman wished
us a favourable passage to Bengal, and we bade
him adieu. On our way back we called upon
the French mandarins, and took leave of them.
They had behaved towards us, during our stay,
with undeviating kindness, politeness, and atten-
tion, and to them we are indebted for many acts
of civility. In whatever light they may have
regarded the mission from Bengal, and it is but
natural that they should have considered it as
hostile to the interests of their country, they
never allowed political feeling to influence their
conduct with regard to us ; and on those occa-
sions in which they acted as interpreters, they
appeared, as far as I am capable of judging, to
have done justice to the opinions of Mr. Craw-
furd. If they have in any way influenced the
conduct of the Court, it has not been in this
particular.
On our return home, we engaged men to carry
our baggage, and prepared to depart on the fol-
lowing day. Our business being now over, we
had nothing further to detain us. The whole
country was still inundated, and the rain still fell
in great quantity.
Oct. I7th. — Two boats were in readiness about
nine a. m. to take us the first part of the journey
by water ; they were in charge of the old man who
had conveyed us from Turon. One of the boats,
2 D 2
40i illSSION TO SIAM
though a very long vessel, offered but httle accom-
modation, and was intended for our baggage.
We had been informed by the Tuan Kayn that
he v^rould send his own boat for our accommoda-
tion. We were surprised to find it already
occupied by the old skipper. He was told that
the boat had been sent expressly for us, and that
he must either leave it, or that we should. He
argued and refused to move into his own boat for
some time, but seeing us get up to go into it, he
complied immediately. A third boat, containing
a military guard armed with spears, joined us.
We had ever since our arrival been guarded
with the utmost strictness, and the system had
not yet ceased.
We proceeded up the river until we had passed
the citadel a short way, when we entered a fine ca-
nal on the left, and pursued its course almost di-
rectly east, for the distance of eight or nine miles.
The weather had cleared up, and we had a fine
day. We were much pleased with the great beauty
of the country, and the variety of its scenery. The
low hills opposite to the Fort were here and there
cultivated with upland-rice, and presented a beau-
tiful appearance. The extensive plain on either
side of the canal was overflown ; numerous villages
tvere seen to line its distant boundaries. This
^'-iikrial is said to have been constructed ;by the
^^M^&f-^ (^"^ tlie-^reigning-Miig/v.it'-i^^^abouit: t w^ty
AND COCHIN CHINA. -4^5
yards in breadth, and almost quite straight. Its
banks are inhabited for about two miles towards
the river^ and occasionally are seen some large
and well constructed houses, surrounded by walls.
It is altogether a work of great labour, and of no
less utility, as besides the advantage of water-
conveyance to a very considerable extent, it has
enabled the cultivator to turn into rice-fields ex-
tensive plains which formerly lay waste through
the want of irrigation. The soil taken from the
canal has been used chiefly for the manufacture
of bricks, of which an immense num.ber has
been used in the construction of magazines, and
of the walls of the fort.
We had travelled about eight miles, when the
canal terminated in a marsh, but its banks were
still to be traced by thick tufts of coarse grass,
and numerous species of Sparganium, and of
Carex, interspersed with a few shrubs, as Mela-
stoma and Pandanus. At the distance of four
miles farther, we came to the banks of a salt-
water lake, in which the canal terminates. At
this place there resides a petty chief, to whom it
was necessary to shew our passport. A sluice
separates the salt from the fresh water, and pre-
vents the former from entering the rice fields,
8' We stopped here only for a few minutes, when
we passed with impetuosity through the;. sluice
\^ 'into the salt-water lake, the water of the canal
^ MISSION TO SIAM
being at this time elevated considerably above
that of the latter. We had now before us a vast
and beautiful expanse of water, surrounded by a
bold and picturesque country, uniting within it-
self the sublime and imposing beauties of alpine
and temperate countries, with those peculiar to
the torrid zone. This is more correctly a bay
than a lake ; the counterpart, and superior even
in extent, as it certainly is in beauty, to the bay
of Turon. In other respects, however, it is not
to be compared with that excellent harbour, for
though completely shut in by the land, and sur-
rounded by mountains that afford shelter against
every wind, the entrance from the sea is narrow,
and there is said to be but two fathoms of water
in the deeper parts. For boats it affords com-
plete protection at all times ; and a considerable
number were now passing in various directions.
