The procession moved on, the envoy being placed in front, through two long streets, passing a gate of the city, and finally arrived at one of the gates to the palace-yard, where we found a guard, dressed in red broadcloth coats, and waist-cloths of every colour, with and without hats and caps, bearing muskets with black barrels and red stocks. We proceeded to the hall of justice, where we dismounted.
Fronting the building, were ten large elephants, well caparisoned, having a guide on their necks, with his hook and spear fixed to a staff, while another sat on the rump with a similar weapon; and in the centre, a standard-bearer, having a spear, to which was attached a long tassel of elephant’s hair: these men wore red turbans and neat parti-coloured dresses, well fitted to the shape. We ascended two or three steps to a landing, which was crowded with people of various descriptions: from this we advanced one step, which led to the floor, being escorted by the officers in waiting, by Col. Pasqual, and others. We were desired to wait a short time, till his majesty had arrived in the hall, which was at a short distance. The floor was covered with a good Persian carpet, apparently made for the place. Among others present, were ten Pequan officers of rank, sitting on the landing, outside the pillars which supported the roof, for none were permitted to be on the floor where we were but the interpreters, and these, according to etiquette, sat on the floor. The Pequan officers were dressed in gold-flowered crimson silk, and long jackets, reaching below the knee, and turbans of silk of the same colour, trimmed with gold fringe: all were sitting in the Asiatic style. Having waited some time, we were told the king was ready to receive us. In proceeding to the hall, through a very spacious and extensive yard, we saw, on our right, drawn out, standing on a grass-plot, under high canopies, eight other elephants, richly caparisoned, having no riders, but plenty of attendants. We passed on—preceded by a number of Chuliahs, or Moors, having elegant silk dresses, reaching to the feet, and turbans, some of flowered crimson: others with white silk having gold flowers, and turbans of the same—through several hundred musicians, in red coats and caps. In the rear were soldiers, placed in pens, in a crouching posture, armed with spears and shields, with the interpreters and peace-officers. The music, consisting of drums, brass horns, trumpets, &c., &c., struck up a most deafening noise, on our entering within their lines, which ceased when we arrived within the walls of the hall.
Every thing was conducted with the utmost decorum. Just before reaching the hall, we passed a most noble spotted elephant—he had four massive gold rings, which must have weighed several pounds each, studded with jewels, secured around each tusk: a raised seat, a foot or two above the ground, was fixed for him to stand on, because he was a royal elephant, and could only be mounted by the king: a servant was feeding him with fresh cut grass and bananas. Facing us was part of the king’s stud of fine Arabian horses, placed under a high shed, richly, and in fact, superbly dressed, attended by their keepers, which we were requested to admire. The spectacle thus far was quite imposing, and it seems every thing had been arranged to make a favourable impression. The elephants were placed in those positions, where they would show to the greatest advantage—as well as the king’s stud of horses, the immense number of military with a vast many officers richly clad, many of them being most splendidly dressed—the singular unique style of architecture of the king’s palace—a large number of cannon placed under open sided sheds, the hall of audience, &c., &c., illumined by a brilliant sun and an unclouded sky, gave to every thing an Asiatic and novel appearance.
AUDIENCE OF KING.
We entered at length the vestibule through a line of soldiers, and passed to the right of a Chinese screen of painted glass, into the presence of his majesty. There lay prostrate, or rather on all fours resting on their knees and elbows, with hands united and head bowed low, all the princes and nobility of the land: it was an impressive but an abasing sight, such as no freeman could look on, with any other feelings than those of indignation and disgust. We halted in front of the presents which were delivered the day previous, being piles of silks, rich fillagreed silver baskets, elegant gold watches studded with large pearls: they were well disposed to make a show. Having gone through the first ceremony of bowing, we sat down on a carpet: on our being seated the prostrate slaves around us (being the great men of the land) bowed simultaneously three times to the ground, in a slow solemn manner, and we joined in the ceremony as had been previously agreed upon. The king was seated under a canopy, in the Asiatic style, on a cushion of red silk velvet, on the lower and more advanced of the two thrones, which occupied the upper end of the apartment: this was a square seat raised some half dozen feet from the floor. Every thing was blazing in gold, in and about the two thrones: the larger and unoccupied one was of an hexagonal shape, and resembled a church pulpit, so that the king’s person when seated in it, can be visible only through the open spaces, in the form of Gothic windows, about four feet in height by one and a half and two in width. One of these windows is in front, and one on each side of the throne. A pair of curtains of gold cloth formed a partition between him and several individuals of the royal family, who lay crouching just without, on separate carpets, leaving a wide open space between the throne and the two interpreters, who were midway of the hall. Before the curtain and on either side, were eight or ten umbrellas of various sizes: these consist of a series of canopies of eight or ten tiers, decreasing in size upward.
