S I A M .
is, -branch of the river ; and this error of Loubere may -lead us to- îufpeà
his information concerning, the fmallnefs of the ftream, which' may probably
be only impeded by rapides, or declivitous catarads. Ón the
-contrary,"when we confider the regular inundations,- refembling thofe of
ahe Nile arid Ganges/ rivers of long courte, and other circumftancesy
here is room to infer that the Meinam. is of a more diftant and higher
extrad than from themountains of Yunnan in the weft of China; and
; that the Tibetian alps furnifh its fource in that of the Non Kiaii of the
■ lamas, fuppofed to be the Thaluan or river of Martaban, which'has no
•delta, nor any marks of fo diftant an origin, but is reprefentèd by Lou-
! here and D’Anville as a Abort and insignificant ftream. ’
However this be, the Meinam is defervedly celebrated among thé
; oriental rivers. Kæmpfer informs Us that it is very deep-aridVa^iHfah
Mays full, arid larger thari the Elbe.* He adds that thé ifthabitarits' fiïp-
pófê its fourcé to be in the mountains which ^ivbfife to the» GangfesJ
and that it branches through Gambodia and Pegu, an a^ourit fothewhat
«èafirmed byfee dhcovery of thé river Anan, which cônuèÉts -fee. Mö$&
nam with the river of Gambodia. But they fabled fhäb other branches
paSed through immenfe Fotefts even to tbd isèridationà
. -àré in September, after-fee ftiowé have grebéy meltefl ^feeiriorfeerb
•mountains, and the rairiy feafon -has commenced. Iri December the
•Vaters décliné, and fink by degrees to their former -level. The fame
intelligent traveller informs us that the water in the earth fwells before
-the river rife : that the wells are nitrous, but fee water of the Meinam,
though muddy, is pleafant and falutary : that the inundations are chiefly
.perceivable towards the centre of the kingdom, not near the fea; fee
-caufes being7fomewhat exhaufted ; feat fee rice is reaped in boats,, and
the.ftraw left in fee water : that a feftival is.'celebrated in December,
, when fee wind begins to blow from the .-north, and the inundation
• abates.
The banks of the Meinam are generally low and ma-rlhy, but thickly
peopled’ from Yuthia to Bankok, below which are wild dèfarts like the
-Sunderbuads of the Ganges. Monkeys, . fire-flies, arid moikitoes,
ifivarm on fee-fertile fhores.
To
’* i. 67. Fr. edfe.-
7
C-HAP. IT.. NA TUR AL GEOGRAPHY. .
'To fee-north o/the Siariiefe dominions feme rivers »join fee MeihaM j Riters.’
■ but their names are iihknown, ind -they'belong1 to the Birman territo-
sfes''. The ftflHfe obferyatidn mayr be» applied, t© fee river of Tanaferim,
.add 'that t>f TaVoy. -.-in feavS.i Ei -is'featlof -Sharitebon-; arid a ftream
which-joins the delta, of fee. Meinam.
1® fee eaft df.fee kingdom aim^ll lake is delineated/ giving fpurce to Lake»:
-a river which flows into fh-at vq| (^p}bqdia ; ^n-d fels_ probable that
^dthers may pxift pear fee1 mountains, though-, unknown to geographers.
I The -ejften’five rariges of mountains which inclofe this kingdom on Mouatai«!,
the'eaft and weft have be'enfepeatedly mentioned. Thefe may, be called
fee Siamefe chains, till th'e native names W afce-rtained. A final! ridge
pffb paffes «aft arid weft, not far to the -north.-of Yuthia, which Eoubere
feems'.to.call Tara mam on. In the n®rfe-..Siam. terminates in'plains; fnor
does It eVen'by conqueft, feem ever to have -reached the .'mountains crh
the Chinefe frontier. g , ' ;I
Theforefts-are .numerous and large, -njid produce many -kinds of wa.- Forefo,
luable Woods j but the teak is riot 'mentioned,
J Thechief animals-of'Siam are ekphants^hrinatoes^and deef. Hones Zodogj-.
folmdittle known Ur-rifed, thorigh found wild in Tibe&i yep there are, '
v>r were, a few- ill-mounted -cavalry. - The elephants ofrSi<^n. are of dif-
fengmfked fagacity and beauty ; and feofe of-a 'Whim.^otlx are treated
Wlfe-h kind of adolatioh, as the Biamefe believe the foul nf Fuch is ,
„TbVal. Wild boaFsJ tigers, and mohkies, ate .alfoppmerpus. - The eif
nam is, at', diftant intervals of time,- infefted with finall -poifononsfer* ■
■ pents-; and the trees on its banks are, as already mentioned, beautifully
illuminated with fwarms of fire-flies, which emit and conceal their light
as uniformly as if it proceeded from a machine -of the moft exad cori-
"ttivarie^' *
i Mandelflo, tfr rather his 'tranflator Wic^riefof^^h'o added, Shout the i^iaenilogy
yefir 1670, the'accounts., ctf Pegu, $ia-fr>, Japari, &c., informs ris that
Siam egritains mines of goicty^lver, tin, and coppeRf LoubSre dedicates
* whole chapter to th'e Sikmefe mines; and'ex^re'fles' an opimbh that
$hey were in preceding a^ges more iriduftrioufly wrought, as the ancierit -■
rvo£. ti. % - :G g - pft® -■