Numerous villages were to be seen at the foot of
the hills, where there is in most parts room for
cultivation, to a small extent, both of rice and
of other grains.
In two hours we crossed the lake, and passing
through a narrow canal for the distance of two
or three hundred yards, came to a neat and po-
pulous village, surrounded on all sides by hedges
of bamboo, so as to be completely concealed.
The soil here is rich, and affords excellent crops
of rice. We were directed to a large and 6om-
AND COCHIN CHINA. AffT
modious house, built for the accommodation of
travellers. Some of the lower orders of the
people were already at the place, and imme-
diately procured fire, water, and whatever assist-
ance was required of them, but no person of
rank, or of authority, nor even the mandarin
who conducted the boats, came near us. The
people in attendance instantly complied with
whatever orders our interpreters conveyed to
them. Three interpreters had accompanied us
from the capital, of whom two spoke Chinese,
and one, a native Christian, Portuguese.
In the hall, or principal room, a number of
platforms of various heights were disposed for
sleeping on. We were told not to occupy the
highest, for that the king slept on when he passed
this way.
The people of the village soon collected round
us in crowds in the room we occupied. Mere
curiosity had brought them to see us, and though
they were noisy, they did not attempt to touch
any thing.
The necessary preparations were made by
the interpreters to enable us to depart early
next morning. Our palanquins were produced,
and bearers were furnished from the village. ,
We were surprised to see so few animals in
this day's journey, the country appearing favour-
able to the existence of several kinds. A large
408 MISSION TO SIAM
species of black Fulica was almost the only bird
we observed in the marshes.
f>^.38i/i. — We commenced our journey in palan-
quins, and reached the next stage in four hours,
the distance appearing to be about ten or eleven
miles. From the village to the foot of the hills,
there is a distance of nearly three miles, through
a well-cultivated and fertile, as well as beautiful,
country. Though in the vicinity of the sea-
shore, we observed no cocoa-nut trees. Areca
nuts, plantains, sweet potatoes, betel leaf and
tobacco, were the produce of the village gardens,
as rice was of the fields that surround them.
We found the palanquins that had been pro-
vided for us, well adapted to the nature of the
country, and at the same time both comfortable
and easy. They consist simply of a netting of
cotton thread, in shape like a sailor's hammock,
stretched at both ends by a stick, and suspended
from a slightly-curved pole or bamboo. The
top is formed of palm leaves, neatly laid over
each other, and covered on the outside with a
durable, black varnish, which renders it water-
proof. The sides are furnished with water-proof
curtains, which are let down or taken up accord-
ing. tp pircumstances. The whole is extremely
light ; the, position in which the body is placed
in this vehicle, is more agreeable and less la?
ti^t!,ing,,thai>, ;in the more costly and shewy p^i
AND COCHIN CHENA. -^
lanquins of Bengal, which require two men to
carry them when empty, while in this two men
are able to carry the stoutest person, nor are
more than this number to be seen at any time
under the pole. The Cochin Chinese, though
short, are remarkably stout and well made.
They travel under the palanquin faster than the
Bengal bearers do, and make no stop until they
reach the end of their journey. We were told
that two was the usual number of bearers fur-
nished for a palanquin.
