The Bangkok Recorder.

A Semi-monthly Journal, will be issued from the
printing office of the American Missionary As-
sociation, at the month of the Canal, "Klawng Bang-
kok Yai" about 1st and 15th of every month. It
will contain much Political, Literary, Scientific, Com-
mercial, and Local Intelligence, as shall render it
worthy of the general patronage.

The Recorder will be open to Correspondents
subject to the usual restrictions.

The proprietors will not be responsible for the
sentiments of their correspondents.

No communications will be inserted unless ac-
companied by the name of the Correspondent.

No rejected manuscript will be returned unless
as a special favor.

First Insertion—Ten lines or half a square, and
under, One Dollar.

Each additional tine, Five Cents.

Subsequent insertions, Seventy Five Cents, for
ten lines,

and each additional line, Five Cents.

Advertisers must be particular to specify the
number of insertions.

Standing advertisements as per Contracts.

Communications and remittances can be sent
to either of the subscribers, or left at the store of
Messrs. Virgin & Co.

Bangkok Nov. 15th.

In our last issue speaking of Her Majesty
the Queen of Great Britain, we used the
following sentence, viz;—"She was to witness
on August 26th the inauguration of a
memorial statue, in honor of the late prince
Consort." A copy of the paper was sent back,
by one in the highest authority here with the
above sentence under scored, and the fol-
lowing comment made in the margin—
"Christian idolaters act like Buddhist idol-
aters, in honor of the late Buddh".—In an-
other place in the margin he says, "The
worship of the image of Buddh of the
learned Siamese, is like the worship of the
crucified Jesus, and Mary etc. of the Ro-
man Catholics, and the respect of many
Europeans for the statue of their sovereigns.
but the worship of idols of Buddh celebrat-
ed as inspired or embodied by spirits called
phe, like most of the Laos and Cambodians
&c. can be called the act of idolatry. "These
comments were probably called forth by an
article on "Wet Visiting," which appeared
in our last issue. Whatever impression the
article may have been calculated to leave
upon the mind, we are justified in saying
that the writer of that article, has the most
profound respect for His Majesty the Su-
preme King of Siam, and had not the most
remote idea of classing him, among those
who may be denominated "Old Siam" but
has always looked upon him as the Great
Representative of "Young Siam."—We are
very glad, however to have these comments
from His Majesty as no one is more learned
upon the subject of the religion of his
country, than His Majesty. Any thing
that we may say in our columns which may
in any way refer to His Majesty, we hope
will always be characterised by that high
respect, which his very exalted position de-
mands. Our journal was not intended to
be in the strict sense of the term a religious
journal, but occasionally the subject creeps
in. We shall only therefore try to show
briefly the difference between the respect
which the good Queen of England shows
for the memory of her late royal husband
and the reverence which the Siamese show
for the images of Buddh. His Majesty dis-
claims for himself and the learned Siamese
the idea of being idolaters, and anything
which we can conscientiously do to help
them out of the scrape, we will most gladly
do it. Any discussion too, which may be
carried on in our columns, we trust will be
characterised on all sides by the best of
good humor; for when a man gets angry
in a fair discussion, it is evidence that he
is either advocating a bad cause, or that he
is unable to maintain his position. The re-
spect which the Queen of Great Britain
showed for her late royal husband, by hon-
oring with her presence the inauguration
of a statue to his memory was by no means
a religious reference. Prince Albert was
a very good man, and was very much be-
loved by his royal wife, and family, and al-
so by the whole British nation. Whilst
therefore the good Queen honored at Co-
burg his native place, the inauguration of
his memorial statue, by her presence, she
did not worship him, or consider it in any
way a religious act. She did not expect to
obtain any merit from such service. On
the contrary she is a firm believer in the re-
ligion of Christ, as revealed in the Bible. It
is said that a heathen Prince where he saw
that England was a great country, asked
her the secret of that greatness, she in re-
ply pointed to the Bible and said that was
the secret of Englands greatness. Buddh
on the other hand is the god of the Buddh-
ists, and when they bow before his image
they expect to make merit by it, to assist
them in the future world. The one is an
act of respect, whilst the other is an act of
worship.—Roman catholics it is true do
use the crucifix, and images of the Virgin
etc. but Protestants of course look upon
that as a species of idolatry, a corruption
of the true religion, a relie of heathenism
brought into the church.

Jesuitism.

The original "Company" was composed
of only ten chosen members with Ignatius
as their leader. Wise prophets declared
that " the company would prove to be that
decumen (10th vane) by which the bark
of the pirate Luther would be sunk." His-
tory has not quite verified the prediction
though as Macauley admits "the tide of the
battle was turned, and Protestantism was
beaten back from the foot of the Alps even
to the shores of the Baltic.

The company was first formally organ-
ised, and the three vows of obedience, pov-
erty, and chastity, administered, August
12th 1534. The members being chiefly
young, some preparatory studies were
necessary, and it was not until three years
later that the Society really entered upon its
work at Venice. The first thing was to se-
cure the sanction, and authority of the
Pope (Paul III). By taking a fourth vow
of implicit obedience to the demands of the
sovereign Pontiff, they received his blessing
and immediately entered upon their miss-
ion. Free passports were granted them to
visit any part of the world on their errand
of love, they accordingly went forth, two
and two as preachers of the faith. Loyola,
Lainez and Faber, however, remained in
Venice, to more fully complete and perfect
the organisation. By vote, Loyola was elected
as General of the Order, which position
he retained until his death in 1556.

