Siam has no national debt. In 1902 the public treasury contained £2,000,000 cash. The annual revenues and expenditures praetically balance. increased to about £2,230,000 in 1902-03. The revenues come mainly from the opium tax. customs, and the lottery and gambling tax, land tax and fisheries, the capitation tax, and the tax on spirits. Forests. mines, railways, and post offices are also taxed. A British official acts as adviser in the national finances. Bangkok has several branch banks whieh issue notes independ ent of the Government.
The political r6gime has long been enlightened and progressive. The government is an absolute monarchy. the succession now passing from father to son. The executive power is held by the King. De is assisted by a Cabinet, whose members are the heads of the several depart ments of national administration: Foreign :if fairs, finance, justice, interior, war, marine, police, luddie works, public instruction. etc.
These officials are for the most part relatives of the King. Since 1895 there has been a Legis lative Council. It is formed of the Cabinet and officials, and twelve other persons selected by the King. Its members number fifty-one. The pre scribed object of this body is to perfeet national legislation, and to see that the new laws are ad justed and enforced. The Siamese dominions proper are divided, under the general control of the Minister of Interior, into forty-one adminis trative circles (mttons), each with a commis sioner at its head, having authority from the Crown. The authority of the various local princes is gradually being absorbed by that of the strong central Government. The Malay States of Siam are governed by rajahs who are usually directed by commissioners with full pow ers, sent by the King. These States retain a certain degree of independence. The Laos States in the north are likewise governed as tributary provinces, and there are still others. All slaves born after December 16, 1897, are free. The number of slaves is large, and the feudal system still hangs heavy on the land. The co•v(le has been superseded by the poll tax.
There is now an international court in which suits of foreigmers against Siamese are brought.
The legal code is being modernized, and the police force is being remodeled, extended, and made effective under English guidance. The authorized unit of money is the flea], worth at the rate of 17.46 tieais to the fl. The Chang represents 2-3 pounds avoirdupois. The son equals .568 of a mill. The regular army is in an inferior condition and numbers only 5000 men. There is
no equipped militia. Young men are obliged to serve as recruits for three years, and after wards for three months in every twelve. Priests. slaves, and certain other classes are exempted from service. There are 22 ships in the navy. 10 being over 500 tons. The marine infantry num bers 15.000. Bangkok is protected by forts at the month of the Menam River. and a b:r• here also prevents large vessels from ascending the stream.
The population is estimated at 5,000.000. con sisting in part of 1,500,000 Siamese, 600,000 Chi nese. and 600,000 Malays. Bangkok, the capital.
is the only large city. Chiengmai, the capital of the Laos country, with over 50,000 inhabitants.
is the leading town in the north, where the various tribes of the Thai race are found. In the ex treme south are the 'Malays. The natives have largely intermarried with the energetic Chinese, who have entered the country in great numbers.
The Siamese themselves are indolent and indif ferent. As the Thai in the limited sense, they form the most important civilized section of the Thai stock of Farther India, akin to the Laotians and Shan tribes of the no•thernn and eastern re gions of Siam. The primitive Thai type has been very much changed among the Siamese by inter mixture with the Khmers, Kuis, 1Tindus, and Malays. Physically they are above the average in stature, with very hrachycephalie skulls, olive complexions, prominent cheek-hones, lozenge shaped faces, and short, flat noses. Their hair is dark. Although polygyny and coneubinage are permitted by custom, the mass of the Siamese are practically monogamous, with few divorces. There is no caste. The Siamese language is the 'monosyllabic, tonic type,' characteristic of the more or less cultured nations of Farther India, The Siamese are generally Buddhists of the orthodox or southern school. The priests have hitherto had complete charge of education. The Malays are Mohammedans. The missionaries are either French Roman Catholic* or American Protestants, and their efforts have not met as yet with any very hopeful results. The educational facilities are quite imperfect, but are in proc ess of being radically modernized. In Bangkok the Government maintains and aids in maintain ing many schools, among them a normal institu tion, several vernacular schools, a training school, and a home school with English instructors for the sons and another for the daughters of the titled families.