The Bangkok Recorder.

A Weekly journal will be issued from the
printing office of the American Missionary
Association, at the mouth of the Canal,
"Klong Bangkok Yai." It will contain such
Political, Literary, Scientific, Commercial, and
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of the general patronage.

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"Come Unto Me."

—-FROM ST. STEPHEN, THE SABBATH

Telegrama.

Our Telegrams extend no later than
to the 10th instant: A Telegram is said
to have been received at Galle before the
steamer left, dated London, 15th Sept.,
stating trade generally to be very dull;
but no copy of this has come on to Sing-
pore.

London, September, 7th,—The Times
denies the report of the Marriage of the
King of Greece to the Princess Louise.

London September 8th.—The Prus-
sian chamber voted for the annexation
bill almost unanimously.

New York, SEPTEMBER, 7TH.—Mr.
Seward presented Romero to President
Johnson, who said he hoped Mexico
could be freed from foreign invasion by
November.

[The following European news we ex-
tract from the Straits Times.]

European Summary.

The Berlin Cabinet has refused the
French demand for a rectification of
frontier ; and the Emperor has declared
that their friendly relations shall not be
disturbed in consequence.

The Emperor Napoleon has written to
King Leopold to assure him that no in-
tention is entertained of annexing any
part of Belgium.

The principal inhabitants of Jamaica
have presented addresses to General
Eyre on his departure. Subscriptions
are being entered into in England for his
defence against prosecution. He has
been invited to a public banquet at
Southampton.

Stephens, the Fenian leader, has an-
nounced in America that a rebellion will
break out in Ireland within the present
year. Preparations are making for an-
other raid into Canada.

Negotiations for peace between Prus-
sia and Bavaria are proceeding favour-
ably.

An armistice has been signed for four
weeks between Austria and Italy.

A deputation of bankers has asked the
Chancellor of the Exchequer to relax the
restrictions on the issue of bank notes.

A deputation from Birmingham urged
the necessity of reducing the present rate
of discount.

Reform meetings, demanding manhood
suffrage and ballot, continue to be held.

A revolution has broken out in the city
of Mexico.

The cholera, upon an average of days,
is slightly diminishing in London.

The investigation into the plot against
the life of the Emperor of Russia has led
to the discovery of secret revolutionary
societies.

The insurrection in Candia has assum-
ed formidable dimensions.

The mission of the Prussian General
Manteuffel to St. Petersburg has been
completely successful.

Mr. Baker, the African traveler, has
been knighted.

Great loss of life has been occasioned
by a dreadful crush of people in Paris,
on the night of the Emperor’s fête.

A conflagration has occurred in Ant-
werp, involving an immense destruction
of property.

(FROM THE HOME NEWS, AUGT. 27.)

Peace has been signed with Prussia by
Austria and Bavaria.

The Emperor Napoleon has assured
the English Government that he does
not contemplate the acquisition of any
Belgian territory.

A public banquet has been given to
ex-Governor Eyre in Southampton. On
the same evening a counter-meeting was
held in the town. Mr. Eyre has been
since invited to banquets at Bath, Chip-
penham, and Cambridge.

Disturbances are spreading in Mexico,
and the Imperialists have suffered seri-
ous defeats.

French ships are fitting out to convey
the last of the French troops home from
Mexico.

Prussia has inflicted on Saxony a fine
of two millions and a half sterling for
having taken up arms in the late war.

A petition is getting up in Belgium,
praying the King to place native Bel-
gians and not Frenchmen at the head of
the War and Foreign departments.

A political amnesty, including Mazzi-
ni, has been declared in Italy.

Much popular irritation exists in Paris
against Prussia.

An insurrection of Polish exiles has
broken out in Siberia, and been suppress-
ed.

Military law still prevails in New Or-
leans.

Queen Emma of the Sandwich Islands
has arrived in New York.

The Empress of Mexico has left Paris.

A separate ministry is to be conceded
to Hungary.

The insurrection in Candia has ob-
tained important successes.

The grand jury of Middlesex have
made a presentment to the effect that
grand juries are practically useless.

The cattle plague is rapidly diminish-
ing in England.

Extraordinary cases of bribery have
been discovered by the commission ap-
pointed to inquire into the last Great
Yarmouth election.

Prussia.

The Lower Chamber has announced
its acceptance of the reorganization of
the army, and will vote all required sup-
plies if only it may retain the full control
of the budget. The government an-
nounces that it wants about £9,000,000,
which it will obtain by issuing Treasury
notes. A bill has been introduced estab-
lishing a German Parliament, on the
basis of universal suffrage and one mem-
ber to every 100,000 persons. It has
been delayed, though published, as the
Premier wishes the annexations to take
precedence.

On Sunday, August 19, the king re-
ceived the address in reply to the speech
from the throne voted by the Upper
House. It is reported that his majesty
asked the members of the deputation
which presented the address, "whether
any one of them believed five weeks ago
that such results would have been obtain-
ed in so short a time. As for himself,
he did not believe it. Every one did his
duty, but it was to God that thanks were
due for the great things which had been
accomplished, and every one should in
entire humility rejoice in the divine be-
nediction." The king requested the de-
putation to give his thanks to the Upper
House for their conduct in supporting
the new organization which is in course
of preparation in spite of the efforts made
in other quarters to impede this move-
ment. The son of a prince, it was easy
to understand how reluctant he was to
deprive princes of their possessions. A
painful struggle took place in his own
mind on this subject, and the conviction
alone that such a measure was necessary
for the welfare of the country dictated
his decision.

In the sitting on the 20th of the Lower
House committee on the bill for the elec-
tions to a German Parliament, the govern-
ment commissioner declared that the
whole of Prussia would belong to the
new Confederation, and that a bill would
be drawn up in conjunction with the other
Confederate governments to determine
the competency of the new Bund. He
further stated that the aim of the govern-
ment was to bring about, not merely a
personal, but a material union of the an-
nexed States with Prussia. On the 23rd,
the debate on the address, in reply to the
speech from the throne, took place in the
Lower House.

The annexation gives the Prussian
monarchy an increase of 961 square
(German) miles, with 3,000,000 of in-
habitants; and if we add Holstein and
Schleswig, we have a territory of 292
square miles and 1,000,000 of inhabitants.
It will now form a State of 5387 square
miles and 23,000,000 inhabitants.

A telegram from Berlin of August 23
states that peace had been signed between
Prussia and Bavaria. The territories to
be ceded by Bavaria to Prussia comprise
the districts of Orb, Gersfeld, Hilters,
and Tham, situated in Lower Franconia.
These districts contain in all 40,000 in-
habitants. According to a French paper,
Bavaria is to pay Prussia 30,000,000 florins
towards the expenses of the war. The
Bavarian Chambers are summoned, and
the terms of peace accepted by Prussia
are to be laid before them.

The treaty of peace between Austria
and Prussia was also signed at Prague on
the evening of the 23rd, and sent to Vien-
na for ratification. After the ratifications
have been exchanged the evacuation of
the Austrian territory occupied by the
Prussian army will commence immedi-
ately. Three weeks is said to be the term
fixed for the complete evacuation of
Bohemia.

The Prussian official report on the bat-
tle of Koniggratz computes the loss of
the Austrians at 40,000 men, 18,000 be-
ing prisoners, without wounds; and the
number of Prussians killed and wounded
at nearly 10,000. According to another
Prussian official report the following are
the losses sustained by the Prussians dur-
ing the late war:—4472 dead, 5341
severely wounded, 8885 slightly wounded,
2569 missing, making a total of 19,267.

Various stories are told of Count Bis-
marck. The first is told as occurring on
occupation of the village of Nikolsburg
by the Prussians, when many of the in-
habitants complained of the exactions of
the Prussian commandant:—

One of them, a Jew, so loud and bit-
ter in his complaints that some Prussian
soldiers who happened to be passing at
the time seized him and began to strike
him with their muskets. Count Bismarck,
hearing the noise, now came up, in the
uniform of a major of the Landwehr, and
asked what was the matter. The soldiers
explained that the Jew had been speak-
ing in offensive terms of the Prussians.
"It isn't true," exclaimed the Jew, who
did not know the Prussian minister, "I
was not abusing the army, but that Bis-
marck. All eyes now turned inquiringly
towards the Premier, who, however,
quietly rejoined, "Let him go; he has
only done what many others did before
him."

