iamese embassy left with presents for King
Louis of France, but they were shipwrecked on the way. Later, another
embassy went to Versailles, and Louis XIV, much flattered, sent a return
embassy, which was accorded a great reception in Lopburi, where a treaty
was signed in 1605, sanctioning the presence of French missionaries.
There were several subsequent upheavals at Ayuthia, and in 1767 the city
fell under the strong Burman attack; thus ended the third dynasty of
Siamese kings. The Burmans, however, were soon conquered, and the
capital was moved to Bangkok. In the middle of the nineteenth century,
treaties were made with Great Britain and the other important powers,
while Cambodia was ceded to France.

The present monarch, Chulalongkorn, ascended the throne in 1868, and has
since governed the country consistently and well. In May, 1874, a
political constitution was adopted. The King began his reign by
decreeing that slavery be abolished, and he instituted several other
reforms. For many years troublous times with France ensued; this
finally aroused the indignation of England, and in 1896 an Anglo-French
agreement was signed in London, by which both countries guaranteed to
maintain the integrity of the Menam valley.

Siam has during the past few years made rapid progress in the adoption
of Western ways and Western ideals, thanks to the progressive King, and
this is attracting visitors from Europe and America more and more. The
country's position has kept it rather isolated; it is out of the beaten
track, and is situated between the great commercial ports of Singapore
and Hong-Kong. Until recently it could not be reached by any passenger
steamship lines. One's impression of the kingdom must be formed largely
from Bangkok, as the mountain districts offer no facilities for the
comfort of visitors, being a decided contrast to Ceylon, Burma, and Java
in this respect.

The area of Siam is about two hundred thousand square miles, and the
population is over six million,--mostly native, for there are not over
twenty thousand representatives of other powers in the kingdom, nor are
there more than two thousand Europeans.

Bangkok, like Rangoon, has enormous exports of rice, teak, and many
other commodities; there are large rice factories, and we saw the
elephants dragging logs to the river, as in Rangoon, whence they are
brought on rafts to the immense sawmills. Unfortunately, a shallow bar
at the mouth of the Menam River pre