Journal of the Siam Society; 35

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l=EBRUA~Y

VOL. XXXV, PT. 1.

1944.

THE

JOURNAL OF THE

THAILAND

,~

( j. T. R. S.)

.

].1·.

,,~ l '0y

BANGKOK 2487

I

IN

MEMORIAM.

1'lis RouuliHiahnf•ss Pri·nce Damroni1 Rajauup!wb. The Council of the Thailand -Research Society has asked me to write an ohitua.ry notice on His Royal Highness Prince Damrong, our Society's late Vice Pa.tron. In acceding· to this, for me so highly honourable request, I do so with a. deep sense of reverence, high admiration and sincere love for the deceased Prince's eminent personality, so much the . more as it bas been my privilege to serve under the Prince for many years while in the Provincial Gendarmerie. I may therefore lay a claim to ba.ve lmo"\\n His la.te Roj;t\1 Highness 'Well."

.

In the person· of Prince Damrong, who, surrounded by his children, passed a wo.y pea,oefull y on the 1st Decemb!l' this year, the Thailand Research Society has snff£:red au irreparable loss. From the founding of our Society in 1904, in which he tool;: a warm interest, His Ro~al Highness has been our Vice P~tron until his death, To the Prince, who already from an early age was intensely interested in the history and archaeology, lite1•ature, dnma [).Ud art, not only of his OWn country, but also of the neigl'lbonring countries, the honorary position of a Vice Patron was no empty title. From the very beginning of its existet.:ce His Royal Highness took on himself the real patronage of the then Siam Society, and followed ever since then its growth and proceedings wilh a warm a11d lively sympathy which, time after time, did manifest itself to thll advantage of our Society. This marked interest was a lEO shown by the P1·ince'a many valuable contributions to om Jomnal. Thus already in 1904 he wrote The F01p1.dation of A1;~llhia, followed with interva.ls o£ years by A BistOTical Sketch

of Lophburi, The Story of the Records of Siamese History, Siomese History p1·i01· to the fmmding cif Ayulhia, 'l'M~ Golden PaviUon at TiVat Sai, Anglcor troiJI a Siamese Point of Fiew.. The Introduction of' Western Culture in Siam and the very instructive and richly illustr~,~.ted paper on liVat Benc!wmabcplrit and its Collection of Images of Buddha, which the Prince himself was instnnnental in collecting fl•om many corners of bia country. Quite recently His Hoyal Highness wrote for our

II

Tha.i number of thtl Jomuu.l tha imeresting article On 1/w Orirdn ol the Names of jlfeklong and .Tetavana, and the ch:1rming Royal Lullabies. The Society's tha.uks a.re also due to the Pl'ince for having placed a.t the tlisposal of our J ourna.l the intensely interesting documents called The English Correspondence qf Kin(! Monkul (edited by Professor G. Ooedes). lt ought also to be reoalled tha.t a.fter Prince Damrong's Europe tour in 1931, dul'ing which be visited His Holiness Pope Pius X, it wa.s due to his suggesoion that our Society presented the famous Va.tioan Library with a. complete set of our Journals. Besides wha.t has been mentioned tl.bove Prince Damrong has written a. truly enormous number of treatises, p!~efaces to· books to ba ili~tl'ibntea at cremations, and books, books, large a.nd sma.ll. The Prince was the first. real 'rha.i Historian, who went to the sources and underatood bow to sift critically his material, in a true modern spirit. Of pa.ramount value will alwa.ys be his Histor!J of Siam. Unfortunately only the first volume has so f(H a.ppeared, but

this willoJwa.y;; remain an invaluable guide to futme historical research work in Thailand. Next there are his Buddhist Monuments in Thail.:tnd, his Te:ctbook on Olassical Dancing, beautifully illustrated, Tlte 1Var8 between Us and The Burnu:se, the histories of the first and the second reign, his Geography of Sium; his Nin.tf j'i{alc!zon Wat and many, mu.ny more, all, without exception, interesting and instru.chive right down to his small Railw11y Guides to the more important provincial towns of the Kingdom. The long seria.l of Lathi lae Thwnuia.m and Prachum PhonrJ.~awadan, the contents of which are of the grea.test iro.porta.nee for the study of local history as well as of Tha.i cnlture a.na !ol!dor~, are a.lso due to his in\tia.tive. The Prince was in possession of a. hea.lthy curiosity in all branches perta.iniug to hurua.n a.ohievements which constitutes such a. driving force behind all progress. Though at a.ll times very busy the Prince could u.lways find time to receive visitors, especially us of the younger generation, who came to ask his advice on this or' that knotty problem in historical, archaeological or literary matters. And he then showed himself as the· kindest a.ncl most ooUtteous oi hosts. 'Prince Damrong wa.s over 81 years of a.ge when he passed awa.y. A great t~.ge, true, but spititua.lly he was not old. We, his devoted friends,

~--------------------------

III

used to a.dmire up to the end, his excellent memory and his lively a.nd balanced comments on the matters we submitted for his wise counsel.

~

Besides his merits a.s a. research worker in tbe :field of Thai history, arobn.eology, literature, ltrama u.nd art, as well as Buddhist iconography, the credit for ho:ving Pl':.l.Ctica,lly oreatec1 the Na.tiona.l Libra.ry, and also that excellent National 1\luaeum the priceless collections of which are almost unique on this sicle of Sue:;s, will for ever be a.ttached to the Prince's name. Prince Damrong wa.s equallY great as a. wise and fa.r-seeing statesman, organizer am1 civil Mlministrator whom Providenae had c1e.signa.tea to work, hn,nc1 in hand, during so many years, with his great brother, King Ohulalongkorn, for the true welfare and progress of this fair land of the Thai. However, this side of the late Prince's life, tha.t of a great servant of the st:1te, will not be treated here. To do so would require a whole book._ Such a book will no donht be written in time to come and by a worthier ven th11n mine.