Italy.

The feeling in Italy seems now to be
all in favour of peace and of a speedy
settlement of the present uncertain state
of things. The following expressions of
'l' Italie' may be taken as a fair sample
of these sentiments :—

The wishes of public opinion in Italy
are very clear at this moment. The coun-

try desires as soon as possible to see an
end of the negotiations which henceforth
seem devoid of all serious object, and to
take possession of Venice and the Quadri-
lateral. For more than six weeks Italy
has been thrown like a shuttlecock from
deception to deception, and, if the truth
must be told, she has not understood nor
does she now understand the meaning of
all that has passed. But she sees clearly
that we are no further advanced to-day
than on the 6th of July, and she wishes
at least to assure herself of some results
gained by the great sacrifice.

Baron Ricasoli has addressed a circular
to the prefects and sub-prefects of Italy,
in which he says:—-

Last night I communicated the news
of the signature of the armistice, and
negotiations for peace will now commence,
which the government will endeavour to
render honorable and useful to the country.
Impress upon the people, and also upon
the press, that this is no time for resistance
or recrimination. The internal and exter-
nal condition of the country is known to
every one. But if true patriotism brings
to light the evils of the country, it also
knows how to conceal them when neces-
sary, and to remedy them in due season.
It is patriotism we need now, the essential
characteristic of which is not to substi-
tute personal desires for the necessities of
the country. Bitter controversy and inop-
portune recrimination would be a proof
of external weakness, which benefit our
enemies in every manner, and disturb the
action of the government, which has now
more than ever need to be free, and to be
supported by public opinion in entering
upon the peace negotiations. I feel that
the government has a right to the confi-
dence of the Italians, for it will do every-
thing that can conduce to the welfare of
the country. It is resolved to fulfil its
duty to the end, and to exert all its efforts
to enable Italy to issue stronger and more
assured from her present position. Con-
fidence in the government, concord and
moderation among the citizens, such are
the sentiments from which will arise the
strength which will enable us to triumph
over the obstacles, and accomplish in a
fitting manner the destinies of the nation.

Rome.

The Roman question remains unchang-
ed. The Pope has not yet come to any
resolution. His holiness's attitude is
still passive.

The official journal of August 21st
say :—-

Signor Giacomo Commin, deputy to
the Florence Parliament, has been con-
ducted to the Pontifical frontier, solely
for using a false passport, contrary to
law. Other deputies and senators have
previously visited Rome without ever
having been molested, notwithstanding
their intemperate language in Parliament
and their hatred against the Catholic
Church.

France.

The emperor's health has improved.
The Paris correspondent of the 'Globe'
writes on the evening of August 22:—
"The emperor, after having twice re-
ceived the last sacraments, and having
been on the point of death from half the
diseases to which flesh is 'heir, miracu-
lously recovered, and now drives ou
daily."

Prince Napoleon has left for Switzer-
land.

The 'Moniteur' of August 21 con-
tradicts the statement that the Emperor
Napoleon had written a letter to the
King of the Belgians, giving him an as-
surance that he has no intention of an-
nexing Belgian territory. It says:—

Although it is true that the French
Minister for Foreign Affairs has inform-
ed the British Government that France
would not demand the fortresses of Ma-
rienburg and Philippeville, which are in
the hands of a neutral Power, it is not
correct that the emperor has written to
the King of the Belgians.

The 'Patrie' contradicts a report
which had gained currency, that the em-
peror will only give Venetia to Italy
conditionally.

The Empress of Mexico left Paris on
August 23 for Miramar.

The 'Gazette du Midi' asserts that
some ships fitting out for Mexico are to
convey reinforcements to the French
troops in that country, instead of to
bring home those which are already
there.

Turkey.

The insurrection in Candia has reach-
ed serious proportions. Several of the
foreign commission, especially those of
Holland, Sweden; and the United States,
have suffered considerable damage, and
the consuls have protested. Intelligence
received viâ Trieste states that the in-
surgents, 25,000 strong, occupy import-
ant positions. The population is much
incensed against the Turks, and the lat-
ter are not in sufficient force to suppress
the revolt.

Latest.
Prussia.

The manner in which Prussia is treat-
ing the kingdom of Saxony is described
by a Paris paper as extremely harsh,
notwithstanding the generous interposi-
tion of France and Austria in its behalf.
A million and a half sterling is the fine
inflicted by the government of Berlin on
the Saxons in the shape of a war contri-
bution for having taken arms in the late
conflict on the side of the Austrians. To
this amount, strong objection might not
be taken ; but if it be true, as stated,
that Saxony has been forced to complete
a treaty transferring the command and
the organization of its army to King
William, the penalty is considered out of
all proportion excessive for the offence
of asserting its own independence and
aiding a faithful neighbour and ally in
his extremity. Meanwhile it is reported
from Leipsic that the Liberal national
party in Saxony are unanimously in fa-
vour of the incorporation of their country
with Prussia. They held a meeting on
Aug. 25, at which a resolution was pas-
sed to the effect that the common in-
terests of Germany would thereby be
best secured. That failing, it was re-
commended as an alternative that mili-
tary and diplomatic affairs should be
vested in Prussia, and commercial mat-
ters, both administrative and legislative,
in the government of the new Confeder-
ation.

By the treaty of peace signed at Pra-
gue on the 24th August, between Austria
and Prussia, the emperor consents to the
union of Venetian Lombardy with the
kingdom of Italy, conditional only upon
the payment by the latter of the debts
which shall be recognized as the share
of the ceded territory. The precedent
for this arrangement is the treaty of
Zurich, under which Milanese Lombardy
was transferred to Italy. But, notwith-
standing this arrangement, it appears to
be by no means clear that all difficulties
are removed. It is said the Italian re-
presentative in the negotiations with
Austria is authorized to demand the re-
stitution of national relics and objects of
art which Austria has carried away from
Venetia, including the iron crown of
Lombardy.

Austria.

It is asserted that immediately after
the ratification of the peace treaty with
Prussia, the interior questions relating to
the constitution of the empire will be
settled. "The principle of a separate
administration of Hungary and Austria
will," it is said, "prevail in the new pol-
itical organization of the empire. An
imperial manifesto will be published,
granting responsible ministries to Hun-
gary with such power of independent
action as is compatible with the unity of
the empire." It is further stated that
the emperor will reside during several
months of the year at Buda, in Hungary.

America.

A telegram from New York, dated
August 23d, transmitted by the Atlantic
telegraph, announces that "President
Johnson had abandoned the Fenian pro-
secutions."

Our advices by mail steamer are to
August 16, and among the more import-
ant items of intelligence are the sub-
joined :—-

The Great National Union Convention
was opened on August 14th at Philadel-
phia, and General Dix elected temporary
chairman. Great enthusiasm prevailed,
and the mention of President Johnson's
name elicited prolonged applause. The
Convention adjourned on the 16th, after
passing resolutions declaring the Union
and the constitution to be restored, and
that neither Congress nor government
could deny representation to any State.
The resolutions urge the people to elect
none but men admitting this principle.
The right to prescribe qualification for
the elective franchise is reserved to States.
No State can withdraw from the Union,
nor by its action in Congress exclude an-
other State from the Union. The reso-
lutions further tender sincere support to
President Johnson.

The cholera is slowly abating in New
York, but it is becoming epidemic in the
interior and at several points on the coast.
The disease has appeared at Chicago,
Memphis, and other interior cities.

A bill has passed the Canadian Parlia-
ment prohibiting persons suspected of
disloyalty in Canada, drilling or carrying
arms.

—-Charms strike the sight, but merit
wins the soul.

—-It may not be generally known that
editors get one important item of subsis-
tence at a low price-—they get nomaid for
nothing.

—-"I say Jim," says one friend to an-
other, "I hear our friend A. has been in
the oil speculation heavily ; has he made
anything?" "Oh yes," says Jim, "he
has made an assignment."

Bangkok Recorder.

Birth-day of the King of Siam.

