Federated Malay State8 Railway, enroute from
Bangkok to Singapore, March 16, 1921.

Dear Margaret, My laet letter wa8 closed a8 we were drawing into Bangkok
after the visit to Chieng Mai. That evening Dr. Barnes, Dr. Heiser and I
went in flokshaws to the moviee.  It was the first time that I had patronized
the Chinese rickehaw coolie, and I was very much pleased with the service
he'gave for 25 eatangs,or about ten cents American. It was in the cool of
the evening, and hats were unnece88ary, even for the unthatched. The
rickshaws are eilent with their rubber tires , and the coolies run with a
steady springy gait that i8 very agreeable.  At the movie8 we aat in the
gallery, or stall8 , or whatever you call the most expeneive part of the theater
where the floor is for the native8 of the poorer claeeee.  The theater was
large, and electric fan8 were constantly supplying artificial breezes from the
Seiling while we sat around the table in our eta11 in spacious wicker chaire.
In the meantime we were entertained by installments of the preeent-day
pet abomination of the movie theaters, the discontinued serial. The first
left the hero about to be exterminated by the black-robed villain8 of the Mystery
of Number 13.  an the seoond the hero, portra#ed by Dempsey, the prize-
fighter,* just about to kick a football loaded with dynamite at the
opening OB a great football game, when we were told that the story would
be continued the next week.  The Siamese in the pit, unable to read the
leg&s or the lipa, cheered the heroes in the right place8 and handled the
villain8 most roughly.  They were evidently experienced movie fans.

      The next day w88 a very busy Saturday. Firllt we Weilt With
Dr. Mendelson, an American who has become Medioal Officer of Health for
Bangkok, and vieited the abbatoir and the great cement-floored sheds where
cattle intended for export are held for a period of quarantine.  After that
we went through the police hO8pita1, which is under hi8 jurisdiction.  It wa8
clean and made a fairly good impresslbon.  Then we went to hi8 office and
laboratory and talked over thing8 in general. Dr. Idendelson examine8 the
water of Bangkok every day with the result that cholera is,practically limited
to the part of the sity acro88 the river, where the city supply is not avail-
able.  In the afternoon Dr. Barnes, Dr. Ellis, and I went on a little sigh$-
8eeing expedition in a hired car.  The meet intereetinZ thing we 8aw was
Vat Sake%, which is on the top of a high ateep hill made of brick, probably
a piae of ruins.  Step walk8 and stairway8 wind around th; hill and finally
reach the temple on the top where it ie said ttire is a footprint of Buddha.
A8 the temple ie kept locked except on rare occasions I caxnot testify a8
to the truth of the statement.  *Ye 8aw a number of interesting wat8 in    `
passing,and visited the museum0  The museum was a8 stupid a8 the wats and
temple8 were interesting.  It was a regular collection of junk) probably
lEO8tly dolnatioi18.  I will not wa:te any tiiie describing it.

Cn the next day we were in the hand8 of our friend8 and they had

4 ianned a very full program indeed
         t  First we were taken t=o the University
&W$.am (Chulalongkornj University  A great de..1 of :Aoney had been 82ent
in putting up a modern concrete buildina e with elaborate concrete Siamese
trim-zings.  The inoney ran out, or there was 8ome other difficultyr and the
roof is thatched and will have to wait a while for the beautif,al tile8 of
the plans.  le were shown through the place by Hi8 Excellency Phya Anuhich


Vidhuru# Rector of the Vniversitgr and other laeubers of -bile i?ac.~lt~. Soue
of them wert: trained in English &G.versi.ties and  speak the lan~u~e
well. )@st everywh*ra ve went tiley served u8 Nith soda water, nd I was
pleai ed to note tl:at they did not seem to have accepted the whisky and soda
habit of the Engli8h.