~

j

Ilis P.oya,l Highness Prince Dttmrong Raja,uupbab was e. truly great ma.n, anc1 his n[Lme will a.lwa,ys be remembered, honoured and loved in Tha.iland. He was a true 'rhai, a real Royal personage, a.nd a fine and lovable gentlema.'1t in the best sense of the word. In him Thailand has lo!3t one of her bes~ and gren.test sons. Horlour be to his memot·y I Bangkolt, 7th Dec.ember 194:3.

ERIK SEIDENFADEN Past President, Thailand Research Society.

1

THE EMPIRE OF THE SOUTH SEP,S*

( Srivija.ya, fro01 the VIIth to the XIIIth centuries) by ~

G, COEDES

Director r~f tltP .E1:ole Prancaise tl' Extreme- Orient Post Jl l'l'8idenl rJ.f thn Thailand Re~carch Society translated by H. I-I. PRINCE DHANI NIVAT Pte8idenf qf the

Thailand R".T,

1)

'l'H 8 EMPIRE 01!' 'l'HE SOUTH SEAS

13::

"In 1295 the Kingdom of Sien presented a. memorial in letters of "gold pra.ying the Imperial Court to send an embassy to that Kingdom. "The envoy returned immedin.tely, a.nd au Imperial order sent a. mission, "to depart with him, As the people of Sien ha.d been enga.ged in an in" ternecine struggle for a long time Past with the Mu.layu, all submitted "a.t once. There was an Imperial oomma.nd sa.ying to the people of Sien: "Do not injnre the Mal:iyu so tha.t you aould keep your promise." The above puts on record the end of hostilihies between· the Tha.i and what remained of the old dependencies of Suma.tra. in the south of the Ma.la.y peninsula. As for Marco Polo, he does not seem to ha.ve known that he was passing through the ruins of a. dismembered empire, A propos of Sumatra which he 011lled "Java. minor", he sa.id: "Now know that this island ha.s 8 kingdoms u.nd 8 crowned kings". He described six summarily, all sit1lated in the north of the isla.nd: Ferleo (Perlak), Basman (Pase), Sm:n11tra. (Sa.mudra), Dagroia.n (?) Lambri (Atieh), and Fansur (Baros). Each of them ba.a, to follow his description," a king of its mm ". There, is no longer any question of the Ma.ha.ra.ja, Emperor of the Isles of the· South, With Srlvijay11-Zaha.g-Sa.n-fo-ts'i, disappe:~.red the only empire which succeeded in domma.ting both the islands u.nd the peninsula. The reason of her power 11nd durability was tha.t while in command at the same ti~e of the maritime route of the Straits and tbe land routes. of the Isthmus of Kra., she became the absolute mistress of all traffic between the West and the China S'ea. Eer ruin wa.s caused by the simnl-· ta.neous pressure on two flanks, those of Sukhothai and Java, which took away from her, her continental dependencies in the first casB and her insul::tr possessions in the second, Th(~ internal weakness of the Sumatran Empire was caused by the hardness and severity of her mercantile policy which gave birth to rivahies and conflicts and the abandonment of that spiritual po.trimony which provoked iu the VIIth century the admiration of the Cbinese pilgrim 1-tsing. I have now bn t to sum up very briefly what became of her inheritance. Politica.lly, the small isb.ud kingdoms recognised the sovereigntY, more or less real, of the Javanese sovereign of Mojopahit, while the principalities of the peninsula accepted that of Ayuthya. The real inheritors, however, o:f the commercial prosperity of the Suma.tra.n Empire were the-

.

G. COli!Dii:K

[vor,,

XXXV

Arabs who, profiting by the self-enforeed aetduflion of C!Jina. l\ t the end of "the Mongol u.nd during the epoch of the 1\Iing rlyna.sties, monopolised the trade in spices a.nd made themselves allies a.nd protectors of the Mah.y States. The most important among them, l\h.lacca, founded in HO:l by a. Javanese prince who had fled from his eonntry, soon possessed tho most frequented port of the Insnlinde, and it wa.s ill full knowledge of fo.ot;s tho.t Albuquerque at the conclusion of a. successful ra.id, insta.lled there in 1511 tho first bastion of Portuguese commerce in tho seo.s of Chinlt. With tho :a.rrival of the Portuguese, the turn of fortune for ?o.falayeia a.nd the In~ ·sulinde was conditioned by the big events of Europe's history. Hispano-Portugnese riva.lry, then the formn.tion of the Union with 'Sp11in (1580-l640) which exposed the Portuguese Flmpire to the a.otivitY ·Of Dutch capitlll, Anglo-Duteh commercial riv a.lry, the Napoleonic Wars, British Imperialism-all these had the most direct repercussions on these countries situated on the antipodes of Europe, The decadence .o£ Mala con. a.t the enr1 of tlw XVIth century; the formation of the Dutch Ea.st Indies Compn.nyin 1(i02 were followec1 by the cret~.• tion of a. series of Dutch factories in .Ta.vu. a.nc1 the 1\lolttcca.s, and by the ·eviction from Jacatru. of the Engliilh in HH8 n.n bebrn.gen die M:LntobbsclmibtE' folr~01dr·n Pro;;entsatz c1t"r GL18'1ll1thoeho obe?'et'

Hou.ng-h,u Ngoc-ln

J'v[oullu Nel::on Guehler I

40 40 40 40 34

mittliJre1' 40 39

41

nutel'er _\lu.ntehbsebr,itt

20

21 1\) lfl '2S

H ~3 8

Auch die a.bsolukm Groessenrna.sse sind sich :.tehuliuh, ntit HoGht~, wie :1118 Tabelle V hervorgeht.

