A RELATIâ—â—â— Of the Laâ—â—â— EMBASSY OF Mons r. De Chaumont Kn t. TO THE COURT OF THE KING of SIAM With an Account of the Government State Manners Religion and Commerce of that Kingdom LONDON Printed for Henry Mortlock at the Phoenix in S. Paul's Church-Yard 1687. A RELATION OF THE EMBASSY OF Mon r. De Chaumont Kn t. TO THE COURT OF THE KING of SIAM With an Account of whatever past that was remarkable in his Voyage I Parted from Brest the third of March 1685. on the King's Ship called the Hawk accompanied by one of His Majesties Frigats named the Maline and that with so favourable a Wind that in seven days we arrived at the Madera Islands we thus happily past on till we came to four or five degrees northward of the Equinoctial line When we were overtaken by a calm and suffered extreme heats but which yet did not much incommode us the wind began again to blow and we past the line three hundred and fifty degrees five minutes of longitude thirty days after our setting out We found the water here to be as fresh and good as if it had sprang from some pleasant fountain which made us neglect to use that in our Jarrs At five degrees southward of the line we found the Winds very inconstant but the heats not troublesom and I left not off my winter garments in all this passage The Winds though variable yet carried us our course so that we arrived at the Cape of Good Hope the 31st of May to take in fresh water and other Provisions although my old store was not exhausted We cast anchor late at night and found in this road four Dutch Vessels that came from Holland and had on Board a Commissioner who was to order affairs in behalf of the East-India Company Monsieur St. Martin Major General a French man who has been in the Dutch service this thirty years was also in one of these Vessels intending for Batavia where his Employment lay The Commissioner General sent to complement me the first day of my arrival and the next morning his Nephew and Secretary came to offer me whatsoever 〈◊〉 might want The Inhabitants of the Countrey brought presents of Fruits and Cattle and the Dutch Vessels saâ—uted our Ships after the accustomed manner The Dutch have here a small Fort and near an hundred Houses about a Musquet shot off it which are well built and in good order The situation of this place is very pleasant although bounded by a great Mountain inhabited by an infinite number of Monkies which oft come down into their Gardens and spoil the Fruit. There are also several Summer-houses two three and four leagues off in the countrey and beyond this vast Mountain there is plain near ten Leagues long where are several Houses well inhabited and which are every day increasing The Climate is mild enough their Spring beginning in October and ending in December their Summer lastâ— January February and March their Autumn is in April May June and their Winter in July August September the heats would be very greatâ— were they not moderated by gentle Gales The Dutch East-India Company have here a most pleasant Gardenâ— whose great Walk is fourteen hundred paces long it is planted every where thick with Citron Trees This Garden is ordered into Apartments in one of them you may see Fruit-trees and the rarest Plants of Asia in the other the most exquisite of Africa in the third such as are choicest in Europe and in the fourth such Fruits and Plantâ— as grow in America This Garden is very well kept and of good use to the Dutch by a great quantity of Herbâ— and Roots which it supplies them with for the Refreshment of their Fleets when they come here to pass to the Indies or returning to their own Countrey I found there a French Gardiner who had heretofore learnt his Trade at the Gardens of Monsieur at St. Cloud The Soil is very good and yields good store of grain A person worthy credit has assured me he saw an hundred and sixty Ears of Corn on one stalk The Inhabitants of the Countrey have fair Countenances but herein deceitfull for they are mere bruits they go naked excepting that part which they cover with a nasty Skin of a beast They till not the Ground yet abound with Cattel such as â—ows Hogs and Sheep They scarce eat any of these their chiefest dyet being Milk and Butter which for cleanliness sake they make in Sheep Skins They have a root which hath the taste of the Kernel of one of our small Nuts which serves them for bread They are indifferently skilled in Simples which they can use in the Cure of Wounds and other Distempers The greatest Lords amongst them are they that have most Cattle which they watch and keep themselves They ofâ— have wars with each other about their pastures Are greatly annoyed with wild Beasts there being more than a few Lions Leopards Tygers Wolves wild Dogs Elephants and other savage Creatures All their Arms are a kind of poisoned Lance to strike these Beasts with They have a kind of Toyls wherewith they enclose their Cattel at night They trouble not themselves much about