FUNERAL CEREMONIES. 457 order that visitors might not wet their feet, the ground being very muddy. "This ground was enclosed by a wall, along the inside of which myriads of lamps were disposed, rendering the night as light as the day. The whole of the grounds belonging to the adjoining temple contained nothing but tents, under which Siamese plays were performed by dancing-girls during the day: during the night, transparencies were in vogue. Along the bank of the river, Chinese and Siamese plays (performed by men) were in great force; and to judge by the frequent cheering of the populace, no small talent was shown by the performers, which talent in Siam consists entirely in obscenity and vulgarity. "All approaches were blocked up long before daylight each morning, by hundreds-nay, thousands of boats of every description in Siam, sanpans, mapet, ma k'êng, ma guen, &c. &c.: these were filled with presents of white cloth, no other presents being accepted or offered during a funeral. How many shiploads of fine shirting were presented during those few days, it is impossible to say. Some conception of the number of boats may be had from the fact, that in front of my floating house I counted seventy-two large boats, all of which had brought cloth. "The concourse of people night and day was quite as large as at any large fair in England; and the whole scene, with the drums and shows, the illuminations and the fireworks, strongly reminded me of Greenwich Fair at night. The varieties in national costume were considerable, from the long flowing dresses of the Mussulman to the scanty panhung of the Siamese. "Upon the first day of the ceremonies, when I rose at daylight, I was quite surprised at the number and elegance of the large boats that were dashing about the river in every direction; some of them with elegantly-formed little spires (two in each boat) of a snowy-white, picked out with gold; others with magnificent scarlet canopies, with curtains of gold; others filled with soldiers dressed in red, blue, or green, according to their respective regiments; the whole making a most effective tableau, far superior to any we had during the time the Embassy was here. "Whilst I was admiring this scene, I heard the cry of Sedet' (the name of the King when he goes out), and turning round, beheld the fleet of the King's boats sweeping down. His Majesty stopped at the ‘men,' where an apartment had been provided for him. The moment the King left his boat, the most intense stillness prevailed,—a silence that was absolutely painful: this was, after the lapse of a few seconds, broken by a slight stroke of a tom-tom. At that sound, every one on shore and in the boats fell on their knees, and silently and imperceptibly the barge containing the high priest parted from the shore at the Somdet's palace, and floated with the tide towards the 'men.' This barge was immediately followed by that containing the urn, which was placed upon a throne in the centre of the boat. One priest knelt upon the lower part of the urn in front, and one at the back. (It had been constantly watched since his death.) Nothing could exceed the silence and immoveability of the FUNERAL CEREMONIES. 459 spectators: the tales I used to read of nations being turned to statues were here realized, with the exception that all had the same attitude. It was splendid, but it was fearful. During the whole of the next day, the urn stayed in the 'men,' in order that the people might come and pay their last respects. "The urn, or rather its exterior cover, was composed of the finest gold, elegantly carved and studded with innumerable diamonds. It was about five feet high, and two feet in diameter. Upon the day of the burning, the two Kings arrived about four P.M. The golden cover was taken off, and an interior urn of brass now contained the body, which rested upon cross-bars at the bottom of the urn. Beneath were all kinds of odoriferous gums. "The First King, having distributed yellow cloths to an indefinite quantity of priests, ascended the steps which led to the pyre, holding in his hand a lighted candle, and set fire to the inflammable materials beneath the body. After him came the Second King, who placed a bundle of candles in the flames; then followed the priests, then the princes, and lastly the relations and friends of the deceased. The flames rose constantly above the vase, but there was no unpleasant smell. "His Majesty, after all had thrown in their candles, returned to his seat, where he distributed to the Europeans a certain number of limes, each containing a gold ring or a small piece of money; then he commenced scrambling the limes, and seemed to take particular pleasure in just throwing them between the |