The land of the white elephant: sights and scenes in south-eastern Asia : A personal narrative of travel and adventure in Farther India, embracing the countries of Burma, Siam, Cambodia, and Cochin-China. (1871-2)

Front matter

PRINCETON, N. J.

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Division.... Q.S. J Section ...»

Preface

Within the past five years especially the attention of the western world has been earnestly and anxiously directed to many of the countries of Asia — to Burma, Siam, Cambodia, and Cochin-China amongst others — where unusual and extraordinary innovations have been introduced, where encouraging social and religious revolutions have been initiated, and where ‘ modern progress ’ is now so rapid as almost to raise fears of dangerous reaction or even collapse.

Last year the Kings of Siam and Cambodia left, for the first time in history, their capital cities, and travelled in search of instruction and pleasure, the one to Java and India and the other to Hong Kong and Peking.

Opinions, laws, customs, even religions, which have been rooted and established for ages, are gradually undergoing change, and a change on the whole for the better. And still there are no countries in Asia, where the arts of civilised life are understood, of which we have so limited a knowledge as those which lie between the Bay of Bengal and the China

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PREFACE

Sea. Although during the present century something has been learned, yet much remains to be told ; a great deal of important information has to be gathered before we can claim a full and true acquaintance with the kingdoms and protectorates of Farther India — their present condition, capabilities, and prospects. A country of 1,000,000 square miles in area and 25,000,000 inhabitants — having a wonderfully productive soil and a greatly extended commerce — with which the unavoidable march of events shows we are soon to have more intimate relations, certainly merits a careful study.

A three-years’ journey round the world — the greater part of the time occupied in which was devoted to the study of Man and Nature in the various lands of southern and eastern Asia (from Persia to Tibet, to Mongolia and Japan), and but recently completed — included visits to Farther India or Iudo-China (as it is also styled) in the years 1871-72. And the following pages contain a personal narrative of travel and adventure in Burma, Siam, Cambodia, and Cochin China, for which little else is claimed than the merit of being true.

F. V., Jr.

BURMA

Chapter I

Steamer ‘Oriental’ — Glances at Indian Towns — First View of Land- Approach to Burma — Shipping — The Bangoon Biver — Bangoon City — Ar rival — Search for Quarters — Historical — Description of the City— Population— The Shoay Dagon, or Golden Pagoda — Temples — Great Bell of Bangoon — Its Inscription —Generous Treatment — Other Pagodas . . . page 1

Chapter II 8urmese Manners And Customs

The Burman Bace — Ethnology — Houses— Dress — Tattooing— Food — Infant Smokers — Jewellery — The Oath of a Witness in Court — Language and Literature— Eeligion — Leave Bangoon for Mandalay 11

Chapter III

The ‘Colonel Phayre ’ and ‘Pegu’ — My Fellow-Passengers — The Irrawaddy Biver — Scenery — Myanoung — Budhist Idols — Market — ‘Arakan Hills ’ — Biver Boats, Canoes, and Cargoes — Burmese Characteristics — The ‘ Marriage-knot Prome — ‘ All Quiet at the Capital ’ — A Boyal Beligious

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Chapter IV

The Kingdom of Ava — Yaynan-gyoung — Petroleum Wells — Ruins of Paghan — Counterpart of an English Archbishop of the Middle Ages — Large Pagoda of Indian Model — Ava — Amarapoora — Changes of Capital — The • Golden City ’ at last page 31

' CHAPTER V

The Landing — Great Bell of Mengoon— Mr. Seng-Ko’s Letter — First View of the City — The Suburbs — Roads — Fires — Chinese Dwellings — Population — The City — Walls; Gates; Streets; Canals — The Palace Walls — Royal Guards — The Pakhan Mengyee, or Foreign Minister — A Burmese Regiment of Infantry — Palace Square — The ‘ Grand Hall of Audience ’ — The Prime Minister’s Breakfast — Conversation with the Yaw-Ahtvieen-Woon, or Minister of the Interior— The ‘ Governor of the Glass Manufactories ’ — Government Accounts — The King’s Throne and Audience Chamber 38

Chapter VI

Our Party and Presents —King Mounglon Appears— The Royal Person- Presentation to His Majesty — A Spy — Tempting Offers — A Veritable ‘Houri ’ — The King’s Reign — The Government — Tyranny and Monopoly — Some Appreciation of the Advantages of Western Civilisation — Native Account of the Introduction of the Electric Telegraph ....... 54

Chapter VII

The White Elephant, not White — The King ‘ out of sorts ’ — The White Elephant in the Sixteenth and Eighteenth Centuries — The White Elephant at the Present Day— His Majesty’s ‘Pass’ — Writing Material and Books — A Burma-Chinese Tiffin — Odd Use of Tea Leaves — The Bazaars — Coins ; Interest; Barter; Prices — The Market — The Royal Navy— The King’s Barge. 65