Religion yet observe some slight Ceremonies to the Full-moon which do not signifie much Their Language seems difficult to be understood They have much game as Pheasants Partridges three or four sorts Peacocks Hares Coneys and Deer in such abundance that sometimes a Man shall see near twenty thousand together in a plain We ate some of these before mentioned and found them admirable good The Sheep are here very large of fourscore pound weight commonly Here are great quantity of Cows and Oxen. The Sea in this Bay is full of Fish which are of good relish some of them having the taste of Salmon This place abounds with Sea-wolves and when in our Shallop we perceived an infinite number came tumbling by us of which we could not kill one Several wild Horses scamper along the plains which if I mistake not are inferiour to none in other parts both in strength and beautifull colours and shapes I brought along with me one of their Skins they are hard to be mastered This being such a good Countrey the Hollanders send continually fresh people to it who make every season considerable discoveries Some say they have found out Gold and Silver Mines of which 't is not to be expected they should say much themselves The water is here very good proceeding from several Springs near Rivers which abound as I already noted with Fish We parted from this Road the seventh of June with so favourable a North Wind and North North West that we soon got into the open Sea and that night steered to Bantam we endured vehement Rains and met with great Seas till we reached the Isles of Madegascar which was on the seventeenth of June On these Seas you perceive great quantity of Birds but find therein no Fish Till July we encountred
little Bells and Horns which Musick made a pleasant noise and thus marched we the length of a great Street through an infinite number of People We came at lenght to a great open place in which stood the King's Palace where were ranged on each side Elephants of War We afterwards entred into the first Court of the Palace where I saw about two thousand Souldiers in a posture of sitting with the Butt-end of their Musquets to the ground standing upright they were placed six in a rank in a direct line There were on the left several armed Elephants ready for War We afterwards saw an hundred Men on Horseback naked and clothed after the Moorish Fashion having a Lance in their Hands all the Souldiers were accoutred as I already mentioned in this place those of foreign Nations left me excepting some Gentlemen who accompanied me all the way I past into two other Courts which were garrisoned after the same manner and I entred into another where was a great number of Mandarins all of them prostrate on the ground here were six Horses held each of them by two Mandarins they were well harnest all their Trappings being of Gold and Silver covered with Pearls Rubies and Diamonds so thick that a Man could scarce see the leather their Stirrups and Saddles were of Gold and Silver and the Horses had golden Rings on their Feet there were also several Elephants harnessed in the same manner the Coach Horses were The Gentlemen entred into the Hall of Audience and placed themselves before the King came into his Throne and when he was there attended with Mr. Constans du Barcalon and the Abbat of Choisy who carried the King's Letter I was surprised to see him on a higher Throne for Mr. Constans had agreed with me that the King should be on a Throne no higher than where I might give my Letter with my own hand without straining my self then I told the Abbat de Choisy the promise they made me was forgotten but that I would not give the King my Letter in this manner the golden Cabinet wherein 't was put had a great Handle three foot long 't was imagined I would take hold on it thus to raise it to the King's Throne but I was resolved to present His Majesty's Letter to the King in a befitting manner Being then come to the Door I saluted the King the like I did also in the mid way and when I was near the place where I was to sit having uttered two words of my Harangue I put my Hat on and sate down and continued my Discourse in these Terms AN HARANGUE TO THE KING of SIAM SIR THE King my Master who is now so famous in the World by his great Victories and the Peace he has often granted his Enemies at the head of his Armies has commanded me to come to Your Majesty to assure you of the particular Esteem he has for you He knows Sir Your princely Qualities the Wisedom of your Government the Magnificence of your Court the Grandeur of your States and especially the Goodwill You bear His Person demonstrated by the continual Favour and Protection You shew His Subjects especially to the religious Emissaries who are God's Ambassadors He experiences so many marks of kindness from you as makes him ready to offer the most suitable returns to keep a continual correspondence with you to entertain and encrease a Commerce with Your Subjects