abandoned, but for the King's encouragements. In 1623 their trade was actually suppressed, but re-established in 1627, after the concession of various privileges. In 1634 it had become very important, and a profitable outlet was found in Japan for some Siamese articles of export. In 1633 the Dutch East India Company had to complain of some breach of treaty on the part of the Siamese, and, conscious of their predominant interest, caused their traffic to be suspended, and their agent to take his departure, which produced the desired effect, for in the next year Siamese ambassadors went to Batavia to treat for a reconciliation, and comply with the Company's demands, upon which the trade resumed its course. In 1672 the King requested the Governor of Batavia to induce Dutch artizans, engineers, and mariners to settle in Siam. The Company's agent, in 1685, was the first foreigner admitted into the King's presence. In 1706 a difference arose this time the Dutch were compelled to seek a reconciliation, which was obtained only with a curtailment of privileges. Since then the trade declined. At the present time there are no traces of the Dutch ever having visited the country, but in the opinion of Sir John Bowring, a large trade will grow up between Siam and the Dutch possessions in the Indian Archipelago. The trade is now not inconsiderable :

:

"In Boswell's Life of Johnson' there is a curious reference to the relations between France and Siam. Considering how many volumes were published giving an account of the embassies sent by Louis XIV. to the Siamese King, it is quite strange that Dr. Johnson should have overlooked them; but the circumstance is very illustrative of the fact that the literature of France, with exceedingly few exceptions, was little known to the learned men in England down to the end of the last century. Mr. Croker, who corrects the imperfect knowledge of the lexicographer and the biographer, seems to suppose that only one mission was despatched to Siam from the court of Versailles.... "There are few episodes in French history more remarkable than the events connected with the intercourse between the Court of Versailles and that of Siam in the reign of Louis XIV."

The purpose of the Grand Monarque, ostentatiously proclaimed in Europe, was to bring about the conversion of the King of Siam. The mission arrived off the Meinam September 22nd, 1685. The ambassador, M. de Chaumont, was received as never minister had been received before. He was told, greatly to his surprise, that he had been in Siam a thousand years before, in an earlier stage of his metempsychosical existence, to promote the objects of the present mission-an alliance between France and Siam.

The details of the proceedings of this mission include the remarkable story of Constance Phaulcon, a Frenchman, but then Prime Minister of the King of Siam, who, trying to serve two masters, ended by disappointing the one and sacrificing the other; he himself being the victim in the general overthrow of the schemes, political and religious, of Paris and of Rome. The acts which made Phaulcon the idol of the Romanists were the immediate causes of the distrust of the Siamese, and of his own downfall, disgrace, and death. Spain, under Philip V., also sent missions to Siam, but with no favourable result.

The English missions to Siam begin with that of Mr. Crawfurd, in 1822. The results were not very encouraging. As the narrative of this embassy is very accessible to the reader, it is only necessary to refer to it. The only treaty existing between Great Britain and Siam when Sir John Bowring arrived there in 1855, was that entered into by Captain Burney in 1826, who was sent by the Governor-general of India, with the special view of obtaining the co-operation of the Siamese in the contest in which the Indian government was then engaged with the Burmese. The King of

Siam had usurped the territory of the King of Quedah, and it was deemed an object of much importance to negociate a treaty of friendship and alliance with the Siamese. Few of Captain Burney's propositions were, however, entertained by them, though the arrangements he then made were, no doubt, the best he could effect. This treaty comprised fourteen articles, seven political and seven commercial. In addition to this treaty, Captain Burney concluded with the Siamese a commercial agreement of six articles. A treaty of commerce between the United States and the Siamese was signed by Mr. Edmund Roberts in 1833, and ratified in 1836 by the King of Siam, having been previously ratified by President Andrew Jackson. This treaty was so little favourable to commerce, that it conferred no benefit on either America or Siam, and has remained a dead letter from the first.

In 1850, Sir James Brooke was sent as plenipotentiary to the King of Siam, but the circumstances attendant upon his negociations were not made public by the British government. This much, however, is known, that all his attempts to conclude a satisfactory treaty with Siam were unavailing, and that he finally broke off his communications with the Siamese government on the 28th of Sept. 1850, and left the country with a very unfavourable impression as to our future prospects of success in establishing commercial relations with this remarkable people.

While Sir James Brooke was at Siam, a United States sloop of war arrived, bringing Mr. Ballestier, a commissioner sent by the American government to represent the grievances of which United States' citizens had to complain, and to obtain a more favourable treaty. His reception was anything but favourable, and he failed altogether in the object of his visit. He was refused an audience with the king, and left without presenting the President's letter. Since then, however, a treaty, almost identical with that negociated by Sir John Bowring, has been effected by Mr. Townsend Harris, as American commissioner, between the Siamese Kings and the President of the United States.

