Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume VIII, No. 5 [‎23r] (48/154)

JOURNEY ROUND SIAM—DISCUSSION.
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good explorers as we have listened to to-night, and Englishmen, going into these
countries, and making nothing of the toil and hardships they go through, giving
such excellent representations of the journeys they have made and the countries
they have visited, offer us the main chance we have of learning something of, and
adding to our interest in, those distant lands. We feel heartily obliged to these
two gentlemen who have been exploring these countries, and who have brought
back such interesting accounts of them to us.
Mr. J. G. Scott: After the two papers which have been read to us, it seems rather
invidious to call upon a person like myself, with a superfacial acquaintance of the
country, to make any remarks at all; but I think 1 shall be only representing the
feeling of this meeting when I say that the little we have heard will make us look
forward to the proceedings of the Society with the greatest interest. I should like
to make some remarks with regard to Siam. A little earlier than Mr. Black, 1
travelled in Siam, and crossed his route. A few remarks which Mr. Clifford made
about his hardships in Trengganu and Kelantan suggest to me that it would be
as well, seeing that Siamese listeners are here to-night, that I should thank the
Siamese Government for the facilities they placed at the disposal of myself and
Mr. Black in travelling about the country. So far as I am concerned, I can safely
say that I never had to test my capacity for putting away the rice which Mr.
Clifford spoke of as the diet of which one has to take a great deal before being
satisfied. There are a great many British subjects in the north of Siam, a great
many Burmans and Shans. It is a curious fact that both Burmans and Shans are
agriculturists in their own country. Agriculturists in this country are not in so
good a position as they, for in Siam yop only have to tickle the ground. Consider
ing the number of British subjects in Siam, it is a matter of great pleasure to us
that that country, which was in a dubious position owing to its two neighbours
calling each other bad names, is now guaranteed on both sides. In travelling
through the country, one sees an extraordinary number of ancient ruined cities,
the city walls grown with trees, which shows they must have existed more
than a hundred years ago, and from the ruins it would appear that the population
must have been very great. We may hope, now that Siam is settled and at ease,
that the population will grow to be as great as ever, and it is in this central part
of the country that the population will settle. The country to the east, which
some people seem to think belongs to France, is much less interesting. Mr. Black s
paper, when it is published, will give you an idea of the country, but I think it is
waterless, and that the population from there will most probably go to the centre
of Siam, and will help to swell the amount of British trade, which is already 9<
per cent, of the whole trade of Siam. The Mekong, of which I saw the upper part,
and Mr. Black the middle, is a very fine river to look at, but it is not such a fine
river as the British river, the Salwen. It never can become a commercial river at
all. Lieutenant Simon has taken a gunboat up above the rapids to Luang Prabang,
which shows it is feasible for pluck to conduct steamers up the river ; but what a
brave man will do a commercial man will not do, because it won t pay. Mr. A erney
said that we might look upon the French rivalry with friendship. I think that if
they intend to use the Mekong river, we may look upon their efforts to take the
trade down with indifference.
Mr. R. L. Morant : I don’t wish to keep the meeting; but, if I may, I should
like for a moment to add my humble testimony to what has been said about the work
done round the Peninsula. I had the honour of going to each centre of govern
ment there with II.M. the King of Siam in 1889, on which occasion I was able to
look at it, not only as a Britisher, but also, of course, through Siamese spectacles
—that is, looking at the methods of the British Government from the point ot