The sovereign is the pope, or real head of the religion of the country, and the priests depend wholly upon him for promotion, and in a great measure for subsistence; he is always deemed holy, and must have been truly virtuous in a former life, to have attained his present eminence. Eighty-four thousand six hundred bats or ticals, equal to the sum of about fifty-three thousand five hundred dollars, are placed down among the items of the expenditures of the government, for the year 1832, as given in alms to the priests by the king. The Talapoys cannot be engaged in any of the temporal concerns of life; they must not trade or do any kind of manual labour, for the sake of a reward; they are not allowed to _insult_ the earth by digging it. Having no tie, which unites their interests with those of the people, they are ready, at all times, with spiritual arms, to enforce obedience to the will of the sovereign. No Talapoy can ordain a layman, without first obtaining a license from the san-krat, and all classes of people pay him unbounded honours. Secular persons must make obeisance to Talapoys--even parents to their children; this mark of homage is considered as their due, and, therefore, they never return the salutation. One strong inducement to enter the priesthood, is an exemption from the conscription law, which bears so heavily upon the people; to avoid paying taxes, and to obtain an easy livelihood. Their time must be spent in studying the sacred Pali or Bali language, in reading hymns, prayers, and moral discourses, and begging: for they must not lay in a store of food, nor make any arrangement for preparing it for use, but still they employ others for that purpose.