£0
Hamilton’s account oe the east indies,
The King, on-the other hand, proffered to prove, that Mr. Pots and his drunkencompanions had done it, and that he expended the Company fhould be accountable tohis fubjefts for the iofs they had fuflained by the fire, which had burnt feveral houfesthat 5 ay near the faftory. However, the Company adhered to the juft complaints ofthou- honeft fervants, and thought that the King’s refufal to make good their demands,was a fufficient piece of ground to build their war on.' 1 However, the Companyconfidering that a war could bring them no advantage, thought it enough to bully theSiamers, but never declared a war.
In the year 1685, the Company fent two {hips to the bar of Siam . One W’as theHerbert of 800 tuns, the other the Prudent Mary of 400, to frighten the Siamers ;but they did no damage to them, and the Siamers treated them civilly.
About the year 1680, there was one Conftantine Falcon, a Greek by birth, that fomeyears before had fhipt himfelf fteward of an Englifh fhip at London, bound to India ,and being ordered for Siam , and finding feme ill treatment on board, he defertedfrom the Ihip, and fled to a fmall village fome diftance from the city, where he amufedhimfelf in learning the Siam language. He being a fober, ingenious, and induftriousperfon, foon made himfelf mafter of the language, and ferved as an interpreter forthe Englifh at court, where he was remarkably taken notice of, and got a poll there.His behaviour recommended him to greater preferments, fo that in a very few yearshe became prime minifter of ftate, and behaved himfelf fo well in that high ftation,that every thing belonging to the ftate of the country profpered, fo that Siam becamethe richeft and powerfulleft kingdom in that part of the world.
The Jefuits hearing that one of the Romilh communion fat at the helm of the Siam affairs, and it being a rich country, brought whole troops of them into Siam , who gotthe whole management of affairs into their hands, through the intereft of the barka-long, that being the appellation of firfl: minifter. They tickled themfelves with thefancy of bringing the whole kingdom of Siam under the pope’s jurifdi&ion, and manno 1683, the firft year of his miniftry, they got the King to fend an embaffy to theKing of France, which ambafiador came alfo to London , and fettled a treaty of com-merce for the Englifh that fhould trade in Siam .
The Jefuits impofed on the King of France , and made him believe, that if he wouldfend an embaffy to Siam , that King would leave his own fuperftition, and embracetheirs. Accordingly an ambafiador was fent, with many valuable French curiofities,and among them a very fine mafs-book, with beautiful cuts of all the firft rate faints inthe Romifh kalendar.
On the ambaffador’s arrival, he was received with the refpect due to his chara&eGand when the prefents were laid before the King, according to cuftom, he feemeamuch pleafed with their curiofity ; but when he viewed the pictures in the mafs-book,he afked a Jefuit who was interpreter, what they were, who anfwered, that they w etethe pictures of holy men now in heaven, and fuch as his brother the King of France adored; and as he defigned an eternal friendfhip with his majefty, he hoped that hewould alfo adore thofe piftures, and worfhip the images of thofe faints, rather thanthofe idols that were worfhipped all over his dominions. The King returned anfw er »that the gods of his country had been aufpicuous to them who lived in it for time outof mind ; and as it would be unjuft and ungrateful to banifh thofe gods that had beenfo long very kind to his predeceflors and himfelf, fo he could not turn his old gods oand take new ones in their places that he did not fo well know, and that he wornoblige his brother of France in any thing but that.