By the many flags of all nations
which we see floating on the flagstaffs
at the royal palace, the palaces of all
the princes, the nobles and lords and
the Siamese shipping in port, we are
reminded that this day is the 62nd an-
niversary of the birth of His Majesty
the king of Siam. Most heartily do
we wish him a happy new year; and
we would have been quite well pleased
to attend his birth-day dinner party
which came off this evening in the
royal palace, had we been honored
with an invitation to it. But this
honor it did not please His Majesty
to give us, nor one of our brethren
the mere missionaries, nor one of the
foreign merchants, as we learn, be-
cause he has been led by some pecu-
liar European influence, not necessary
now to name, to think that it is not
customary in monarchical and imperi-
al governments for a monarch or em-
peror to allow mere clergymen and
merchants to sit at his table on such
an occasion in company with consuls
and bishops, as the former are sup-
posed to rank below the latter. Hence
His Majesty, being himself a mon-
arch, and wishing to conform to Eu-
ropean usages as much as he conveni-
ently can, invited all the consuls, to-
gether with the Roman catholic bis-
hop and the vicar apostolic of Siam to
his birth-day dinner. But we hear
that there was one consul among them
of whom the king stood in doubt
whether his presence would be agree-
able to certain European dignitaries
whom he thought it all important to
please, and that therefore he sent to
obtain their views on the question be-
fore-hand. The doubt was not as to
character but solely as to rank.

We learn that that eclectic party had
as good a time by themselves as they
had last year, that the dinner was full
equal to that of any of its predecessors,
that His Majesty looked full as hale
and robust as he did ten years ago,
that he promises to have at least fifteen
years of good health added to his
illustrious reign, and that he was quite
gracious to them all, but showing some
preferences.

Now the reader of this may ask are
you sporting with words, or are you
really in earnest in saying that His
Majesty did not invite any of the mere
missionaries and foreign merchants to
his birth-day dinner? To be sure
we are in sober earnest, for it is a fact
that none of us were invited to that
dinner. But still it is due to truth
to say that the king did not fail to
remember us as his old and tried
friends, for he sent us a very conde-
scending and polite invitation to dine
at his palace on the second day of his
new year, wishing us to bestow our
individual and collective blessings up-
on him and his dynasty. How many
of us his second class friends will at-
tend, we are not prepared to say; and
can only for ourselves apologize for
non-compliance by offering the excuse
that we are too Republican in spirit, ev-
en "dyed in the wool" to encourage by
our influence such foolish distinctions
of honor made among persons invited
to a celebration of a birthday in any
man's mansion or palace, but more
especially that of a monarch, who is
expected to have adequate room in
his heart and in his palace to receive
all his invited friends at one and the
same time, and to treat them essen-
tially alike. We conceive that such
an occasion as that of a birthday cele-
bration, like that of a wedding, is the
last place for any man, be he a peas-
ant or a monarch, to divide the friends
he accounts worthy of being invited
to it, into different castes, and seating
them at separate tables. This mere
statement of the case must carry with
it abundant evidence to any civilized
and educated mind, not highly in-
flated with the pride of station, that
such gradations at such times are, and
cannot but be abhorrent to good
breeding. But it is not strange that
a heathen monarch should naturally
consider such a course as quite unex-
ceptionable, especially if he be taught
so by European consuls, and that he
would need to be reasoned with on
the subject to show him its inpro-
priety. Hence we do not and cannot
entertain any unfriendly feelings to-
wards His Majesty for the course he
has taken. But we do feel to censure
strongly those persons from christian
nations who have advised him to take
it. We did hope that the experience
of the two last royal birthday celebra-
tions would be full enough to induce
the king to return to his former cus-
tom of having all his invited friends
seated at tables in the same hall and
at the same time, mixing consuls,
clergymen, merchants, and others to-
gether in a common and pleasant
brotherhood. With the exception of
one and at the most two Europeans,
the unanimous testimony of all the
guests at these annual celebrations
and that of the king's we doubt not,
was then and is now that such com-
mingling of rank and feeling is in-
deed as pleasant as heart could wish
for such an occasion.

Domestic Animals.

We propose now, after a long inter-
val of five months to resume our se-
ries on domestic animals. The last
animal we wrote about under this
head was the little house lizard or the
gecko. We will in this article de-
scribe another animal belonging to
the same genus, scientifically classed
among the Saurians, and in which
class belong crocodiles or alligators.
Preposterous, some of our readers
may think, to class a species of the
alligator among domestic animals! But
wait a little and we will show good
reasons for what we do. The animal
we now allude to is called by the Sia-
mese tookkaa, being so named because
it always utters this word when it
speaks. Its general form is much like
that of an alligator but a thousand
times smaller. We class it among our
domestic animals because it makes its
home in our houses, and is a harmless,
serviceable, social, and beautiful crea-
ture as seen on our walls and ceiling,
coming out every evening to look at
you, and serve you in hunting and
catching bugs and beetles that are an-
noying you by buzzing about your
lamps and your heads.

A full sized tookkaa is about ten
inches long from the extremity of its
jaws to the end of its tail, the latter
being full one third of its whole length.
Its head is somewhat of the dart shape
being one and a fourth of an inch long,
an inch wide from side to side, and
three quarters of an inch thick. The
two small nasal orifices are quite near
the extremity of the upper jaw; the
eyes, being as large as a small pea and
beautifully black are set in the sides
of the head a quarter of an inch be-
hind the nasal passages; and the ears
are placed quite in the posterior part
of the head.

The tookkaa is a quadruped, hav-
ing legs two inches long with five toes
on each foot, armed each with a sharp
claw. The balls of the toes look much
like a fine rasp, but when seen through
a glass on which they are holding, the
grooves of the rasp-appearance entire-
ly disappear. This must be the
mechanism of divine make by which
they are enabled to exhaust the air
between their toes and the ceiling,
and walk with their backs downward.
But they sometimes forget to use it
and hence fall from the ceiling pro-
ducing a concussion which quite stuns
them. Sometimes they fall on your
heads and by their claws shock you
dreadfully.

There is a great similarity in the
color of tookkaas, which is a very
curious arrangement of pale red spots
on a pale green ground—the red occu-
pying less than a third of the entire
superfices. The order is such as to
form nine or ten green circles around
the body some three quarters of an
inch apart. The red spots on the
back are a little protuberant, but on
the belly they are quite smooth.
Looking at the creatures without a
glass, they appear to be covered with
a coat of mail made of the smallest
glass beads very closely set. But
when you take a magnifying glass you
find that the beads are only scales
neatly lapped on each other. There
is the appearance of a small corded
seam on each side of the belly mark-
ing, as it were, its boundary.

The jaws of tookkaas are capable
of sufficient expansion to grasp the
largest beetles; but they make a singu-
lar ado in getting them ready for
swallowing. Beetles being too large to
swallow at once without any prelim-
inaries as they do flies, and too stren-
uous of their own right to life to suc-
comb without a vigorous and prolong-
ed struggle, tookkaas have to work
hard for their living after they have
caught their game. They will give it
three or four hard shakes and taps
on the wall every few minutes, and
this operation they have often to con-
tinue for an hour or more before the
beetle is dead and sufficiently broken
down and softened to admit of swal-
lowing. If the wall or ceiling be of
wood the noise consequent upon this
struggle is much like that of a knock
with the knuckles by a visitor at your
door. And many a time have we
been awaked out of our sleep by it,
supposing that some person was thus
asking for permission to come in.

It was only a few weeks since when
our daughter was startled from sleep
by a rapping at the head of her bed.
She searched the wall thoroughly in
the direction whence the sound came,
but found nothing that could cause it.
Becoming quite nervous about it, and
unable to sleep, she called us up to
her aid. Being accustomed to the
ways of tookkaas we immediately sus-
pected that there was one of the crea-
tures on the outside of the ceiling
knocking the life out of a beetle. We
took a lamp, and opening the window
blinds looked outside in the direction
of the sound, and there we saw one of
the largest tookkaas doing just the
thing we had suspected. Taking a
long stick, we struck him fairly and
sent him down to the ground when
we went down and captured him as
he was badly wounded. We put him
into a glass bottle to preserve his life
until we could take time to give him
a thorough examination, and hence the
minute account we have now given of
the tookkaa.

