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C/o Prof and Mrs Elwyn Davies 2590, Suricoongse
Road,
Bangkok, Siam.
The Royal State Railway
of Siam
Sunday May, 1935
My dearest Everybody,
This letter will come by ordinary mail, so I’ll
enclose photos etc. Don’t you think the ones of Borubodor are masterpieces
for the size of each panel is only about the size (or somewhat bigger) of
the mirror in the drawing room.
Now for the letters which I was delighted to have at Singapore. 1 am ever so
sorry that you had so much illnesses. Gobeithio eich bod wedi gwella a
hollol. A fyddwch gystal a phoynu I mi lyfr Idwal Jones a chadw ef twn
byddaf yn dod adref,
Mae’n fin genwyf glywed am farwolaeth Sir Wm D. Efe gymodd f’erthygl cyntaf.
Rwyf wedi ysfrifennu i Lady Davies. 1 have also written to the Bryn Davies.1
am sorry to hear of Dudley Howe’s defeat. When I was on the Kisna, I told
the officers that I was from Barry and they said "Oh, there’s a Barry man
who is skipper on this line called Howe.
Dioloch yn fawr I Dada am gymeryd lanto am dro o hyd.
Dioloch yn fawr am lythyron Auntie Winnie. Llongyfarchiadau ,Dada ar y
ddarlith.
Don’t work too much everybody. Sut mae Mrs
Walters? I am sorry there was so much worry about Pennorth. My health is
excellent. I am having my teeth seen to here. As you know I have been
inoculated against smallpox and typhoid. I’d forgotten all about the cheque
for £212 - don’t worry about things. So the fact that you hadn’t
acknowledged it had not even crossed my mind. Leave alone worried me. I
think I have received all the letters except to Peiping (except George
Harris ‘s article).
Charge per day at the Imperial Hotel is
;-room..8/-per
break.. 1/-per
lunch...1/2 per
dinner about 2/-
Very moderate for the finest hotel due to the
low yen.
Letters coming across Siberia are not opened. Besides what great State
secrets would my letters contain? Do not hesitate to write fully. I’ll be in
Japan about beginning of August (do Imperial Hotel,), in July I shall be
part of the time do Poste Restante, Hsinking, Manchuria. It is the new
Capital; you can also drop me a line in the middle of June to c/o Poste
Restante, Mukden, Manchukuo.
The M.G. is sending articles of mine, They don’t want to be my literary
agent!!
What disgraceful behaviour at the St David's Days Dinner! I have enjoyed
your 14 page letter so much (March 13-15) which was waiting for me at
Singapore.
Yes I did get everything that was written to the Imperial Hotel and the
British Consulate (except the G,Harris article) I hope that Mr Idris Jones
will be good..
What do you think of me being a godfather. Reinhard has asked me and I am
most pleased.
I hope the bronchitis has completely
disappeared. Dioloch yn fawr am y cuttings. Dioloch am lythyr Auntie Winnie.
Mawrth 30. I hope Gwyneth liked doing the Heads work.. I am glad you liked
the prints. Falch iawn bod Auntie Teg yn well. It is funny about the James
Stephen letter. 1 don’t think more than one letter could have been lost,
because they have come so regularly. The Imperial Hotel forwarded to me at
Singapore a lot of letters. I am looking forward to going to Blaenau and
Cwmfforest on my return. My health is excellent. I was so glad to get
Eirian’s letter in Singapore.
Now I have finished answers to correspondence.
I’m thinking of writing a
P,C,
to Mrs Walters .but is she still alive ? Is her
illness serious ? I am afraid of writing in case she has gone.
I’ll think I shall send the letter off now. I am having a splendid time in
Siam. It makes a great difference staying with a family.
I’ll send the news in an airmail letter.
How do you like the photos?
Cariad Cynesaf
Gareth
******
11 o’clock
Wednesday night ,May 15 ,1935
Continental Palace,
Saigon.
My dearest Everybody,
A rapid note. The D’Artagnan sails at 2 o’clock
this morning! I have had a thrilling time here in French-Indo China - Angkor
-Kings Palace at Cambodia. I went into 14 opium dens at Phnom Penh and I
have had a most interesting time I intended to write a long letter this
evening, but by chance I met a most hospitable Frenchman who took me to the
country and gave me an admirable dinner and is going to see me off on
the boat.
