SIANG-TAN 414 SIBERIA meager, uninteresting, and in point of im- agination and force of expression much below the Arabic, Persian, or Hindustani. The language of the chief Buddhist works is Pali. The printing press has been in- troduced in recent years, and many of the best Siamese works can now be had in a printed form. History. — Siam appears to have no place in history prior to A. D. 638, and the credible records go back only to 1350, the date of the foundation of Ayuthia, the old capital. The Portuguese established in- tercourse with Siam in 1511, but in the 17th century were gradually supplanted by the Dutch. English traders were in Siam very early in the 17th century, but in consequence of a massacre their fac- tory at Ayuthia was abandoned in 1688. The French were expelled about the same time, and the trade was neglected till 1856, when Sir J. Bowring's treaty again opened up Siam to Europeans. The French, desiring access to China by means of the river system of the penin- sula, accused Siam of encroaching on the territory of Annam, and in 1893 sent a fleet to Bangkok, where peace was dic- tated. Cambodia and the territory E. of the Mekong river were placed under French protection. A belt extending for a distance of 25 kilometers W. of Mekong was neutralized and valuable trade privi- leges were conceded to France. From that time the French sphere of influence gradually extended still further west and by a treaty made in 1904 France obtained control of about 8,000 square miles to the W. of the Mekong and the S., as well as other territory. By a treaty between France and Great Britain made in the same year, the territories to the W. of the Menam and the Gulf of Siam were recog- nized as in the British sphere of influence, while those to the E. were in the French. France and Great Britain guaranteed the future integrity of Siamese territory. In 1907, however, more territory was ceded to France and in 1909 three states were ceded to Great Britain. A conspiracy against the king was discovered in 1912, which was put down with great severity. Siam remained neutral in the World War until July 22, 1917, when war was declared against the Central Powers. At the invitation of the Allied governments a force of volunteers were sent to France in 1918. These comprised chiefly aviation troops. In recent years Siam has developed greatly commercially and economically. The government has been well adminis- tered and there has been notable improve- ment in the condition of the people. SIANG-TAN, a prefectural city of China. It is in Hu-nan, on the Siang river, and though small, has large sub- urbs which extend for four miles along the bank of the river. It is the trade center of Hu-nan, and the river route between Peking and Canton is open to foreign ves- sels. Pop. about 300,000. SIANG-YANG-FU, a Departmental city of China. It is situated in the prov- ince of Hu-peh, at the junction of the Pai and Han rivers, and is opposite Fan- ching, which has silk and other industries. Both towns figured in the resistance to the campaign of Kublai Khan in 1268-73. Pop. about 50,000. SIBELIUS, JEAN JULIUS CHRIS- TIAN, a Finnish composer, born at Tavastehus, Finland, in 1865. He was educated at Helsingfors and studied mu- sic at Berlin and Vienna, becoming a member of the Musical Academy of Stock- holm. He was a chevalier of the ^Legion of Honor and Accademico onorario di Santa Cecilia, Roma, and received other honors. His compositions include: music to the tragedy "Kaolema" (containing the "Valse Triste") ; music to the tragedy of "King Christian II.," and the following orchestra pieces: "Carelia," "Dance Inter- mezzo," "Der Schwan von Tuonela," "Eine Sage," etc. SIBERIA, a great division of the Russian dominions; occupies all North Asia, stretching uninterruptedly E. from the Ural mountains to the Pacific Ocean, and S. from the Arctic Ocean to the Chi- nese dominions and Russian Central Asia ; total area, 4,831,882 square miles; pop. about 10,378,000. It is divided into the governor-generalships of western Siberia, eastern Siberia, and the Amur region. A region of such vast extent has naturally a very diversified configuration; but gen- erally speaking Siberia may be considered as a vast inclined plane sloping gradually from the Altai, Syan, and Yablonoi moun- tains on the S. to the Arctic Ocean on the N. In the E. it is traversed in different directions by several mountain ranges, but elsewhere it is almost unbroken by any greater heights than a few hills. It is drained chiefly by the Obi (2,120 miles), with its great tributary, the Irtish (2,520 miles), the Yenisei, and the Lena (3,000 miles), all of which pursue a N. course to the Arctic Ocean; and by the Amur (2,700 miles, 2,400 of which are naviga- ble), which flows in an E. and N. E. direction to the Pacific. The principal lake is Lake Baikal in the S., 400 miles long, 20 to 53 broad, and 1,560 feet above sea-level. The chief islands are the New Siberia group in the Arctic Ocean, and the island of Sakhalin, off the mouth of the Amur, in the Sea of Okhotsk, an arm of the Pacific. The coast line is very