but especially to begin an Union between the two Crowns which will be the more famous to posterity by Your Countrey 's lying so distant from His by the vast Seas which separate them But nothing will so much keep Him in this resolution and more unite Him to You than to live together in the same Opinions and Belief And this is Sir what the King my Master who is so wise and enlightened a Prince and who has never failed in his Advice to the Kings his Allies has especially enjoined me to recommend to You. He conjures you as one of his sincerest Friends and by the Interest which he has in your Wellfare to consider that this supreme Majesty with which You are endued on earth can come onely from the true God that is to say from a Being Almighty Eternal and Incomprehensible such as the Christians acknowledge by whom alone Kings do reign and who subdueth the People that are under them Submit Your Greatness to this God who governs Heaven and Earth this is what 's far more reasonable than to adore Idols so customary in this Countrey of whose insignificany Your Majesty's Great Judgment cannot chuse but be sensible But Your Majesty will more clearly perceive this if You would be pleased to hear the Missionaries who are ready to serve You. The best news Sir I can carry home to the King my Master is that Your Majesty being convinced of the reality of what I say has made farther enquiries into the Christian Religion and given Your Name up to it and what Honour will this bring to You Sir what Assurance will it give to Your Estates and what Happiness will it lead You to at the last This Harangue was interpreted by Monr Constans I afterwards told His Majesty that the King my Master had given me the Abbat de Chaisy and those twelve Gentlemen for my Company whom I presented to him I took the Letter from the Hands of the Abbat de Choisy and carried it in the design of presenting it no otherwise than I before mentioned Mr. Constans who accompanied me crawling and jumping on his Hands and Feet called out to me and making Signs I should stretch out my Arm as well as the King I made as if I understood not what was told me when the King smiling arose and stooped down to take the Letter out of the Cabinet and that in such a manner as one might see his whole Body assoon as he had taken it I made my Obeisance and retired to my Seat The King enquired of the Health of His Majesty and all the Royal Family and whether the King had made any Conquest of late I told him he had gained Luxembourg an impregnable place and the most considerable the Spaniards held in that Countrey which shut up the Frontiers of France and opened a way to those who might become his Enemies and that he had lately agreed to a Peace with all Europe when at the Head of his Armies The King replied he was glad of our King's Victories and the Peace he enjoyed he added he had sent Ambassadours to France who embarked at Bantam in the Rising Sun that he would seek all ways to give the King satisfaction in every thing I offered him The Bishop of Metellopolis was present who interpreted several Questions the King made me This Monarch had a Crown enriched with Diamonds fastened on a Cap which stood up above the Crown like almost to our Dragoons his Vest was of a very rich flowered Stuff wrought with Gold and embroider'd at the Neck and
Monsr Constans desired me to have patience one day whilst he would senâ— along the Coast for News of them The next morning being the twentieth part of these People came oâ— board four of the Gentlemen belonging to the King of Siam's Ambassadors and most of their Domesticks having been unwilling to embark themselves in a Boat they had gotten by the way because 't was too shallow they told me that the same day being the sixteenth they came near our Vesseâ— at eleven at night and thinking to caâ—â— Anchor they had not Rope enough iâ— their Boat which they perceived iâ— seeing their Boat fall off from the Vessel then there arose a great Wind which made the waves arise and the Streams ran against them which carried them fourty Leagues out at Sea with great danger of being cast away they told us they had left the others about twenty five Leagues off who were thrown upon a muddy bank so that they are not to be expected so soon which made me resolve not to go away before next morning I believe I ought 〈◊〉 this place to speak of the Jesuits which were embarkt with us at Brest and whom we left at Siam They were â—ather Fontenay Tachart Gerbillon leâ—â—mte Bouvet and another Men of Vertue and Learning whom the King had chosen to send to China to make Mathematical Observations I think I â—m bound in Justice to say of them â—â—at when we were arrived to the â—ape of Good Hope the Dutch Goverâ—our was very kind to them and gave â—hem an House in the Garden belonging to the Company very fitting to â—ake their Observations in where â—hey carried all their Mathematical Inâ—truments but as I remained but six or â—even