They were furnished to us in greater numbers,
for at some stages four were provided, and at
others six ; yet there were never more than two
carrying at the same time. It was matter of
surprise to us to see with what facility and
quickness they ascended and descended very
steep hills, leaping from stone to stone with the
utmost certainty of footing. Being from ill
health unable to leave the palanquin, I was at
first somewhat alarmed at the boldness with
which they proceeded, but soon saw that my
fears were groundless. They were always cheer-
ful under the greatest exertions they had to
make, and when on one occasion, where the road
was exceedingly steep, I made an attempt to
' walk, I had not proceeded above a few yards
when they came round mc, and would let me
journey no further in this way. The kind' dis-
410 MISSION TO SIAM
position of these poor people was further exhi-
bited by their attention in plucking flowers ^j^
fruits as we tiavelled. -- ^j|
,';. ,The first hill that we ascended appeared to be
about 800 feet high and very steep. From this
we descended into an extensive plain, partly culti-
vated at the base of the mountains, but the
greater part marshy, with a sandy soil, and over-
grown with underwood. We found the village
in which we halted, like the former, neat, clean,
and comfortable. The houses erected for the
accommodation of travellers are so much alike,
that I need say no more than has been said of
the last. - .-'.T
h- tWe changed bearers at this place, and after
three hours' stay recommenced our journey. We
had again a very considerable hill to ascend, but
:^ur bearers made very Hght work of it. When
i we had gained the summit, a magnificent view
opened before us. We looked down upon another
of those extensive lakes, or inland bays, which
we have already described. Descending the
mountain, we passed along its left bank, through
a saady soil, till we came to the junction of the
lake with the sea, by means of a narrow and
shallow neck. Here, also, there is a village, but
(a poor one, the inhabitants of which appear to
live almost entirely by fishing, 'od sfij'io 3m> m
;:]<:Jt; -will readily be conceived that the rugged
AND COCHIN CHINA. 411
country we were now passing through affords
but little ground capable of cultivation, and that
the population must therefore be necessarily very
scanty. What there is draws its maintenance
more from the sea than from the land, and every
bay swarms with boats. The hills present the
usual luxuriance which vegetation assumes in
other intertropical countries. Here, however, it
may be added, is exhibited a greater variety in
the products, though the general aspect of the
vegetation is much the same. The country here
is throughout granitic, and presents the usual
rugged and bold appearance of all such countries.
The roads, considering the nature of the country,
are excellent, and seem to have been constructed
with much labour.
I9th. — We crossed the narrow neck of water
at this place, and commenced the highest and
steepest ascent we had yet attempted. The road
lay over masses of granite, and was extremely
rugged ; yet the bearers advanced with the
greatest facility over ground which might have
appeared impracticable to a less hardy people.
-- We soon gained sight of the bay of Turon
■ from a great elevation. About noon we reached
the village below, on the shore of the bay ; and,
after a hasty breakfast, embarked for the ship
in one of the boats of the nativesitna ;t8omk qyH
be. Oct. 20th. — On our return, we had the happi-
412 MISSION TO SIAM.
ness to find our friends and all on board in good
health. For notwithstanding the politeness and
good humour of our friends the Cochin Chinese,
we had already begun to wish ourselves once
more in the society of our countrymen. The
party on board had, during our absence at the
capital, amused themselves chiefly in making
excursions to the various hills that surround the
bay. These excursions procured us fewer zoolo-
gical additions than we might reasonably have
expected. Great numbers of a large species of
Simla, with a blackish face, red cheeks, arms
and thighs, gray upon the body, and furnished
with a long tail, were seen in the woods.
END OF THE JOURNAL.
Erratum.
p, 43, 1. 18, for those, rcud (hat>
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INDEX
Agar-agar, 84
Agila wood, or lignum aloes. See Aquillaria agallocha.
Albino quadrupeds frequent in Siam, 262
Alcedo, 21
Alcyonium, 51
Animal food used by the Siamese, 216
Apocynese, 273
Aquillaria agallocha, 94, 258
Archipelago of Siam, 42
Areca, 310. Catechu, 25
Argus pheasant, 32
Asteria, 52, 94
Astrology, addiction of Siamese to, 237
Attap, 113
Audience of the king at Bankok, 145, 164. Hall of audi-
dience, 142
Balachang, a Siamese condiment, 215
Bambus verticillata, 1 1
Bankok, arrival at, 114. Of modern date, 209. Floating
bazar, 115. Port of, regulations respecting English ships,
208. Few roads in its vicinity, 212. Manufactures, 214.
Palaces and temples, 15G, 216, 219. Various tribes in-*
habit, 223
Barkalan, or Pra Klang, 164
Barometer, 4, 82, 388
416 INDEX.
Bauddhic and Egyptian religion, coincidences between, 221.
Prayers, 187
Bay of Cocoa-nuts, 295
Bazars of India and Cochin China, 311. Of Kandyu, 301.