Let us now attend briefly, first to the
Society itself, and then to some of its res-
ults. The Society is composed of four
distinct classes, the Professed (servants of
Pope,)— temporal and spiritual coadjutors,
(Priests and lay brethen, printers &c.)—-
Scholars and Novices, or those admitted
on probation for two years. The General
is elected by vote of the Professed mem-
bers, and holds his office during life. His
power is absolute as to the appointment of
all officials, the disposal of temporalities,
admission of fresh members into the So-
ciety, etc. The first vow and virtue of
the Society is unqualified obedience to consti-
tuted authority. This principle prevails a-
mong the four classes.

Their system of education was complete.
Every pupil was thoroughly examined be-
fore being admitted to the benches of the
company. As has been said, they tested the
quality of the metal before they undertook
to coin the circulating mediom. On one
occasion a candidate for admission, was put
though the ordeal of examination and failed
at all points, and was about to be dismissed
as a helpless blockhead, when they be-
thought to try him in Geometry, and Na-
ture at once responded; he retained his
place on the benche;—became a great
mathematician, and aided in constructing
the Gregorian calendar, while his pupil
Ricci went to repeat his lesson to the Chin-
ese, and "built there a mission on lines,
curves, and angles." From this accurate
knowledge of the mental quality and cap-
acity of each member, the General was al-
ways able to adopt the worker to his work.
As Steinmetz says, "square pegs in round
holes, or round pegs in square holes are
seldom seen in the history of the Society."
A system of free education was established
by the Jesuits throughout Europe, and
their schools soon became immensely pop-
lar, and were the great means by which
the solid growth and widening influence of
the Society were secured. At the death of
Loyola, in 1556, nineteen years after the
birth of the Society, the company numbered
2000 members; 4000 youths were under
Jesuit tuition, and nine provinces were
established, viz;—-Italy, Sicily, Germany,
France, Spain, Portugal, Asia, Africa, and
America. Not Romanista only but Pro-
testants from every land sent their children
to be instructed at Jesuit colleges. Among
the alumni of their universities are found
enrolled the names of some of the greatest
scholars-in Europe. Lord Bacon declared
their schools as worthy to be taken as
models, and for two centuries they were just-
ly so regarded. At the time of the partial
suppression of the Order, the King of
Prussia offered them protection affirming,
"I consider them as learned men whom it
it would be difficult to replace to educate
youth. Among all the Catholic clergy in
my kingdom, the Jesuits alone are given to
letter."

The canonical writings of the Jesuits are
three; the Spiritual Exercises, Loyola's fa-
mous Letter on Obedience, and the Consti-
tutions. The first was simply a drill book,
or manual of Church discipline. It laid
down certain rules, and prescribed certain
duties to which every candidate for admis-
sion to the Society must conform, and
by the faithful compliance with which all
were certified of being made "meet for the
kingdom of heaven." Twenty eight days
were deemed amply sufficient to convert
the vilest sinner into the most virtuous
saint, the first week he must purify the lusts
of the flesh by bodily mortifications, scourg-
ings and fastings, while he occupies his
mind with a gloomy retrospect of sin. The
second week the study of the life and suf-
ferings of Christ is to absorb his attention,
and by close self scrutiny he decides what
profession he can engage in to the greatest
service of religion. The third week he
contemplated the gloom of our Saviour's
sepulchre and the abyss and wailings of the
damned, from which his death rescued us.
The fourth week the chrysalis saint bursts
forth into rapturous joy, glorifying the
Redeemer and singing peans of praise
to the most high God. This is the com-
plete Bible of Jesuitism. This method of
cure if duly applied to the soul is absolute-
ly infallible. However much the spirit may
be defiled by dross when cast into the fur-
nace, it is only pure gold when it comes
forth from it. As we have said, twenty
eight days was the original time allotted
for this purgation, but this period was after-
wards abbreviated to fifteen, and even ten
days, when the demands of business were
pressing.

The entire system of religion embodied
"Exercises" was materialistic and sensuous
in the extreme. It consisted chiefly of
conjuring up before the mind representa-
tions of Christ in the garden—on the
Cross,—of heaven,—of hell, and of purga-
tory, and then devoutly meditating thereon.
It was what Isaac Taylor aptly calls—"An
asasatus of pictorial piety," and he hazards
the conjecture that Loyola drew the hint
for it from the illustrated Book of Martyrs,
which entertained him while in hospital.
There is at any rate abundant evidence
that the author had a very meagre ac-
quaintance with the Bible. But the secret
of the great strength of the system of
Jesuitism lay in their peculiar vow and
doctrine of Obedience. This doctrine is ful-
ly developed in a letter of Loyola's to the
Portuguese houses, written only three years
before his death. The doctrine simply re-
quired a complete "immolation of the is-
tellect." The Society is an absolute
monarchy, and its head has perfect jur-
isdiction over the whole man—body, in-
tellect and soul. We cannot do better
than to quote a paragraph from the above
letter.

