Meinam. It is a wonderful river. It is somewhat like the Nile, its yellow waters being fringed with emerald banks fertilized by its inundations. I don't know whether it is more attractive by night or by day. By night the fire flies cover the trees with marvellous splendour, the loud noise of the Ghik lizard is heard, and animal and insect life is as vital as by day; when beautiful birds, and beetles, and butterflies are full of activity; and fish that speak, and fight, and travel by land, and strange reptiles and quadrupeds abound. Siam gives great evidence of Chinese influence. Chinese houses, with their led and yellow ornaments, are seen ail along the banks of the Meinam. The Chinese are the great civilizers of the East, and a million and a half of them are settled in Siam. They are the most advanced, industrious, persevering and economical of all the oriental nations. Bangkok is an aquatic City, almost all the houses are on the water, and when the inhabitants shift their residences, they move their entire habitations up and down the river. And as the Siamese are proud of their rivers, they are also proud of their towns. One is called the town of ten million elephants, one is the town of pure gold, another, the town of the diamond walls, another, the celestial hill, another, the paradise of Archangels ! This may be vanity, but it is a very common and natural one. Does not a Swiss exalt in the grandeur of his native mountains? and I once met with an Icelander who said "How can you tolerate a country in which there are no snow storms?"
The Siamese religion is more identified with the national character and customs than any other religion in the world. I speak of Buddhism. I cannot go into the details of that religion, for they occupy sixty volumes, but I will point out some of its characteristics as evidence of the fact that no religion ever exercised a great influence over millions of men unless there were in it many elements of truth and wisdom; and if, instead of attacking everything which they find in the religion of foreign nations, missionaries would recognize that we are not the monopolists of truth and wisdom, but, that truth and wisdom are to be found elsewhere, many stumbling blocks would be removed which now arrest their way. Buddhism is, as I have said, a part and portion of the social institutions of the land, and has a strong hold upon the feelings of the people. No man enters upon or enjoys the rights of citizenship till he has passed a certain time in a Buddhist Convent, and has gone through a certain religious examination. The maintenance of the temples and of the priests is wholly dependent upon public opinion. There are in Bankok 1,000 wats or temples, and 10,000 bonzes or priests, and these wats have cost more than ten millions of dollars, and are supported by voluntary contributions, giving about a million dollars a year. The priests come forth every morning from their convents, they are not allowed to ask for contributions, and they are not permitted to thank the donors. They bear a wallet for articles of food, and a cruise for drink, and they find at every door a contribution waiting their arrival. Given by the people without asking, it is received from them without thanks.
The great outlines of Buddhism are, that every child is born pure
