lviii 
MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES &C. 
lonese era of Buddha dates from B. C. 543,* consequently the dif¬ 
ference betwixt it and the Christian era would be 543 years instead of 
551. The Sakkarat T,hai or T,hai era sets out from the fifth month 
or 21st. day of March, and, as the Siamese say, tarnra du chatani 
kbit Sakarat Tli’ai te kon (or ka’n) P,hra Chau dii-an nung kap sip 
ha wan, signifying that the T,hai era is for astrological purposes, 
and sets out from a period of one month and fifteen days previous to 
the Buddhist era. 
The chief civil Siamese era or that of Pliriya Kick is 1 suspect 
an Indian one; however as M. Cassini acquaints us, it dates from the 
21st. March 038 A. D. which would make the period up to 21st 
March 1848, to be 1210 years instead of 1209. Wilford in the A, 
B. B. informs us that the Gaga Vasishta or Guso Bosatz of the Ja¬ 
vanese is “ he who abides in the frame of an elephant called Sri 
“ Hasti Sena and who ascended A. 636 of the Siamese rec koning 
“ and 1036 of the Jamas.” 
I have not, as I before said, that MS. by me hut if the date be 1596, 
as before noticed, it must relate to the T,hai era, not to that of Phriya 
Krek, consequently from 2391 [21st March, 1848] deduct 1596 and 
the date would be 795 years ago, or about A. 1). 1053. The number 
1055 may have been some clerical error. But it is immaterial to 
the object for which the M.S. was translated by me. The date of 
some important event appears occasionally in the Buddhist era. 
Thus in a compendium of the Siamese Laws part of which is in my 
possession entitled 
Kot Pfhra AyaJcan 
the Era of Buddha is employed, and the date is 2155—ben ya sok 
or A. D. 1612. 
P. xxxiv. Bet set may he a proper correction for the Bai set of 
my MS. 
Mr. Jones is also quite right as to the meaning of Trai P,hom, 
being earth, heaven and hell. As to Niphan every one at all ac¬ 
quainted with Budhism knows its import. 
P. xxxv. Mr. Jones appears singularly to have overlooked the 
sarcasm implied in my remark respecting the cure of souls being in¬ 
trusted to Priests of P,hunga. But a stranger to Siamese institu¬ 
tions might feel equally amused by his (Mr. J.) telling us that from 
one fourth to one third of all the male Siamese are Priests. It 
* Mahawanso Translation p. 9. 