"Obedience is the daughter of humility,
-—the nurse of charity,—-the sister of jus-
tice,-—the mother of brotherly concord, and
the enemy of self opinion;—-it is a guide
which never wanders; an oracle that can-
not deceive; the port of salvation, and the
mark which distinguishes you from all other
religious orders. There are two sorts of
obedience, the one imperfect—-the other
perfect. The imperfect considers if what
is commanded be just and reasonable, and
submits but in appearance to orders which
shock the understanding;—-the perfect, on
the contrary, is nearly blind—believes with-
out examining, that all the orders it recieves
are just,—-complies internally with the ex—
ection of them, and adds to the execution
the sacrifice of its own will to that of its
superior."

Thus absolute was the government which
the General exercised over the Society. The
Jesuit was taught from the initial point of
his connection with the Order, to yield him-
self to the will of his superior perinde cad-
aver,—and he learned his lesson well, for
with the unreasoning, passive obedience of
a corpse, or an automaton, he executed an
and every command of his superior. So
completely was the freedom and the man-
hood of the Jesuit vassal destroyed. Need
we wonder that under such a regime, his
moral sense became sadly blunted, and his
spiritual being yet more sadly distorted.

We come next to speak of the actual
workings of the order, and shall conclude
with a few general remarks on the past and
probable future of Jesuitism.

The Weather

During the last year or more, we have
had a kind of "lusus naturae" in Siam,
the rains of last year were quite short of
The usual amount, and consequently the
rice crop was short. During the rainy sea-
son which has just about closed, up till Sep-
tember we had not near the amount of rain
we should have had. But when they got
rightly started, is appeared as difficult for
them to stop at the proper time. We
usually find the rains pretty well settled up,
and the N. E. Monsoon set in by the 1st of
November, but this time copious rains con-
tinued up till about the 10th. We heard
cries, of too much water, and a flood, and
rice rose slightly in price in consequence.
About the year 1828 it is said, the whole
country was flooded, for about two months,
and the crops were completely drowned
out. Some of the natives began to be ap-
prehensive of another such flood. During
the last few days of October, and the first
few in November the weather was oppres-
sively hot. Although we generally have a
few such days during the lull in the mon-
soons, this year there appeared to be more
of them and they were unusually sultry.
Mosquitoes too, the pest of Siam, have been
unusually plenty, and ravenous for some-
time, so that it is almost impossible to have
any enjoyment in the evenings. They gen-
erally appear to know a new-comer, and
having once singled him out, they show no
mercy; but this year they appear to be in-
discriminate in their attacks, and treat all
alike. For the last few days, the weather
appears to be settled, and the N. E. mon-
soon rightly set in, and in consequence
we have a change in the atmosphere, and have
also a taste of those cool "bracing breezes"
so grateful to Europeans in this latitude.
During this monsoon on account of the dry
breezes and the cool atmosphere we enjoy
a kind of respite from the mosquitoes. But
every season has its draw backs. The sud-
den change in the atmosphere has brought
the usual colds, generally prevalent at this
season. Those once past however Europeans
may expect for the next three months to
enjoy the most pleasant season in the clim-
ate of Siam. It is also the best time to
enjoy a tour through the country or down
the sea-coast.

An Incident in Paris.

In 1845, while in Paris, I occasionally
dined with an American gentleman of
wealth. He gave the most sumptuous din-
ners, and these were washed down with
costly wines and liquors of every descrip-
tion. Among the light wines most relished,
and especially recommended by our Amer-
ican Consul, Mr. L. Draper, who was gen-
erally one of the guests, was the Lafitte wine
of Bordeaux. This was a very superior
kind of claret. So much was said in its
favor that I, then being a wine-bibbler, was
anxious to take to America with me a sup-
ply of this superior article, and our host
kindly gave me a letter of introduction to
the Messrs. Lafitte at Bordeaux, whither I
was soon going.

Soon after arriving in that city I called
upon the Messrs. Lafitte, and was by them
introduced to their business manager, Mr.
Good. He accompanied me through their
extensive wine vaults, and descanted enthu-
siastically upon the peculiar qualities of
their vineyards, the superiority of their
brands of wine, etc. I tasted several sam-
ples of this wine, and was quite favorably
impressed. The vintages of 1830 and '31
particularly pleased me. Mr Good de-
clared that brand of wine was like oil,
and I agreed with him. In fact I fully re-
solved to order at least a couple of pipes of
Lafitte wine for America, before quitting
Bordeaux.

The next day I met an English friend,
and invited him to spend the evening at my
hotel, and indulge in cigars and a bottle of
Lafitte wine. He was punctual, and the
refreshments were duly ordered. An old
bottle of Lafitte wine was produced. It was
covered with mold and cobwebs, which,
upon being carefully removed by the wait-
er, discovered a label nearly destroyed by
mildew, but which, with some difficulty,
we deciphered to read:

Our mouths watered as we reflected that
here was a bottle of this genuine and cele-
brated claret, fourteen years old. The cork
was drawn, and our claret glasses, as thin
almost as the sheet of paper upon which I
am writing, were filled. Then, as is inva-
riably the custom, we each grasped the
bowl of the thin glass in our hands and
held it there a few minutes, in order that
the warmth of our hands should impart a
similar temperature to the wine, and thus
bring out the taste of the grape.