Angkor was a miracle. I will write a along
letter on the boat and also include the letter I
began
on Sunday.
Don’t expect news for a long time now, because there is no airmail from Hong
Kong.
In the beginning of July I’ll be in Peking (do the British Consulate ).Siam
was excellent and the Davies were most kind. Write to thank them (Prof J.
Elwyn Davies 2590 Surirongse Rd, Bangkok) Their son David and I were great
friends.
I came 400 miles by bus from the Siamese frontier .Excellent journey.
everybody’s been most kind here. The hospitality of people to me is amazing.
Now I must get to the D’Artagnan.
In the morning I shall be in the China Sea.
Cariad Cynesaf Gareth
******
On the way from Saigon to Hong Kong passing the
mountains of South East Indo-China, not far from Cape Varello. Thursday, 5,
o’clock in the afternoon.
A Board D’Artagnan 16 Mai 1935
My dearest Everybody,
I enjoyed Siam and French Indo-china more than
any other part of Asia. So I must give you a full description of it as I
travel to Hong Kong.
On the morning of Tuesday April 30 ,
I woke up on board the British boat, Kisna and looking through the porthole
saw masses of trees called "flame of the forest" and some piles of river
dwellings. We were going up the river Menair to Bangkok. Before long the
Siamese customs officers were on board and asked if I had any opium, cocaine
or fire-arms. Then I was hurried on to a launch where there was a huge
Indian in a gay uniform who might be looking after a Palace in the Arabian
nights. For a few miles the launch hurried me past river dwellings on stakes
driven into the bottom of the river and passed dozens of boats -some rather
like gondolas ,but more primitive I one boat I saw about five men with their
heads clean shaven and in bright yellow robes. They were Bhuddist monks.
Along the bank I saw as couple of fantastic temples with snake designs on
the many gabled roofs.
After landing a car took me to the Y.M.C.A. where I had a card for Mr
Zimmerman ,the secretary .He advised me to go to the Rajdhhari Hotel on the
station and there I found a large room.
I told you I came back in the evening about 10 o’clock after a Chinese
dinner and children’s theatre and how I found a man in shorts looking at the
names in the hotel register, how he turned out to be on of the Elwyn Davis
of Pennorth (Cynghordy0 and how he put me into his car at once and took me
to his home.
Next morning there was a Bible at the table and at each meal we had grace.
They were very religious and during the day - time most serious and grave,
but in the evening when we were invited out to the Davies’ enjoyed jokes and
we had a great time singing Welsh songs. Elwyn Davies takes life exceedingly
seriously and is just like you (Mama) in conscientiousness and sense of
duty...He is laughed at by some because he takes the Siamese students so
earnestly whereas most people in Siam being lackadaisical believe that the
University is a great joke. and the Revolution a great joke and everything
in Siam like a comic opera.
The boat is vibrating to much and it’s awkward to write. I think I’ll write
when I get to Hong Kong.
HONG KONG
It was wonderful, To have hosts of letters in
Hong Kong.
I have a huge room here beautifully furnished
with fine veranda .10/- bed and breakfast a day. The rise in price of silver
makes China terribly expensive and unfortunately white people have to live
well to" keep face" but I am most comfortable.
Kowloon Hotel, Hong Kong
3.10 Sunday afternoon May 18 1935
My dearest Everybody
I was delighted to have a fine welcome when I
went to see a Hong Kong family this morning.
- the Barretts with whom I had tea the last
time on March 22(1 think). The children got extremely excited and rushed
around in glee. They remembered all the stories I had told them and had
being saying to each other "Mr Jones will be back sometime in May. "They
made me stay to tiffen (lunch)and have asked me to the seaside this
afternoon. Mr Barrett is a journalist here.
I arrived on the D’Artagnan last night and in the company of a jolly
laughing Frenchman, Mr Vaseille went to explore Hong Kong. The voyage from
Saigon (2nd class)was most enjoyable. At our table was a woman of mystery -a
young Madame Andrefoutte who was exquisitely dressed -the latest Paris
chic-had her lips absolutely red, her eyebrows lined with some black stuff
and her eyelids painted blue. She seemed nervous all the time and ill at
erase, hardly saying a word, but smoking 40 -50 cigarettes a day. She is
married to a Frenchman in Saigon . M.Vaseil.I asked her where she was going
to stay in Hong Kong and she replied that she was going to stay with a
Chinese gentleman who was a friend of her husband’s. "You can’t do that"
said Vaseille. "Think what the British will think of you .Why don’t you stay
with the Americans who are coming to meet you"
But she insisted that she wanted to stay with the Chinese Gentleman.
