KdiEces»-
» .extenfiye; but not above a fixth part was inhabîtelï- Its dërflftibh^
fince it was delivered from the Birman eonqtieft in, 1766; -has hbt' bèen
defcribed. Loubere’s method is unhappily 'mingled 'and digreffive, fo
that bis .information concerning the capital is fudderdy interrupted by-
other topics. It muft therefore fuffice further to obierve that the royal
palace was on-the north ; and that on the èaft there was'a aafmfy*, af-
fording the only free-paflage by land. Diftindt .quarters-- were inhabited.
by the Chinefc, Japanefe, Cochin-Chinci'e, Portuguefe,. and Malays..
Mandelflodeems to have lent fome faith to The fables of that notorious
voyager Pinto.;- but Yuthia has not imprefled' other writers in a refpec-
table point of view. The - temples, pyramids,.*and royal, palace, feem
greatly inferior is all refpedtsto thofe o f the Birmans-.
The other, chief towns in the Siamefe dominions are Bankok attae
mouth of the MetBam ; with Ogmo and others- on the jealferipcoaft of
the-gulf 6f Siam. On the .weffern Bf’An ville marks Cham* Clni and
others'as far as- Ligor. Along- the banks of. the great river_qre Louvo '
. and Porlelouc, with others o f inferior note- " Loubere ypentions'Mbtàc
as the chief town on the N. W. frontier. ïoùyp was a royal relidende-
for a confiderablè part of thé year. In general thefe towns were only
collections of hovels^. fometimes- futrounded.with: a. wooden ftockade
and rarely with-a. brick wall. As'therdis no recent deicription. of thecoma
try, it would fuperfluous to dwell on- old deferiptions of places perhaps.,
ruined. in the frequency of oriental" revolutions;, while other cities-
may have arifen as yet unknown to-geography..
In the S. \¥. Tanaferim and MergKi muft feemingly be now regarded
. as Birman poffieffions ; and the remaining fragmeut.of thé Siamèfe territory
in that quarter prefents no confiderable town,Though villages appear
in Jonkfeylon and fome of the other ifles.-.
The induftrious Kæmpfer, on his voyage ;tt>' Japan in ■ 1690;- vi'fi'ted :
Siam;- and his account, though brief, is fohdl and interefting., He
minutely deferibes two remarkable edifices near the capital.5 The- fifft-
is the famous pyramid called Puka Thon, on a: plain to the N. W.
3 odd colioqiiial.- f This word being from the Breach chauffiez ccwfeway, feem tranilation..
jj1 U jjfOy
credited
ml
eredted in qpremoryof a yiftory.-there1 obtained over the king o f Pegu.
„It is a mafly hilt magnificent ftrudture, about 1-20 feet in bright, ih a
fquare.fpot inclofed by. a wall. The firft ftage is fquare, each fide .being
about 115 paces'long, - The others vary inform.; and there are ©pen
galleries ornamented with columns. At the top it terminates. in a {lender
fplre. He mieutipns the furropnding temples as beipg built of
bpick, whencedt may be inferred that the pyramid is offtone,*- perhaps-
refembling thofe of the Birmans.
- TheMecond effifiCgr/jpn fifts of. two fqiiares l;o: the eaft of the city, each
furrounded with a ■ fair wall,, and feparated by a Channel of the river.
They contain1 many temples, .convents, chapels,, and" columns, particularly
the temple of Berklam, with a grand gate ornamented with ftatues-
and other carvings : the other 'decorations were alfo^ by Ms aCeou’nti.
exquifiteffiy
That intelligent; voyager alfo deferibes fome other'edifices’; and Elis*
ideas on the fubje-dt deferve to be contrafted. with thofe of Loubere, who,,
aecuftomed.'to the pomp o f Louis X IV , or difguftdd by the maifacre of
his countrymen, may in this, and fome other in fiances, have perhaps
given unfavourable reprefentat-ions o£.this celebrated country.
Though the Siamefe be an indolent, yet they are-an ingenious people,
and • fome!-of their, manufadlures deferve p aifc Yet the ruinous-and
defpotic avarice o f the .g©y^^Baeat>'Gr-uftes-indBfl3Py by-'the uncertainty
of property. The- fervice of. fix months, due by every iubje.ft to .the
fovereign, alfo proves an invincible' obftacle. t They are little {killed in .
the fabrication of i/dn or fteel;. but excel in that o f gold, and fometimes >
m miniature paihfth;^|yTliey|6m mon people a¥e? mo-ftiy occupied in
procuring fifh fof'thciT .diily Mod, while the fuperipr claflesnare en-
'gage'd' in a trifling 'traffic.
■ Loubere gives us little or no intelligence- on the nature of their commerce;
"paffing, in his nfual way,'to'’ the manner'ofijgningvna-rne|; the
weights and meafateS, and thefi-ngcflar'fhape-'of theifcoins. Mandetilo
informs-us that the-.commerce of Yuthia» edrffifted !'in : cloths • imported
from Hinxiofthn, im i: various -articles ffimy China 5 in exports of jewels,
* He fpocially feentioas, J. 43, thatrrtany houfes and fome bridges in Yuthia were' offtone
. and-heifeys, p. 45,: tJiatThe teniples^exceed; Gtirmah churches, in magnificence.:
I IH
Edifices*
Mamifsc-
tuks,,- •
Commerce#