Then, according to custom, each of us
very deliberately took a large mouthful of
the wine, and swallowed it very slowly, in
order that we might enjoy the full flavor of
the grape from which it was made.

"Fruity," remarked my English friend,
with charming gusto, as the last of the
mouthful slipped down his throat.

"Very," I replied, with great unction, as
the last of my mouthful went through the
same process.

Now this was all according to the estab-
lished practice of drinking good claret
wine. Try it in London, Paris, Vienna St.
Petersburgh, anywhere, where good wine
is drank, and where gentlemen pride them-
selves upon being connoisseurs, and it will
always be found indispensable in drinking
good wine to pour it into very thin glasses,
indispensable to warm the glass of wine in
the hand, indispensable to taste the grape
plainly, indispensable for one gentleman to
exclaim "Fruity," and equally indispen-
sable for another gentlemen to smack his
lips and respond "Very."

We spent the evening joyously, in smok-
ing our cigars, relating anecdotes, cracking
jokes, and exhausting our delicious bottles
of "fruity" Lafitte. The latter article was
found to be so rare and delightful that we
agreed to spend the next evening in the
same place, and in the same pleasing occu-
pation.

The following evening at eight o'clock
found my English friend and myself seated
in my parlor, witnessing the wiping of dust,
cobwebs, and mold from a bottle by the
same waiter, and revealing to our delighted
eyes the pleasant inscription:

The same drawing of the cork, the same
warming of the glass of wine in the hand,
the same exclamation "fruity," and the
same response "very," were the proper
preliminaries to another evening of antici-
pated enjoyment.

Each of us had drunk our glass of this
modern nectar, and each had expatiated
in the warmest terms upon its delicious
flavor and peculiar merits. Our glasses
were again filled and emptied. We felt
grateful that we were thus especially and
supremely blessed. I had fully resolved
to order three pipes of this wine instead
of two, from the excellent Mr. Good, agent
of the excellent Messrs. Lafitte, proprietors
of the super-excellent clarets;, when, while
I was in the act of filling our glasses a
third time, I was startled by something
that made my hair almost stand on end,
and which caused me nearly to drop the
bottle from my trembling hand. Had the
ghost of Bacchus risen from the glass and
seized me by the nose I could not have
been more astonished; had the spirit of
mischief emerged from the bottle and stuck
me through and through with pins, I could
not have been more outrageously angry.
I placed the battle again on the table, fell
back in my chair, and pointing to the label
on the bottle, I remarked, in a semi-sepul-
chral voice, "Good heavens! look at that
label!"

My friend's eyes almost started from
their sockets; he gave an audible groan,
and his right hand involuntarily found it-
self pressing upon the pit of his stomach,
as he glanced toward the label, evidently
expecting to find it inscribed with the
word "Poison!"

But, no, it was not as bad as that.
There it was, a sort of ornamental label,
with the words, rendered indistinct by
mold and age, "Vinda Lafitte."

"Look at this," I exclaimed, pointing
to a light colored streak running diagonally
across the label, seeming to have been
caused by the scratch of a nail drawn brisk-
ly over it.

"Don't you remember," said I, that last
night, while we were drinking our wine
and telling our stories, I was playing with
my knife, and that, by frequently drawing
its point across that label on the bottle,
I finally scratched clean through the paper!
Don't you see that this is the identical
label!

"I would swear it on a thousand Bibles,"
exclaimed my English friend, with ener-
getic indignation.

I was quite as indignant, and rang the
bell violently.

"This French scoundrel of a landlord
has played us a nice rick," I remarked.

"Yes," replied my friend; "his cobwebs
and imitation mold were well laid on."

"This is doubtless common 'vin ordi-
naire,' worth about six sous a bottle, in-
stead of the fifteen francs which he charges
for Lafitte."

"No doubt of it," replied my friend.

"And yet we thought it was quit 'fruity,'"
I remarked, with a smile, notwithstanding
my anger at the imposition.

"Well, you called it so; but I confess I
thought it was very different from that we
drank last night," replied my English
friend.

"Come, come, that won't do," I respond-
ed, determined not to be saddled with all
the ignorance which both of us had be-
trayed; "you distinctly pronounced it
'fruity.'

"Oh. that was last night."

"Certainly, but it was to-night also.
We have both been nicely sold, and there
is no use trying to dodge it."

By this time the "garçon" arrived.

"Send the landlord here instantly," said I.

The waiter disappeared, and the landlord
soon entered.

My indignation returned, and, putting
on the air of a connoisseur, I poured out
a glass of wine, and asked the landlord to
drink it, and give me an opinion of its
quality.

He drank it very leisurely, smacking his
lips at each swallow, and then remarked:

"Magnifique! Glorious Vin du Lafitte,
more than a dozen years old!"

"Vin ordinaire, two months old," I ex-
claimed, with no small degree of anger at
his impudence.

"You are joking," he replied, pointing
to the label; "you see this is the Lafitte
of 1831."

"It is an imposition and a swindle, a
cheat and a robbery. Don't you think I
know what wine is!" I exclaimed, assum-
ing the air of a man who had been in the
wine trade all his life. "I tell you this is
the vin ordinaire, worth but one franc per
gallon."

The host looked amazed, and tried to as-
sume an air of injured innocence.