Vaseille came to me and said "I am sure she is an opium smoker. Most of the
French women smoke opium in Indo-China and she is nervous because she cannot
get opium on board. She wants to stay with the Chinese because she’11 be
able to get opium easily there, whereas with her American friends she will
be unable to get the drug."
She had large sunken eyes. I had the impression that she was an opium
smoker.
This morning I slept late then went to
see the Barretts. Had a splendid day Shall write about it later .and send a
letter by ordinary mail.
Tuesday evening, May 21, 1935 after a
day of tropical rain.
Empress Lodge
Inhabited by lieutenants ,captains and majors
,Cheltenham atmosphere.
My dearest Everybody,
I was delighted to get the letter of May 3
today and the snaps of lanto.
But I am determined to write about Siam and Angkor. So I’ll put everything
aside until I have finished that. But just one thing and that is this. Mr
Barrett asked me to a meal at 6 yesterday because his children have been
clamoring for me. Mrs Barrett was out and I left before she returned, but
the children (Siriol’s age) insisted on accompanying me as far as this
elegant boarding room. When Mrs B. came to her house she asked the Amah
where everybody was. She replied "the genleman who came yesterday came and
took the children away."
Well now at long last Siam. The first day I retimed to my Hotel and found
Elwyn Davies. Next morning I made friends with David, as I said. On my first
day I called at the Legation and saw the Consul-General whose said that the
revolution was a revolt of the disgruntled middle-class that personal
jealousies were the main motive in Siamese politics and thar the Siamese
were getting wildly nationalistic.
On May 1st I went in a car with Mr Elwyn Davies who was an American
missionary teacher -and spent several hours in the magnificent Bangkok
museum where there are fine Buddhas and a host of other treasures. I think
that the splendours of Bangkok outshine any city I have seen ,but at the
same time I have never seen such squalor and dirty canals. The town is like
Venice - hundreds of smelly canals with the glittering of the Royal Palace
and the beauty of the temples as a contrast .Some parts are clean and fine
however.
Mrs Davies took me to the house of Prince Damrong - a great Royalist
statesman. She spoke to a relative of his. In the next house a gibbon leapt
from tree to tree.
I was amazed to see so many Chinese. Half Bangkok is Chinese and they are
traders.
On Wed. Mailst I dined with Whittridge, Vice-Consul who was at Fitzwilliam
House until 1931. Good company - he took me to see slow graceful Siamese
classical dances . The girls move their arms and their fingers very slowly
and their dances are descended from old Hindu dances.
On Friday May3, I went to the Royal Palace with Mr Davies. It was by special
permission and included a visit to the "Temple of the Emerald Buddha", one
of the greatest treasures of the East and wars have been fought over that
green Buddha. On the card of permission was written" Visitors wearin
knickerbockers, plusfours, blazers, sweaters, shorts are not allowed in the
Royal precincts. Ladies must wear stockings. "When we were waiting in a room
filled with pictures of recent Kings (including the abdicated King) an
American came in without a coat and behaved abominably because the Royal
Guards said that he should wear a coat to see the Royal Palace. He said it
was "impudence" Mr Davies said to him "Surely you would wear a coat if you
went to the White House",
Say "This isn’t the White House. And what is more the White House is
air-cooled and this isn’t . Besides this isn’t a real King .The British rule
here ! !.
I was amazes by the richness of the Royal precincts, the Throne rooms, the
gold and the jewels and the brilliant colours. The umbrellas of red and also
of gold were fine. I was also curious to see in the Temple of the Emerald
Buddha the diamonds flashing in the forehead and the hands of the many
Buddhas. It reminded me of novels where the thief steals the jewel from the
brow of the idol. The towers of porcelain were exquisite. I’ll send you some
of the Photos (or I’ll wait until I get to Japan to get them enlarged. China
is too expensive.)
So that is the most magnificent centre of a
city that I have seen yet. I am anxious to know whether Peiping will beat it
or not.
There was a round of entertainment at Bangkok.
