SIAM. 



a British Indian commission evoked a declara- 

 tion in the Chamber from the French Govern- 

 ment, which had not been consulted regarding 

 the partition of the territory on both sides of 

 the Mekong between Siam and China. 



A border fight between some Laotians and 

 the Annamite frontier guards afforded the de- 

 sired pretext for the French advance. On April 

 1, 1893, a body of Annamite tirailleurs took the 

 Siamese post of Stung Treng by surprise, and 

 the Siamese commissioner and troops withdrew 

 without fighting. Prior to the advance of the 

 French forces the Siamese Government offered 

 to submit the boundary question to arbitration, 

 and suggested the President of the United 

 States as an arbitrator. The Siamese commis- 

 sioner to the Columbian Exposition had author- 

 ity to ask the good offices of the United States, 

 but was told by Secretary Gresham that the 

 United States could not intervene. The British 

 Government was appealed to for moral or ma- 

 terial support, and the Siamese were left in 

 doubt as to what assistance they could expect 

 from that quarter until, after an exchange of 

 views, the French Government, on giving assur- 

 ance that the integrity and independence of 

 Siam would be respected, was told that England 

 would in no way oppose it in the conflict with 

 Siam regarding frontiers. The Siamese Govern- 

 ment made a proposition, when the French be- 

 gan their advance, that, pending a definite set- 

 tlement of the frontier by arbitration or nego- 

 tiation, a belt of country 30 miles wide, from 

 the thirteenth to the nineteenth degrees of north 

 latitude, should be marked off on the western 

 side of the crest of the mountains, and that, with 

 certain specified exceptions, all Siamese and 

 Annamese garrisons should be removed from the 

 whole of this belt and no new military posts es- 

 tablished there, but that the civil administration 

 should be in Siamese hands. When the French 

 Government formulated its claim to the whole 

 country down to the Mekong, the Siamese au- 

 thorities refused to discuss it and made prepara- 

 tions to defend the Mekong valley with the as- 

 sistance of the inhabitants, at the same time 

 strengthening the fortifications of the Menam 

 river below Bangkok. The older statesmen and 

 the people in general were in favor of peace and 

 compromise, but the foreign minister, Prince De- 

 vawongse, and the young nobility of the Queen's 

 party were eager for war. Stung Treng had 

 been occupied by a French force about nine 

 years before, and after they evacuated it by a 

 Siamese commissioner, who ruled by military 

 force, but was unable to extend the conquest 

 eastward of the river into Laos. Other points 

 on the left bank of the Mekong north of Stung 

 Treng were occupied by the Siamese later. 

 After the French had regained possession of this 

 village they next occupied, on April 4, the island 

 of Kong or Rhone, where there were 2 Laotian 

 villages, and on it they erected fortifications, in- 

 tending to launch there the gunboat flotilla for 

 the middle Mekong. The Siamese garrison 

 evacuated the island without resistance, and in 

 like manner they gave up So Sang, Muong Vinh, 

 and other posts. After they had begun their 

 works at Kong a French column was suddenly 

 attacked by an overwhelming force of Siamese 

 and Laotians. Many Annamite soldiers were 



killed, and Capt. Thoreux, the military com- 

 mander, was taken prisoner. The Siamese au- 

 thorities at Bangkok disavowed responsibility 

 for the incident, attributing it to the inveterate 

 hostility of the Laos tribes toward the Anna- 

 mites. The Siamese mandarins led the Laotians 

 against Kong, which they attacked several times 

 and invested, cutting off supplies, until a French 

 relieving column, under Capt. Adam de Villers, 

 arrived on May 22. The important post of Cam- 

 mon was surrendered to Resident Luce, and the 

 mandarin was conducted to the Mekong by a 

 French inspector of militia. M. Grosgurin, and 

 an Annamite escort. The Frenchman fell ill at 

 Keng Chek, and the mandarin sent across the 

 river for an armed force of Siamese, who on 

 June 3 massacred the entire escort. M. Gros- 

 gurin was shot, according to French report, 

 while helpless in bed, by the mandarin. 



The French squadron in the far East was im- 

 mediately ordered to Siam, and the French rep- 

 resentative at Bangkok demanded reparation. 

 On June 15 the French occupied the island of 

 Samit, off the coast ; on June 17, the island of 

 Rong ; and on June 18, Rong Sam Len. Wfien 

 the French ships arrived at the mouth of the 

 Menam, M. Pavie, the French minister, request- 

 ed permission for 2 more gunboats to ascend to 

 Bangkok, where the " Lutin " was anchored with 

 decks cleared for action and machine guns 

 mounted menacingly in her tops. Permission 

 was denied, and the minister sent instructions 

 to Admiral Edgar Huraann not to enter the 

 river. The Siamese had sunk junks in the river, 

 closing the channel except a very narrow pas- 

 sage. They threatened to sink the French snips 

 if they attempted to cross the bar. The minis- 

 ter's message did not reach Admiral Humann, 

 whose officers, as night was falling on Julyl3, 

 crossed the bar with the " Inconstant " and 

 " Comete," notwithstanding the explosion of a 

 submarine torpedo directly ahead of them. As 

 he approached Paknam, where, under the treaty, 

 French war vessels had an unquestioned right 

 to anchor, a blank shot was fired from the forts, 

 followed by a solid shot across the bow of the 

 leading vessels. The French vessels forged 

 ahead, steaming 10 knots an hour, while the 

 forts and the 6 Siamese vessels kept up a con- 

 stant fire for half an hour, which was returned 

 by the French. Little damage was done, as it 

 was growing dark. In the Siamese ships and 

 forts 20 men were killed. One gunboat was 

 rammed and sunk. The French lost 3 killed. 

 The 2 vessels anchored alongside the " Lutin," op- 

 posite the French legation. The " Jean Baptiste 

 Say," a French mail steamer that piloted the 

 gunboats over the bar. was disabled by a shot 

 from the forts, and run aground below Paknam 

 to save her from sinking. On the following day 

 the Siamese boarded and sacked and attempted 

 to sink the vessel and maltreated the crew. A 

 party from the gunboat " Forfait " boarded her 

 to pull down the Siamese flag and save her from 

 destruction, but was driven away. The French 

 Government declared the Siamese authorities 

 guilty of an unprovoked aggression in firing 

 upon the French vessels, because the treaty of 

 1856 secures their right to ascend not only to 

 Paknam, but with previous notification and an 

 arrangement about anchorage also to Bangkok. 