We now arrive at the most important event in the annals of the intercourse between Great Britain and Siam,-the treaty signed at Bangkok 18th of April, 1855. The articles of this treaty are twelve: there is also a code of regulations under which British trade is to be conducted in Siam. The commission appointed to discuss with Sir J. Bowring the great subjects connected with his missions was composed of the two regents, the acting prime minister, and the minister for foreign affairs, and the king's brother, who was made president of the commission. The issue of this conference involved a total revolution in all the financial machinery of the government, such as must bring about a total change in the whole system of taxation; would take away a large proportion of the existing sources of revenue, and uproot a great number of privileges and monopolies which had not only been long established, but which were held by the most influential nobles and the highest functionaries of the state. The second regent was the receiver-general of the revenues, and notoriously interested in the existing system, by which production, commerce, and shipping were placed at the mercy of the farmers of the various revenues, who paid the price of their many and vexatious monopolies either to the royal treasury, or to the high officials through whom those monopolies were granted. Both regents had long been the dominant rulers in Siam, and had thwarted all the previous attempts made by various envoys from Great Britain and the United States, to place the commercial relations of Siam with foreign countries on a satisfactory basis. Against such odds

it was hardly possible to hope for success. Fortunately, Sir John Bowring obtained the co-operation of the prime minister (the Phra Kalahom), a very intelligent and honest man, who regarded the welfare of his country above every other consideration. At first, Sir John could not comprehend him: he says, at an early stage of negociations:

"Either he is a consummate hypocrite or a true patriot; in any case, he is a most sagacious man, towering far above every other person whom we have met-of graceful, gentlemanly manners, and appropriate language. He denounces the existing

state of things with vehemence; says that bribery and misrule are often triumphant; that monopolies are the bane of the country, and the cause of the loss of trade and misery of the people. He told me I should be blessed if I put an end to them, and encouraged me to persevere in a most vigorous persistence in my efforts for its overthrow. It is quite a novelty to hear a minister abuse the administration of which he is the head. He confirms his statements by facts."

The minister eventually proved his sincerity, and deserves all credit for the vigour with which he pushed the negociations to a favourable termination. Slavery is the condition of a large part of the population of Siam. It is not the absolute slavery that now exists in the United States, but something less tolerable than domestic servitude. Every Siamese is bound to devote one-third of the year to the service of the king. The treatment of slaves is marked by kindness. The greatest number of slaves so called appear to be debtors; for the non-payment of a debt gives to a creditor possession of the body of the person indebted, of whose labour he can dispose for the payment of the interest due, or the extinction of the debt itself.

The Siamese have no written music; they depend on ear alone. The soft and tuneful notes of their music form an agreeable contrast to the loud, monotonous, and discordant tones of the music of the Chinese. The profession of music is esteemed worthy. The close of day, at every nobleman's house, is the signal for the commencement of music and dancing, and the concert is continued, without interlude, till the next day has been encroached upon by some hours. It is almost the sole occupation of the women. Their perception of concord in the notes is as acute as that of an European musician, and they are equally as long in tuning their instru

ments.

A

Chess they appear to have imported from China, as the chess-board, the pieces, and the moves in all respects resemble those of the Chinese. favourite sport is cock-fighting, and a courageous bird is a great treasure. Kite-flying is the amusement of young and old. They also indulge in pugilistic combats and in boat-races. They are as fond of amusements as the Chinese, but have few of the laborious and persevering virtues which characterize the people of China.

The use of opium has greatly extended in Siam during the last thirty years, although its consumption has been prohibited by a severe edict of the king. Tobacco is in general use; and intoxication is obtained by the use of the seeds and leaves of the hemp. Almost all locomotion is by water. Our knowledge of the country is derived chiefly from Bangkok; of the interior very little is known to Europeans.

The natural productions of Siam resemble those of other tropical regions; the main features are the same, with many varieties in detail. No portion of the East is more inviting than the Siamese regions, from their extent, richness, and novelty. The state of agriculture is extremely rude, the general condition of the cultivated land is far less favourable than in China. Great quantities of rice and sugar are produced. Gutta-percha abounds in the maritime districts. Elephants are abundant in the forests. Tigers and

tiger-cats are common. The rhinoceros is also found. Horses are rarely seen. Bears, wild pigs, porcupines, elks, deer, roebucks, gazelles, goats, and other animals tenant the jungles. There is a large consumption of dried venison; great multitudes of deer are killed during the inundations. Beef is scarce. Singing birds are many; reptiles multitudinous. Crocodiles abound in the rivers. The fishes are whales, dolphins, porpoises, flying-fish, sharks, sword-fish, bonitos, dorys, carp, soles, salmon, shrimps, crabs, lobsters. The mineral kingdom is rich. Gold is found in many parts of Siam; silver, only in combination with copper, antimony, lead, and arsenic. Copper is produced in large quantities, and lead and tin abound. Very rich iron ore is worked by the Chinese; great quantities of precious stones are found. The manufactures consist of a variety of vessels in the precious metals, glass, earthenware, and textile fabrics. The arts of drawing and painting are inferior to those of the Chinese.