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PT.

STUDTI~ UIUlER A.L'l'E METALL-TROMMELN

lj

:1).

59

UnterfeZ:lunr; de8.Typt3benserhaltnng zur Darstellung kom· men Hall? Raben die HerstfJller vielleioht den Entwicklungsga.ng des Vogels unter clem :F.Jinfluss der Sonne VOID sitzenden Zlllll stehenc1en una schliesslich zum Hiegenden Tier andenten wollen ?. Dann erscbiene eine ganza Plat.te o.ls Sinnhilc1 der Schoepfun'g mit der Sonne im Zentrum, mit den Menscheu-noch a.ls Ho.uptronster in zentraler S~ellung a.ngedeutet--, mit Voegeln und Fisc ben, mit den Reiskoernern, als dem ·wichtigsten N o.hrnngsmi ttel, mit den Puuktkreisen a Is klein en Sonnen und den ra.clblen Strichen a.ls verliLngerten SounellfJtrahlen (? ). Dies sei eine Spelmlation, llie die Wissenschaftler mir a.ls Laien verzeihen moegen.

Ueher die .Anordnnng rler verschierlenen Zonen Anj den Platten der Trommeln des T.IJPUS I. ·

· 4)',

Beger b~t in seinem Werke die Orna.mente der· versohiedenen Pla~tenzo • .nen sehr a.nsfuebrlich beba.nclelt,

Doch moecbte ich bier, in Ergaenzung

62

•

U.

GUEHLEI~

[ VOI,, XXXV

zu seineu Ausfuehrungen uoch d:uau£ hin wei sen, dttss die Anorduung der Plattenzouen auf den aeltoeren ITI.xeropbren des Typus I off en bttr von cleu Herstellern in gttn.t. beatiroroter- nud system().tiscber Weise vorgenomroen worden ist. Eine in L1ieser Richtung vorgenommen Analyse cler Plu.tton · der aeltesten Trornmeln des Typus I (von der Tremmel Sn,leier ab) hl1t gezeigt, dass nicht nur die Zone mit dem IJauptmuster sich in den meisten B'aellen in der 1\1it~e der Pbtte befmdet, sondern anch, dass die Anordnuug dei· ttn die Hauptzoneu nach innen unc1 o.usseu angrenzenllen Zonen regelmaessig erfolgt. Diese gleichmaessige Anordnnng erstreckt sich znweilen na.ch anssen bis in • die Banc1zono nnd nt>ch inneu his znro zentralen Gestirn. Von 10 Trommeln des Typus I der Aufstellung Heqer ist die Anordnnng bei 3 T'rommeln bis Y.Ur dritten Zone, bei '1 hi::; y,m· vierten, hei 4 'I'rommeln bis zm· fnenften uncl bei 2 '.J:rommeln bis zur a.chte.n Zone-n:1ch anssen una inuen-regelm:1essig. Bierbei stehen in allen Faellen die Zonen, die nm einmal vorlwmmen,-clas sind die Zom1 mit den fiiegenc1en Voegeln nncl eine :1nclere Zone zwisohen Gesti m und Haupt. muster·-im ,gleichen Zonena.bsta.nde von dar Hanptxone. ids Beispiel moechte icb die P!u.tte Uoqni ~mfnebren, bei der diese Hegelmaessigkeit am groessten ist 13 Hauptzonu Ta.belle VII. Z.l2Pnnk.1 te AugenZ.l1 Z. 11 Punkte 2 Z. 15 Doppeltes VogelZ:l. 10 3 Z. lG V~t-~gel schw:1nzmnster Z. 9 Punkte 4 Punkte Z. 17 Z. 8 Punkte 5 Punktc Z. 18 Z. 7 Radiale (:i Slriche Z. lD Z. 6 Pnnkte 7 Punkte 13'. :JO ;1,; 5 Tangenten-Kreise t1 'rangenten-Kreise Z. 21. Z. 4 Punkte () Punkte Z, 22 Z 3 Sondermuster 10 ra.di ale Striche Z. 2il Z. :1 Punkt\l 11 .. . Punkte z. 24 Z. I Stern 151. .. J Puukte Z, 25 Ru.ndzone Z. 26 Von der leeren Raudzone abgesehen, hat die Pla.tte 25 L:onen, von uenen das llauptmuster genau i11 der Mitte auf Zone 13 stl:ht. .'Bei f) Zonen ua.ch jeder Seite idt die Dekoration voellig rege[maessig, wobei der Zone mit den Voegeln die Zone mit dem doppelten Vogelschwanzmuster genau eutspricht. Nur die Zonen 1 llnd 3 hu.ben keine entsprecheuden Muster am Aussem:u.nde der Platte.

PT.