"My dear sir," said he, "you forget that
you are in the city of Bordeaux, and that
the house of Messrs. Lafitte is only across
the street, opposite my hotel. It is not
possible to make a mistake about the wine.
Besides, did you not see the bottle was
covered with mold and cobwebs when
it came from my cellar!"

Finding that my assumed knowledge of
wine would have no effect on the landlord,
and reflecting that he probably knew how
successfully he had humbugged us the night
previous with the same kind of wine, I
pointed out the label to him, and, telling
him all the circumstances, convinced him
that it was impossible to deceive us any
longer. The moment he saw that further
denial or prevarication was useless, he
smiled, assumed a patronizing air, patted
me on the shoulder and exclaimed:

"Monsieur Barnum, you are one very
sharp Yankee. I shall acknowledge to
you this is vin ordinaire, but you shall
have immediately one, two, three bottles
of magnifique Lafitte for nothing. But I
shall tell you one thing. I have kept this
hotel nine years, and have sold many
thousand bottles of wine for 'Lafitte,' and
I never sell but twelve dozen real Lafitte
in my whole life! You are one Americain
with both eyes open!"

I accepted his apology, and one bottle
of his "Magnifique Lafitte." But the
charm was broken. I doubt whether the
last bottle was ever in the cellars of Lafitte,
but, whether or not, neither my friend nor
myself ventured to pronounce its contents
"fruity."

This incident caused me to change my
mind in regard to taking wine to America.
I concluded, if I must be cheated, I might
as well have that operation performed by
my own countrymen as by foreigners. But
the lesson was not wholly lost on me I
soon afterward quit wine-drinking alto-
gether. There is no denying the fact that
imagination leads us into many strange
blunders, and in nothing more easily than
in regard to the qualities of wines and
liquors.-—P. T. Barnum.

For the Bangkok Recorder

MR. EDITOR.

Having in our last Siamese issue employ-
ed, the figure Old and Young Siam, I have
been suprised to learn that some persons
whom I had firmly fixed in my mind as
belonging to the class I mean by Young
Siam have strangely fancied that because
they were rather aged in the ordinary sense
of the phrase Old and Young, that I must
regard them as being old in the figurative
sense. I am very sorry that I have thus
been the occasion of displeasing any of our
friends and readers some of whom I regard
not only as our best patrons, but also as
the main pillars of Young Siam. In this
class I have unhesitatingly placed His Ma-
jesty the supreme king of Siam. By Old
Siam, I mean all the rulers and subjects of
Siam who are still strenuous for all or most
of the old ways and fashions and customs
of Siam in regard to government, literature,
science commerce, slavery and religion-—all
such as think that the ancients knew more
them the moderns and that hence it is folly
to deviate much from the old track of their
ancestors. In other words, all such as be-
lieve and act according to the dogmas that
the human race are on the great decline of
ages, and that it will be useless to resist
the abridging tendences of the decline as
regards the age, the stature, the mind or
morals of mankind. In this class I have
been wont to place all the old school Bud-
dhists who still cling to all or to most of
the fancies and nonsense of Trie P'oom
and a multitude of other religious
books which the New School Buddists
have cast overboard as being enemies alike
of all improvement in true knowledge and
religion. Now who does not know that
His Majesty the supreme king is the found-
er of that New school, and that as such
he has become the progenitor of what I
denominate Young Siam. Having known
him more than 30 years, I can testify that
when a young man, a chief priest in a Bud-
dhist temple, he evinced marked evidence
that he was born for a more enlightened
age than any before in Siamese history,
and would, when placed on the Throne of
the Prabat Somdets, stand much higher
among the nations of Asia than any or even
all of his royal predecessors put together.
Every year from that time to his accession
was a joyful witness of his progress in lit-
erature and the arts and sciences by which
he became signally well prepared to rule
both the church and the state of the Siamese.
And from the time of his accession to the
present there have arisen many living and
enduring witnesses to the correctness of
our judgment that His Majesty is richly
worthy of being accounted the main pillar
of Young Siam. One of the first and
most notice-able witnesses to this, is the fact
that His Majesty very soon after coming
to the throne, invited one Missionary lady
from each of the three Protestant Missions
in the city, to teach the English language
and European science in the royal harem,
and made an experiment of their teaching
for a period of about three years. Though
it be true that he dispensed with their ser-
vices from fear that they would proselyte
his wives and children to the christian faith,
it did not depose him from the high posi-
tion of being father of Young Siam. He
quickly obtained the services of an accom-
plished English lady as teacher of his
children, who did not feel it to be her duty
to make any special effort to teach the
christian religion in connection with her
services in the royal palace. And under-
her tuition all His Majesty's children, aged
from 8 to 15 years being some 40 or 50
in number, are now being trained.