Of Saigon, 317. Of Hue, 369, 371
Bingeh city, 312
Birds, 21, 77, 114, 261, 275, 285, 287, 296,408
Boats, royal of Siam, 181, 107, 116, 134. Trocession of,
182. Of Cochin China, 326
Boats Chinese, 116
Boletus, 1
Borabasoi mountain, 257
Borassus flabelliforrais, 8, 25. Caudata, 11. Gomutus, 25.
Borneo, 81
Brahmans in Siam, 159, 187
Bromelia ananas, or pine-apple, species of, 30
Buceros, 21
Buddha, names of, 252. Commands of, 253. Of Siam and
Ceylon contrasted 110, 111. Images of, 218, 220
Buggis, improve in naval architecture, 69
Calampac, or Colambac, 260
Calamus, 1, 30
Calendar of the Siamese, 249, 250, 251
Canal in Cochin China, beautiful scenery on, 404
Cape St. James, singularity of ebb tide near, 294
Cargariau, Captain, French envoy, 371
Carimon, the little, 42
Casuariiia equisetifolia, 99
Catechu or Gambir, 56
Cerealia, 27
Ceremonies at the public audience, negotiations respecting,
130. Mode adopted, 133
INDEX. MIS
Certhia, 21
Chantibond, a valuable province of Siani, 25.3. Its products,
256. Population, 257. Amount of pepper produced, 257.
Cardamoms, 257
Cliatt, a Siamese ornament, 144
Chau Pha, the prince, put to death by his uncle, 246
Chinese have not the usual Asiatic air, 13. Valuable
settlers, 14, 115. Soon acquire wealth under British gor
vernment, 14. Their houses, 62, 115. Compared with
those of the Malabar settlers, 16. Addicted to gross
feeding, 17, 63, 215. Their activity, 61. Its motive, 65.
Traits of character, 64. Mental capacity, 66. Compaia-
tive numbers, 67, 212. Their emigration temporary, 67,
Insolence towards Europeans, 95. Privileges of in Siam,
166, 168, 245. Instance of the hospitality of, 315
Chinese junks, 68. Have no charts, 69
hinese symbolic characters a means of communication!
among tribes using different languages, 94
Cholera morbus, a case of in Siam, 197
Christians native, 257
Chuliahs, or Malabar Moslems, 13
Chroma Chit engrosses the administration of affairs, 128.
Interviews with, 127, 194. Is desirous of introducing
vaccination, 197. Not the heir to the throne, but obtains
it, 200
Clove tree, 29
Cochin China, Agricultural products, 310. Manufactures,
311. Paucity of Inhabitants seen, 350. Beauty of its
scenery, 408, 411
Cochin Chinese, politics of, 179. Respecting foreigners, 320.
Physiological appearance and national affinity, 298, 305.
Character and manners, 299. Houses, 300. Very atten-
"*"tive to dress, 301. Boats, 302. Troops, artillery, &c., 343,
365. Fort, 340. Are remarkably small, 305. Females,
2E
418 INDEX.
309. Singular moral discriminations respecting females,
310, 384. Promiscuous feeders, 310. Poverty of the
country, 312. Contemptible spirit of the Cochin Chinese
Court, 400, Regulations affecting British commerce, 394
Cochin Chinese ambassador received with honours at Ban-
kok, 177, 182, 185
Cocoa nut, 24
Coffee tree, 29
Columba, 21, 285
Commerce of Siam a royal monopoly, 166. European
valuable to the Siamese, 169. Concessions of Cochin
China in favour of, 370. Regulations respecting, 394
Contortse, 26
Convolvulus pes capvse, 11. Species 17
Corals, 51
Costume, of Siam, 109. Of Cochin China, 296, 300, 378.
Military, 302. Of the rainy season, 389. Cow and Calf
Island, 2.
Crinum, 35
Cycas revoluta, 80. Circinalis, 25
Dagoba, or Bauddhic monumental fane, comparison of, with
Pyramids, 221. Form of, 156
Despotic government of the Siamese, 127. Baleful effects
of, 265, 381
Dead, treatment of in Siam, 231. A singular custom, 232.