We feel that we cannot well afford
to loose the present opportunity to
relate a circumstance which occurred
to one of our foreign merchants here
more than a year ago, in which we
fully believe a tookkaa figured large-
ly. Our friend the merchant related
the affair to us himself and was great-
ly puzzled to know how to account
for it. He was no believer in ghost
apparitions, nor witch stories, nor spi-
rit rappings. So far as we can re-
member his account of the matter it is
as follows. He was sleeping alone in his
bedroom near his office and his money
chest—being somewhat skittish of
thieves, and consequently had several
servants within call, whom he might
speedily summon to his aid in case of
a tussle with a burglar. He was
awaked in the dead of might by a mis-
terious rapping on the outer wall of
his bed-room. He got up and searched
for the cause but found it not. He
rapped heavily on the wall with his
hands, but that only lengthened the
intervals of the concealed rapping.
Thinking that perhaps it might be
some mischievous person playing a
joke upon him from the outside, he
hallowed to fright him away; and see-
ing that this produced little or no
change in the rapping, he took his
pistol and sent several balls through
the ceiling in the direction of the rap-
ping. But this remedy likewise fail-
ing, he and his men went out to search
outside, but found no reasonable
cause of the mystery. The rapping
was continued at intervals sometime
after that, and our friend could scarce-
ly settle his mind in regard to it even
after our explanation of it. He was
not willing to think that he has been
so humbugged by a tookkaa.

Tookkaas lay their eggs in concealed
nooks and corners of our houses, but
not in any thing like a nest. Having
singular power over gravitation in re-
gard to their own bodies, they are en-
abled to extend the same to their eggs,
and stick them up on the side of the
wall. They are about the size of spar-
rows eggs and of a purple colour.

The noise which a tookkaa makes
as intimated above is simply the utter-
ance of its name, and that is loud en-
ough to be heard many hundred yards
distant. They speak the name eight
or ten times in succession with inter-
vals of two or three seconds between
each. They begin their set speeches
with a strong and distinct utterance of
the name tookkaa, and very gradually
diminish the volume of the sound of
each utterance until the close of the
series, when it amounts to but little
more than a grunt, as if the lungs had
become quite exhausted of air.

Now this is an awful sound to one
unaccustomed to it when waked by it
in the dead of night. We remember
how an old friend of ours was startled
by it when sleeping in a barrack of a
house some 30 years ago when he
first came to this city. Had not the
sound come to him in such measured
accents, he would have thought that it
was a warning from some human
friend to rouse up and take care of
himself from fire or from thieves, for
the utterances are much like that of
one saying take care-take care. But
it was too formal and too cool and
prolonged to be thus interpreted.
What on earth thought he can it be!
Is it a voice from the tombs warning
me of death? No, for this has never
been any part of my education—-that is
all a humbug. Can it be a satanic
influence. Well, it is possible though
he at least indirectly through his em-
issaries. So he looked about for the
rascal who was trying to scare him,
and behold it was only a tookhaa.

The Present King of Siam.

The Laws and usages as adopted
by the present king.

The Manner of rewarding service.

Modes of punishing crime.

Stimulus afforded to labor.

The above chapters will appear in
future Numbers. The XV chapter
has the following:—

Siam in the light of its own past
history is, even in the treatment of wo-
man, on the march of improvement,
and the king in the company of refor-
mers. Think of the last king of Siam,
He is said to have had three hundred
wives. This is what will be remem-
bered of him in coming time. He did
no great good that will live after him,
and as a polygamist he will be noto-
rious in all time, as among the great-
est of law breakers.

When the present king came to the
throne he proposed a reform in this
respect. We are only sorry he has
succeeded no more perfectly. In some
respects there has even in this depart-
ment been a great reform. In the
former reign a pretty girl of the com-
mon people could not be trusted alone
even in the vicinity of her own door.
They were stolen frequently, when
found in the streets to present to the
nobility to become play actresses in
their theatres. But we hear of no such
evil doing at the present time. Peo-
ple do present their pretty girls, it is
true, to be trained up in the families
of the nobility but there seems now
no compulsion in the matter.

In some instances where ladies have
been appropriated contrary to their
own wishes, the king has freed them
from the tyrants who would have op-
pressed them and redressed their
wrongs. In his own household, he
has in several instances, allowed the
daughters of noblemen, who had been
presented to him, and were unhappy
in their new relations, to return freely
to their old homes and choose whom
they would as partners of life, though
they had once been allied to royalty.
This is all honorable and as it should
be, and the king has allowed all the
ladies far greater freedom and more
occasions of social intercourse and so-
cial pleasure then all that have gone
before him. Let the ladies honor his
benevolence. But was it not possi-
ble for him to have refrained from be-
coming a polygamist. He had expe-
rience which ought to have given him
wisdom to act on two great questions
poligamy and the celibacy of the
priesthood. Could poligamy be abo-
lished in this country a great obstacle
would be out of the track of progress.
Could celibacy cease to be binding
on the priesthood another great good
would be done.

The king was a long time in the
priesthood. Did his experience tell
him that celibacy was a promoter of
virtue and goodness; or can he say
with the great maker of the human
race, it is not good for man to be
alone. Celibacy is not essential to
Buddhism. It is said that Buddhist
priests in Thibet marry. If they could
be allowed to marry in Siam it would
be one step in the march of reforma-
tion, and there would be one less need
of a plurality of wives for others. The
wives of the laymen would not need,
as they often do now, to cook the
priests breakfast and deliver it into
their hands thanking them for the
privilege, while the customs of the
country debar the priests from those
female influences which would make
them thrifty and provident and far
more upright, exemplary and useful.

The king as a polygamist must
have had lessons of wisdom. He must
have had great perplexities. It is
an inevitable consequence with hu-
man nature as it is; and the scene is
not finished when he passes away; the
evils will be complicated and number-
less and without redress. In the mo-
ments of his serious reflection the king
must often be brought near the au-
nouncement of the great maker. Let
the man leave father and mother and
cleave to the wife and "they twain
shall be one flesh."

When the father of the present king
left the throne vacant, this son had al-
ready arrived at the age of manhood.
He had married a descendant of the
great PHYA TAK and had two sons. An
elder brother was placed on the
throne, royal only on the father's side,
and the present king, seemingly, from
his fully royal parentage, the real heir,
giving up his wife and two sons re-
mained in the priesthood more than
twenty years. In the meantime, his
wife was lost to him forever, and his
sons grew up to manhood without the
guiding hand of the father. Was it
well for him that he gave up his wife
and the training of his children? We
think not.

There is nothing in the sacred rela-
tion of marriage, properly entered up-
on, that will hinder in the faithful dis-
charge of our duties. The need of a
help mate was coeval with the creation
of man, and the relation properly en-
tered upon and properly sustained is
a promoter of all that is lovely and of
good report.

When the present king came to the
throne it was directly from the clois-
ter to be ushered into the company
of a great community of women. There
were the relics of his brother's three
hundred wives with their women at-
tendants, and his brother's sixteen
daughters the youngest already in her
teens, his sisters and aunts and nieces,
who had been all clustered around the
throne. In old Bible times it was con-
sidered a great calamity when seven
women took hold of one man wishing
protection and support. But here
more than seventy times seven expec-
ted to be provided for out of the ro-
yal treasury and to be furnished with
a home and protection from the
throne. And it was now demanded
from an ex-priest who had for more
than twenty years been living in clois-
tered halls, where he was forbidden
to touch even the finger tips of his
own mother.

It is a marvel he has managed them
all so well and especially when we re-
member that he has had in addition a
whole troop of young wives, with a
large circle of sons and daughters to
love alike and promote equally or
arouse a domestic disturbance. We
wonder at the skill that has marked
his career. Yet we must sincerely de-
plore the whole system. Its operations
are most destructive to all virtue and
all domestic happiness throughout the
realm. It cultivates 'loose morals and
forms a kind of society that opposes
few restraints to the progress of vice.

LOCAL.

His Majesty the king of Siam re-
turned from NAKAWN SAWAN on the
morning of the 6th inst., having been
absent six days. It is reported that
His Majesty took tne sun at that city,
and has ascertained the exact latitude
and longitude of the place. It is very
pleasant to think that the king spends
a good portion of the time he devotes
to pleasure excursions in thus measu-
ring the sun, as the Siamese call it,
and other kindred scientifical recrea-
tion from Court duties.

We learn that His Majesty is to
take another excursion in eight or ten
days to PITSANOOLOKE, a city situated
a little East of North of Bangkok on
the most Eastern branch of the Me-
nam, and distant from this, we should
judge, about three hundred miles. His
Majesty makes these trips at the North
in his royal steam yatch. The river
being more than full of water at this
season of the year, he hence meets with
but little of the impediments in ma-
king them hat he would do at other
seasons.