Witness also the encouragement His Ma-
jesty has ever given to new models of ship
building, by which Old Sian in the line
of Chinese merchant Junks, and war Junks
has sloughed herself and we see her old
skin eaten of white ants and rotting all
about her old docks in the city and the
provinces. And we see but recently come
out of that old chryilitic state, a fleet of
more than 100 square rigged merchant
men of good model, 8 men of war-steamers
and 20 trading and pleasure yacht steamers.
Witness also the new treaties of mutual
friendship and commerce which His Ma-
jesty has gloriously inaugurated with no
less than eight of the western nations, by
which the world is being blessed and Siam
greatly enriched and improved. Witness
too, the two Embassies which His Majesty
has already sent to Europe and the one he
has in contemplation to send to the U. S.
Am.—the new road also and canals he has
already caused to be made, and the many
others he sincerely purposes to make, and
the royal Mint he has established, and the
improvements he manifests a determina-
tion, though rather slowly developed, of
making in its machinery and its issues.
With such substantial and enduring wit-
nesses by his side, His Majesty need not fear
that his contemporary journalists, or future
historians will ever think of classing him
with Old Siam, provided he does not halt
in his progress of improvement and take
some retrograde track.

I do not wonder that His Majesty is un-
willing at present to adopt all the proposed
plans of railroad and telegraph lines that
are urged upon him. I agree with him,
that the time has not yet come for Siam to
launch out largely in this direction. I
would have her make a beginning in these
improvements on a small scale as she did
in 1834 in building square rigged vessels
and in 1854 in the use of steam power ap-
plied to boats. I am only sorry that His
Majesty feels sometimes so much annoyed
by the contin?al and, as it seems to me,
injudicious pressure of this subject upon
him, as to lead him to speak and write im-
patiently and sometimes with bitter ridicule
against these improvements, which must be
introduced into Siam sooner or later if she
is ever to stand up with dignity among the
family of nations. But I do not take this
to be a true index of His Majesty's heart
and purposes, as the vane about the chang-
ing of the monsoon is by no means a cer-
tain index of the direction of the wind for
the succeeding six months. They are sim-
ply out-bursts of impatience, which will
I trust soon give way, as in multitudes of
instances before in His Majesty's illustrious
career, to a sound policy in the end.

I am one who believes that His Majesty
is at heart much more in favor of Chris-
tianity, even, than he has the name of be-
ing, and that but for the trammels which
his oath of office has thrown about him, he
would show himself far more liberal in this
direction than he now does. But even now
how much does the king distinguish him-
self in his liberality in this regard above
nearly all heathen monarchs? How
freely and widely has he opened the doors
of his kingdom to all prosyleting influences
among his subjects, honoring no foreign
influence more highly than that of Chris-
tians? I would have this put to His Ma-
jesty's credit as the father of Young Siam.

Summary

The European summary bears the same
uninteresting feature of the previous mail.
The principle pleasing aspect is that every-
thing looks for the most part peaceful.
The Courts of England and France are still de-
voted to pleasure. H. B. Majesty, and the
royal family, including the Prince, and
Princess of Wales, and the Prince, and
Princess Louis of Hesse, are enjoying them-
selves in the Northern Highlands. The
Imperial Family of France are still at Biar-
ritz. The rumoured ministerial Changes
are contradicted by the Moniteur. Rath-
er a grave correspondence is going on be-
tween France and Prussia in relation to the
Ott affair.

The principle thing transpiring in the
United States is the trial of Wirtz, for the
torture, and slow murder by starvation, and
otherwise of the Union prisoners, who were
confined at Andersonville. In the first in-
dictment Gen. Lee, and several others were
included, but President Johnson dismissed
the. trial, and ordered a new indictment,
from which all the names except Wirtz were
left out. Some heart rending things, have
come to light during the trial, but it is
evident that Wirtz was only the instrument
of his superiors, and it appears hard that
he should suffer alone, whilst the real in-
stigators of the cruelty are permitted to go
free. Gen. Winder appears to be more at
fault, than Wirtz, and the chief instig-
ators were undoubted of Jeff. Davis and
R. E. Lee. Time appears to soften down
public opinion against the Arch Rebel him-
self, and it is now probable that should he
be even condemned for treason, he would
not be executed. The Virginians seem to
be unwilling to part with their great chief
R. E. Lee, and to prevent his going to Eu-
rope as he intended, the trustees of Wash-
ington college, Va. have elected him Pre-
sident of that institution, which he has ac-
cepted. He seems to be more humble
than many of the other rebel leaders. It is
also certain that, at the outbreak of the re-
rebellion it was not so much the rebellion, he
followed as Virginia.

That state seceded and from his peculiar
views of state rights, he was bound to go
with her. Once in the vortex of rebellion,
he was lead to do many things at which in
ordinary times he would have shuddered,
and for which how humble soever he may
now be, he ought to receive some punish-
ment. There is quite a contrast between
him and Gen. Thomas. Both are Virgin-
ians, and at the outbreak of the rebellion,
Lee was a Colonel, and Thomas a Lieuten-
ant in the regular army. Lee resigned, joined
the rebellion and became its great Chief-
tian. Thomas remained loyal, and if he
was not the greatest military leader of the
Union, he was among the greatest. Twice
he preserved one of the best armies of the
Union from destruction, where his superior
officer had abandoned it, and when Sherman
started on his great campaign across Geor-
gia, he left Thomas to attend to Hood, and
how effectually he did it. He is now one
of the most beloved and honored sons of
his country. Lee on the other hand al-
though pardoned, might even be looked up-
on with distrust. He is however eminent-
ly qualified in many respec?ts, for the liter-
ary position to which he has been elected.