1]

G3

Diese Regelmaessigkei!~ der Zonen:tuorc1nung muss ihre Grnent'le haben. Welche Gmenc1e, wisr:;en wir noch nieht. Bei den aller~v~lteaten Trornrneln linden wir diese systemn.tische Anora;ung nicht, ebenso wenig bei den1 Trommeln ohne l1:1uptmnster, dagegon besonc1ers bei a.elteren NxenilPlaren des Typns I, waehrenCl sie sich bel spa.eteren wiec1er yerliert ti.nd bei '['ypus III ueherbanr1t nicht mohr vorhanden ist.

ii)

Vorscldcdene Fruuen.

Angesiehts des grossen Heiehtums der Beziehungen, der unter. a.llen Vorkommnisson kultmgeschichtlieher Dolmmente besteht, und untc•r Berneclc}:)ichtigung der ~l'n.tsachu, dass nur iuunerw~ehrenc1etl Suchen nnc1 fortdauernde Vergleihe sohliesslich den Schlueesel fuer dn,s VerHta.enunis uns zunaeuhsl. unver:Jtl1endlioher Darstellungen ermoeglichen, UJuessei1 wir unseren Blick immer w ieder wS contrMY to the interests of the holders of the monopolies. 'J~he mail despatching orgn.nh;ation of Thailand during that t.ime 'f-i:.'-!88ti).

As ::~olreac1y mentioned the Postu.l ServiB \\l':le ordered at a time when the pasta ge ru tes were not yet .t'x£ d. The eft' ect was that the stamp of one solot. co1lld not be used a.t all, :wd that tbe . stool, of this denomil1ation was, consequently, :kept at the treasury n.ud not sold to the public, Used oopi~s of this slnmp, therefore, mmt bo.Ye

I !l

PAUL P. LIN IH~Nlll·:W;

90

i.Vtll.. X;.:XV

been oblitor~ted :J.t u, lu.t:)l' tinn il>ll(l with 'lllitt; c1il1'tll'Ont l1\JSttn:l.rk8. Or they a.re forgerieB altogotlwr. On tho ot;htw ha,thli;h1 tbtn~~:;·.,·r tno. (t, hlttl ttf.l!lotn to ba repb.ed, will probably for all time rema.in unsolved. No further doonmenta.ry evidence bas to . my knowledge come to light, sinoe le May completed his work about ten . years ago, ~nd. I am ~nabla to a.dd a.nything new to what he has stated. · This author based his book on ~he e:-;:perience of twenty ye:m of study 11.nd collecting and,·. as his ,w~rks prove, with excellent results. But, . ultra posse nemo obligatu.r, even· by his tme l'eaearch~work, although

148

F. GUIWLEH

[VOTJ, XXXV

attacking the problem from every possible angle, he was not able to solve the myatery which sLill covers the history c:>f Thai coinage during the time before the Cba.kri Dynasty. On the other hand twelve years have passed since then, and in the mea.ntime I have ardently eude11voured to· gather any additional information, r1t the same time collecting old Thai ·coins, wherever I could find them. I therefore propose to pnblish now the results of my resea.rches and to describe those coins which are not published in le May's book. r shall deal ma.inly with the so-called " bullet" coins of Thail::J.nd, the last set of which W().S issued by King Chulalougkorn in 188U. Le May, after twenty years of collecting, was inclined to believe that he had "exba.usted the possibilities of the chase", and-with regard to the small coinage of Ayuthia-he says, I ·t.ooutd hke to think thai 1ut1l1be1·s of tlie small c.JiMge with well-known Ayu.thian marks sti/l1·emaiu to be discovered, but 1 must have examined literall!l ten8 (!( I hou8and~:: .... and I feel that the hopei~ a forlorn one. But, as ·these studies will prove, he was apparently too pessimistic. Quite a number of undescribed coins have oome ,to light, which I shall describe hereafter. The few sources u.t my disposal, in addition tole l\'Iay's book, were: the article written by Na.i I~ula.b ,in 1908, to which le May refer@ on page 24/25; ,. the oolla.ction of Photogra. 'Phs, compiled by Colonel Gerini for the Miniatr·y of Interior and now. at theN a.tioual Museum; the :uticle by W. Harding Kneedler (Journal qfthe Siam Society Vol. XXIX Part l). I ha.ve described onlyooins which I have seen. The greater part is·· in my own collection. In addition to the collection of the N a.tional Museum, I have seen the c~llections of Mr. M. C. N oirot, N a.i Kroen "' Silapet, the Reverend Phra. Sri S:J.cha.ya.muni and sever:J.l smaller collections, a.ll in Bangkok. ·' The curator of the N a.tional Museum, N a.i Boriban, has kindly informed o:ie that since 1982 the Museum has acquired quite a number of a.dditioua.l coins to complete its collection .. Among them is the collection of the late Prin~e Piya, The la.tter is s~~oid to' oontailf several so fa.'E' undescribed coins especially from the earlier periods (Sukboth:J.i).

PT.

2]

FURTHER STUDIES OF OLD THAI COINS

149

As the collection 'of the N a.tiona.l Museum is at present kept at a. sa.fe pla.ce o.nd not a.ccessible, I a.m uuo.ble to consider in these notes a.ny undes. oribed caine of this collection, But it surprises me tha.t the collection of the late Prince Piya. should ha.ve contained coins not yet described by le May, a.s the latter-according to his own sta.tement-had during his research been in constant touch with the la.te Prince.

I have tried to a.rra.nge the coins in certain groups. But the group. ing a.nd the running numbers ca.nnot be considered as indications of the a.ge of the coins, because the age of almost all coins of the preBa.ngkok period is doubtful. The Ba.bt-coins marked with * ba.ve not . been .described before. The weights are ata.ted in .grammes. B.

