464 Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

year that the rofe came, for I faw the meffenger that brought it at Siam , where he hadorders from his mafter to know how my affairs w r ent, with a proffer of the King’s fervice,if I came back into his country.

Chap. XLVII. — Gives an Account of the Dominions and City of Siam ; with Remarks

on the Revolution that happened there.

SANGORE is the firft town on the King of Siam’s dominions. On that ffde it isunder the government of Ligore, which was once the metropolis of a kingdom of thefame name, but, by civil diffentions, it became a prey to the King of Siam.

Sangore Hands on the fide of a large river. It yields fome tin, elephants’ teeth,agala-wood, and coarfe gold ; but the inhabitants meet with fo great difcouragementsin digging for tin, that there is very little to be procured ; and what is inanufa&uredis bought up by the Dutch factory at Ligore.

Ligore lies about 12 leagues to the northward of Sangore, and between them lies alow uninhabited ifland, called Papier. It reaches from Sangore within three leagues ofLigore river. It is well ftored with wild buffaloes, hog, and deer, which are free forall perfons to kill at pleafure. The road of Ligore lies two leagues from the river,and about a league within the river’s mouth Hands the Dutch factory, a pretty commo-dious houfe, built of brick, after the Dutch falhion. The town Hands about two milesabove the factory. It is built of bamboos, and thatched with reed. There are manyPagan temples in it, which have Heeples built very high, in form of very fharp pyramids.They are fo fmall, that, in the road, they look like fhips mads. It produces abundanceof tin, but the Dutch engrofs it all.

Pullo Cara, an high ifland, lies about twelve leagues off Ligore. The next place ofnote is Cui, a place that produces great quantities of tin and elephants teeth, but all arefent to the city of Siam or Odia , for the King’s ufe. The reff of the coaff being littlefrequented, I will pafs by it, and fleer for the bar of

Siam . The city Hands on an ifland in the river Memnon, which, by turnings andwindings, makes the diflance from the bar about 50 leagues. The country is low, andas fruitful as any fpot of ground in the world in rice, legumen, fruits and roots, cattle,wild and tame. And the river abounds in many fpecies of excellent fifli, which plenti-fully indulge the inhabitants, and make them indolent and lazy, and confequentlyproud, fuperflitious, and wanton.

The city is reckoned ten miles round the walls, and many canals, from the river,pierce through the city from all quarters. The walls of the city are high and thick,built of Hone and brick; but the houfes of the natives, though large, are low, builton flakes driven into the ground, about 10 or 12 feet high; but the Mahometans,Chinefe, and Chriflians, raife the grounds they build on high enough to be fecure fromthe yearly inundations. The natives houfes are raifed on thofe flakes on the fameaccount; and as their walls are built of bamboo and reeds, their roofs are built of thefame materials, and are all thatched, except what are built on terra firma , and they aregenerally tiled. There are many arched bridges in the city, built of brick or ftone,and fome of wood. The floors of the natives houfes are made of fplit bamboo orreeds made fall together, fo that one cannot move on them without both noife, and,ihaking them.

The three palaces of their kings, and fome temples, are the only magnificent edificesin the city; and fome fteeples belonging to the temples are gilded with gold on the

outfide,