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SIAM. 297
of considerable antiquity, and their laws are celebrated
all over the East. Their medical practice, however,
is behind even that of the Birmans ; and their litera-
ture is, apparently, altogether exotic. Both in science
and in poetry, we are told, those who affect learning
and elegance of composition, sprinkle their style co-
piously with a mixture of Pali.
The language of Siam is considered by Dr. Leyden
as an original one. It is, he says, "more purely
monosyllabic than the languages of Birmah, Arracan,
and Pegu, and is certainly connected in some degree
with the Chinese dialects, especially the mandarin or
court language, with which its numerals, as well as
some other terms, coincide." In its construction,
its intonations, and its modes of expression, it coin-
cides much more closely with the Chinese dialects than
with those of Birmah ; and the words which it has
borrowed from the Pali or Magadha, (the sacred lan-
guage of the votaries of Buddha) are much more contracted
and disguised than in the other vernacular
idioms.* The Siamese calendar differs little from
that of the Chinese. Mr. Finlayson says, indeed, that
it is very doubtful if they could construct one with-
out the assistance of a Chinese calendar, which they
procure regularly from Pekin. Their era, answering
to A.D. 638, also appears to be derived from China.
Their customs approximate to those both of India
and China. Polygamy is tolerated. The monarchs
have sometimes espoused their own sisters. Women
enjoy far less freedom and consideration in Siam, than
they do in Birmah. The wife is not allowed to eat
with her husband, nor even to sail in the same boat.
She must attend no public amusements, but confine
Asiat. Res. vol. x. p. 244.