His Excellency Chow Phya Kala-
home and suit left this P. M. for a
pleasure trip to RAT BOREE by the
inland route, and hence went in one
of his beautiful oar-barges being at-
tended by many others. It is said
that he has gone to sewt hatin—-that
is, to present yellow robes to the priests
in the Buddhist temples in that city,
and that he will be absent about a
week.

WEATHER.-—Our wet season is now
daily withdrawing its forces which is
just the right time, and the dry sea-
son is coming in with great richness and
glory. The whole vegetable kingdom
is now displaying itself in its richest
costume. The paddy fields are the
most extensive, beautiful, and promi-
sing, and every creature of all God's
creation and preservation in Siam, ex-
cepting man, is now praising him in
the highest strains "for his goodness
and wonderful works to the children
of men."

We are happy to learn that gas light
has at length been successfully intro-
duced in this city by R. S, Scott &
Co. through the skillfull experiments
of A. Nelson engineer. As yet it has
only been set in operation at the new
Steam Rice Mill of Messrs Scott & Co.
The first experiment was made on last
evening.

That the citizens of Bangkok may
have a good opportunity of witnessing
the beauty and value of gas light as
compared with that of oil, and thus be
induced to exchange the latter for the
former, we are authorized to invite
them to call at the new Rice Mill on
Wednesday the 24th inst. and Wed-
nesday the 31st at 8 o’clock P. M., when
they are promised a good view of the
affair. As it is unquestionably the
first essay in the direction of a great
improvement awaiting this Metropolis,
we hope there will be many witnesses.
It is said that gas light can be made
much less expensive for large estab-
lishments in this city, than oil light.
This consideration, aside from many
others in its favor, is a weighty one
since we have to pay $3 for twenty
catties of cocoanut oil. We beg to
enquire again, is there no relief from
the oppression we suffer in the article
of lamp oil? How is it that petrole-
um cannot be imported with profit to
the importer and with advantage to
those who have long been paying ex-
horbitant prices for cocoanut oil!

We learn that the new Steam Rice
Mill of Messrs R. S. Scott & Co. will
commence running in about a week,
and that it is likely to be found in
some respects an improvement over
the three Steam Mills that have been
introduced before it. These Steam
Mills have already wrought a great
Revolution in the business of hull-
ing the rice of this market, and will
doubtless be multiplied until it shall
be thought, even by Chinese, quite
preposterous to think of employing
native hand mills for preparing Si-
amese rice for exportation. It ap-
pears that the three mills which have
been running during this year have
been doing a grand business.

The Buddhist miracle at temple
Samplume is still in operation, and
is still calling thousands daily, not on-
ly from all parts of the city but king-
dom to witness it and pay their de-
votions to the profile of something
which the recent wet weather has
made in that niche of the temple spire.

We passed the place a day or two
since and found a much greater crowd
and noise of trumpets clarions, conch
shells, beating of the two octave series
of gongs and theatrical proformances
than before. One priest being exce-
edingly animated took us by the hand
and led us to the golden image in a
little building exclusively devoted to
it, which he affirmed was the cause
of that wonderful profile, or glory as
they call it on the spire

We are credibly informed that
even His Majesty the king is quite
impressed with the belief that there
is really a miracle being continually
wrought there by the idol, and that he
has actually had a sketch of the glo-
rious shadow taken for the purpose
of having a copper image made as a
copy of it, that it may be kept in
everlasting remembrance by the
faithful. We hear that he has al-
ready appropriated 500 catties of sil-
ver for that object, and commanded an
artist to proceed directly to the work.

Another view of the affair is,
that the king has really too much
good sense to believe that there is any
miracle in it; but seeing that it fur-
nishes a capital opportunity to make
himself popular with his people, and
to glorify his own reign, and perpetu-
ate his dynasty, he seizes upon it from
purely political motives, and not only
appears to fall in with the popular idea
of it, but even goes ahead of the peo-
ple all, and makes more of it than any
of them had thought of.

It is reported, that the imaginary
image, on being examined a few days
since by a priest regarded the most
holy in the kingdom, manifestly veiled
its glory out of respect to that holy
man, and that when he retired from
the view the veil was removed.

THE king of Cheang Mai has been
prevented from starting homeward by
the elopement of several of his men.
Some of them have been caught and
brought back to service, but the grea-
ter part are still concealed somewhere
doubtless in this modern Babel. To
search for them, under the present city
government, seems much like "looking
for a needle in a haymow."

Sandwich Islands No. 3.

The question naturally arises—-why
did the A. B. C. F. M. think of sending
missionaries to the Sandwich Islands,
so small a people and so little known,
when there were many other heathen
nations vastly more important to whom
they did not send any? The question
may be briefly answered by saying
they did so because God in his provi-
dence sent to New Haven, in the year
1808, a Sandwich Island youth, sub-
sequently named Obookiah, by whom
he aroused the hearts of American
Christians to feel a deep sympathy for
Obookiah’s people in their loneliness,
ignorance, and moral ruin in those isles
of the sea. He was brought to N.
Haven, in company with two other
Sandwich island lads by a ship-master
who touched at Kealakekua and Wai-
mea for supplies. The names of his
two companions were William Kanui
and Thomas Hopu.

Obookiah was a singularly intelligent
youth, and had a wonderful thirst for
knowledge. Having heard that at
Yale college young men had the best
of teachers and acquired knowledge
rapidly, he ardently wished that he
too might be favored with the same
privileges. So much was his heart set
upon this, that one day he was found
sitting on the door steps of one of the
college buildings, "weeping because
the treasures of knowledge were open
to others and not open to him." Mr.
Edwin W. Dwight a pious student at
Yale saw him thus, had compassion on
him, and became his religious teacher,
and the means of his conversion. Such
was the interest which Obookiah, un-
der God, created by his extraordinary
thirst for knowledge, the rapidity with
which he acquired it, his early con-
version, and devoted piety, that in
Dec. 1809 Samuel John Mills writing
to Gordon Hall from New Haven of his
interest in young Obookiah, proposed
that there be missionaries sent to the
Sandwich Islands. Obookiah grew in
knowledge and grace rapidly from
that time onward until the year 1817,
when the A. B. C. F. M. established a
mission school at Cornwall Conn. to
which they appointed Mr. E. W.
Dwight the first preceptor. Obookiah
and four other of his countrymen
constituted half of the first class of
that school. Obookiah the most pro-
mising of them all died the next year
while a member of the class in his 26th
year of his age. "The published ac-
counts of his life and death awakened
great interest among the churches in
behalf of his people." And the Lord
then put it into the hearts of two young
men—viz Hiram Bingham and Asa
Thurston to offer themselves to the A.
B. C. F. M. as missionaries for the
Sandwich Islands, and their offer was
at once accepted. There were five other
young men, layman, whom the Lord
made willing to go with them—-one
as a physician, two as teachers, one
as a printer, and one as a farmer. All
these seven young men in connection
with their wives were publicly set a-
part at Boston Oct. 15th 1819 for the
mission work at the Sandwich Islands.
And there were besides three pious
Hawaiian youth, who had been members
of the Cornwall school, appointed to
form a part of that mission. Their
names were Thomas Hopu, William
Kanui and John Honore.

That missionary company embarked
from Boston the 23rd of October
1819 in the Brig Thaddeus, Capt.
Blanchard, and reached the coast of
Hawaii March 31st 1820. Not a word
had been heard previous to their de-
parture from Boston of any change
having taken place in the idolatry of
the islands, and hence the missionaries
had no other thought but that they
would have "a perilous conflict with
pagan rites, human sacrifices, and
bloody altars." Though they had doubt-
less prayed daily to the God of mis-
sions that the abolition of idolatry in
the islands might soon become a glori-
ous fact, they could scarcely have
dreamed that it had already taken
place, even from before the commen-
cement of their voyage, The first in-
telligence they had of that wonderful
event was immediately on reaching
Hawaii. What language can describe
the wonder and joy they must have
had on hearing of it!. And how much
their gratitude to God must have been
excited and their faith in him streng-
thened! How distinctly could they see
the overruling and guiding hand of our
king Immanuel in all the events which
had been preparing the people and them-
selves for the mission even from the
time of Obookiah's arrival at N. Haven!
No longer could they doubt that the
prayers of that converted heathen that
devoted follower of Jesus had had great
power with God.