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Chapter VIII

Leaving Mandalay — The Upper Irrawaddy — Domesticated Fish — Grand Defile — Mineral and Vegetable Resources of Ava — Old Trade Route to China — By Rail to the Makong River — Bhamo — Shan Emigrants — The Laos Tribes — The Hide Trade — Our Cargo — The English Cantonment at Thayet-myo — General Norman and Secretary Seward — Change of Monsoon — Proposed Overland Trip to Bangkok — Prome Again — Arrival at Rangoon . . page 74

Chapter IX

Amherst — Maulmain — Timber-Yards — Sagacity and Usefulness of the Elephant — Departure for Penang — Chinese Passengers ; their Life on Board — The Bishop of Rangoon, Right Rev. T. Bigandet — First View of Penang — The Island— Province Wellesley — Georgetown — General Appearances — Visit to ‘Penang Mountain’ — The Waterfall — The Signal Station — Magnificent View — Return to the Steamer — The Mangosteen — The Dorian — The Straits of Malacca 84

Chapter X

The Town of Malacca — Chinese Burying-ground — A Portuguese Tiffin — Old Cathedral — Captain Semmes’ Piracy— Approach to Singapore — The Harbour— ‘ Hotel d’Europe.’ — The Island and its Products— The ‘ Town of Lions ’ — The American Consul — View from Fort Canning — The Governor’s House — Chinese Temple— The Market — European Country Houses— New Harbour — Cocoanut Plantations — Coir- Rope Manufactory — Hon. Mr. Whampoa’s Gardens— A Sago Manufactory 99

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SIAM

Chapter XI

A Short Digression— Steamer ‘ Martaban ’ — The Gulf of Siam — Mouth of the Menam River — Paknam — A Siamese Custom House — The River and its Scenery — The City — Consulates of the Western Powers— My Hotel — The Royal Secretary— The American Consul — A Row through the City — The Thoroughfares — Floating Houses— Boats and Canoes — Rice Factories — A Huge Pagoda— General Appearance of Bangkok — Wat Cheng Pagoda — Siamese Drama and Music — Wat Sah Prah Tam, — Large Chinese Temple — A Ride tc the Palace Buildings page 115

Chapter XII

The Second King’s Private Secretary — The Canal — The Country — A Royal Sanitarium — American Mission Station — The King’s Summer Palace — Cave Temples — Huge Idol — The ‘ Reclining’ Budha — A Laos .Village — Return to Bangkok . . 133

Chapter XIII

AUDIENCE WITH THE KING OF SIAM The Second King — The Consuls — The Palace — Audience with His Majesty — Personal Appearance and Character of the Second King — Cigars, Coffee, and a Pleasant Talk — Grand Parade of the Palace Guards — The Royal Military Bands — Bonzes Seeking Alms— Interview with the Regent of Siam — His Grace Chow Phya Sri Sury Wongse — The 1 Real Ruler of Siam ’ . . . 145

Chapter XIV

White Elephants — Budhist Reverence for White Quadrupeds — Sir John Bowring’s Gift — Why the White Elephant is so Specially Revered — A Badge of Distinction — Two Royal Claims to the Title of 1 Master of Many Whito Elephants ’—The Arsenal of Artillery — ‘Coining Manufacture’ — The Wat

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P’hza Keau ; or, Temple of the Emerald Idol — Description ; Exterior and Interior— Library of Budhist Sacred Books — The Supreme King’s Palace — Wat Poh ; Gigantic Image of Budha — Preparation for the Overland Excursion to Angkor — Our Official Passport — Farewell to Bangkok . . . page 1 60

Chapter XV

Canal Travel — Bang pa Kong River — Pachim — The Governor— Interview with His Excellency — The Citadel — Remarkable Trees — A Paddy-Mill — Horses ; Bullocks ; and Carts — A Siamese Dinner — Scenery of the Road — Kabin — Gold Mine — The Forest and its Wild Inhabitants — Quinine — We Pass the Boundaries of Ancient Cambodia — Our Night Bivouacs — Sesupon — Siamese Elephant, Saddle, and Driver — Fish Traps — Panoum-sok — The Governor’s Wife .175

Chapter XVI

Ancient Stone Bridge — Ride in a Bullock-Cart — A Border Town — A Marriage Festival — Another Native Dinner — Presents from the Governor — A Water-Wheel — Canoes and Barges — The Walls and Houses — The Palace — Interview with the Governor — His Excellency’s Band — Resume of Travel — Preparations and Start for Angkor and NogJcon Wat . . . .199

