King Ekathotsarot’s Letter, seventeenth century.

           The survival of a Thai government letter dating from the seventeenth  century is very rare. Some of the text of this letter is lost due to torn parts of the paper. But enough survives for us to piexetohether its contents. Although the leter refers many times to the King by the name Ekathotsarot (who ruled from 1605 to 1611), the same name was also used by later kings of Ayutthaya and it is likely that this letter drtes from later in the century.

          It concerns foreigners in Ayutthaya, specifically the Portuguese (called in old Thai pratukan) and a foreign ship’s captain named Kapitan ‘Malaweriben’. A number of Thai officials are mentionrf, Phraya Itsareha, LuangSamutsamaitri, and the ‘harbour master’ caonamcaotha).

           

            The letter spells our some of the terms and conditions under which the foreigners may trade and enjoy the protection of the king within a designated trading area (khanthasima) at Ayutthaya. 

Dutch Navigation Chart for Thailand and Cambodia, c.1642

          The Dutch, the most successful European traders in Asia in the seventeenth century, relied on navigation charts like this one for vessels travelling to both Thailand and Cambodia.

           

       At the top of the map is the Thai capital Ayutthaya (called ‘ll Stad Siam’) and below it, the Dutch settlement (‘Hollandsche  logie’). The location of Bangkok, then only a small town, is also marked. In Cambodia the Dutch settlement is also prominently marked, upriver from Phnom Penh (‘Pononipingh’).  Apart  from these few features the numerals on the chart must indicate water depths. Continuous enmity betweea Siam and Cambodia made it difficult for the Dutch to trade with both kingdoms.

King Songtham’s speech, translated into English and sent to Mr. Fursland at Batavia in Java, in 1622

The Siamese king addresses his brother the ‘greatt and famous King off England, my brother’ via Mr Fursland, whom he takes to be ‘General Commander of His Majesty’s people in  these parts’ He has translated the speech through his vice-king Chaophraya Phrakhlang who wrote down his words.

             King Songtham writes in very friendly terms, confirming his willingness to allow the English to settle and trade in Siam, and to aid them in their enterprises. The second part of the letter tells of the disobedience of the King of Cambodia, and asks the English to refrain from trading with Cambodia until he submits to Ayutthaya. Finally, the gifts to Fursland are listed – gold cups, various boxes, a knife, a spoon, and a crown, with a record of their gold weights 

Peter Floris's Record of the Globe, 1612

             The Globe, a trading vessel of the East India Company, arrived at 'the roade of Siam' on 15 August in 1612. It was the first attempt to engage in trase with Siam. A party was sent upriver to Bangkok - six days' travel round-trip - and returned with the governor of that town who then received a letter brought from King James I to present to King Song Tham. On 17 September the Thai King gave an audience to the English party and promised them free trade and a fine 'howse of brick.' Since damage to the ship by worms necessitated repairs, the English hired a junk for the price of 96 rupees to carry their trade goods against the monsoon flow of the river to Ayutthaya, which they finally reached only in late October.

            The Dutchman Peter Floris wad the writer of this account of the voyage and a capital in it. He complains bitterly of the 'very greate knaverye' of greedy Siamese officials who seized their trading goods taking out all the  best merchandise for themselves. Bribes were the extracted before the remaining goods could be sold.

             In fact the East India Company gad little success at trading at the Thai capital and abandoned the trade post in 1623, though it was sporadically resumed later in the century. The journeys were extremely dangerous; of the Globe's crew of over 70 men, one-third died of various illnesses or drowned in storms during the voyage. 

Map of Southeast Asia, 1575

           In 1575 during the troubles reign of  King Thammaracha at Ayutthaya, the Portuguese map maker Vaz Dourado produced this handsome map on vellum of southeast and east Asia, one part of a complete atlas of the world occupying nearly 20 sheets. Vaz Dourado lived in India and produced a number of luxury atlases that were works of art in their own right. Rather than serving as real travel documents, they were made for rulers and merchants as artistic records of the known world.

         In fact, the localised geographical knowledge in the maps was extremely limited and the map tells us almost nothing about Thailand at that tine. Europeans knew little more than the coastlines of the lands of the world they were beginning to explore, and even the coastal areas were only sketchily known. Interior regions on this map are decoratively painted, with pagodas and a few very general place names, and furnishes with quite imaginary rivers, for lack of any detailed information. The text around the border indicates that the area shown covers Ceylon to Japan.   

          The Portuguese and Spanish were the first great European explorers and sea travellers. The Portuguese in particular settles in many Asian lands, including Siam, and remained as traders and interpreters for many succeeding generations, Portuguese was in fact the main language of communication between Europeans and Asians in Thailand until the beginning of the nineteenth century.