days in this place they had not â—â—me to make a great many These Fathers have been very usefull to me in â—ny Voyage to Siam by their Piety their good Examples and the pleasantness of their conversations I had everyday near five or six Masses said and 〈◊〉 had set apart a Chamber for that very purpose All the Festivals and Sâ—â— days we had a Sermon or a short Eâ—â—hortation Father Tachart one of theâ—â— catechised the whole Ship 's Company three times a Week and the same â—â—ther has done much good in the Shipâ— for discoursing familiarly with the Seâ— men and Souldiers there 's not one 〈◊〉 them but performs his Devotions 〈◊〉 composed all differences which arâ— amongst them These Fathers went 〈◊〉 Siam intending to embark themselves on Portugal Vessels which are to 〈◊〉 met with commonly at Macao aâ—â— which return to China They fouâ—â— here Monr Constans the King of Siam 〈◊〉 Minister who very much loves the Jâ—suits and protects them he has entertained them at Louvo in one of the King's Houses and defrays all theâ—â— Charges himself In an Audience which the King gavâ— me I told him I had brought with 〈◊〉 six Jesuits who intended for China to make Mathematical Observations and that they had been chosen by the King my Master as the most capable in this Science He told me he would see them and was very glad they were reconciled with the Bishop he has spoke to me several times on that Subject Monsr Constans presented them to him four or five days after and by good hap for whom there was then an Eclipse of the Moon The King bid them bring along with them their Mathematical Instruments into a House where he was going to lie a League off of Louvo where 〈◊〉 commonly is when he takes the pleasure of Hunting the Fathers faiâ—ed not to come there and planted themselves with their spectacles in a Gallery where the King came about three of the Clock in the morning which was the time of the Eclipse They made him see in their Instrument all the Effects of the Eclipse which â—id much please him he shewed them much respect and told them he knew Monr Constans was their Friend as well as Father de la Chaize He gave them 〈◊〉 great Crucifix of Gold and of Tambacq and bid them to send it from him to Father la Chaize he gave another smaller to Father Tachart telling them he would see them another timeâ— Seven or eight days before my departure Mr. Constans offered the Fathers that if two of them would remain at Siam the King would be very glad of it they answered they could not being ordered by the King of France to make what haste they could to China he answered this being so they must writâ— to their General to send a dozen of them as soon as he could to Siam the King having told him he would build them Prospect houses Churches and 〈◊〉 other Conveniencies Father Fontenâ—â— made this known to me I told hiâ— he could not do better than accept oâ— this proffer seeing in the end thiâ— must turn to a great advantage he told me upon my encouragement 〈◊〉 intended to send Father Tachart intâ— France on this occasion which I approved of Father Tachart being a man of great Wit and who would undoubtedly effect this business Letter not being sufficient to remove seven objections which might be raised wherefore I brought him with me home This Father has moreover much assisted me as also the Gentlemen which accompanied me whom he taught during our Voyage a considerable part of the Mathematicks I shall say nothing of the great qualities of Mr. the Bishop of Metellopolis nor of the Progress of the Missionaries in the East seeing that according to their Custome they will not fail to give the publick a full relation of what concerns Religion in those Countreys I should have great satisfaction to have met there with Monsieur the Bishop of Heliopolis the King of Siam told me one day what Joy 't would have been to him to have seen an Ambassador in that Countrey from France but it did not please God to give us that consolation and we were informed that he had ended in China his laborious Pilgrimage But before we relate our Arrival at Brest I believe it will be convenient to give an Account here of what I remarked during that small time I was in the Kingdom of the Manners Customs Government Commerce and Religion of these People Of the Government State Manners Religion and Commerce of the Kingdom of Siam in the neighbouring Countries and several other particularities EVery day the Mandarins whose place it is to do Justice meet together in a Hall where they hear Causes This place is in the King's Palace where those that have any request to make stand at the door till they be called and then they enter with their Petition in their Hands Strangers who have any complaint concerning Traffick offer it to the Barcalon who is the King 's Chief Minister and determins all Affairs about Commerce and the occasions of Strangers in his absence his usual Deputy does it and in both their absences a kind of Aldermen There is an Officer appointed to see after the Taxes and others for other matters