DESCRIPTION OF COINS RECENTLY DISCOVERED

OR NOT YET DEBOBIBED.

I ;{

. . a.)

Presun(ablyPre-Ayzdlzia Period. 1)·~

Bunch of LotuB below a.nd Conch-Shell above, Plate I, 1, Blocks 11, 12. Broad with wunded sides, long oval ha.mmer-rriarks, ends of coin m:let, tWo deep cuts, triangular la.rge bole in oentre, weight

14.55 gr .

.2)·:a.mroug, that a particular King may have changed his personal lltc!rl< 1iurinq his reiqn for .~ome sperial occasion, or that the change of

futile to me.

nwrk lin!l,

IIW!J 11•11 t reprc~ent a eltanae of King. at aU, but a period of mintin·es11 ectiv1: 1,J' the chanye of reign. I am inclined to aha.re the

opinion of B. R. H. Prince Damrong, especia,lly with rega.rd to the last .kes · some•

a

is

times or to a.rrive at wrong conclusions..

·· .. ·

- ·

In concluding this pa.per:~I wish to~- !lo:ua.lly either briefly Plentioned without det~~oils or a.ltogether passed over in silence. This present article, founded on aims at filling this ga,p.

manu~oriplis

in the Vatican Archivea, · ·

It.is a mat~er of regret that ~he death of King Narai .(July 1688), followed only one year later, (August 1689), by tha.t of Pope Innocent XI, prevented the efforts made by both sides and the high hopes entertained by them from rea.~ing fruition. . I was very glad to find a.n account of the sa.roe Emba.ssy in the Thai book Collection of Histm·£f'al Do:'Uments Vol Ut (th::'IIJJVH~1'l1!1l flltl

~ ~8)

printed under the auspices of H. R. H. Prince Da~rong i1l 2462 (1919). The a.coount was tra.nsla.ted by the Italia.n Colonel Gerini, who spent the grea.ter part of hisclife in Tbaila.nd as roilita.ry a.dviser a.nd instructor. He does not quote the sources. of his work, For the benefit of those who cannot read Tha.i or find the booklet, a.n abridgement of the a.ocount is given .here to rna.ke the na.rra.tion conta.ined in the Va.tica.n ma.nuscripts more complete. King N a.ra.i sent four Embassies to Europe., The Portuguese vessel with the first Thai Ambassa.dors on board w~~os wrec~ed !lear the Oa.pe ·of .·Good Hope ; all the members of the Mission perished.. The· second Emba.ssy was senfJ to . discover the fa.te of the first ; it ha.d no diploma. tic cha.ra.cter. The third, headed by Kosa. Pa.n l.'iptions given by others, ima.gine the pleasure a.nd satisfaotion felti •by the Siamese Ma.ndarins during the few days they spent in that City. But as it is not known to ma.ny what happened to them before their departure, and what gave them even greater pleasuret a short report thereof is here given to the curious reader. Of these things the Mandarins declared that what gratified them most was, first, the liberal show of affec~ion w bioh the Holy Pontiff manifested towards them a.nd the g-oodwill , extended towards them on their leaving the City; secondly, the splendour and decorum of the religious services; thirdly, the magnifioence and grandeur of the palaces a.nd courts; ca.nd lastly the tokens of esteem a.nd benevolence bestowed upon them by various exalted personages, a.nd by the crowds tha.t gathered to greet them wherever they had to go, and Lhe signs of weloome so abundantly show~ to them by the citizens of Bome. In giving some details of these four sources of satisfaction, it rnusi be ,said that their good fortune was grea.t a.t being present on the most blissful da.y of the Holy Nativity, when they had the oba.noe to see the _Pontiff's Chapel and to admire the Sacred College of their Eminences the Ca.rdina.le whioh, both in the ma.gnifioenoe of their state and in the nobili~y uf their persons, displays, the dignity of the Sovereign Pontiff of the Holy

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VATICAN PAPERS OF THE XVII CENTURY

Church in a. ma.~ner that cannot be equalle.d in a.nY .other kingdom of the world. They -saw the number a.ud dignity of the Sacred Ministers by whom the sublirpity of this earthly hierarchy so well typifies the Hierarchy of Heaven. At this sight, then, they remained astonished; :i.bd it seellled to them that they had not so much been transferred from the Siamese Kingdom into a.nother olima.te as into a totally different world. Th~:~ir pleasure wa.s increa.~d at seeing the most celebrated churches of Rome,, especially the Basilica of St. Peter which, a.s is well known, yields in magnificence and richness to no other architectU:ra.l wonder of this world. Their joy was. intensified on the first day of the year when they were present at the services held in the Gest't in honour of the ·most August N a.q~e of Jesus. Wit bin the wa.lls of the Ges\1 they were able to admire the beauty, ~ingled with majesty, of the ornaments and pictures with which the sacred edifice .is adorned a.nd, to wonder at th~ many a.ids by ~hich devotion to the Redeemer of the world is fostered. They a.ssist.ed wioh gre:~.t attention a.t holy Ma~s and solemn Vespers, enjoYing to the full the music of the choirs sounding the praises and lauding the glories of the True God.