His majesty is a very stout fleshy man, apparently about forty-five years of age, of a pleasing countenance. He was dressed in a cloth of gold tissue around the waist, while a mantle was thrown gracefully over the left shoulder. Four noblemen’s sons were seated at the base of the throne, at the rear and sides, having long-handled pear-shaped fans, richly gilt, which they kept in constant motion. A few questions were addressed by the king in an audible voice: they were repeated in a lower tone by the phaya phiphat, or second praklang, to the phaya churat, or chief of the Chuliahs, by whom they were whispered to the captain of the port, who interpreted them to us in the same low tone—the answers were returned through the same channels by us; inquiring, in the first place, as to the health of the President and all the great men in our country—our own healths—those of the officers and crew—how long we had been from America—where we had been, and whence bound—desiring me to acquaint the praklang with all my wants, that they might be supplied, &c., &c., &c. The curtain was now drawn and his majesty disappeared; the court made three solemn kotows, and we our three salams, and then retired. The hall is probably one hundred and twenty feet in length by sixty in breadth, and has seven or eight stout square pillars on each side, probably built of brick and stuccoed, which support the roof; the highest part of the ceiling must be thirty-five or forty feet, is painted vermillion, having gilt starlike ornaments: the pillars and sides of the wall were painted so as to resemble paper hangings, and were altogether in bad taste: common looking-glasses, and ordinary European paintings of men with frizzled and powdered hair, were placed against the wall. The floor was covered with a new kidderminster carpet, such as may be bought in the United States for about a dollar and a quarter a yard; in fact there was no richness or elegance displayed; excepting about the throne there were neither jewels nor costly workmanship: the dress of the king himself was by no means extraordinary.
We were surrounded by Siamese, Cambojans, Burmese, Pequans, Malays, Chinese, Cochin-Chinese, Moors, and people of Lao, dressed all in the costumes of their respective countries, but all of them at the disposal of the “master of lives,” as the king of Siam is styled. It was before observed, that the princes were nearest the throne, on a separate carpet; behind them, on another carpet, were the praklang and the higher officers of state, as precedence is decided here by relative vicinity to the throne: the lowest officers admitted, are those at the very entrance of the hall. When the courtiers enter, they crawl in on all fours, and, when dismissed, crawl out again backward, “à la crab,” or “à la lobster;” and when the numbers are great, their appearance is most ludicrous. During the audience the utmost silence was observed by the courtiers; not an eye was even cast toward us until it was ended. One would suppose that all who were there present, were assembled before the throne of Him who is to sit in judgment at the latter day, rather than before a temporal monarch; there were such a stillness and solemnity at times, that the scene was quite oppressive. The audience, which lasted about half an hour, being ended, his majesty ordered us to be shown the white and other elephants, the temples, &c., within the palace-walls.
On our exit from the building, the music again struck up and ended when we passed the lines. We were first conducted by the interpreters and some half dozen officers, to the stables of the more valuable elephants, kept within the enclosure. The first shown to us was the sacred white elephant, a more gentle and peaceable character than the one secured without the walls, near the river; he was much whiter also, but this might be owing to his being kept cleaner, his eyes were larger, sound, and healthy in appearance, and the skin free from scurf. I was particularly requested to feed him with bananas and sugar-cane, which he received from my hands most gently, rubbing his long proboscis once over the back of my hand and then made three salams with his trunk. Fresh cut grass was placed in small bundles before him, and when annoyed by the flies and moschetoes, he would take a wisp and brush his legs, throwing it afterward on his back. In this stall was a white monkey, of the size of a small dog, a perfect Albino, the iris, pink, &c., &c.; he was kept in a cage, and appeared never to be quiet for a single second. We passed on to four other stalls, which contained spotted elephants; they are noble animals, and I consider them more worthy of notice than the white ones. We passed on to the great temple of the palace, which was repairing, where Budha sat enthroned on high, of a gigantic size, shining with gold and yellow cloths, and protected with a yellow umbrella. The walls were covered with historical paintings, relative to the wanderings of Rama; and the outer courts were filled with descript and non-descript animals of all sorts, in plaster, stone, and marble. Within the columns, plates of artificial fruits were placed; the favourite lotus was growing in large ornamented stone and porcelain vases, and there were artificial ones in stone. Two warriors, of immense size, guarded the entrance as usual. The doors were splendidly adorned with mother-of-pearl, inlaid so as to represent flowers and fruit of various elegant devices. The thermometer being at nearly a hundred, we remained but a short time, being much exhausted by fatigue and the intense heat of the sun. We returned in the same order in which we came, being much gratified with our reception, and rejoiced that it was at an end.
PRIESTS—INUNDATIONS.
I have frequently asked the question, How many priests there are belonging to the different pagodas? The answer has been always, sometimes ten, and sometimes twenty thousand; there is no particular number. Pray, what is the cause of this great difference in numbers, at different times? Oh! it depends altogether upon the price of rice; if rice is abundant, priests are fewer in number than when it is scarce; for a great number of them enter the priesthood for a short time only, when they have nothing to eat: this is the reason, why there are so many small boys dressed in yellow, because their parents have no food for them. During the great inundation of 1831, the number of priests doubled, in consequence of the scarcity of provisions. This vicinity was, until that time, remarkable for the great abundance and variety of its excellent fruit. In the course of three months, during which the country was so submerged, it was almost totally destroyed, as well as the crops of rice and cane. In speaking one day of the extreme servility of the lower classes to the higher, I was informed, that the praklang, in coming out of his house during the overflow of the river, always had the usual homage paid to him by the people, of kneeling or stooping when he passed them; and that they have been frequently seen so deeply immersed in water, as to be obliged to rise a little to prevent its entering their mouths, and suffocating them. This degrading homage, I have seen frequently paid him by his eldest son, Luang-nai-Sit, crawling on all fours into his father’s presence, and bowing his head to the ground, with united hands. He is about twenty-five years of age—has several wives and many children; he is of an inquiring mind, but said to be very intriguing and cringing to those who can promote his interests. He says, “his father frequently sends for him to breakfast, and the constrained position in which he is placed (on all fours) prevents his eating much, he, therefore, unfortunately suffers before he can obtain his dinner.”