the Kingdom of Colconde who were in the King's service and have carried along with them above twenty thousand Catis each Catis being worth fifty Crowns The King of Siam wrote to the King of Colconde to send him back those Fugitives or oblige them to pay the Sum but the King would not listen to the proposal which has put the King of Siam on proclaiming a War against him and taking a Ship at the time when I was at Siam belonging to him whose lading is valued at an hundred thousand Crowns There are six Frigats commanded by English and French who cruise on those Coast Of late the Emperour of China has given leave to all Strangers to come and Negotiate in his Kingdom this permission is onely for five years but 't is hoped it will be continued seeing 't is of great advantage to his Countrey The King of Siam has a great many Malais in his Kingdom they are Mahometans but good Souldiers yet their Religion differs much from the Moors The Pegorans are as numerous in this Countrey as the originary Siamoises There are also a great many Laoises especially towards the North. Here are also eight or nine Families of Native Portuguises but of those which are called Mesties above a thousand that is to say those who are born of Portuguises and Siamoise women The Dutch have there onely one Factory The English the same The French also The Cochinnoises are about an hundred Families most Christians Amongst the Tonquinoises there are seven or eight Christian Families The Malaises are in great numbers who are most of them slaves and who consequently do not make a body The Macassars and several of the People of the Isle of Java are there establish'd as also the Moors under the Name of these last are comprehended Turks Persians Moguls Colcondoises and those of Bengala The Armenians make a separate body they are fifteen or sixteen Families all Christians the greatest part of them are Horsemen of the King's Guard As to the manners of the Siamoises they are a People very docible which proceeds rather from their nature which desires quiet than any other cause and therefore the Talapoins who make profession of this apparent vertue forbid the killing of all sorts of animals yet when any others kill Pullets or Ducks they eat their flesh without troubling themselves who did the murther or wherefore they were killed The Siamoises are generally chaste having but one Wife but the rich People such as the Mandarins have Concubines who remain shut up all their lives The people are trusty and seldom steal but 't is not the same with some of the Mandarins The Malaises who are very numerous in this Kingdom are a very base People and great Thieves In this great Kingdom there are several Pegovans who have been taken in War they are a more stirring and vigorous sort of People than the Siamoises the Women are given to liberty and their conversation is dangerous The Laoises people the fourth part of the Kingdom of Siam and being one half Chinoises they partake of their manners their craft and inclinations to shirk handsomely their Women are white and not ugly very sociable and consequently perilous In the Kingdom of Laos a man that meets a woman to salute her with the accustomed civility kisses her publickly and did he do otherwise he would grievously offend her The Siamoises as well Officers as Mandarins are generally rich for they spend hardly any thing the King giving them Servants who are obliged to maintain themselves at their own cost being as it were slaves they are under an obligation to serve them for nothing half a year and these Masters having many of them they make use of one part whilst the other rest themselves but those who do not serve them pay them every year a sum of money their Victuals are cheap it being onely Rice Fish and little Flesh and there 's great plenty of this in the Countrey their Cloaths last them long being entire pieces of Stuff which do not so soon were out as our Apparel and cost very little Most of the Siamoises are Bricklayers or Carpenters and there are very good workmen amongst them exactly imitating the curious Works of Europe As to Painting they are in a manner ignorant of the use of it there are Carved works in their Pagodes and their Tombs are well polished and very stately They colour finely with Lime which they soak in water which they draw out of a Tree found in the Forests which makes it so lasting that it dures an hundred or two hundred years although exposed to the injury of the weather Their Religion to speak properly is onely a parcel of Fabulous Tales which serve onely to bring respect and profit to the Talapoins who recommend not so much any Vertue to them as that of giving them Money They have Laws which they strictly observe especially outwardly Their end in all their good works is the hope of a happy Transmigration after their death into the body of a rich Man of a King or great Lord