Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 1897. Siam.

Manawatu Herald, 7 August 1897, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 1897. Siam.

* =-. One vi the royalties who is visiting England in connection with Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, isKhou lalonkoru.jKing of Siam, who is a man of forty*four years of ag". He ascended the throne in 1868. Like all other visitors to England just now be will probably be having a good time, more especially as he is a neighbouring monarch to the British possessions in Burma. His Mnjesty is at present living at Buckingham palace, the London residence of the Queen, which face* St. James's Park, bat, as the trarJs with Siam is lar^'.}' m English bands, he is to be ! particularly well treated and Taplow Court, a beautiful seat in Buckinghamshire is secured for his lengthened occupation. One of the king of Siatn's sons ia at the Harrow school. It speaks well for the good feeling of Hiß Majesty that one of his earliest acts on reaching London was to invite Sir Andrew Clarke to \Uh him to talk over the serviced that latter gentleman rendered him in 1875, when, with the assistance of the British fleet a rebellion was stopped and His Majesty firmly seated on his throne. Siam is wedged between the British Burma and the French pro leefcorate of Cambodia and Annam, and the principal ontlet for the produce of the country ia by the river Menam, with the town of Bangkok at its mouth. The area of the kingdom is stated at 250,000 square miles, and the Menam plain and the Eorat plateau occupy tbe greater portion of the country. These plains are fringed by bills np to 5000 feet high. The rivers form the principal trade routes, as only the land adjoining the rivers is under cultivation, the remainder being covered with pathless jungles. The population ia set down at about, twelve millions, though only a third comprise pure Siamese, the remuinder being made np of Chinese, Malays, Burmese and hill tribesmen. The religion is Buddhism. At present the country is evidently in a poor state of developement, and thus opens up glorious visions for com panics, syndicates, monopolies, &c. t and will Becure His Majesty a vast amount of attention and interest whilst in the centre of the money market of the world. At present the bouses are built of wood and bamboo thatched with the leaf of tbe pftlm, and along the sides of the rivers are to be seen houses floating on pontoons or bundles of bamboo. Yet we learn that gold has been found, and that there are alluvial tin mines as well as iron. Then there are rubies Rod sapphires to be had for the seeking. The country holds out great promise of satis faotory rewards for its scientific development. As a place in which a sportsman could pass a pleasant day Siam would appear hard to beat, as its jungles, covering such a large part of its area, abounds in wild elephants, tigers*, bears, wild pigs and deer, whilst its scores and river* swarm with excellent fi«h. It is to be hop<d our excellent Premier has had time to call upon this monarch and forcibly place before him tbe advantages w* enj y and which we would part with to hi? countrymen in exchange for the gold hoarded in the pockets of the mother earth of Siam. If this has been neglected, the King of Siam will havt lo« as much as we poor colonists, as though we may have lost in pocket, he will have lost seeing and conversing with the foremost man of our time — in New Zealand.