476

Hamilton’s-account of the east indies.

go to weddings, and make facrifices for the profperity of the bridegroom and bride,,but have no hand in joining them together.

Marriages are there made up by parents or near relations, without the confent of the-parties to be married, for that reafon they are commonly married very young ; but, ifthey are come to the years of difcretion or maturity, then the fpark gets fome femalefriend to acquaint his miffrefs with his paffion for her, and if fhe will permit a vifit fromhim the bargain is as good as made. The civil magiftrate with them officiates theprieH’s part with us, and when once they are married, they feldom fue for a divorce,which is very hard to procure, except in cafe of infufficiency in the man, or barrentiefsin the woman, for adultery, in cither party, is not reckoned infamous y and fornicationis either allowed or tolerated.

The children are carefully educated in fchools by prieffs fet apart for that fervice,and it is rare to find a Siamer but who can write. After fchooling, they are put to fuch- callings as fuit bed with their genius and quality ; and there is generally a reciprocalharmony between parents and children. The children are obedient, and the parentindulgent. In childhood and youth the parent furnilhes the child with what is neceffary,and'in old age the child fupplies all the wants of his parent, as far as he is able. In.marriages they make no account of confanguinity, farther than between father and.'daughter, mother and fon, and filler and brother ; all other degrees are lawful.

And now it is time to fleer my courfe to the fouthward again as far as Cambodia ..Coalting along Ihore, the firlt place we meet with is Bankafoy, a place not frequentedby llrangers, though it produces much agala and fapan-woods, and elephants teeth ;but all are fent to the King, who, for all his gaudy titles, yet Hoops to play the mer-chant. I fuppofe he makes ufe of trading in honour of his kinfman Mercury, whofuperintends merchandising, but was never reckoned a fair dealer, and in that point theKing is nearly related to him : but Bankafoy is famous, chiefly for making ballichang,a fauce made of dried fhrimps, cod-pepper, fait and a fea-weed or grafs, all well mixed,and beaten up to the confillency of thick mullard. Its tafle and fmell are both ungrate-ful to the nofe and palate ; but many hundred tons are expended in Siam and theadjacent countries.

Bankafoy river lies but four or five leagues to the eaflward of Siam bar, and thereare two iflands, called the Dutch illands, where great fhips are obliged to Hay in thefouth-wefl monfoons, when they cannot get water over the bar that bears off it fouth-eaft and by fouth, about nine leagues diftant.

I obferved before, that the Company fent the Herbert and another fhip from Englandin anno 1685, and in 1686. As the Herbert lay at thofe iflands, one Captain Udal, whocommanded her, died, and the fucceeding captain carried his corpfe afhore, and buriedit in a pretty deep grave. Two days after, fome of the fhip’s people going afhore, hadthe curiofity to go and fee the grave. When they came near, to their great wonder,they faw the corpfe ftripped of its winding-fheet, and fet upright againfl a tree. It wasafterwards put again into the coffin, and buried in the fame grave, with a quantity 0heavy Hones on it, and next day they came to the grave, and found it opened a fecondtime, with the corpfe Handing upright againH another tree; fo they made fafi f° in . eHones to it, and carried it a pretty way into the fea, and buried it in the water, where itremained undiHurbed. This Hrange refurretiion left room for various conjectures?but the moH probable feemed to be, that fome forcerers took it up, and put it in thapoffure, whilff they, by their forceries or incantations, interrogate it about future events?and received anfwers through human organs. The matter of fact I have heard often,

affirmed by feveral who were there at the time and. faw it, which made me enquire* 1

any