Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/734

 698 SI AM.

The fleet of war consists of numerous junks, galleys, and other small vessels, built on the Chinese model, and mounting heavy guns, manned by Chinese and other foreigners.

Population and Trade.

The limits of the kingdom of Siam have varied much at different periods of its history ; and even now, with the exception of the Western frontier, the lines of demarcation cannot be exactly traced, most of the border lands being occupied by tribes more or less inde- pendent. As nearly as can be calculated, the country extends, at present, from the 4th to the 20th degree of north latitude, and from the 96th to the 102nd degree of east longitude, being a total area of about 250,000 square miles. The numbers of the population are still more imperfectly known than the extent of territory, and the difficulty of any correct result is the greater on account of the Oriental custom of numbering only the men. The last native registers state the male population of the kingdom as follows, in round numbers:— 2,000,000 Siamese; 1,500,000 Chinese; 1,000,000 Laotians; 1,000,000 Malays; 350,000 Cambodians; and 50,000 Peguans. Doubling these figures, to include the female sex, this Avould give a total population for the kingdom of 11,800,000 inhabi- tants, or 47 to the square mile.

The Siamese dominions are divided into 41 provinces, each pre- sided over by a phaja, or governor. The native historians distinguish two natural divisions of the country, called Monang-Nona, the region of the north, and Monang-Tai, the southern region. Previous to the fifteenth century, the former was the more populous part of the country, but since the establishment of Bangkok as capital — with from 300,000 to 400,000 inhabitants — the south has taken the lead in population. Siam is called by its inhabitants Thai', or Monang-Thai, which means ' free,' or ' the kingdom of the free.' The word Siam — quite unknown to the natives — is Malay, from sajam, ' the brown race.'

The principal foreign trade of Siam was, until the year 1867, the export of rice to China. This demand then in a great measure ceased, either from exceptionally good crops in China or from the effect of a decree allowing a free export from province to province of that great empire, and new markets had to be sought for the. rice of Siam. This change threw the export business into the hands of the resident European merchants. In 1868 no less than 69 vessels cleared with full cargoes for Europe, and others sailed for the Mauri- tius, California, and Australia. Teak was exported from Siam in considerable quantities to China in 1868 ; and the Burmese foresters, who had hitherto been working for the Moulmein market, came