Siamese mode of embalming, 233
Diard, Mr., 307. His discoveries in natural history, 308,
313
Dioscorea, or Yam, 87. Luxuriancy of its habit, 270
Dugong, or Halicora, 52
Duties, a reduction promised, 205
Eggs rotten, a Chinese delicacy, 396
INDEX. 419
Elate silvestris, 1 1
Elephant, albino, 151, 261. A spotted, 153. Exhibition of
elephants, 323
Emblems religious, perpetual recurrence of, 305
nglish factory, ruins of an old, 290
Epidendrum, a gigantic species, 35. Species, 26
Equatorial regions, salubrity of, 47
Erythrina indica, 28
Etiquette of the court of Siam respecting shoes, 150. Of
Cochin China respecting letters, 319. A pretext, 391
Euphorbia, 11
European manufactures scarcely to be met with in Cochin
China, 311
Felis, 20
Factions or parties in the ministry of Siam, 203
• Females the labourers in Siam, 314
Fern, 26
Fever, intermittent, unknown at Singapore, 60
Fish abundant, 269
Flying, Siamese notions respecting the art of, 238.
French influence in Cochin China, 367, 395. Mandarins, 353,
403
Funeral pile. 111. Obsequies of the Siamese, 235
Fucus, a remarkable species of, 55
Fu kok, or Pan kok Island, 92, 97. Inhabitants, 98. Plants,
98, 99. Isles in its vicinity, 100
Furs procurable at Bankok for the China market, 215
Galeopithecus variegatus, 19
Gambir, or Terra Japonica, 56
Geology, 6, 36, 37, 42, 44, 79, 89, 275, 289, 295
George Town, Penang, 15. Population, 15. Houses, 15
Gold mines of Chantibond, 256. Of Tonquin* 387.
2E2
42a INDEX.
Governor-generars letter, 118
Graminese, singular paucity of, 288
Guns, enormous, 160
Grapes, 294
Hair, festival of cutting the lock of, 160, 186
Halicora Dugong, 52
Haya, a new genus of plants, 98
Hot winds of India, the effects of, 48
Hue, fort of, 351. Canal of, 348. River of, the most
beautiful in Asia, 349
Indian, a race resembling the Indians met with in the Penin-
sula of Malacca, 226
Inn, or stage-house, in Cochin China, 407
Intertropical winter, 21. Its eifect on plants, 22
Islands, groups of, 89, 91
Jasminum, 11
Justicia, 11
Kabouc, 37
Kandyu and its governor, 297
King of Siam is importunate for the presents sent by the
Governor-general, 122, 123. His name, 166. Funeral
obsequies, 240. Idol formed from his ashes, 241
Khon chook, ceremony of, 185
Kochai Sahac, Malay interpreter, 122. His character too
late detected, 202
Lacerta, 275
Lake or bay, 405
Languages, comparison of the inland, or aboriginal, recom-
mended, 226
Laurus, 1
INDEX. 421
Laws of Siam respecting adultery, 242. Theft and debt, 243
Leather dye, 214
Leopard, black, 32
Letter to Governor-general of British India, notice respecting,
206. From Governor-general to King of Cochin China,
313. To Governor-general from Cochin China, 392, 399,
402
Leyden, Dr., valuable comparison of languages by, 226
Life savage and refined contrasted by exemplars, 270
Luong Pra, the Barma monarch, 244
Macassar soldiers murder an English garrison, 290
Madrepore, 51
Malacca contrasted with Penang, 39. Nearly deserted, 39.
Its fruit and fish, 39. Vicinity, 38
Malay, or Mopla, interpreter. See Kochai Sahac.
Malay Peninsula, western coast has numerous islands, 4.
Mountain ridges, 5
Malays, 71. Physiological aspect, 227. Fishermen, or
oranglaut, 73
Mammalia, 261, 274, 285
Mandarins, their retinues numerous, 314. An official visit
from, 306. Mandarin of Han, 397
Mangroves, 58. Utility of, 60
Manufactures of Europe scarce at Saigon, 311
Melastoma, 11
Menam river, 102. Plains on the banks, 113. Depth, 114.
AtBankok, 116
Mines of precious stones, 256
Mission British arrives in Siam, 101. Bad auguries from
verbal communications, 104. Visited only by people of
low rank, 104, 201. Visit the chief of Packnam, 105.
