of the priest she kneels and makes a low
obeisance, while he haughtily presents his
bowl or basket, into which her offering is
emptied. The yellow-coated spiritual master
then proceeds on his voyage, without vouchsafing
her a word or sign of thanks.

For more knowledge than I might otherwise
have had of customs relating to the
priesthood, I am indebted to a young and
intelligent noble who became intimate with
us, and frequently joined our circle of an
evening. He had himself been a priest, and
was therefore familiar with the priestly
duties. He had the ease and polished
manners of a gentleman. He was a prince by
birth, and had suffered much from ague and
fever. Under the impression that he might
escape future attacks, if he kept his feet dry,
he usually wore a dilapidated pair of Oxford
shoes, of course covering no stockings; and
when his legs were weary—which was often
the case—he tucked them up into the chair,
frequently cuddling his knees with his long
bare arms. In this manner he would sit for
a long time, talking excellent English,—
instructing us, amusing us, and winning our
respect. To return, however, to the Chow-
Kra-Tge's remarks on the priests.

The morning dole having much excited
our interest, C. asked him if, while a
priest, he likewise daily begged his rice.
"Yes," he said, " it was so; but I always
had my slave with me—also a priest—and
the coarse and common rice I gave to him. I
always went to my father's house to beg, and
there they gave me such as I could eat."

Solid food is duly permitted the priests
until noon, after which time they may eat
nothing but fruit, and drink tea. The observance
of this rule proved the worst trial to
our friend, who, unable to gorge himself, as
was the habit of his brethren, generally
passed the afternoon and evening asleep;
fasting produced a lassitude he could not
overcome. The chief priest of each Wat,
and the high-priest of the kingdom, hold
their appointments from the king, and are
unable to quit the priesthood. The high-
priest is the only person exempted from the
duty of making obeisance on his hands and
knees. He stands in the presence of royalty;
the king and he salute each other by folding
hands. The priests employ their time in
praying, chanting services, instructing others,
or in reading bali books. They seem to be a
less degraded class than my old acquaintances,
the priests, in China. This probably is owing
to the liberty of entering the brotherhood,
enjoyed by all classes, who may do so when,
and for how long, they please; such
entrance being an act deemed meritorious in
high or low. There is a striking similarity of
appearance among all of them, for which I
could not account till I discovered that they
all shave off the eyebrows. The effect is most
singular; the countenance gets an expression
of perpetual astonishment; the head, face,
and chin are likewise closely shaven.  Their
costume resembles that worn by their class
in China; here a yellow scarf is loosely
bound round shoulders and body. In China
they have a long robe of the same colour.
There are no schools connected with the
temples, nor elsewhere; but boys under age
enter their novitiate for the purpose of
receiving instruction from the priests; and,
during such time, act as servants to their
spiritual masters. The vow of poverty may
be really considered as a form only, for a
trusty agent is appointed to carry on all
money transactions, and the society depends
little on alms. The number of priests in
Bangkok is estimated at about three thousand;
but it probably is greater.

I turn now to another subject. When the
prospect of our living in Siam first arose, much
pity was lavished on us by our friends; the
general impression seeming to be that the
climate of Bangkok is intensely hot and very
damp, and that a poisonous miasma hangs
over the shores of the river. Much to our
surprise and pleasure these assertions proved
unfounded. From my own experience, and
from the testimony of others who had long
been resident, I can state that the heat is not
so great, even during the most unpleasant
months, nor at any time, as that of the
north coast of China, or even of Hong Kong,
during two of the summer months. The hot
season in Siam begins in March and lasts till the
end of April. Both the missionaries and their
wives informed me that the heat never is
distressing. With May begins the rainy season
son, or monsoon. This is not an unnpleasant
time of year; the air is deliciously fresh and
cool; everything seems visibly to grow, and
even self-willed English constitutions appear
as though it were incumbent on them to
thrive and rejoice in the great huge washing-
day of nature. The depth of rain falling at
Bangkok during the year must be very
great. I never saw it descend elsewhere
in such determined torrents. The noise
of its fall was at times so overpowering that
it was scarcely possible to make oneself
heard even when speaking round the dinner-
table.

Rain-water is much prized by the Siamese,
and carefully collected in large jars by the
upper classes; sixty or eighty of them
containing from twelve to fourteen gallons each,
are considered to be about sufficient for the
supply of a family until the next monsoon.
The missionaries, hitherto almost the only
foreign residents, have adopted the custom.
They store the water in large rooms, under
their houses, keeping it under lock and
key as if it were good wine. The longer it is
preserved in porous jars, the sweeter it
becomes. Some which had been kept for three
years had a clear pleasant flavour far surpassing
that of any water I had ever before drunk,
With so broad and rapid a river, capable of
supplying the needs of three such cities as Bangkok,