ing out from the dark foliage of the
banian, and the feathery fringes of the palm reflected on its shining
roof.

[Illustration: THE KING OF SIAM RETURNING TO HIS PALACE.]

The two main entrances to the royal palace are of white masonry very
elaborately adorned. Groups of elegant columns support a capital
composed of nine crowns rising one above the other, and terminating in
a slender spire of some forty feet. The whole is inlaid in exquisite
mosaics of porcelain, the various colors arranged in quaint devices,
so as to produce the happiest effect, while the reflection of the
sun's rays upon the glazed tiles, the numberless turrets and pinnacles
of the lofty pile, and the porticoes and balconies of pure white
marble opening from every window, and leading to delectable
conservatories, luxurious baths or fairy groves and arbors, present,
as grouped together, a sight worth a trip across the waters to enjoy.
The engraving represents one of these entrances, and His Majesty
Somdetch Phra Paramendr Maha Mongkut, the late supreme king of Siam,
on his return from his usual afternoon promenade. This "promenade,"
however, was not a walk, a ride or a drive, but an airing in one of
the royal state barges. For the late king, true to the usages of his
forefathers, continued to the very close of his life to make all his
tours, public and private, with very rare exceptions, by water. This
has heretofore been the custom of all classes, the gently-flowing
Meinam being the Broadway of Bangkok, and canals, intersecting the
city in every direction, its cross streets. Every family keeps one or
more boats and a full complement of rowers; palaces and temples
have their gates on the river; and upon its placid waters move in
ever-varying panorama life's shifting scenes of weddings and funerals,
business and pleasure, from early morn till long past midnight. Only
since the accession of the present kings have streets been constructed
along the river-banks; and these young princes, as a sort of
concession to European customs, now take occasional drives in open
carriages, attended by liveried servants, though for state processions
boats are still in vogue. His Majesty the late king was ordinarily
conveyed to the jetty in a state palanquin, and handed from it into
his boat, without the sole of his boot ever touching the ground. This
has been the custom of Siamese monarchs from time immemorial, but I
have sometimes seen both the late kings wave aside