Restrictions on, 124. Procession of, to the palace, 137.
Treated with disrespect by the crowd, 161. Inhospi-
422 INDEX.
tality towards, 163. Received as a deputation from a
province, 165. Lodged in an outhouse belonging to the
minister, 119, Reflections thereon, 120. Its aftairs con-
signed by the court of Siam to low intriguers, 201. Its
reception contrasted with that of an embassy from Cochin
China, 180, &c. Arrives in Cochin China, 295. Visited
by the chief of Kandyu, 297. Arrive at Saigon, 303.
Conferences with Mandarins, 306,313. Audience of the
Governor, 317. Arrive in the bay of Turon, 328. Limited
number allowed to visit Hue, 335. Strictly watched by
armed men, 343, 404. Arrive at Hue, 351. Conference
with the mandarin of elephants, 353. With the mandarin
of strangers, 389, 399. Molluscse, 51
Monastery, a Siamese, 1 10
Mongol race, physiology of, 227
Monkies, white, 154
Monopoly. See Commerce.
Morals and Religion, 379
Morinda citrifolia, 28
Motacilla, 11
Mount Palmer, 33
Mountains, isolated pyramidal, 281
Musa paradisiaca, 30
Mussenda frondosa, 26
Music, royal band, 142. Cultivated in Siam, 188. Of
Pegu, reported excellence of, 189
Mya shell tablet, 389
Mythology, Hindu, in Siam, 217
Narcondam Island, 3.
Natunas Islands, 81
Navigation of the Chinese, 70
Necromancers of Siam, 239
Negrais Cape, 2
INDEX. 423
Neptunian goblet, 51
Nipa fruticans, 25, 30
Numerals, Siamese, 249
♦ Nutmeg-trees, 28
Orang laut, or men of the sea, 74,225. Their physiological
appearance, 75
Packnam, meaning of the terra, 266
Painting, art of, in Siam, 218
Palace atBankok, 137, 138, 141
Palanquin, a Siamese, 137. Cochin Chai se and bearers, 408
Palm-tree, proof of an intertropical climate, 8. Varieties, 8,
11,17,23, 24, 35, 88, 285. Geographical distribution, 24
Pandanus, 8, 88. Fibre used for cordage, 29
Papra Straits, 10. Botanical observations, 11
Passer, 2, 21
Patella, 8
Peat, 31
Pelican, 21
Penang Shipping, 12. Population, 13, 15. Botany, 17.
Luxuriant vegetation, reflections, 18. Highest altitude, 23.
