Chapter I: Front Matter

PEEPS AT MANY LANDS

SIAM

LIST OF VOLUMES IN THE PEEPS AT MANY LANDS SERIES

EACH CONTAINING 12 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR PRICE +1/6+ EACH NET POST FREE 1/10

BURMA CANADA EGYPT ENGLAND FRANCE HOLLAND HOLY LAND ICELAND INDIA ITALY JAPAN MOROCCO SCOTLAND SIAM SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH SEAS SWITZERLAND

THE WORLD

Containing 37 full-page illustrations in colour

PRICE +3/6+ NET POST FREE 3/10

PUBLISHED BY ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W.

AGENTS

AMERICA THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
64 & 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK

CANADA THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD.
27 RICHMOND STREET WEST, TORONTO

INDIA MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD.
MACMILLAN BUILDING, BOMBAY
309 BOW BAZAAR STREET, CALCUTTA

AUSTRALASIA OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, MELBOURNE

PEEPS AT MANY LANDS

SIAM

BY ERNEST YOUNG, B.SC.

HEAD MASTER OF THE LOWER SCHOOL OF JOHN LYON, HARROW FORMERLY OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, SIAM AUTHOR OF "THE KINGDOM OF THE YELLOW ROBE," ETC.

WITH TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR

BY EDWIN A. NORBURY, R.C.A.

LONDON ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK 1908

TO

MY CHILD FRIEND,

SYBIL MARJORIE COOPER,

I AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATE THIS, MY FIRST BOOK FOR CHILDREN

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I. A PEEP INTO SIAMESE HISTORY 1

II. IN EASTERN VENICE 5

III. DOWN THE RIVER 10

IV. THE CHILDREN 15

V. SCHOOLS 18

VI. AMUSEMENTS 22

VII. THE STORY OF BUDDHA 27

VIII. THE MONKS 34

IX. THE TEMPLES 39

X. THE SHAVING OF THE TOP-KNOT 44

XI. HOUSES 48

XII. FOOD AND DRESS 55

XIII. FISHING 56

XIV. RICE 60

XV. A PLOUGHING CEREMONY 65

XVI. ELEPHANTS 69

XVII. WHITE ELEPHANTS 75

XVIII. TRIAL BY ORDEAL 79

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

BY EDWIN A. NORBURY, R.C.A.

A TYPICAL CANAL SCENE _frontispiece_

FACING PAGE
A CORNER OF THE GRAND PALACE ENCLOSURE, BANGKOK 4

THE RIVER MARKET, BANGKOK 9

THE GULF OF SIAM--MOONLIGHT 16

A BUFFALO CART 25

A GROUP OF BUDDHIST MONKS 32

THE TEMPLE OF WAT POH 41

MOUNT PRABHAT 48

A FISHING-BOAT NEAR THE ISLAND PAGODA, PAKNAM 57

THE ANNUAL RICE-PLOUGHING FESTIVAL 64

AN ELEPHANT HUNT AT AYUTHIA 73

A RELIGIOUS WATER PROCESSION 80

_Sketch-Map of Siam on p. viii._

SIAM