When visiting .the pa.hces they did. not so much admire the wealth of th3 decoi:a.tions and nhe riobneaa of the furniture as the magniftoence of "' the buildings, the fong .vi3tas of rooms and ba.lls, and the width of the apa.rtments, thillca utterly stra.nge to their eyes ; because t.hough a.coui;~'" tomed to the gra.udeur of the Roya.l Siamese Court, they had never before enjoyed the sight of such r:ru.sterpieoes of a.rohitecture as ·those in which Rome a.bounds.

J.Je~ving to the imagina.tion of the rea.der the enjoyment they felt at the sight of the charming gardens, the founta.ins and paintings, there must be reoorcled here their great gra.tification at seeing His Eminence the Prince Oa.rdina.l Rinaldo d'Este with all his noble attendants by whom His Eminen.ce is served at all p~bli~ functions. Tbough '\llled to seeing their Monarch accompanied in his pc1blio appearances by twelve thousand persons, they decl~red that such roya.l ma.gnificeuce was completely overshadowed by the beauty and tbe sumptuousness of the. Oa.rdinal's Court . .An.d this is douhtless true, for th!l ma.gnificen.t carriagE;~s, the number a.nd quality of his tra.in in their gold a.nd black uniforms, the variety of the liveries, the splendour of the numerous Prelates a.pd Knights recall the .,glories a. Triumph in the days of the ancient een'ators.

of

In this, wa.y the Siamese Mandarin~ a.nd the Tongkineeti Ca.techiats

180,

THE REV. FATHER P, CARRETTO

[voL. nx.v

a.gree~bly pa.ssed their time, wa.ited upon by the grooms of Ca.r~ina.l Cybo

and assisted by iYionsignor G.a.spa.re Pla.nta.miui, Secretary to the Embasaiae. of the same Co.rdinal, who lw.d beau entrusted with this duty by His Eminence himself.

"

Their mi~ds, however, were even more gr3.tified tha.n their senses a.b se~iug their persona cheered and caressed in a.ll the pi:l.cea they visited; so that the First Ma.ndarin, a young ma.Il" of elevated spirit, converea.nt with the French La.nguaga, a.nd tbus a.ble to express his feelings and those. of his fellows, spoke of their sorrow a.t being utterly una.ble to find words· to make known the affection they ha.d conceived for the people a.nd city of Rome. Among the various tokens of esteem and honour received from m~~ony, that bestowed upon them by H. E. the Duke of Ceri, Lino Odesca.lchi; worthy neP.MW of His Holiness, was peculiar; for after having accepted their expressions of respect when they visited him a. t. his pa.l:l.ce, he deigr:.. ed to send them numerous a.nd noble presents, besides supplying them with fragrant, cooling beverages.

•

· They were also honoured by Prince Borghese who ga.ve them a.n opportunity to admire his royal pa.la.ce where they received a most cor' . dial welcome, the princess ·and other noble la.dies being present at the ' function. They were served with a.n exquisite· repast in which art ~~ond • nature combined to manifest the sublime soul of this grea.f prince. Their satisfaction was not' decreased at visiting the sumptuous oha.pel of the palace, where they saw the great number of immensely valuable jewels which a.re treasured therein. They were shown not only the ma.teria.l treasures of the noble Borghese family, but also given the opportunity of bearing witness to'the eminent piety of ·the Princess Eleonora. who, depriving herself of the use of these jewels, employs them a.ll in the service of God a.rid ofHis Sa,ints, the precious urns· containing sa.cred re!ios being of skilled workma.nshlp and adorned with them. · On t.he la.st da.r of the year they went to the Professed House of the Society of Jesus. There they accepted with joy the demonsh!l.tions of esteem shown them by the Fathers 'vho were desirous not less to see them become true children of the Roma.n Ohllrch tha.n to · mlloke clea.r to them the gratitude they felt towards the King of Siam for hisBoy!l.l protection bestowed on the missionar'i.es in his kingdom, arid for the College built ln the metropolis, !loud for the church conaeora~ed to the holy Apostle ofthe Indies, St. Fra.noia Xavier. Here they ba.d · a; repo.at, the' 'table being

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181

spread with trays of oakes and sweets supplied through the love and liberality of the benefactors who longed to share in the promotion of the good deeds of the apostolic workers to engraft the truths of the holy :b,aith in the hearts of the heathens. For this reason, Father Firso Gonzalez, General of the Order, sent to the Catholic Indochinese Catechists a.s a ' gift, a grea.t many rosaries, reliquaries, and medals to be usec1 to reward the diligence of new converts in learning the truths of ChrisLia.n doctrine. Another repast was.sirved a.t the Roman College where thPy inspected the dispensa.ry attached thereto, after having admired the wonderful library ~~ond the ~agnificent temple erected in honour of St. Ignatius Loyola. by the piety of the most noble Lodovisi:~. family. Here the guests received a. present of some cases of balm a.nd various quintessences prepared in the above mentioned dispensary. While the Mandarins were crossing the court round which the class. rooms are disposed, all the students were caused to come oiit of their rooms simultaneously. They, who are at present more n)lmerous than ever, formed an edifying spectacle,. for arof)ng the students there shone the noble ranks of those Roman Princes and Knights who attended the College. The students were at the same time both spectators and a spectacle; and ~ it was impossible to judge whether the delight of being looked at with so much interest by these Ma.uda.rius was greater than the joy of seeing peo~ .. ple a.rrived from a b:1rba.rian world responding to the courtesy of Rome ·with cordiality and love, and reciprocating the pleasure with which" they were beheld. ~

