1840.] Mission to the Court of Siam. 2/ 



forty men in the royal livery (red jackets), and command- 

 ed by an officer, was announced, and a proper vessel for 

 the reception of the letters brought up, covered with a cloth 

 of gold embroidery ; on this I placed the letters both of the 

 secretary of the government of India and the commissioner, 

 and carried them myself (a Siamese officer covering them with 

 a red umbrella) down to the boat, where they were respect- 

 fully received, placed in the centre of it, and covered with an 

 umbrella. We departed attended with three other state boats. 

 Soon after dinner a message arrived from the Praklahg to 

 say he had sent boats for our conveyance, and was ready to 

 receive us, I accordingly went ; Mr. Hunter, Captain Browne, 

 Captain Hughes, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Hayes accompanied me. 

 Mr. Hunter, who kindly acted as interpreter, and myself went 

 in the state boat sent for me, and the other gentlemen in 

 Mr. Hunter's boat, the Ghyne-Goung-Gyoup, a Burman officer 

 who accompanied me, and whom I begged Mr. Hunter to 

 mention to the Praklang, and some of my Burman followers 

 in a second government boat ; we reached the Praklang 5 s in 

 about five minutes, and found him with the second Praklang 

 and several other officers of rank already assembled ; chairs 

 were placed for us at the opposite side of the hall to where 

 the Siamese officers were crouched on their elbows, and coffee 

 was served to us in a handsome set of Dresden China. The 

 hall was a long and handsome room, entirely in the Chinese 

 style, and splendidly lighted up with English lamps and chanda- 

 liers. We walked at once up to the chairs ; when seated I 

 saluted him by raising my hand up to my forehead; removing 

 our shoes was not once alluded to ; indeed all the English 

 gentlemen always retain them when visiting His Majesty or 

 his ministers. Conversation was entirely between the Praklang 

 and myself, except for a few minutes, when he addressed 

 himself to the Goung-Gyoup through a Taline of his house- 

 hold. I explained the purpose of my visit to be to assure them of 

 the wish of the Indian Government to strengthen, if possible, the 

 already firm friendship for many years uninterrupted, and begged 

 them to receive the thanks of the commissioner for their kindness 

 to our traders, and for their prompt endeavours to discover and 



