Project Gutenberg's History of the Kingdom of Siam, by Francois Henri Turpin

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Title: History of the Kingdom of Siam and of the revolutions that have caused the overthrow of the empire, up to A. D. 1770

Author: Francois Henri Turpin

Translator: Basil Osborne Cartwright

Release Date: January 2, 2014 [EBook #44564]

Language: English

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HISTORY OF THE KINGDOM OF SIAM AND OF THE REVOLUTIONS THAT HAVE CAUSED THE OVERTHROW OF THE EMPIRE, UP TO A. D. 1770.

                Compiled by M. TURPIN from manuscripts
                received from M. the Bishop of TABRACA
                Vicar Apostolic of Siam and from other
                     Missionaries in the Kingdom.

PUBLISHED ORIGINALLY AT PARIS A. D. 1771.

               Translated from the original French by
                        B. O. CARTWRIGHT, B.A.
                  EXHIBITIONER KING'S COLLEGE (CAMB).

                            BANGKOK 1908.
                  Printed under the auspices of the
                     Committee of the Vajirañàna
                          National Library.

                              BANGKOK:
           Printed at the "American Presby. Mission Press."
                                1908.

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

Translator's Preface IV.

CHAPTER I.

The First Kings of Siam 1

CHAPTER II.

The Reign of Chao Narai 31

CHAPTER III.

The Revolt of the Macassars 53

CHAPTER IV.

The Revolution that brought about the downfall of Faulcon and the French 65

CHAPTER V.

The Breach between the French and the Usurper 89

CHAPTER VI.

The Persecution of the Christians after the departure of Des Farges 99

CHAPTER VII.

Events leading up to the Revolution of 1760 109

CHAPTER VIII.

The Revolution of 1760 115

CHAPTER IX. The Revolution of 1767 137

CHAPTER X.

The Misfortunes of the Europeans after the Revolution 169

CHAPTER XI.

After the Revolution of 1767 176

CHAPTER XII.

Advantages that might accrue from commercial neighbouring relations with Siam and the Kingdoms 185

CHAPTER XIII.

Tonkin 220

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

Turpin's History of Siam, published at Paris in the year 1771 consists of two volumes, the first of which deals merely with the natural History of Siam.—

The present book is a translation of the second volume only, and is of considerable interest owing to the fact that it is the only extant European work dealing with the events leading up to and succeeding the fall of the old capital, Ayuthia.—

We have no accounts of the compiler M. Turpin himself and therefore are unable to give any account of his life or position.—

The present volume falls into the following parts:—

a. A short resumé of the early history of Siam. Few names are given, and the accounts are somewhat vague. Chapter 1.

b. An account of the reign of Phra Narai and his immediate successors Chapter 2-6. This portion has been compiled from the earlier accounts of Forbin and La Loubère; but Tachard's remarks are not treated as serious history.

c. A short chapter (Chapter 7) giving a somewhat vague account of the period intervening between the above and the next.—

d. The events leading up to the fall of Ayuthia.

A description of the Burmese attack on the capital and of the early years of the reign of Phya Tak (Chapter 8-11.) This forms the part of greatest interest.

e. A description of the Kingdoms bordering on Siam (Chapter 12-13).

Taken on the whole, the book gives a very fair and impartial account, but as the bulk of the information was derived from the Catholic Missionaries, a somewhat biassed view is taken of the religion of the countries treated of.—

The original has been carefully followed in the translation; here and there a few sentences have been omitted for the reason that such sentences are merely remarks of a moralizing nature on the part of M. Turpin himself, and have no connection whatever with the relation of the historical events.—

B. O. CARTWRIGHT.

BANGKOK: November, 1908.

HISTORY OF SIAM.