    We were talcelI-ilext to tl:e old palace in which the first years of
the medical school are taught.  We were 8hOwn about by His Serene Highness
Mom Chao Bemari Kashem, A.iJI., R.A.C., Dean of the Faculty of Arte and Sciences,
and the Dean of the Medical Faculty, who etayed in the background not being
a8 proficient in English a8 the Prince-

     We were next treated to a eplendid bit of sightseeing. We drove
through the city past the outer city wall and the Royal Pages College with
ita Siamese architecture and royal blue tiled roofs wiih wide yellow borders,
to the marble palace where the throne room is. Th&s palace is wholly
Italian and very elagant. It is built of white marble and has a large central
dome.  Inaide there are wide marble etairways , elaborate mural paintinge,
deep red carpets, and gilded-chairs with red upholetering. Almost in the@
center ia 'the throne.  It is evidently intended to be aat upon crose-legged,
and it rests on a sort of table on a tiger skin.  Behind it is a white umbrella
of nine ring8 and smaller umbrelles are on each.eide.  The wal18 were m
lined with rich imported marbles, and the dome8 aro elaborately painted.

     You will be quite shocked to know that I photographed the throne
and its surroundings, with the consent of ,,our guidee.  I em anxious to find
out how the pictures came out, and I hope they are not epoiled before we
can hbve the films developed at Singapoce.  I took a picture at the
medical school Od the Prince and the other8 who showed u8 about.

      We went next to the Royal Palace where you will remeaer I
had been with Dr. Hei8er to pay our respects to three of the Prince8 when
we first cams to Bankok.  It ..wa6 there that the payment of a emall coin
F to hi8 keeper induced the Royal White Elephant to pay hi8 respects
     We saw the beautiful exterior of the Dusit throne room and the
ChakGi Palace in the enclosure, or inner wall.  In front of the Chakkri
Palace the trees are trimmti 5.0 that the branches carry many round ball8
of solid green foliage.  The meet interesting building8 at the Royal
Palace are in the inner encloeure containing the many ornate building8 of
the Wat Pra Keo.  As we entered the gate we came face to face with an image
of the god of medicine , and we had to stop and take a picture of the doctor8
grouped around it.a At the feet af the go,d wa8 a stone roller which wa8 used
like a mortar and pestle.  Near by were some ancient stones which had been
brought to t&e temple grounds and deciphered by profeesor Bradley of the
University of California. They contained early Siamese history. The central
building of the wat contain8 the famous emerald Buddha.

      This building ha8 many.beautiful gableer and the portico has
fine pillars. on the eve8 are little bells with vane8 on the clappers, so
that they tinkle in the wind.  The door8 are black and ornamented with a
beautiful fine pattern of inlaid mother of pearl. The inside of the temple
is disappointing, as it   more eignificance than beauty.. The walls are-s/
       4
zimple and bear paintings.0 the life of Buddha.  On a tall pyramidal
pedestal at the back of the temple sits the emerald Buddha, a'emall image
about two feet high with a jewel in I&a forehead.  All around him are accum-
ulated gifts, including galden 'trees that were sent ae tribute by 8ome of the
Malay Free State8 before they came under English influence. Around the wtallti


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were cabinets filled with jewels and  all sorts of iages of gold and other
urateriale.  There was little arrangemellt and the iroprossioti was one of
quantity.   Of course we should not have had the mppwr oportunity to visit
the throne room and the waC Pra Keo as we did,if special arrangement8 had
not been made for ~8.

   We hurried next to the hoepital and medical school where Vie last
year8 of the medical cour8e are given.  We were received by Hi8 Excellency
Phya Baisal Silpsatr, Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Education,
the Minister being away on a tour. We viewed plans for new building8
and drank the everpresent soda water, which was most acceptable in this most
thirsty country.  We visited the Pathology Building an8 the very attractive
obsteric building where you could see the Siamea mothers on their board
bed8, while in the adjoining room the youngest babies were lying on little
tray8 under the supervision of a nurse.

    Next we ferried back across the river and drove to the American
Legation where we were the guests of Ambassador Hunt-at luncheon. The
other guests were Dr. Heiserj Dr..Ayer, the Advisor to the He&d of the Dep-
artment of Health1 Dr. Ellie, American and Professor of Pathology; and Dr.
Barnes.  Before luncheon I noticed a peculiar cat in the parlor and found out
it was a real Siamese cat,the first and only one I 8awe  It wa8 ordinary
in size, but its color was extraordinary.  It wa8 cream with rich brown trim-
mings and white toea on it8 deep brown feet.  It8 eye8 were pale blue. It
then developed that the cat had recently been given to the ambassasdor by
Mr. Darlington who came up on the Kuala with u8 determined to find a Pan
of Siamese cat8 and return tu the United States with them.  He had finally
caught sight of thi8 cat at one of the Klongs (canals) and had bought it
for ten ticala but,hunt a8 he would,he could not find a male to go with itr
and he gave up and left the cat with Mr. Hunt.

