one at Siam is of nearly uniform size throughout.1
The water in it is very wholesome, but it is full of crocodiles of
enormous size, which often devour men who are not on their guard.* The
rivers are in flood during the time that the sun traverses the northern
signs ; this contributes much to the fertility of the land where the
waters spread themselves, and where, by a wonderful provision of
nature, the ear of rice ascends to the surface as the waters rise.3
Siam,4
the capital town of the Kingdom, and the ordinary residence of the
King, is surrounded by walls, and is more than 3 of our leagues in
circuit. It is on an island, the river surrounding it on all sides ;
canals might easily be made through all the streets if the King were
willing to expend on that work a part of the vast amount of gold which
he lavishes on the idol temples.
The Siamese have thirty-three letters in their alphabet ;5 they
write as we do, from left to right, or contrary to the people of Japan,
China, Cochin-China, and Tonquin, who write from the right hand to the
left, and from the top of the page to the bottom.
All the common people of this Kingdom are in slavery either to the King or to the nobles.6
The women cut their hair like the men, and their garments are not very
copious. Among the civilities which the Siamese observe towards
1 The principal rivers of Siam are the Menam, Mekong, Meklong, Petriii, Tachin, and the Chantibun (Crawfurd, Dictionary, 380).
* The Siamese take their revenge by eating crocodiles' eggs.
3
The period of floods is during the south-west monsoon, from June to
November, and the plain fertilized by them has an area of 6,750
geographical square miles.
*
Bangkok, on both banks of the Menam river, 24 miles from the sea, ι is
the present capital of Siam. The old capital, called Siam or Yuthia, or
Ayuthia, from Sanskrit Ayodhya, is 54 miles farther to the north ; it
was destroyed by the Burmese in 1768, and Bangkok was founded in 1769
(Crawfurd, Dictionary, 384 f. ; Yule, op. cit., 56 f., 465 f.).
* The Siamese alphabet contains 32 vowels and 44 consonants—in all, 76 distinct characters (Ency. Brit., xxv.
9). The language consists of two dialects—the court and the vulgar. The
sacred language is distinct, being Pali or Prakrit (Crawfurd, Dictionary, 387).
" For an interesting account of slavery or serfdom in Siam at the present day, see E. Young, The Kingdom of the Yellow Bobe, 125 ff. ; de la Loubère, 77 f.
