Paint to your fancy a village of curious Oriental houses, with a high, thick wall, three miles in circuit, surrounding it. In this village, or miniature city, are the king’s quarters. Here are temple-grounds with their temples and idols and all their rich adornings, whither people of many generations have gone to worship at shrines which their own hands have made. Here are the dwellings of the king’s wives and the residences of the princesses, old and young, who cannot be allowed to marry beneath their royal rank. Each lady has a separate house and has her retinue of servants――all women. There is also a market, conducted entirely by women. The census of the dwellers in this palace was once taken, and it amounted to three thousand females. This included the king’s wives, princesses with their servants, the market-women and the female officers of the court. In 1851 the priest-prince came to the throne. He was the son of a queen, and he looked upon his older brother (the son of an inferior wife, and who had gained possession of the throne) as a usurper. Rumor had it that he entered the priesthood that he might avoid bowing down before his brother the king. However this may be, he assumed the yellow robes and shaven head and entered a wat, where he gained the eminence of high priest. There he remained during his brother’s reign. In the wat he gave himself up to study, in which he made great proficiency, considering his circumstances. In his brother’s reign the Christian missionaries were kept under strict surveillance, and were not allowed to obtain homes anywhere in the kingdom excepting in Bangkok, the capital. The priest-prince frequently visited them in their homes, and became familiar with their work and learned the object of their coming to Siam. He took up the study of the English language, and for a time employed the Rev. Mr. Caswell, one of the missionaries, as teacher, giving him in turn the privilege of preaching in his wat-grounds. I recall some of his visits to us. One evening he was attracted by the picture of a tree which I had carefully drawn with my pencil while in America, and which had been beautifully touched up by my accomplished teacher. It hung upon the dark teak-wood wall of our drawing-room. He seemed surprised that with the hand and a mere pencil a picture could be made so much like a fine engraving. We gave him the picture. One night he came to one of our mission-homes where there was a prayer-meeting. He remained until it was over, and, accepting a hymn-book, followed the words of the hymn sung. He was attracted by the word “redemption,” and when the prayers were over he said to one near him, “Redemption? What is it?” It was a new English word to him, and he wished to know its meaning, but the way he put the question seemed striking: “_Redemption? What is it?_” May each one who reads this know experimentally what _redemption_ is!