The Elwyn Daviese sasked guests to meet me and one evening MacGahan of Barry
and his wife came. They were very affected - accent and beard and very blase
Mrs MacG. (summer school) was Hengoed turned Mayfair. Not a scrap of
naturalness- much prefer natural people, but they were not so bad
underneath,
The first day I went with the Davieses to prayer meeting at the American
Presbyterian Mission and had Auntie Winnie been there we would have roared
it was so funny and serious .Mr Aiken -the missionary asked me to dinner one
night and we had great fun. We listened to the repletion of the King’s
Speech and stood up to God Save the King.
I enjoyed the Jubilee. The Davieses and I motored to the Legation and
listened to theBand of the Royal Siamese Navy and they played
"Britain never shall be slaves "and" Bay of Biscay etc.wonderfully well The
Navy is a great joke in Siam. It is nearly all composed of Admirals .When it
got dark hundreds upon hundres of lanterns were lit and it was a beautiful
sight .Then the native British population came All our felloew countrymen -
Chinese ,Malays, Burmese, Hindusl Tamils, Skihs, all came pouring in
hundreds and swarmed with their children through the Legation grounds They
just enjoy themselves, for a Chinese Theatre, Siamese Theatre, a Burmese
Theatre (the Burmese women wore lovely flowers in their hair ) and a Tamil
Theatre were provided in different parts of the grounds. So if you stood in
the middle under the Chinese lantern you could hear the Chinese laugh and
clap in one corner, see the Siamese in a strange garb dancing in another -
watch the Tamil comedians at a distance and listen to a Burmese band. The
Chinese players were all children and had been brought from Amoy .Drums beat
through out the performance and the scene shifters moved and did their work
while the actors went on acting
I went to dine at the Trocadero with J.M.Evans whom I had met at lunch at
the Legation-Welshman who knew at lot of Welshmen at Cambridge
After dinner we returned to the Jubilee Celebrations. When I came back to Mr
Elwyn D’s home, 1 found that they had a thief there and he had escaped.There
are a bit of thieves in Bangkok.
I did enjoy staying with a family. We had some fine Welsh Songs. We dined
with a German doctor and his wife. The Davieses, by the way, were most
impressed when another German with whom I spoke German thought I was a
fellow countryman and would not believe I was British .A few days later I
was taken for a Frenchman by a Frenchman in Indo-China!
We dined at the American Legation in a party at which we all had to wear
slack silk Chinese trousers. So we had a real round of gaiety and Elwyn D.
who all day long is solemn as an owl ,became a wild ,laughter loving fellow
at dinners.
The great joke in Siam is the former
American Minister. Once in a most dignified State function he was seated
behind the King when he suddenly hit the Kings shoulder with a bang ,darted
his hand from an inside waistcoat pocket and shouted "Say ,King ,have a
cigar.
Empress Lodge
Sunday,May
26, 1935
My dearest Everybody,
It is 7 months from yesterday that I left home
So I have been away more than haif the period.
I am looking forward so much to my welcome when
I return, to lanto’s jumping and to a good dinner with Mr Davis as guest and
also pheasant and partridge and with boiled pudding! Today Mr Morris of
Aberavon is taking me to expire the New Territories on the mainland .A very
rich young Chinese Mr Ip (Mr Morris speaking "sheuni "always calls him Mr
Yip) is coming with us.
I find the Chinese paintings here lovely. I
have bought some. The man who sold them swore that they were original 18th
century painting but I think that they are brilliant copies .1 hope there
will be no duty on them..They will probably take a long time because they
send parcels on slow boats sometimes. If I see any more. I like I shall buy
them. 1 did not like Japanese or Chinese paintings until I came here. I used
to think them unnatural, but now I sse that they are natural.
These are the pictures (I hope they will arrive
in good condition.
No 1. There are little numbers on the back as
described by the Chinese dealer. She is the Queen of Chieng Lung ,the 4th
Emperor of the Ching dynasty. During the middle ages Chieng Lung reigned.
No 2’ He is Mr Cheing Lung when he was a young
man(1736-1795)
I
did not buy no 3
No 4’ She is the Empress of Chieng Lung during
the Ming time
unnumbered. The
biggest one. They were the Fukien women and people Before conquered by Ching
Dynasty their country was independent. Their dressing like this way and the
silver sword throw into the hair ,they thought it is very good for looking,
after conquered by Ching dynasty all change to Ching dressing.
