CORONATION OF HIS MAJESTY THE SUPREME KING OF SIAM.
The Siamese monarchy is not hereditary—that
is, not in the sense that that term is
understood in Europe. There is what is called
the Senabodee, or royal counselors, consisting of
the chief ministers of state, who during the life
of the king are merely silent counselors, but
upon his death their power becomes manifest,
and upon them devolves the responsibility of
selecting a successor and governing the kingdom
until such successor is chosen. The successor
must be a prince of the realm, but not necessarily
the eldest son of the late king; indeed, not
necessarily a son of his at all.
The death of the late king occurred about nine o'clock P. M. The prime minister was immediately summoned to the palace, and convened the Senabodee, and before midnight the succession was determined and everything going on smoothly. They chose in this instance the eldest son of the late king, Somdetch Chowfa Chulalangkorn, a boy about sixteen years old.