But they had soon to learn that
king Liholiho together with his chiefs
and people had not abandoned idolatry
from any desire of embracing a better
religion. They not only found him
and them absolutely without any re-
ligion, but also apparently satisfied
with their destitution. They were poly-
gamists, and seeing that the mission-
aries had only one wife each, the king
feared that they would if permitted to
live on the Islands, dishonor him in
his practice of polygamy. The king
had also, as is usual, some foreign res-
idents about him, who exerted their
influence in exciting fears in his mind,
that the missionaries would become
political intriguers. Hence the ques-
tion whether they should be allowed
to reside on any of the Islands was
discussed full twelve days. Meanwhile
the missionaries, hoping in God, and
waiting upon him in prayer, plead their
case before the king and his court.
Liholiho was persuaded to visit them
on shipboard, and he dined with them
"wearing only a narrow girdle about
his shoulders, a string of beads around
his neck, and a feather wreath on his
head." Hewahewa, who had been the
king's high priest, favored the mis-
sionaries. Keopuolani, the king's
mother is said to have plead with her
son, that the missionaries might be
permitted to remain with them. The
result of the long discussion was that
on the 12th of April 1820, an order
from the throne was given to allow
the missionaries to stop on the Is-
lands one year, but that the com-
pany should be divided among the
different islands—some at Honolulu,
on Oahu, some at Waimea, on Kauai,
and some at Kawaihae on Hawaii. It
would seem that one object of this
division was to prevent them from
exerting any political influence that
might be likely to embarrass the gov-
ernment, and another to give the
princes and chiefs on the different is-
lands an opportunity of being instruc-
ted by the missionaries. At Kailua,
Mr. Thurston had for his pupils the
king and his little brother five years
old, who subsequently became king
Kamehameha III, two of the king's
wives, a lad who afterwards became go-
vernor of Hawaii, and among other
lads another who became Judge of the
Supreme Court of Hawaii.

At that time the Sandwich Is-
landers had no written language.
But the missionaries, in a little more
than two years after their arrival, re-
duced the spoken language to writing,
and Mr. Loomis, the mission printer,
began to employ his press in making
books. "Twelve letters in all-—five
vowels and seven consonants express-
ed every sound, and every syllable
ended with a vowel!" The written
language was thus made exceedingly
simple and easy of acquisition, and
this is said to be one great reason why
the Hawaiians made the wonderful
progress they did in book knowledge
since letters were introduced among
them, and why so large a portion of
the people are now able to read and
write.

[Present circumstances seem but too
clearly to make it our duty to copy the
following from THE LONDON AND CHINA
TELEGRAPH of Sept. 5th. We had fervently
hoped that there would be no more occa-
sion for us to call public attention again to
this unwelcome subject. We have no
idea who the correspondent of the TELE-
GRAPH from Bangkok can be, But as he
signs himself OLD SIAM we conclude that
he does not exactly belong to our party,
for who does not know that we are Yo UNO[?]
SIAM up to the hub, Be the writer who
he may, he is evidently well acquainted
with the affairs of Bangkok.]

The French in Siam.

In another column, a correspondent’s
letter will be found relative to the en-
croachments of the French in Siam, and
the general position of that country. We
have already published a statement that
demands have been made for a slip of ter-
ritory sufficient for the purpose of con-
structing a canal. Now this is certainly
one of the most preposterous claims ever
advanced by a Power professing amity
and friendship. We would fain look on it
as a friendly act for the improvement and
development of the kingdom, but the cir-
cumstances of the case unfortunately estab-
lish a different view. All persons acquain-
ted with Siamese affairs will remember
the unwarrantable action of the French
Consul-General, M. AUBARET, previous to
his withdrawal from that post about two
years since, and it was fully expected by
the Siamese that the French Government
would accredit some other functionary; but
no, M. AUBARET is again at Bangkok, and
unless some urgent remonstrances are ad-
dressed by the Siamese Government to the
Court of the Tuileries, we shall not be sur-
prised to find that he will follow up his
demands by the introduction of the French
troops which are located at Saigon—a con-
venient distance. There is no disguis-
ing the intentions of the French, for it is
transparent that they are now manceu-
vring a scheme for the commercial improve-
ment of their possessions in Cochin China
at the expense of Siam. The propositions
are so scandalous, however, that even in
these days of non-intervention we feel sure
that our Government, as also that of the
United States, will not quietly stand by
and see the spoliation of so good an Asia-
tic ruler as the King of SIAM, who has on
all occasions promoted the interests of
British and American commerce. But to
take a purely selfish view of the matter, it
will not suit our interests nor those of A-
merica to allow France to domineer in
Siam as she has in Cochin China. The Gov-
ernment and merchants of both England
and the United States have a settled stake
in Siam which we cannot see easily wiped
out by any Power. England and America
have, with the liberal and intelligent as-
sistance of the KING, made Siam what she
is. Even the very concession which the
French now ask for has already been con-
ceded to a British merchant, and a good
deal of money expended in the prelimi-
naries for cutting a canal through the
Isthmus of Kraw. It is therefore the com-
monest justice that we should be supported
in our claims. No doubt the possession of
Cochin China (like Mexico) has been found
a most inconvenient burden to the French
Treasury, and M. AUBARET has been found
to contain the necessary genius for altering
this state of things. We trust however
that M. AUBARET will not cause any trou-
ble between the respective Government,
but negotiate fairly for any concession he
may require from the Siamese. He knows,
or should know, that his Imperial master
cannot and will not sanction anything
favouring of filibustering. We fear from
all accounts that M. AUBARET is a very
unfit man in point of temperament to hold
the post he has, and the French Foreign
Minister could not have been aware of the
discourteous, almost bullying manner, in
which he discharges his functions towards
the Government of Siam. French Consuls
and Diplomats generally understand
how to combine the suaviter in modo
with the fortiter in re, and had M.
AUBARET been trained to the work in the
proper school no doubt he would as. The
training of a man of war is certainly not
suited to acquire the necessary qualifica-
tions. It is to be regretted that the Si-
amese Government did not lay a distinct
complaint against him and protest against
his re-appointment. We trust that Mr.
KNOX, our Consul at Bangkok, has kept
Lord STANLEY well advised as to the pro-
ceedings we have called attention to, and
that his lordship will give it the usual
prompt attention.

(The following we copy from the LON-
DON AND CHINA EXPRESS, of Sept. 10th.)

Since writing the above we have seen
the following article in GALIGNANI, from
which it would seem that we have by no
means over-estimated the adverse inten-
tions of the French. The writer of the
article is however in error in stating that
the concession had been refused to the
English merchants, and the statement that
the French propositions had been received
with marked favour, “inasmuch as the
reasons which caused just ‘apprehensions
in the mind of the King in the case of
England are not applicable to France,
who does not aim at any territorial con-
quests in these regions,’ is simply rodo-
montade:—-

Advices from Bangkok give news of
that capital down to July 14. The ques-
tion of piercing the Isthmus of Kraw,
which separates the Gulf of Bengal from
that of Siam, had again come under con-
sideration. A concession for that object
had formerly been applied for by an Eng-
lish company, but had been declined by
the Court of Bangkok in consequence of
some representations addressed to the
King of Siam by the Bishop of Mallos,
then residing in Paris, to the effect that
it would be dangerous for the preservation
of the whole Siamese territory to separate
the northern from the southern portion;
and the more so that this latter part, very
remote from the capital by reason of the
difficulty of communications, lay immedi-
ately under the hand of England, who al-
ready possessed important establishments
in the Malay Straits. A French company
has now submitted a new project to his
Majesty, and been received with marked
favour, inasmuch as the reasons which
caused just apprehensions in the mind of
the King in the case of England are not
applicable to France, who does not aim at
any territorial conquests in those regions.
English agents, however, are still makin-
efforts to obtain from the King the con-
cessions originally applied for by their fel-
low-countrymen. In the north of Siam
difficulties have arisen on the subject of a
vast territory bearing the name of Chieng-
mai forming an independent kingdom, but
still recognizing to a certain extent a
Siamese protectorate. The Burman Gov-
ernment having raised pretensions to su-
zerainty over that territory, a diplomatic
correspondence has taken place, and the
belief was that the result would be favour-
able to Siam. Lastly, the early return to
Bangkok was announced of M. Aubaret,
the French Consul, said to be the bearer
of an autograph letter from the Emperor
Napoleon to the King, and also the arrival
of a mission charged to obtain an assurance
that the scientific expedition which was to
leave Saigon to reach China by the river
Me-Kong would be received with kindness
in all the parts of the kingdom it would
have to traverse.