No 6. She is the Empress of Kang -he during
she just become the Empress time. There are two parcels by post (3
pictures) and one by boat (2 pictures)
Tuesday
Morning, May 28
I was delighted to get 3 letters with Auntie
Winnies description of the Jubilee and news of the M.G. article of May 9. I
am very glad indeed I have just finished with the dentist everything in
order now. I am going to lunch with Sir Robert Ho Tung (Eurasian) and Mr
Barrett is coming with me. I have been writing some more articles for the
W.M. and an interview with General Araki for the M.G.
1 have told the M.G. to send my unused stuff to
my literary agent.
Here are my plans. (very uncertain) Sail from
Yokohama .Sept .3 (perhaps later ;all depends) arrive via Honolulu) San
Francisco Sept 17.
My stay in America will depend on how many
broadcasts I have also talks on America’s reaction to Japan. I hope I shall
have Radio talks in Los Angeles, but I have not heard a word from the Radio
editor and not a single word from I.N.S. I have not the slightest idea
whether they are publishing my stuff or not.
I shall stay at least a month in America (not
lecturing - it isn’t worth it) in Hollywood etc. I want to call again in New
Mexico in Washington and New York. I am keen on getting a good chapter on
America and Japan.
Perhaps Sail from New York Wed.Oct.23 on the Majestic arriving
Southampton. Oct 29 (But if I get a good for radio talks I’ll sail
later) -Rush home for a wonderful dinner.
November and December -stay at home and work on book (Mr abarrett
thinks I have grand material ) going up to London sometimes for sources.
January 1st .1936.S.
Begin work in M.G. or D.Telegraph, or Reuters or I.N.S.. or any paper which
will have me!"
Please can Gwyneth think of a good title for my
book (if there is a market and interest in the East.) I will be a journey
throughout America and Asia tracing Japan’s influence, trade and Naval
Policy with a little description and anecdote thrown in.
Thank you very much for the cuttings. Please
will you look out in books and newspapers any news or information about
Japan’s expansion and influence in the countries I have been to.
I am going to write some articles on Java, Siam
and French Indo-China for the M.G. and I.N.S. collect material on Hong Kong
and Japan ,then I move on to Canton.
On Saturday night I had an excellent Chinese
dinner with Mr Ip and Mr Morris etc. On Sunday Mr Morris, Mr Ip, Mr Langley
and two affected daughters took me for a wonderful run through the New
Territory, Mr Morris is of the Ellen Evans type, "Oh ,you’ll ‘ave a pain in
your Billy ‘owells "he shouted to the girls at lunch. He is the head of the
St. John’s Ambulance and very conscientious and keen . We motored along the
frontier road between British leased territory and China proper. We watched
a number of smugglers openly carrying their wares across the frontier
- on bamboo canes over their
shoulders. We looked down on Bias Bay, the haunt of pirates and where people
go in for pirating in the proper season.
Friday night Gerald Yorke (Eton and Oxford and
Reuters -freelance ,private income) gave me an excellent dinner ant the
Peninsula Hotel and talked four hours in a brilliant way about Buddhism, the
Chinese etc. He is coming to dinner with me tonight. I enjoy his talk.
Saturday Morning
June 1st
A happy June to you. I leave today for Canton.
I’ve had an exceedingly interesting and enjoyable week .Wednesday I
entertained the little Barrett girls (Siriol’s age), gave them pancakes and
ice-cream and took them to the cinema.
Thursday I lunched with Sir Willam Shenton
with the acting Colonial Secretary with the Chief Justice, the Commodore of
Hong Kong and the General Commander, and the Naval Intelligence Officer. 1
dined with a Barry boy, W.T.Lewis who is a queer bird, but was very kind to
me. Yesterday I lunched with an importer and I dine on the Peak (1,500 feet
up) with the acting Colonial Secretary and his wife.
I’ve become extravagant. I have bought some
more pictures which I am sending home today. I think the colours are fine. I
got a cheque for about £6.10.0 from Berlin also.
My excuse for buying pictures is also that I
buy them with money saved by not drinking and not smoking . So it a reward
for virtue.
Must go now . Have to pack -go into Hong Kong
.Shall post the letters in Canton.
Cariad Cynesaf
Gareth
Off to Hong Kong in half hours time,
Shall stay in Changsha with an American friend
in college there.
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