26 Mission to the Court of Siam. [No. 97- 



side of the . cut. Since dark, the light in the boat prevented 

 us seeing any thing on the banks. At 4h. a. m. halted at 

 the British factory, on the side of the river opposite the fort 

 and city of Bankok, and found Peadadie, the port Captain, a 

 Benedito (who has received from the king the title of Peavitsit) 

 commandant of artillery, and Pascal, all native Christian Portu- 

 guese, waiting my arrival at a mat house, Mr. Hunter, under 

 orders from the ministers, had prepared for me just between his 

 own compound and the river. Mr. Hunter, who has a Siamese 

 title, and whom they consider in some degree as a Siamese 

 officer, also came down to receive me. 



February 9th. — Bankok. About seven or eight o' clock a 

 message was brought from His Excellency the Praklang (minister 

 for foreign affairs, whose house is on this side of the river, 

 and close to the British factory) requesting to see Mr. Hunter, 

 who immediately waited on him ; after he had been gone some 

 minutes, he sent a note to say the Praklang wished to see 

 copies of the letters, if I had them, and had no objection 

 to send them (to which as I saw no objection) I forwarded 

 them by the person who brought the note. During Mr. 

 Hunter's absence a son of the Praklang' s, an exceeding intelli- 

 gent young man, came to see me/ and a present was brought 

 me from the Praklang of fruits and sweetmeats ; and Mr. 

 Hunter, on his return, said the Praklang was very much 

 pleased with the letters, and would be glad to see me in the 

 forenoon. About twelve o'clock boats were reported ready 

 to take us to the house of the minister, but just as we were 

 starting, a second message arrived to say the king was so 

 much inclined to be friends with the English, that though 

 the letters were not addressed to him, he would receive them 

 as though they had been, and that a boat would be sent for 

 them ; and as the letters were to go to the king, the Pra- 

 klang begged us to defer our visit till the evening. In a few 

 minutes one of the royal state boats, with a roof of em- 

 broidered cloth of scarlet and gold, and rowed by about 



* I afterwards doubted if he came on my account, and had good reason to 

 believe he did not. 