The Consul for Siam writes to THE
TIMES as follows:—-

“Sir,—An extract from GALIGNANI’S
MESSENGER, in to-day's impression of
THE TIMES professes to give information
from Siam. It is wholly unworthy of cre-
dit; it is carefully concocted for a particu-
lar purpose, and calculated to mislead
those not acquainted with the country and
Government, which are essentially British
in interest and feeling.—I am, Sir, yours
obediently, D. K. MASON.
“September 6, 1866,” Consul for Siam.

Odds & Ends.

—What is companionship, where noth-
ing that improves the intellect is com-
municated, and where the larger heart
contracts itself to the model and dimen-
sions of the smaller?

—If we would have the kindness of
others we must endure their follies. He
who cannot persuade himself to withdraw
from society must be content to pay a
tribute of his time to a multitude of
tyrants.

—“You have simply tried,” said a sym-
pathizing friend of Joe Crowdon, weep-
ing over the coffin of his third wife.
“Yes,” responded the bereaved one “I
have always had the dreadfullest luck
with women.”

—An Irishman came to Dr. Russell
and said, ”Arrah, doctor,’ it is no use at
all to give me an emetic. I tried it twice
in Dublin and it would not stay on my
stomach either time.”

—A member of a fashionable church
in New York electrified a music dealer,
the other day, by inquiring for “Solo-
mon’s Song,” saying his rector had spok-
en of it as a production of great genius
and beauty, and he wanted his daughter
to learn it.

—He who thinks better of his neigh-
bors than they deserve, cannot be a bad
man, for the standard by which his judg-
ment is formed is the goodness of his
own heart. It is the base only who be-
lieve all men base, or, in other words,
like themselves.

—”A friend of mine,” said Erskine,
“was suffering from a continual wake-
fulness, and various methods were tried
to bring him sleep. At last his physicians
resorted to an expedient which succeed-
ed admirably. They dressed him in a
watchman’s coat, put a lantern in his
hand, placed him in a sentry-box, and—-
he was asleep in ten minutes.”

—A Dutchman’s temperance lecture:
“I shall tell you how it vas. I put mine
hand on mine head, and there vas von
big pain. Then I put mine hand on
mine pody and there vas an oder. There
vas very much pains in all mine pody.
Then I put mine hand in mine pocket,
and there vas noting. So I fined mit de
temperance. Now those vas no more
pain in mine head. The pain in mine
pody vas all gone away. I put mine
hand in mine pocket, and there vas
twenty dollars. So I shall shtay mit de
temperance.”

—A Scotch clergyman did not satisfy
by prolonging a certain portion of his
flock. “Why, sir,” said they, “we think
you dinna tell enough about renoun-
cing our own righteousness!” “Renoun-
cing your own righteousness!” cried the
astonished doctor, “I never saw any you
had to renounce!”

—It is very easy to look down on oth-
ers; to look down on ourselves is the
difficulty.

—The attempt to read many books of-
ten ends in thoroughly reading notes.

—Among the advertisements in a late
London paper, we read that “Two sisters
want washing.”

—Geology is Time’s own biography,
printed, pages collated and bound by the
fragments of Omnipotence.

—At the North pole, go whatever way
you will, you go due south; and at the
utmost height of joy you can move only
toward sorrow.

—England is unterrified in regard to
the Fenian invasion; there is no pity-Pat
about her heart.

—A person may believe as he pleases
about things; but things will not, there-
fore, be as he pleases.

—When once infidelity can persuade
men that they shall live like beasts, they
will soon be brought to live like beasts
also.

—Thou may’st be more happy than
ever were Alexander and Caesar, if thou
wilt be more virtuous.

—Our prayers and God’s mercy are
like two buckets in a well—while the one
ascends the other descends.

Piracy and Murder.

The act of piracy and murder which
we record to-day is a cold-blooded and
deliberate atrocity ; which, their is every
reason to believe, was prepared for within
the limits of Hongkong harbour, as the
first act of a VENDETTA that is to revenge
the execution of Chat Tai and his accom-
plices. The circumstances of the case
may be briefly told. The LUBRA, an
American schooner, left the harbour at
11 o'clock in the morning of Saturday
last, bound to Japan. On the following
day, when about 75 miles from the har-
bour, 30 miles off Pedro Branco, a large
piratical boat sailed and pulled alongside,
the wind having fallen away to less than
a knot and a half per hour. Without
loss of time the schooner was boarded,
without any resistance being offered ; the
vessel being badly armed, and the Captain
(Howes) apparently unsuspicious of the
character of the boat. The pirates kept
possession of the schooner for some hours,
and having shot some of the crew who
took to the rigging, killing one man and
wounding other, finished their work by
deliberately shooting the Captain. He
was seated in his cabin, on a sofa, with
his wife and two children, one only two
months old. One of the scoundrels went
up to him and fired a pistol bullet through
his brain, and killing him instantly. Mrs
Howes, and the crew remaining alive,
were reserved for death in another shape.
There were some barrels of gunpowder
on board. The head of one of these bar-
rels was broken in and the powder expos-
ed. Fire, of which the marks are plainly
visible, was placed in the vicinity, but
the villainous design of blowing up the
vessel, with the living witnesses of the
crime that had already been committed,
was frustrated. The fire burnt out, with-
out communicating with the powder, and
the vessel was brought back to Hongkong
by the mate and the remaining crew. The
bodies of the Captain and one of the men,
were taken to the civil Hospital ; another
man who was wounded by the pirates
jumped or fell overboard, and was drow-
ned. The Ayah also died this morning :
the others are said to be recovering from
their wounds.

The pirate who murdered the unfortu-
nate Captain made use of expressions pre-
vious to firing the pistol, that clearly
evidenced the intent with which the schoo-
ner was following up. It is no secret that
the punishment inflicted upon Chat Tai
and his gang is to be revenged, and it
matters little to those who have sworn to
the VENDETTA what may be the "nation-
ality" of the foreigners who may fall into
their hands. English or American, Dutch
or Prussian—all are included in the category
of intended victims. We do not say this
with the mere purpose of creating unneces-
sary alarm, for we know it is a fact that
the energy with which the prosecution of
the gang headed by Chat Tai was followed
up, coupled with the activity of the English
gunboats, and dread of the registration
ordinance, have driven to desperation the
scoundrels who live by piracy.—OVERLAND
CHINA MAIL.

A remarkable Cure.

A young man wanted to marry a girl
out in Wisconsin, but her rich parents
forbade the match. The young man be-
came sick—-very sick—-and had terrible
fainting fits. The doctors were called,
and he would soon die, and he said
he wanted to. The father of the girl
visited the patient, and agreed with both
him and the doctors. The poor fellow
said that if he could marry his Mary Ann
he would die happily. His dying request
certainly could not be refused, and Mary
Ann, having no objections, the minister
was sent for, and the solemn ordinance
of marriage was performed before the
most solemn messenger of death should
step in to snatch away the gasping bride-
groom from time to the regions of eter-
nity. The knot being securely tied, the
patient rose from the bed a well man. It
was a great cure, astonishing both the
cruel “parent” and the doctors, but the
bride acted as though she had expected
it all the time.

Odds and Ends.

—No one of my fellows can do that
special work for me which I have come
into the world to do. He may do a high-
er work, a greater work—but he cannot
do MY work.

—At an examination of the College of
Surgeons, a candidate was asked by Ab-
ernethy—"What would you do if a man
was blown up with powder?" "Wait
until he came down," was the reply.

—A man came home drunk on a cold
night, and vomited in a basket containing
goslings, which his wife had placed be-
fore the fire, upon seeing which, he ex-
claimed, "Oh! wife! wife! when did I
swallow them things?"