A delegation of prominent citizens re-
presenting nine Southern states have called
upon President Johnson, to express their
allegiance to the constitution, and the Un-
ion. The President on the other hand as-
sures them, that the Government have no
disposition to deal harshly with them.

EXTREMELY POLITE.—A young of very
polite address, whose husband had lately
died, was visited soon after by the minister
of the parish, who inquired, as usual about her
husband's health, when she replied, with a
peculiar smile, "He's dead, I thank you."

Christianity vs. Buddhism

We are much pleased with the gentle
spirit and frankness evinced by the writer
of the article in our last issue headed Budd-
hism vs. Christianity. He proves himself to
be a gentleman of rare occurrence among
Siamese Lords. We hope ourselves to
profit by the truly good example of our
correspondent in this regard.

Before attempting to reply directly to
the questions which he has propounded,
we would remark that he seems to regard
at quite unanswerable the most important
questions we put to a friend of Buddhism
and has consequently passed them over in
silence. But he has started others which
he seems to think will greatly puzzle us to
answer, concluding doubtless, that if they
are not thoroughly set aside they must stand
as insuperable objections to our idea, that
all the great intellectual lights of the world
come directly or indirectly from the Chris-
tian religion; or in other words from the
Bible. Our antagonist professes not to be-
lieve that Europe is indebted to the Chris-
tian religion for her superior amount of
intelligence and practical wisdom. He has
heard that "there are many in Europe who
do not hold to the Christian religion, and
who have light and knowledge just the same
as those who hold it." Upon making this
statement he asks "what light is this that
shines and gives them prosperity, pray?"
This he evidently thinks is a stunning ques-
tion. But we do not feel it to be such at
all.

In reply we beg leave first to correct the
impression he has in his mind, that "there
are many in Europe who do not hold to the
Christian religion," The truth is, and we
have a world full of evidence to bear us
out in the statement, that there is not more
than one in a thousand in all Europe of
the stamp to which our antagonist has re-
ferred. Every kingdom, every province,
every city, every village, every little com-
munity throughout all that land of light and
power is a Christian community. That is,
the vast masses of the people believe in one
living, almighty, and eternal God the Father
of all mankind, and that Jesus Christ his
son came into the world to save sinners.
But while this is a fact that cannot be
controverted, it must be confessed that the
great masses of the people of Europe do not
hold to the Christian religion in the sense
of obeying the instructions of Christ. They
are only Christians in the sense that the
masses of the Siamese are Buddhists, but
do not care to observe strictly its teachings,
And such nominal Christians in Europe, as
our antagonist concedes, have much greater
light and knowledge than the masses who
are born and educated in Buddhist coun-
tries. "What light is this" our Buddhist
advocate enquires.?

We answer, It is the light which has em-
anated directly or indirectly from the Bible,
that wonderful book of light which the
Lord Jesus Christ has given them. Under
the light and influence of that Book they
were all born and educated. All their
parents had been more or less illuminated
by that book, and they reflected their light
upon the children. All the schools, and
academies, and colleges in which the chil-
dren were educated were Christian schools
to a greater or less extent. Not one of their
teachers, probably, certainly not more than one
in a thousand would have been at all willing
to be called a disbeliever in God or Christ his
son. Now if there be at the present time
one in a thousand or even more in Europe
of her sons in other parts of the world
who do not hold to the Christian religion,
and yet have as much light and power of
intellect as true Christians generally possess,
we most confidently say they owe mainly that
distinction above the people of Buddhist
countries to the Christian religion. Just as a
Buddhist young man going to Europe and
being educated at Oxford University and
returning after 10 years to Siam still a con-
firmed Buddhist, would have much more
knowledge and power than any educated at
the wats, and that because he had been
educated in the light of Christianity.

Now is it not a most notable fact that
wherever Christianity is successfully plant-
ed, and becomes wide spread, filling the
land, and influencing powerfully human
governments, there you will invariably find
the greatest prosperity, among men—the
greatest development of intellect—the best
state of morals, and the most powerful
governments. To what can it be attribu-
able but to the influence of Christianity?

There is still another obstacle in the
way of our Buddhist friend to believing in
the superior utility of the Christian re-
ligion, and that is the poor and dwarfish
examples he has seen among the natives
of this country wh? are professing Chris-
tians. Concerning such he says, "that he
has not seen them have any prosperity, on
the contrary they are much in debt and in
slavery. Why does not that light come
and shine on them, better than on those
who are not Christians?" Our answer is,
that if this statement of his be a true one
it is because that they are only Christians
in name and not in heart. In other words
they are more hypocrites so that according
to the words of Christ, the light of the
gospel shined in darkness upon them, "and
the darkness comprehended it not." And
it is much to be feared that most of those
who have made a profession of Christianity
under the teaching of Protestant missionaries
are of this class, and that nine hundred
and ninety nine in a thousand of the people
under Roman catholic Jeautism in all Siam
are of the same stamp. We would beg
our Buddhist advocate not to refer to such
at all as examples of the degree of light
and prosperity which Christianity imports
to individuals and communities and states
that truly believe and obey the teachings of
Christ. Such are but false witnesses against
Christianity.