Such, in brief, are the wonderful resources and aptitudes of Siam. Under the new impulse given to its commerce by the treaty of the 18th of April, 1856, we may look, ere long, for the happiest results. To a sanguine mind Siam presents the prospect of a true El-Dorado. Already European influences are at work, and have strangely affected the ruling powers of this kingdom. From what we learn it is more than probable that the future advancement of Siam will be mainly due to Chinese immigration, now setting in to various parts of the world in so remarkable a manner as must greatly influence the destinies of mankind. Siam is a region to which the attention of the English merchant, manufacturer, and naturalist may be most profitably turned: it offers an almost inexhaustible field of operations to each. We indulge the hope that ere long we may become better acquainted with the interior of the country. Sir John Bowring's volumes, rich as they are in curious and novel matter, only serve to whet our appetite for further information.

THE MEMORIAL CHURCH AT CONSTANTINOPLE.

We must presume that our readers are acquainted with the "Original Proposal issued May, 1856," and the Resolutions at a public meeting held in London April 28, 1856, "for the purpose of raising a fund for the erection and endowment of a Church at Constantinople in memory of our countrymen who have fallen in the late war." Upon this occasion these very praiseworthy Resolutions were proposed and seconded by various great people, and of course "carried unanimously." One of these Resolutions was, "That the most suitable memorial would be an edifice in which Almighty God might from generation to generation be worshipped according to the rites and usages of the Church of England; and that such memorial church be at Constantinople." In common with most who took an interest in the proceedings of that meeting, we were under the impression that the above resolution implied that the church to be erected should be essentially English,—a memorial serving to remind the Orientals that Englishmen had fought, bled, and died for them; a memorial attracting the attention of our sailors and wandering countrymen to its hallowed walls;

See GENT. MAG., May, 1856.

and to members of the Greek Church a memorial that the Church of England was a true and living branch of the Church Catholic.

Accordingly, a committee, consisting of seventy-five men of rank and influence, was appointed, with four equally great men as honorary secretaries, not one of whom, so far as we are aware, had the slightest knowledge of archæology or architecture; and we are rather at a loss to know who are the working men among this grand committee to whom subscribers are indebted for the "Instructions to Architects" issued June 4, 1856. It is clear that no time could have been lost in preparing these important Instructions to guide the architects of all Europe; only one month was required for their consideration, preparation, and adoption, and that the busy month of May. We should however be glad to know whom to thank for such a decision as this:-"The style to be adopted must be a modification, to suit the climate, of the recognised ecclesiastical architecture of western Europe, known as 'Pointed' or 'Gothic;' and the neglect on the part of any architect of this provision will absolutely exclude from competition."

Before so stringent a regulation as this was adopted, no doubt it was well and carefully considered; it was ascertained to be the decided opinion of the majority of the subscribers that the English Church at Constantinople, to be erected to the memory of English soldiers, should not be in the English style, but in the mongrel Gothic of Italy, where that style was not indigenous, and never fully naturalized. It is generally known and fully acknowledged that the style of Salisbury Cathedral is the English style,— the one type which would be at once recognised by every educated man of all countries as an English church; but any approach to this style was forbidden. The committee fully considered this matter, no doubt, and ascertained that Salisbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey are so intolerably hot in the dog-days, that they are obviously unsuitable for a hot climate like Constantinople. It is a point which each member of the committee could so easily ascertain for himself, by only walking into Westminster Abbey last July, that no doubt this dictum of the necessity for a modification of Gothic architecture to suit the climate had some better foundation than vulgar prejudice, grounded on the fancies of one or two popular men of the day, or of some members of the committee, or some among the judges who pulled the strings in the background, and made all the grand puppets dance to their will and fancy. The advertisements have called forth the talents of no less than forty-six architects, chiefly English, as might have been expected, but including one from France (M. Veillade, of Paris), one from Germany (M. Francke, of Meiningen), and one from America (Mr. Mould, of New York). From them the following are selected by the judges for distinction :

Four Prizemen.-1. W. Burges; 2. G. E. Street; 3. G. S. Bodley; 4. W. Slater.

Five especially mentioned.-C. Gray; R. P. Pullan; G. Truefitt; Weightman, Hadfield, and Goldie; W. White.

Six honourably mentioned.· Prichard and Seddon.

- A. Bell; Francke; Howett and Budd;

The whole of the drawings are now open for public inspection at King's College gratuitously, a gallery having been kindly lent by the college for the purpose; and very well worthy of inspection they will be found. The judges have published their reasons for their decisions, and have evidently acted, or at least intended to act, with perfect fairness; but as no one