—A man in England imagined that he
had the rinderpest. His physicians un-
able to convince him to the contrary,
gave him a sealed prescription with which
he hurried to the druggist. His bad
symptoms immediately left him when the
clerk opened it and read: "This man
has the cattle plague; take him into the
back yard and shoot him according to
law."

London Letters.

PEACE is again restored to Europe. The
preliminaries are settled. The result of
the war is the utter prostration and hum-
iliation of Austria, whom Bismarck has
ignominiously kicked out of the German
confederation, and has bound never to at-
tempt to enter it. Thus ends the drama of
the unification of Germany and the glori-
fication of Prussia, and all through the
genius of one man, and the murderous ef-
ficacy of the needle-gun. Bismarck has re-
served to himself the privilege of taking
as much territory as suits him, and of do-
ing with all the princes and people of Ger-
many as he lists. The despotism acquired
by Bismarck in two months is as great, and
may be as galling as that of Napoleon or
Attila. Europe stands aghast at his un-
fathomable audacity and incomprehensible
success. He is for the moment the sole
arbiter of Europe, the map of which he is
remodelling as pleases his own will. It is
curious to see how the influence of France,
which in June was considered omnipotent,
is elbowed out of Europe in August. She
who was the prime mover in the European
commonwealth, is suddenly reduced to a
subordinate position. With such contempt
is France treated by the great Bismarck,
that he has not condescended to name the
Emperor in the royal speech. Italy is
treated with the same sovereign contempt.
There is much truth in the bitter remark
of the liberal French papers, as far as they
are allowed to speak, that just before the
war commenced Napoleon held the balance
of power in his own hands and might have
stopped the war by lifting up his finger;
but he allowed the opportunity to slip, and
now the balance is in the hands of Bis-
mark. Yet I have no doubt that if we
could see all the reasoning which deter-
mined the course of that imperial intellect,
we should not fail to admire it. Be that
as it may, the opportunity for the present
is gone, and Prussia, that is Bismarck, is
for the present the great ruling power of
the Continent. Yet there is a ceaseless
fluctuation in human affairs, and it is not
to be supposed that he will be allowed al-
ways to dictate to Europe. No one ob-
jects to the unity of Germany, and we had
rather see a Protestant power at the head
of it than a stolid and conservative Catho-
lic power; but the balance of power in Eu-
rope must not be permanently disordered.
We want however two millions of breech-
loaders before we can think of a restora-
tion of the equilibrium.

It is just possible that the Italians may
renew the war with Austria, and get an-
other licking. Not content with Venetia,
they are clamouring for a larger slice of
the Austrian possessions, and the Italian
Tyrol and Trent. But it is said the Dicta-
tor at Berlin will not allow any such pre-
tensions to impede the settlement he has
in hand. If they are persisted in, he will
leave Austria and Italy to fight it out; and
it is certain that the Italians have not
shone in this campaign. They have not
only been beaten by land, but the descend-
ants of Columbus have allowed themselves
to be beaten on his element by a fleet of
Germans. But we must leave the Contin-
ent to attend to matters of domestic inter-
est, to the sad roll of English calamity
written within and without with lamenta-
tion and woe. The cholera is devastating
the country, and, in London, our means
and appliances for meeting it are found to
be utterly inadequate. It is at present of
the most virulent character, as the number
of deaths greatly exceed the recoveries.
It is travelling through various parts of of
the country, but the chief mortality is in Lon-
don; and in London is confined chiefly to
the east, to the overcrowded parishes, the
permanent abode of filth and malaria
where the people by the hundred live in
hovels to which the dog kennels of the
aristocracy are palaces. The most ener-
getic efforts are made to afford relief, not
only by subscriptions which can at any
time be raised by the thousand, but by
personal exertions and a thorough organi-
zation of visitors and medical attendants,
to succour those who are attacked, and if
possible to stay the progress of this pestil-
ence. ******

The Ministry, I mean the Tory Ministry,
as I told you would be the case—-I am, you
see, a better prophet than Dr. C. who is
ever postponing the millenium—-have eaten
the whitebait dinner which was originally
destined for the liberals. There is a fine
caricature in PUNCH, which beautifully
expresses the delight which beamed in the
countenances of Lord Derby and his lieu-
tenant, when they found themselves finish-
ing the session at Greenwich. There is no
doubt that some of them said some very
good things, only they have not been
chronicled. Well, the new broom is sweep-
ing very clean, and there appears to be a
very large accumulation of rubbish to be
got rid of. Lord Palmerston's popularity,
like charity, covered and concealed a mul-
titude of sins. Under cover of his broad
shield, all the departments, the Treasury
excepted, slumbered and slept. It is now
discovered that there has been incredible
neglect and inconceivable jobbery at the
Admiralty; the department which has al-
ways been the most bumptious, and has in-
dignantly resented any interference of
Parliament; but of this in my next letter.

We are to have a weekly mail to Bom-
bay as soon as possible, and notice has
been given to the P. & O. Company of the
termination of their contract. They will
of course tender for the contract under the
new arrangement.-— FRIEND OF INDIA.

Telegraphic Summary for
Europe and India.

[We give the subjoined brief heads of
current events during the past 14 days,
for the convenience of telegraphic agents
along the homeward route, and shall con-
tinue to do so by every mail:-—]
HONGKONG, 27TH SEPTEMBER, 1869.

Prospectus issued of Railway between
Shanghae and Fuchau.

An American Company, including large
China merchants, have obtained leave
from the Emperor to lay submarine cable
from the North to Hongkong, connecting
intermediate cities.

Piracy and murder committed by Cin-
ese pirates on board American schooner
LUBRA, on September 28, about 75 miles
from Hongkong. The Captain (Howes)
was deliberately shot through the head in
his cabin, in the arms of his wife; one
seaman killed, several wounded, one of
whom fell overboard and was drowned.
The crime was committed in revenge for
the execution of other pirates.

Agitation against the Stamp Act in
Hongkong has ceased. The Committee
appointed to frame a protest to the Secre-
tary for the Colonies, against His Excel-
lency's policy, have not as yet performed
their task.

Memorial against Stamp Act from
Amoy residents forwarded to the Gover-
nor. H. E. replies unfavourably to their
views.

Difficulty in making Chinese accept the
new Dollar. Governor issued a procla-
mation, making it a legal tender.

The Chinese disapprove strongly of the
new ordinance for registering junk, &c.
It affords, however, the only means by
which the fitting out of piratical junks in
this harbour can be prevented.

Two Macao crimps summarily executed
for manstealing on the mainland.

Japanese purchased several steamers
including DUMBARTON. KASHTON[?] late
British gun-boat, fired upon by Shoogoon's
forts in Straits of Simoneseki.

Reported death of Tycoon, wants con-
firmation.

A fearful typhoon between Japan and
Shanghae. DUPLEIK[?] and NIPHON[?] safely
weathered it.

Coolie trade at Macao flourishing with
increased vigour.

The Hon. W. T. Mercer retired to
Hongkong.

No news of importance from Northern
Ports. French Admiral and one vessel
at Chefoo awaiting squadron before pro-
ceeding to Corea to demand satisfaction
for murder of French missionaries.

Tonnage abundent Em ployment scant.
Rates declined to £1 for London and £2
for Melbourne per ton of 50 feet.

CORRECTION.

In the Tide Table of the
Bangkok Calendar for
1866 for May, June, Au-
gust, and October, for High
read Low, and for Low
read HIGH.

NOTICE.
THE partnership hitherto existing
between DOMINIQUE REMI DE
MONTIGNY and EDOUARD SCHMIDT under
the style or firm of REMI SCHMIDT & Co.
and carrying on the business of general
merchants at Shanghai, Yokohama,
Bangkok, and London has been this
day dissolved by mutual consent.

REMI DE MONTIGNY,
E. SCHMIDT.
Bangkok 30th August 1866.

MENAM ROADS,
AND BANGKOK, MAIL
REPORT BOAT.

THE Mail and Report Boat leaves UNION
HOTEL daily and returns from Paknam,
with Passengers and Mails from outside
the Bar the same day.

Terms:
Letters for non-subscribers.... $1.00
Passage to or from the Bar,.... $5.00
Special boats to or from the Bar,
$10.00

SHIPS SUPPLIED WITH STOCK AT
SHORT NOTICE.

DYER & CO.
Bangkok, 3rd Aug. 1865. (L.f.)