If our friend would have a glance at
what a little of the true lew of Christianity
will do among an idolatrous people after
due time is given to it to work, let him look at
the beginning of the English nation, when
all the people of her isles were wading as
deep in heathenism as any of the Budd-
hist nations. Let him look at all Europe
which was once sunk in heathenism and ig-
norance. Let him look to more modern
instances of the power of Christianity to
elevate an noble the most degraded idol-
aters the world ever saw.—I mean the Sand-
wich islanders. Only fifty years ago they
were far below the Siamese. But now they
are above them in general knowledge and
they are classed among the enlightened
Christian nations. Let our Buddhist ad-
vocate come still nearer home and look in
upon his neighbors the Karens, whom the
Siamese are wont to despise as ignorant
woodsend. Let him listen to the meads of
praise which the English Commissioners in
Burmah are frequently giving them touch-
ing their rapid advancement in literature
practical wisdom and influence under the
teachings of the Christian Missionaries a-
mong them.

But our friend in extenuation of the
great mental darkness, which he seems
to concede does indeed reign over all
Buddhist countries, says, "Buddhism is
very deep and intricate, and difficult to
be understood." If so then surely it is a
religion not designed by its author to benefit
the great masses of mankind. It is not like
Christianity" which a wayfaring man
though a fool may read " and understand
even when he runneth. And this testimony
of our Buddhist advocate we fully believe
is a fair one, and hence we draw from it one
of our strongest arguments against Budd-
hism as having come from any pure and
benevolent being. Surely if Buddha were
as wise, good, and powerful as his friends
believe him to have been, he would have
taught a religion that could be easily un-
derstood by children as well as men, by the
masses as well as by a few of the marvel-
ously studious and selfdenying. But ac-
cording to our antagonist a man must first
annihilate himself, as it were, "become
indifferent to every thing," before he can
hope to understand Buddhism. In other
words "It is only those who have a
firm unshaken belief in it, that can live
up to it at all." Hence Buddhism
offers no-aid to any who have any human
sensibility remaining in their souls when
they pass into the future state. If such be
Buddhism no wonder its advocate con-
cludes that it would be useless, in the pres-
ent enlightened age of the world to "go
abroad and teach it in other countries." It
not according to his own fable a vast
"bundle of straw" without even a kernal
of good grain in it.

We most earnestly pray that our gentle-
manly friend, and advocate of this system
may see it as we do and forsake it for
Christianity, by which he may receive al-
mighty aid to enable him to resist the de-
praved will, and overcome the world the
flesh and the devil, and reap at death life
everlasting.

Arrivals.

The principle local event which has tran-
spired during the fortnight was the arrival
and departure of the steamer Chow Phya.
H. Alabaster Fsq. Interpreter to H. B. M.
Consulate who left here about a year ago
for a visit home was one of the passengers
per Chow Phya. One of the most pleasing
features connected with Mr Alabaster's re-
turn is that he has brought Mrs Alabaster
with him. G. W. Virgin Esq. also returned
per Chow Phya.

Mr Thomas Millar who left this some
three years ago has also arrived, Mr Millar
came via China.

The future prospects of America.

The Toronto Globe, of a recent date,
writes as follows:—

With their characteristic readiness to
drive a trade the merchants and people of
the United States will not be long in get-
ting into a position to meet their custom-
ers, on the other side of the Atlantic, at
least half way. With peace restored at the
South, and millions of skilled cultivators
ready to work for wages, the plantation of
the South may soon be made to bloom with
cotton, if the dominant party there only
will that it shall be so, by giving less atten-
tion to politics and more to work. A rich
harvest of prosperity is before them, if they
will cordially aquiesce in and carry out the
maxim that "the labourer is worthy of his
hire," and attempt no longer to live upon
the unrequited toil of the African. Never
were better prospect for recovering from
the disasters of a war before any people than
those which now present themselves to the
people of the cotton growing States. Eng-
land, France, the Northern States, and Ca-
nada, want their cotton; and they are wil-
ling to pay liberally for it. If they would
but cease their bickerings about caste, they
would soon reap a rich reward. Vessels,
flying the flags of all nations, would crowd
their harbours to exchange commodities
with them, giving occupation to flotillas of
steamers and barges upon their rivers, and
to railways yet unbuilt. And, in a very
few years, they would find wealth pouring
into their coffers, from all parts of the world
under the free-labour system as it never
could do under the blighting system to
which they have been so long, so blindly,
and so almost hopelessly wedded.

Don't write Poetry.

The following advice can be best appre-
ciated by editors. We find it in an ex-
change paper:-—"Don't write poetry. If
you can not help it, if it sings in your
head and will be heard, why then there is
no other way but to put it upon paper,
and send it to the printer. But try to
help it if you can. There are only two or
three poets alive at any one time. A great
poet makes and marks an age; and poor
poets, or those who think they are poets
and are not, are plenty as blackberries.
Every hamlet has its poetaster. O! how
much valuable white paper is spoiled by
those who think they can write poetry.
You may make correct verse with faultless
rhymes, and there is not a gleam of poetry
in it. Poetry requires a peculiar faculty,
the imagination; and you may have genius,
sense, and learning, and the power of ex-
pression so to write prose to rival Burke or
Johnson, and after all may make yourself
ridiculous by trying your hand at poetry.
Write prose."

"Mr. Rassy, 482 New Oxford street, in-
ventor of buttons for trowsers that never
come off"-—are the words of an advertise-
ment in a London paper.