or of a tame animal as Cows or Sheep for these People are so far Pythagoreans they for this reason do much esteem these Animals and dare not as I have noted kill any of them as knowing not but they may kill their Father or Mother or some other of their Relations They believe a Hell where great enormities are severely punished onely for a time as also a Paradise wherein men of vertue are rewarded where having become Angels for some time they afterwards return into the Body of some man or other animal The Talapoins chief business is to read sleep eat sing and beg they go every morning to the Houses or Barges of persons they know and stand there for a while with great reservedness holding their Fan so that they cover half their Faces if they see any one disposed to give them any thing they tarry till they have received it they eat whatsoever is given them whether Pullets or any other flesh but they never drink Wine at least before people they perform no office nor prayers to any Divinity The Siamoiâ—â—â— believe there have been three great â—alapoins who by their most sublime â—erlts in several thousand Transmigrations have become Gods and having been so have moreover acquired such great merits that they have been wholly annihilated which is the term of the greatest merit and the greatest ecompence attainable being no longer fired by their frequent changes of bodies The last of these three Talaeins is the greatest God called Naâ—don because he has been in five thousand bodies in one of these Transâ—igrations of a Talapoin he became 〈◊〉 Cow his Brother would have killed him several times but there needs a great book to describe the miracles which they say Nature and not God wrought for his preservation In short this Brother was thrown into Hell for his great sins where Nacodon caused him to be crucified and for this foolish reason
they abominate the Image of Christ on the Cross saying we adore the image of this Brother of their God who was crucified for his Crimes This Nacodon being annihilated they have no God at present yet his Laâ— remains but onely among the Talapoine who affirm that after some years theâ— will be an Angel who will become 〈◊〉 Talapoin and afterwards an absolutâ— Divinity who by his great merits may come to be annihilated These are the principles of their Creed for 〈◊〉 not to be imagined they adore to Idols which are in their Pagodes 〈◊〉 Divinities but honour them onely 〈◊〉 men of great deserts whose Souls 〈◊〉 at present in some King Cow or Talapoin And herein consists their Religion which to speak properly at knowledges no God Vice say they carries with it its own punishment making the Soul pass into the body of some vile Fellow or Hog or Crow or Tyger or such like animal They admit of Angels which they believe to have been the souls of just men and good Talapoins as to Demons they say they have been the souls of wicked persons The Talapoins are much reverenced by all the people and even by the King himself they cast not themselves on the ground when they speak to him as the greatest in the Kingdom do and the King and persons of highest Quality salute them first When these Talapoins thank any one they put their hand to their forehead and as to the common people they salute them not as all They are Apparelled like other Siamoises excepting that their Sash 〈◊〉 yellow their Legs and Feet naked they wear no Hats they carry over their heads a Fan made of a large Palm leaf to keep them from the Sun which is very hot they make but one meal a day to wit in the morning and they eat at night perhaps some few Figs or other Fruits they may leave when they will their Profession and marry having no other engagement on them but onely to wear a yellow Sash and when they leave it they are at liberty and this makes them so numerous that they are almost one third of the Kingdom That which they sing in the Pagodes are some fabulous stories larded with now and then a fine sentence those which they sing during the Funerals of the dead are We must all die We are all mortal The dead bodies are burnt musical instruments playing all the whileâ— these Funerals are very costly and after the bodies are burnt of those that are dead their ashes are put under great Pyramids all gilded with Gold raised about their Pagodes The Talapoines practise a kind of Confession for the Novices go at Sun rising to prostrate themselves or sit on their Heels mumbling some few words after which the old Talapoin lifts up his hand on the side of his Cheek and gives him a kind of Benediction which done the Novice retires When they preach they exhort the People to be charitable to them and suppose themselves very able Fellows when they can cite some passages out of their ancient Books written in the Baly Language which is like the Latin amongst us for this Language is fine and emphatical having its Conjugations like the Latin When the Siamoises intend to marry the Man's Kindred go first to found the