114 



plan she craftily weakens the conquerors as well 

 as the vanquished, and prevents either party 

 making an effectoal opposition to her imperious 

 mandates. Thus she employed Kedah to reduce 

 Perak, and Ligore to subject Kedah. 



True that Siam hates Burniah» but it is equal- 

 ly true that she not only hatea, but dreads, Eng* 

 land. She would therefore certainly never coa- 

 leiice with the British for the destruction of her 

 rival, unless the bribe held out were too glitter- 

 ing for her cupidity to %vithstand. Still, howe- 

 ver, the attempt was worth making, provided 

 that in the negociations the British honor were 

 carefully guarded again compromise j and, ac- 

 cordingly. Captain Henry Burney, of the Ben- 

 gal Native Infantry, was sent to Siam in 1B26 to 

 conclude a Treaty with that power. This Trea- 

 ty, which has been so often and justly comment- 

 ed on, will be found in the Appendix (Cj. It con* 

 sisted of fourteen Anicles. and six additional Ar- 

 ticles of an Agreement, in which every concessi- 

 on of the Siamese is met by a precisely similar 

 one on the part of the British; whereas,Vor every 

 demand made by Siam not the shadow uf an 

 equivalent is offered. 1 will not expatiate upon 

 those articles which have no immediate refer- 

 ence to Kedah, but will proceed at once to the con- 

 sideration of the two which bear upon it, viz. the 

 10th and 13th. 



In the former of these we find that " The En- 

 glish and Siamese mutually agree that there shall 

 be an unrestricted trade between them, in the 

 English countries of Prince of Wales s Island, Ma- 

 lacca and Singapore, and the Siamese countries 

 «>f Ligor, Merdilous, Siogora, Patani, Junk Cey- 