Chapter XVII

Preliminary Observations — Description of the Great Ragkon Wat; Exterior and Interior — Ro Cement Used in Construction — Quarry Thirty Miles Distant — A Half a Mile of Sculptured Wall — One Hundred Thousand Separate Figures — Bas-Reliefs of the ‘Grand Gallery’ — Fifteen Hundred Solid Columns — Galleries, Image Houses, Pagodas- — Figures of Budha — Who Built the Wonderful Nag/eon Wat l — When was it Built? — Native Account — Its Great Antiquity Established — The Lost Tribes of Israel — Our Opinion — Inscriptions , Ancient and Modern — Former Cannot be Deciphered, and Latter throw no Historical Light — Chinese Discovery, and Portuguese Re-Discovery — Ragkon Wat from the year 1295 to 1872 209

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Chapter XVIII

Other Ruins — Lailan — The Royal Lake, Sasong — -Visit to Siamrap — Letter from the Governor of Siamrap to the Prime Minister of Cambodia — Dinner at the Palace — Siamese and Chinese Viands Compared — Gold Betel-Boxes, Cigar-holders, Cups, and Dishes — Invitation to Accompany some Chinese Travellers toPanompin — The Marriage Festival — The Bride and Bridegroom — The Ceremony — The Grand Banquet — Nak Prat, the ‘ Wise Man ’ — The Governor’s Idea Concerning the Builders of Angkor — The Wedding Presents — We Return to Nagkon Wat ........ page 228

Chapter XIX The Ruins Of Angkor : The City And Environs

A Visit to the Old City — Tradition of the Power and Magnificence of the Ancient Kingdom of Khaman — The Walls — Large Temple — Colossal Faces of Budha built in the Pagodas — The Poh Trees — Idol Cells — The Leper King — Founders of Angkor — Is the Religion of Budha Identical with that of Ancient Egypt? — Did the Egyptians build Angkor City and Temple ? — Resemblance of Budhism to Christianity — The Royal Palace — Custodian of the Ruined City — Remains of an Observatory — Immense Stone Griffins — The Elephant-headed ‘ Ganesh’ of the Hindoo Mythology — Image Houses — Description of the Observatory — Extensive View — An Evening Call — Parting from my Fellow- Travellers 239

CAMBODIA

Chapter XX

Preparations — My Cochin-China Servant — An Amusing Dinner — The Start for Lake Thalaysap — Road to the Lake — Description of our Boat — Campong Pluk — A Fishing Village — Vexatious Delays — A Second Start — Enter ‘ Sweet-

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Water’ Lake — Pass the Boundary of Siam aud Cambodia — Boat Life in Cambodia — ‘Joss’ on Board — The Mesap River — Villages — River Fisheries— Oodong, the Old Capital — Views on the River — Approach to Panompin page 255

CHAPTER XX [

PANOMPIN

General Appearances — Panompin from the River — An Interpreter and Friend — Description of the Capital of Cambodia — Roads; Shops; Population— Inhabitants; their Dress — Miriano, the Interpreter — The Chief Aide-de-Camp — The Prime Minister — His Reception Hall — The Palace Inclosure — Details of the Royal Palace ......... 269

Chapter XXII

Norodom I.— Conversation with His Majesty — The Greatest F6te ever Celebrated — Interior of the Palace — The Drawing-room — Apartments of the Harem — Dining-room — Large Orchestral Music Box, with a Wonderful Mechanical Bird — The King's #1,000 Watch — The Library — His Majesty’s Bed-room — Gold and Silver Toilet Services — Pictures — Observatory and Telescope — Reflections — The Artificial (stone, silver, and gold) Mountain — Cutting off a Princess’s Hair — The King an Inveterate Smoker — Palace Guards .277

Chapter XXIII

An Old Pagoda — Music at the Palace — Machine Shops— The King's Private Office — Ambassadors’ ‘Audience Hall’ — Supreme Court — Royal Theatre — Barracks — His Majesty’s Stables — Horses presented by Napoleon III. — Description of the Old Capital, Oodong — A Telegram from Saigon — My Last Interview with the King — The Royal Carriage and Cavalry Escort — A Royal Cambodian ‘Swell;’ the King in Semi-European Garb — Present of a Gold Box — The Theatricals — Our Boat and Crew — Adieu to Panompin . . 289

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COCHIN-CHINA

Chapter XXIV

The Great Makong River — Products of the Country — Enter Cochin-China — Chaudoc — Citadel and Garrison — French Justice — Lang-Xuen, Chadec, and Mitho — Intendant’s Residence — French Settlement — Delta-ground of the Makong— The Creek — Chinese Merchant-Boats— Chalen — Ride to Saigon — Ancient Annamite Tombs — Arrive at the City — Congratulations — Times and Distances of the Overland Journey from Bangkok .... page 298