Maid's Kindreds Inclination and when they have agreed on the business the Man's Parents present seven Boxes of Betel and Arect to the Maid's Relations and though they accept of them and they are already esteemed as married yet may be broke off Some days after the Man's Relations present him and he himself offers more boxes than before and then he remains in the House of his Father-in-law and this onely to see the Maid and to accustome themselves to one another which lasts for two Months after this all the Parents meet when they put into a Purse one a Ring and another Bracelets and another Money there are others who lay pieces of Stuff oâ— the Table In fine the most ancient of the Company takes a lighted Tores and carries it seven times round these Presents whilest all the Assemble shouts wishing it a happy Marriage the Spouse a long Life and a perfect Health they afterwards eat and drinâ— together and so the Marriage is finisâ—â— As to the Portion 't is as in France excepting that the young Man's Relations carry his Money to the Maid's Relations but all this turns to the same for the Maid's portion is laid apart and the whole is given to the new married Couple If the Husband puts away his Wife without any form of Justice he lose the Money that has been given him 〈◊〉 he repudiates her by the Judge's Sentence who never refuses it the Woman's Relations give him her portion 〈◊〉 there be any Children the Boy followâ— the Mother and the Girl the Father if there be two Boys and two Girls one Boy and one Girl live with the Father and one of each with the Mother As to strong places in the Kingdom there 's Bancock which is about two Leagues from the Kingdom of Siam where there are two Forts as I already mentioned There is a Capital City called Juthia otherwise Siam which is newly fortified by an enclosure of brick Walls Corsuma a fronteer Town lying near the Kingdom of Camboye is â—â—t a weak place and so is Tanaserin on the side of Malabar and so are indeed most of his Places As to their Souldiers 't was not the Custome to pay them but this present King having understood that the Kings of Europe payed their Men intended to have done the like but being informed by his Treasurers what an immense â—â—min 't would cost him by reason of the multitude of his Souldiers he changed this pay into Rice which he districted to them and they were therewith all well contented for heretofore every Souldier was bound to further himself with Rice at his own cost As to their Boats and Vessels their â—arges of State are the finest in the World being made of one piece of Timber and which are of a prodigious length some of them holding near an hundred and fourscore Rowers the two ends are high raised all is gift with Gold and neatly carved and 〈◊〉 the midst of them there is a kind of Throne built like a Pyramid Heretofore they had onely Vessel built like those of China some of which they use still to go into Japon China and Tunquin but the King has cause several to be built after the Europeaâ— fashion and has bought some of the English There are about fifty Gallies to guard the River and Coasts hâ— Gallies are not like ours there being but one Man to an Oar and they are about forty or fifty at most on each The King makes use of Moors Chinases and Malabars for his Seamen The Commanders of his Ships are either English or French by reason of theâ—â— the Nations unskilfulness He sends every five or six years Vessels to China of which there are 〈◊〉 a thousand
knee to the ground and then immediately a door is opened that he may appear before the King and the same Ceremonies are practised which I have already denoted There is a Golden Platter on the Table wherein lyes the letter translated and open having been received by the Ministers some days before in a Hall appointed for that purpose When the Ambassador is in his place the Minister's Deputy takes the Letter and reads it aloud which done the King asks the Ambassador some questions by his Minister his Minister by the Captain of the Nation and the Captain by the Interpreter as I have already observed Having learnt this manner of receiving Ambassadors which did not seem agreeable to the greatness of the Monarch by whom I was sent I desired two Mandarins who attended me by the King's order to inform him that I entreated him I might have the same reception which Ambassadors are wont to have in France which was granted me in the manner I related Departure from the Road of Siam Having given some account of the Religion Manners Customes and Situation of the Kingdom of Siam â— come now to relate my departure which was on the twenty second of December 1685. We hoisted Sail at three of the morning with a good Northern wind which continued all along the Coasts of Camboge which is a Kingdom adjoyning to that of Siam and Cochinchine The People of these two Kingdoms have the same belief and live after the same manner There past nothing remarkable to the Strait