During the da.ya in which the Siamese Mandarins and Catechists were enjoying visits and demonstrations, .Father G~ido Tacha.rd, who had set out on this journey from Siam to Rome in the character of Envoy Extra. ordinary to the Supreme Pontiff only in the interest of the Catholic Faith, depriving himself of the pleasnre of seeing everything, .and holding aloof from the party, appli~d himse'!f wholly to· the carrying on~ of the business which be had undertaken conter which serves Q.S outlet Jor the water received frpm the upper basins. Here the buffaloes love to welter in the liquid muq; and fmally there is 5) the drain through which the paddy fields are irriga.ted by the outflowiug water. In some cases there are complementary basins and drains for a wider distribution of the ·Water. Often there are seen the ruins of rectangular enclosures situated in the forest at v o.riable distances from the ter.races. Inside such· enclosures ~te found the communal house or n. small pagoda. • The author asks: Have these recent constructions replaced some ancient e:difices? That is probable though not certain. The present villages, like , .the ancient ones, are built on these basaltio hilly for~a.tions, and from . the~ lead rustic flights of stone steps down to the basins. The steps are often made of quite raw and unfa.ahioned atones. Beside the basins and the stairs other ancient constructions are met with such as stone paved roads, earthen l;ampa.rts reinforced with ra.w stones, stone walls, etc. Father Oadlere, who knows well these regions and the mystic ideas of the population, thinks he has detected in these constructions tlie inbep.tion of the ancients, by the help of magic, to defend themselves against the influence of evil power,s. It is smprising that no stone monuments, statues or inscriptions have· · teen found, even hardly any fashioning of the stone ·Still the work of orga.ni~ing a whole regfon by building stone ramparts and making complete water installations fo:r, the villages, irrigation of the fields, etc. must mea.n that theY· were executed carelully according to a. preoonojlived plan. In order to arrive at a.n exaot idea. it would be necessary to enter a.ooura.tely all these vestiges on a map, scale 1:25,000. First then one· would understand the stupendous work carried out. by these enigma.tioa.t. I

·:P8oPle. .

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REVIEWS

197

Who were the builders of these water basins? Nobody knows. But tyvo fa.cts remain; 1) A huge, a fabulous qua.ntity of brge pieces of b&salt has been tra.usported to these v:l.riOtB constructions, and 2) tha.,t this work "muet have requil'ed a la.rge number of brawny 1Hms.. To direct such work there must a \so ha.ve beau an energetic and competent administrative organization.• In chapters II, IV, V a.ua VIII the author descr~bes altogether som3 131 wa.ter basins and irriga. tion works and wells. The bathing basins with their water spouts Me almost identioal to those found in Bali and on Nb.s (to tbe wesu of Sumatra). Some of these wa.ter systems are qu;te ex.tensive as for instance that of Kiuh, with)ts three water spouts, which from north to sou tb. has a length of about 55 metres. Two staircases lead down from the villa. gt;) of An- Nha. ( pronounce AnYa) to this installation. It is a. pity t.hat the Anna.mite peasa.nts of our da.ys do not do a.nything in the wa.y of keeping these wonderful and to them so usefulconstrncti.ons in good ra1):1.ir ... As hhe a.uthor says the spirit of the Anua.mite is not banton keeping up but rather on destroying. We cannot follow the learned la.dy in h~r deta.iled descriptions of these numerous water installations of which hardly two are identical in design, being, everyone of them, cunningly adapted to the contours of the land; but shall only, here and ~here, mention some of the more oha. racteristic features of them, The output of water from these installations is vary va.rial¥e.· in som3 oases very con3idarable. The output of the instl\lla.tioa a.t the "B.oyal pagodO." is thus 33,600 litres per hour i.e. 806,400 litres or 806 cubic metres per day which may be o.alled enormous. The neighbouring pa.ddy-fi.elds are therefore very well irrigated. The a.uthor takes tbe opportunity, wheu- speaking about the use for · bathing purposes made by ~he local population of these water ba.sins, to comment on the degenerate and unhealthy appearance of the Aunamites of tbese regions. It must be remem~1ered that though the v .uioll& wa.ter s~:stems

~ i ,~'

·1.'.',

t1

were excellently pbnned a.t1d exeouted by "heir unknown builders t.here Mver arose anY question of a single Vast comprehensive system of irrigation. Each in,'.ltallation wa.s only imencl~d to serva the needs of one particular village. However, the numerous insta.llat.ions of this kind have made of tlie Gio-linhbasalr.iu plauteau one of tl:ie most· fertile. spots in Anna.m. That the anci,mt. builders built well a.ud solidly is proved by the presence, uuder the smla.ce of the g~:ound, of blocks of ~;uoue consolida.ting the terr~ces and st1pporting the walla thus ensuring the continuous outflow of the water. Even s.omewhat rough underground works wer~ ca.nied. out~