     We had a :Lost intezting luneheonu  Mr. Hunt took good care of u8e
He is of the type which has given America its reputation for having
a low-brow foreign service.
loudly during the meal.    He offered u8 "oigareets" and picked hi8 teeth
              lIiWWBZ~:eVZS~ He comea from

Arizona and .:ae appointed@ by Wilson.
voyage.                I presums he is now due for a long 8ea-
    He told us some interesting things. A Dr. Rock of the U.S.Depart-

ment of Agriculture had recently been through Bankok and had also been in
OhiengMai when Professor Orampton of Columbia was there. He then went- +
through to Burma and wa8 collecting Chaulmoogra oil trees on account of their
increasing importance in the  treatment of leprosy when a tiger came into
the village where he wa8 staying and killed two women outright , wounded anothe
fatally and oarried off a child.  The natives then dug a pit, baited it with
the-body of one of the women and caught the tiger. Shortly afterward a herd
of wild elephants came and messed thing8 up generally. How is this for
botanizing under difficulties.

     During the day rumora were about that the king had broken off
hi8 engagement to the Prince88 whom he wa8 to marry, and whose royal
garments we 8aw in preparation at Chieng bki.
to marry her sister inetead.          It wa8 said that he wa8 going
               The main fact wa8 probably true, but hbs
many reaaon8 spoken of were conflicting and probably not worth.repeating.

    In the afternoon we received Prince Jainad, brother to the king,
in our room at the hotel.  He ie head of the Health Department. In the
evening we dined at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Ellis. Mr Hunt was another guest;

!r


  The next morning we arose at 4:30 and took the hotel barge up the river
at siqo'clock to go to Bangkok Noi (old &n&ok) to t&e the train for,
Singapore.  The city was very interesting arti beautiful in the dim early rab
morning light.  The towere of wats could be seen on every side. Most
impressive was a tall wat erect&n as a monument to the f'aunding of the city.
We passed the Navy Yard and saw the few ehips of the Siamese Navy at anchor.
Dr. Oortr brother of Professor Cotit formerly under Kofoid at tLe U. of Cal.
and now in the School of Hygiene and Public Health at Hopkins, Dr.Ellis,
&nd Dr. Barnes were at the station to see us off.  The train started on
time at seven o'clock.  As we went eouthward we entered regions of higher
rainfall and saw green rice fields and luxurious jungles.  Ve saent the night
in the railway rest house at Chumphon.

     The next day we traveled from seven to five, or rather seventeen,
as they ProgrecSvely call it here in Siam.  We spent the night at Tung song,
and Dr. Heiser lost his Philippine straw hat in the mix up over our numerous
pieces of baggage.  This morning we had to start in the dim morni@
light at 6:34. We passed into the Federated klay ststes ct Pedang Besar
at three this afternoon, and we have seen many interesting limestone zcliffs
showing caves and stalactites.  This morning the native girls brought  .
mangoetines to the train and I made the acqaintenze of this very delicious
fruit- 1 am not yet prepared to say whether I agree with the stateLent tfiat
they are the best fruit on et:rthl but they are good on first &qunintance-

   We also made the acquaintance through bur nostrils with enotndr
famous fruit., the durian. A turbaned Ipdit.yL c'ae into OUT car and fed hi;
family. The stench was terrific s.~'@~~~n~lly a lady had his basket ;ytysie
to the platform, much to the relip'
a durian sometime. It, COI&,C+ - `  ,& of the rest of W*  1 k3.m Somg

__ __ 3   _~ .      ,, llOt be as bad as its smell'
                  . . -

qe shall,have to change cars in a few minutes, so good-

night, Sweetheart,