* Agricultural products, 27
-Pepper, 28. Quantity capable of being furnished by Siam, 1 32
Physiognomy of Ultra Gangetic nations, 229
Physical exterior of the Cochin Chinese, 374. Cranium, 376
Physiological comparison of the Siamese, &c., 224. Of the
Malays, &c., 225
Phoenix brig, 170
Pia tac, or Pe ye tac, the Chinese King of Siam, 209. Founds
Bankok, 210. History of, 244
Pigeon, 88
Plantain wild, 86. Its seeds described, 87. Supposed to
be the original species, 87
424 INDEX.
Plants, 8, 11, 24, 26, 54, 55, 80, 86, 98, 113,270,285,
288, 289, 290, 296, 330, 333, 349, 405. Physiology of,
82, 50, 91. A new and very singular genus producing
enormous tubers, 271
Players, 401
Pneumonia, the author attacked by, 208
Policy of Siam, 175. Reflections of the author upon, as
regards British interests, 176
Population, 387
Portuguese interpreter, 103
Porpoise albino, 262, 275
Prachadi, 210, 221
Pra Klang, 164
Preparis Island, 2
Presents to the court of Siam, 165. Misrepresentation of
the term suspected, 165. Of the Governor-general re-
fused by the court of Cochin China, 369. The king of
Cochin China's presents to Governor-general refused,
393, 402
Pteromys petaurista, or flying squirrel, 54
Pteropus edulis, 9
Pyramid, a sepulchral shrine, 221
Pya-pee-pat of Bankok, corresponds with the governor-
general, 206
Pulo Condore, 287
Pulo Binding, 35
Pulo Panjang, 282
Pulo Ubi, 82
Qualla Muda, 30
Queda shore, 30. Interior unexplored, 32
Rains vehement profluency of, 388
Ramayana, 159
INDEX. 425
Ranran, a musical instrument, 191
Ray, singular species of, 98
Religion of the Siamese, 251. None better than a false
one, 381
Reptilia, 261-
Revenue of Siam, 247
Rhizophora, 59, 304
Richardson, Capt. 78. Disturbance with the Chinese, for-
bids the demands of the Chinese, and demands an apo-
logy, 79
Roberts, Mr., Envoy to Cochin China, 359
Saigon, 312. River and town, 304, 315. Interview with
the governor of, 318
Salam, mode of making, in India, 134
Sararayot mountains, 281
Sampan, 73
Scoevola lobelia, 1 1
Scene of wonder and regret, 143
Scitamineae, 23, 24
Sciurus, 20
Sea, luminous appearance of, by night, 33
Sea fowl, paucity of, 77
Sechang, or Dutch Islands, 267. Inhabited by au act of
compulsion, 268. Commodious bay, adapted for the for-
mation of a depot, 280
Senia, the image, 235
Sentry sticks used by Cochin Chinese, 345
Servility of the Siamese etiquette, 126
Seyer Islands, 5. Remarkable silence and absence of birds,
insects, &c. 6
Siam, policy of, 164. Modern history of, 244. State of
defence, 247. Bay, west coast, 280
Siamese houses, 108, 113, 1 17. Description of, 108. Court,
2 F
426 INDEX.
inhospitality of, 124 Conduct of, to the mission, 125.
Inferior to the inhabitants of Ceylon, 157. National
family of, 224. A humane people, 243. General charac-
ter of, 265. Those of rank arrogant and coarse in their
manners, 265
Silks, the chief material of clothing in Cochin China, 311,7
Simia, 412
Singapore, 45. Commanding situation of, as an emporium,
46. Perpetual tranquillity of the air and ocean, 46. No
monsoon, or rainy season, but frequent showers, 47.
Tides near, 47. Capacity of the soil not fully ascertained,
57. Situation, 75. Intermittent fever unknown, 60
Slaves at Malacca, 41
Soldiers, Siamese, of the body guard, and their equipments,
140
Squirrel, white species of, 274
Sterna, 2
Storm, Mr., 170
Sugar, 132, 167. Amount in tons, 168
Suri Wong Montree, the Praklang, or Barcalan, 132, 200.
Anecdote of, 237
Surya vangsa, or race of the^sun, 129
Syngenesiae, 11
Swallow, a species of, 282
Tanjung api, 81
Taste of the Siamese grotesque, 157
Taxes of Siam, 247
Teak, black, considered ornamental, 1 08
Temperature of the sea, 4. Effects of, on vegetation, 49. On
animal life, 50
Thermometer, 22, 77, 82
Tical, 187
Tides, 99
INDEX. 427
Tiger, 31. Common in Siam, 263. Their bones and skins
an article of commerce, 263. Black, 263. .Combat with
elephants, 321 i .-^icRmiirf A J^SS ,lo yhcai?!
Trade, British with Siam, regulations of, 170
Treaty drawn up, 204
Trepang, 94
Tuan kayn, 401
Tuberous plant, discovery of probably the largest species, 272
Tukkay, a musical instrument, 190
Two Brother's Islands, 287
Vaccination, 197
Vegetable Phenomenon, 43
Vespertilio, 20
Vine, 285
Votive offerings, 85
Vulture, 21
Ultra Gangetic nations, their policy, and arrogance, 172. Im-
becility, 173. Hints how to negotiate with, 203. Ten-
dency to obesity remarkable among, 228
Urtica, 29
Waat thay champonn, 219
Water affected by the soil, 31, 35
Woolly-headed race in the peninsula of Malacca, 226
Worship of imps and goblins common in Siam, 239. Of
ancestors practised by the Cochin Chinese, 384
Yellow fever, actual causes doubtful if known, 60
Yuthia captured by the Barmans, 244. British not allowed
to visit, 209
Zoological subjects observed, 11, 20, 21, 261, 274, 289,412
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