CHAPTER XXXIIL GENERAL GRANT IN SIAM. General Grant, on landing at Singapore, was handed an autograph letter by Major Struder—a letter enclosed in an envelope of blue satin, from the King of Siam; the letter read as follows: THE GRAND PALACE, BANGKOK, 4th February, 1879.-) My Dear Sir: Having heard from my Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the authority of the United States Consul, that you are expected in Singapore on your way to Bangkok, I beg to express the pleasure I shall have in making your acquaintance. Possibly you may arrive in Bangkok during my absence at my country residence, Bang Pa In; in which case a steamer will be placed at your disposal to bring you to me. On arrival I beg you to communicate with His Excellency, my Minister for Foreign Affairs, who will arrange for your reception and entertainment. Yours very truly, To General Grant, late President of the United States. The letter that the King had taken the trouble to send all the way to Singapore, and the desire of General Grant to see all that was to be seen, decided him in accepting this flattering invitation, and visit Siam. So the General and party prepared at once for Siam. A heavy rain. swept over Singapore as they embarked on the small steamer Kang See, on the morning of the 9th of April. The run to Bangkok is set down at four days, and sometimes there are severe storms in the Gulf of Siam; but fortune was with them in this, as it had, indeed, been with them, so far as weather at sea is concerned, ever since they left Marseilles. The evening of their sailing some one happened to remember was the anniversary of the surrender of Lee-fourteen years ago to-day - and the hero of the surrender was sitting on the deck of a small steamer smoking and looking at the clouds, and gravely arguing Mr. Borie out of a purpose which some one has wickedly charged him with entertaining - - the purpose of visiting Australia and New Zealand and New Guinea, and spending the summer and winter in the Pacific Ocean. On the morning of the 14th of April, the little steamer in putting into Bangkok lost her reckoning and could not pass the inner bar. About ten o'clock the royal yacht a long, stately craft, anchored within a cable's length THE GRAND PALACE, BANGKOK, Sir: I have very great pleasure in welcoming you to Siam. It is, I am informed, your pleasure that your recep tion should be a private one; but you must permit me to show, as far as I can, the high esteem in which I hold the most eminent citizen of that great nation which has been so friendly to Siam, and so kind and just in all its intercourse with the nations of the far East. That you may be near me during your stay, I have commanded my brother, His Royal Highness the Celestial Prince Bhanurangsi Swangwongse, to prepare rooms for you and your party in the Saranrom Palace, close to my palace, and I most cordially invite you, Mrs. Grant and your party at once to take up your residence there, and my brother will represent me as your host. Your friend, CHULAHLONGKORN, R. S. His Excellency General Grant, late President of the United States. At four o'clock the General embarked on a royal gondola, and was slowly pulled to the shore. The guard pre sented arms, the cavalry escort wheeled into line, the band played "Hail Columbia." On ascending the stairs, Mr. Alabaster, the royal interpreter, Captain Bush, an English officer commanding the Siamese navy, and a brilliant retinue, were in waiting. The Foreign Minister advanced and welcomed the General to Siam, and presented him to the other members of the suite. Then entering carriages, the General and party were driven to the palace of Hwang Saranrom, the home of His Royal Highness the Celestial Prince Bhanurangsi Swangwongse. As they drove past the barracks the artillery were drawn up in battery, and the cannon rolled out a salute of twenty-one guns. On reaching the palace a guard was drawn up, and another band played the American national air. At the gate of the palace, Phra Sri Dhammason, of the foreign office, met the General and escorted him to the door of the palace. Here he was met by his Excellency Phya Bashakarawangse, the King's private secretary, and a nobleman of rank corresponding to that of an English earl. At the head of the marble steps was His Royal Highness the Celestial Prince, wearing the decorations of the Siamese orders of nobility, surrounded by other princes of a lesser rank and the members of his household. Advancing, he shook hands with the General, and, offering his arm to Mrs. Grant, led the party to the grand audience chamber. Here all the party were presented to the Prince, and there was a short conversation. The Celestial Prince is a young man about twenty, with a clear, expressive face, who speaks English fairly well, but, during the interview, spoke Siamese, through Mr. Alabaster, who acted as interpreter. The Prince lamented the weather, which was untimely and severe. However, it would be a blessing to the country and the people, and His Royal Highness added a compliment that was Oriental in its delicacy when he said that the blessing of the rain was a blessing which General Grant had brought with him to Siam. The Prince then said that his palace was the General's home, and that he had been commanded by the King, his brother, to say that anything in the Kingdom that would contribute to the happiness, comfort or honor of General Grant, was at his disposal. The Prince entered into conversation with Mrs. Grant and the members of the General's party. The General expressed himself delighted. with the cordiality of his welcome, and said he had been anxious to see Siam, and would have regretted his inability to do so. The Prince offered his arm to Mrs. Grant, and escorted her and the General to their apartments, while the members of his suite assigned the remainder of the party to the quarters they were to occupy while they lived in the capital of Siam. The evening was passed quietly, the General and party dining quietly with the Celestial Prince. The programme arranged by the King for the entertainment of his guests was submitted to General Grant, who regretted his inability to follow the whole of it. Not being on his own ship (the Richmond), which would have awaited his convenience, the General was compelled to return to Singapore on the ordinary mail steamer, which, leaving on Friday, only left him five days for Bangkok. So one or two dinners were eliminated, the visits to the temples and elephants massed into one day, and the run up the river to Ayuthia, the old apital of Siam, added. On the morning after the General's arrival, a visit was made to the ex-Regent. This aged statesman is one of the leading men in Siam, the first nobleman in the realm in influence and authority. He was the intimate friend and counsellor of the late King. He governed the Kingdom during the minority of the present sovereign. It was through his influence that the accession of His Majesty was secured without question or mutiny. He is now the chief of the Council of State, and governs several provinces of Siam with the power of life and death. His voice in council is potent, partly because of his rank and experience, and partly because of his old age, which is always respected in Siam. Their journey to the Regent's was in boats in Venetian fashion, and, after a half-hour's pulling down one canal and up another, and across the river to a third canal, and up that to a fourth, they came to a large and roomy palace shaded with trees. Orders had been given by the King that the canals and river should be kept free from trading craft and other vessels at the hours set down in the programme for the official visits. As a consequence, whenever they took to their boats they pulled along at a rapid pace with no chance of collision. As the boat pulled up to the foot of the palace, the exRegent, his breast bearing many orders, was waiting to receive the General. He was accompanied by Mr. Chandler, an American gentleman who has spent many years in Siam, and knows the language perfectly. The ex-Regent is a small, spare man, with a clean-cut, well shaped head, and a face reminding you, in its outlines and the general set of the countenance, of the late M. Thiers. It lacked the vivacity which was the characteristic of M. Thiers, and was a grave and serious face. He advanced, shook hands with the General, and, taking his hand, led him up stairs to the audience room of the palace. A guard of honor presented arms, the band played. The Regent led us into his audience hall, and, placing General Grant on his |