R e l ig io n .
Government,
Laws.
Population.
Army.
Navy.
and he does not explain the probably Dutch appellation, of Talaphin,
. though he inform us'that the convents aife named. Vat, and the'temples
Pihan; while the Portuguefe ftylethem and the . idols Pagads, .afiit'hat
author conceives, from the Perfifm Pontghqdoi meaning- an idol-temple.
The Siamefe imitate the Chinefe in their deftival of the dead 5 and in
fome other rites of that Angular naiipta.
.- The ‘goyernmenFof Siam is defp©tic> and tie fovereign, W* among
the Birmans, revered with honours almoft divine. The-'fucceffion -t©
the crown is hereditary in the male line. Loubere adds that.a counciL
was generally held twice a day, 'about 'ten o’clock in' the tnorn'itig^Ad
at the fame hour m the evening," when fuitft \yere dffpuHed, aind affairs
of ftate deliberated. It may be. conceived that the^kpigwas- hoti always
prefent.*' Sometimes he qonfults the- Saacras, or ffiperjo? ^Tal^poins,
and fometimes the governors of provinces«.
The laws are represented by all writers on this'county as e.xtrerqHy
fey^re' death or mutilation, being'pbnifliments even of unimportant
offence^.
- Concerning the population of Siam tihefe are hp adequate ^oqumfintsC
If the Human empire coi&ain, as is afferted, mofe than fourteen mil«
frpftS* Jft-. might pefhags >e reafonaUe to .concjude that the Siamefe
dominions may be peopled by'about' eight millions.'' Yet- Loubere, afr
fures us, that, from adlual enumeration, there were'^nly found pf-'meu
women, and children, one million, nine hundred thoufa&d,3 uncertain
are the computations in oriental countriesf
Loubere fays that, in..his time, there.was no army, exbejjjt a few
royal guards; but Mandelflo eftimat;ed the apnyj, which may be o.c-.
eafionally raifed, at 60,000, with not. lefs than 3000. or 400:0.. elephants.
The manner of raifing this army refemblesthat' already dejfcribed as
pra&ifedin the Birman empire.
The navy is compofed of a number of veffels of various-fixes, fome'of
which are richly decorated.. Hence, as in the Birman hiftery, naval
engagements are not uncommon; and the large rivers o f exterior India
are often reddened with human gore. The form of the Birman and
Siamefe veffels may be better learned from the plates, in the works of
p lg il
Col.
Col., Symes and^Lpuber.etiÀan from i|he jiirtoft-ielaborate^d’efcription. Navy.
Thoyi|rMuen^Jr>i4îfplayT a* finghlar fantaffic,degatfee^
The revenue&,9^i|his^^reEeigftty are of uncertain .computation^ T h e y . Revenues. '
are deferibed1 by Mandelflo as arifing. from the third of all inheritances,
from trade conducted by royal a-g.ents, annual prefents from the gdver- ’■
nors of. provinces,1 /tjjfctes impofed^qn^commerely and the difrovery of
gojd,. which by this; account feemS a regal claim. Loubere. adds a kind
of land-tax; and other particulars, among which is' the royal, domain.4
T in is alfo a royal metal, except that found in Jönkfeylon, a rémate
îflébfe the Malaifft-eoaff, ’«which rs'àrbâfïdofed^^he ad^efiturers. * There
is a rbyal tre&fury, ës in’ 'ftuöft ôtfre? eiîfteîffihïàfest htîri^o^âg'érs hâve not'
MtÖh'pfétf to defirieité pfôbahîe âmduhf. LöübtVë :fa'ÿ*sritJ was fèpoÉféd
£ë ân ëxfrSo^^Wry affitfr, that the' king 'had ifïctteaffed his rfefrenue' bÿ '
about 42,000?. "filerling*; fuppofâi^ thfs*’ à fifth paff bfithe whole, the
OjMeSc^bfrfhe; xâëtisîrch muff dftfeflylarif*' fibïrt thé national .;p'övêftyr-
whtbh render's money Valuable when compared with côirfmbcntîésu
oiatfl appèafed 01 îcônnderable political importance td the French in Political Im-
the reignf ö f Löuis'3tl^r, wHohîpired’ to form Iaftfng fettlements^ and Rations.311
rthder ft a iflaft1 or India A commerce, and a" four ce of gréât opulence to
themfelves. Were the Birmans to’-bécorhe dangerous to our poffeffipns
in Bengal, a firm'affiance with .Siam might he fiigWÿ feryiceâhïe ; and1
the. like pofiey is adapted .to the Chinefeempire, if that great, ftate ever-
formed aluâncesT In a merely commercial -point of view, a!s it may., be. .
difficult to preferve the friendffiip both of the Birmans and the Siamefe,.
i’t*fs a matter or calculation from which ftate fuperior advantages may be
derived. î I f dlreaed' by-European policy^ BiamW^ohjd form ftriift alliances.
with the more eaftern ftates of exterior India, as a common,
defence again ft the growing preponderance of the Birmans«,
1 B S ’)