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...,

198

ERIK SEIDENFAOEN

[VOL, XXXV

Ev~ry in~ta.lijttion bas its guardian spirit, a jealous :1nd inexorable spirib, often evil-minded and dangerous, with whom one must keep on good terms by propitiary sacrifices. · Our autbo~. bad to offer s~:.cb a one in order not to offend the spirits by her excavations! In some .villages there is, besides the magic defenses against outside evil powers a.lso to be thought ' of more material enemies su0b as the terrible ma.n-ea.ting tigers of Annam as well a:s the savage Mois· of tbe billy hinterland. In chapter III the a11thordiscusses the problem of the religious cult for which the terraces were destined, as well as the stone enceintes. On or near the terraces are always seen growing immense and very old specimans of the' Fic~ts religiosa, our B6 three, which maY reach an age of about 2,000 years. Were they contemporary with tbe builders of the basijlS? To find out the pa.rticular kind of religions cult associated with the terraces and basins one must go to other places where like constructions ine found. Dr. von Heiue-Geldem mentions baths consisting of three basins at Penangungan which were made in memory of a .T(ivanese prince whose ashes ars interred there ( 977 C. E.), ~nd at Oetliang, also in Java, another system of baths uudernall.th whioh the ashes' of King Airla.ngga (oa. 1042 C. E. ) are probably interred, Among the Angami N a.gas in Assam • are fonnd stone-lined wells, that, beside their Practical purpose, also have a ritual one, Among the Katscha Nagas small stone pyramids with a water basin at their side a.re made in memory rli. the dead. The Khasi and Jamtia dig ponds for washing the ashes and bones of people who aied from a violent 'death. Three menhirs and a platform of horizontal stones are erected near by. And among the Mikir, a.lso in Assam, as wall as in ,Nias, similar customs a.re in existence. Mlle. Colani next 'discusses the significance of the me'!thirs and sa.ys that in Assam they were dastiil_ed to preserve the n!l'me of the dead; to be a dwelling place for hie soul, an,d to protect it against dangers met with ln his new life, and furthermore .to assure him of the fertility of his fields and cattle. This fertility bringing attributes of the megaliths are on par with the rOle played by water. The Angami Nag11s have a.n elaborate system of irriga.tion with terraces. (1) Stone vaved cha.usseas, stair-ca;ses and watering pla.ces a~e also found with them even stone' platforms for d:s.ncing. Mr. Hutton, well-known as the expert on all knowledge per~ taiuiug to the Nn.ga tribes of Assa.m, mentions the latter n.s existing a.lso in the southe'rn Pa.cifi.c isles,. the Marquesa.s, a.nd compares them with. 1) As our La:w; on the Bo Luang plateau, southwest of Chieogmai.

r

'b~H~ f01H1d 10 liotnb ,\uli!!rill!a l !'be pr~ll~nt Auna.n.ite oooup1.1.nts o[ tha vill1.1.gmi ualn~t tb't wn ~r iw;ulle.titui'S have oul y the \'ague~~t ide1.1.a af:,out th!! i'IH'poae o£ ~!I'll terrMli!lit but being pronounc,~d ainimlsta they venerate snti t:hu m~tigna.nL auperntLtUrl\.1 heiogs they feela.re presettt ' ~bl'l gb.n~ her6, All rel!\\~rob \'i'Ork · ~~mdiu~ 'to a-rrive a.t the true orighl is ma.da mo~ th&.n diffionh br thll Atm::~.mite!l' li1'Stema.tio o.nd fa.natio de!!~ruot.ion or :1.1! th" mernory oi thai r pradoo!Mlion in the country now ocoupied by Lhtm. (2) SaiU from whu.t is h~!t us to·da.y the relationship between the oulnnoo of Indonei!ih", Anna.m ::~.tui A11sa.m ia evident enoush. With reg~rd to th~1 origiu of 'ha wa.ter rea~n·oira ~t tHo·linh th& n.nthor !11\Yii thlt.~ th11.il~ :l.I'B t~>.,tt::..inl; not tbti; h~ndiworlc of Armu.mites who oul v ur1.1:1 wood, &!l>rth a,mi briokli 1\1 l:mildhtg ma.terio.la. Nor cot1ltl it be •he primitive \iiJ.pMple of lihe bn.okli!.nd, uor the ~l!hn.i who never con· lltruot with thy eLotll.:ll. J?ina.lly the eh.borata inigatiou worka of ~he Chim a.ntl Khmer anj;limwr4! !Utt quite differen~ from what ia nu.H with bert!. Ttw a.uth?r ~hn11frH1J oouolmll1il th:1t theae ooustruutiona must be dm1 w a foreigtt *people wi11ah certainly bll!l luh «lellt\endlltnta in the tmNim~B of (~uan~·Tri bu! who now ha.va (.}(len n.bsorkwd by the triC)re l'll!lntll'OW! Atma.tuil,e!\1, i\Jt' helc,mghHI to thia Ulyateriouu peopl(;J, H(w. t•'i!.thll*r C1Hilli·rt! con~>ider.l!l the 1i4l'fl'l ll.t~mtmula.Lions of JIOtllhnnls nnootmterel·ttlvat~ ll.t Ctio·Hnh. ~rhey olaa.rad t\H! JLIIll' la o.ud tilltHl tha Hel,b, Ml·l they w'm! ~h.;, huildurj;l of the w·;\~er imita.llat!ona, t.hfl ttrrl\o !1!:

'f'he !Jihnuy ball :\ltlo ;~Oqrin.ul: :rrw ,.f.., Ul Iii(: l·:a···f or >:ii'Lohr.•, .. I I, FlmrJe (,If Paper (stock)

II II

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225.-

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37,96

970.-

45.-· 142.69 20.2,474.83

-.340.50

II

19.-

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2,400.-

Swulry An:unnt8: Representation, Meeting Expenses etc.

Baht

Total Expenditure Income over Expenditure forward to Finance Account

•

I. ZIELER Hon. Treasurer.

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Prinlied o.t the "Thai Press" SiphyO. Roa.d, B!l.nglcok .• Printer .p,nd 111lbllsher, b:V Cht1e r,imsP.roi . 2497.