of Banca where I ran on ground on the side of an Isle called Lucapara on a Muddy bank where there were but three fathoms of water and our Vessel required above sixteen this did not much disturb me though it did much the Ships Crew whom I sent to sound about the Vessel I caused a small Anchor to be brought to which there was a Cable and we got off this bank in less than five hours and though I had a good Dutch Pilot yet I caused this Strait to be often souded I continued my course and arrived at Bantam the eleventh of January 1686. As soon as I had cast Anchor there I sent an Officer of my Ship to Complement the Governour and to have fresh provisions He sent me for a Present six Oxen Fruits and Herbs and I remained in this Road but thirty hours We weighed Anchor on the twelfth at night but the calm overtook us which obliged us to cast Anchor On the thirteenth I weighed Anchor and we had all that day calms and contray winds but at night there arose a small wind which made us double the point of Bartam and pass the Strait of Sonda in less than eight hours I was obliged to land at the Isle of Prince which is at the mouth of the Strait in expectation of the Maliâ—â— Frigat which could not follow us but at length joyned us On the fourteenth I held on my course directly for the Cape of Good Hope with a favorable North wind and North North-East The twenty third at break of day having made about an hundred and fifty Leagues we saw the Isles of Holy Cross which surprised us because the evening before I caused the Pilots point to be showed me who told me to be at farthest but fifteen Leagues of Latitude Southward and twenty of Longitude This Island lyes very low and had it been three or four hours in the night we had certainly run on ground but it pleased God to preserve us We attributed this error to the Tides which ran against us we past this Isle quickly the wind blowing hard and continued our course The Sea is full of Fish in these parts and there are a great many Birds the weather was fair and we every day made thirty forty fifty Leagues we were diverted by pleasant game we saw carried on by the Albucorps and Bonnitres and a small Fish called a flying-fish who when he sees himself pursued gets out of the water and flyes as long as his wings â—ie moist which may be as far perhaps as the flight of wild Ducks but there is a Bird which carries a great feather in its Tail longer than the others by half a foot and which has the form and almost the colour of a Straw he is always in the air and when he sees this flying-fish leave the water he lets himself fall down upon it as a bird of prey on his game and some times they go deep into the water after it so that this slying-fish seldom fails being taken On the fifteenth of February we found our selves not far from the Isle of Maurice where we met with a blast of wind that lasted us three days the Sea was extreme rough and gave us a great deal of trouble the waves passing oft over our Ship which made as to ply our Pumps to clear it of water On the ninteenth the Weather grew fair and gave us leasure to set to rights what the Sea had disordered The first night wherein this bad weather happened the Frigat that was with me left us the rendesvouz being at the Cape of Good Hope Keeping on our course we had more hard weather which much incommoded us the waves beating against our Ship in such a manner as threatened great danger On the tenth of March about two hours after noon we perceived a Vessel at first I thought it was that which had left me but coming nearer we saw her carrying English Colours and being willing to hear News and supposing she came from Europe I came up to her and sent out my long Boat with an Officer to know if there were any Wars for when a man has been long at Sea one Knows not whom to trust word was brought me 't was an English Merchant-Man who had parted from London five months since and had touched now here and that he intended streight for Tonquoin that the Captain had told him that there was no War in France and that all Europe was at Peace but yet there had been some troubles in England occasioned by the Duke of Monmouth who had placed himself at the Head of ten or twelve thousand men but that the King's Troops had routed them and taken him Prisoner and that he was beheaded and several of his Followers hanged and so this rebellion was ended He also told us that he had seen Land the day before seven Leagues off which made us judge that we were thirty or thirty five Leagues off of it We held on our course the rest of the day and night and the next morning at ten of the clock we spied Land seven or eight Leagues off us I sounded and we found fourscore fathom and upward we clapt on all our Sail to endeavour to get before night to the Cape of Good Hope the next morning at break of day we saw it and doubled it about ten of the clock we espied a Vessel windward of us and drawing near we found 't was the Frigat which