The Journal of the Thailand Research Society Vol. XXXV ... - Khamkoo

VOL. XXXV, PT. 1. l=EBRUA~Y 1944. 

THE 

JOURNAL 

OF THE 

THAILAND ,~ 

( j. T. R. S.) ..].1 

·.. ,, ~ 

l 

'0 

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. 

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 

j 

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".

2 G. OUEDI

PI', 1] TH 1!: EMPIRg OF THE SOUTH SEAS 3 

For traders coming from India, the gulf of Thailand, :1nd the Ohina 

se:1, were a.ccessible by the route which starting from Tavoy crosses the 

mountains by the Pass of the Three Pagodas and descends towards the 

delta. of the Menam by the Ihuburi river (Pong Tiik, P'ra. Fathom). 

Further north again an access to the Mena.m valley and to the Mekong 

was practie;a.ble from the west, by the route from Moulmein to Ra.Mng, at 

the end of which arose in the XIIIth century the .first big cities of the 

independent Thai (Sukhothai, S:wankholol1, etc.) I will not speak of 

routes from Yunnan by way of Bluma ana Assam, which though 

relevant, are hardly within the scope of my present sketch. 

The Eindus seem to have been the first to feel the attraction of the· 

transgaugetic countries. Their expansion towards the East bega,n a little 

before the commencement of the Obristitlin era., and carried Indian religions 

and the usage of Sanskrit up to the coast of Ann am a.s well as to Bal~ and 

Borneo. In origin it was a commercial expansion. 

The principal cause of this rush towa.rds the la.nds of gold seems to 

have been the disturbance within the oircul~tion of the precious metal 

brought about by the conquests of Alexander and the movements of the 

races of central Asia dnriug the centuries preceding the Christian era. 

India, which prcdnced gold only in small quantities, but bad always consumed 

much, imported it from Siberia by the route of the North.West. 

From the day w~n this route was cut, she had to look for gold elsewhere 

and so turned towards the transgangetic countries, that Ohryse of the 

-ancient, where most rivers deposit a little gold. 

This enterprise was helped on by the birth a.nd sprea.c1 of Buddhism, 

which, by abolishing the harriers of ca.ste and the exaggerated concern 

for racial pm·ity, suppressed at the same stroke, for Hindus converted to 

tba new religion, the fetters whieh the feu.r of pollution from contact with• 

barbarians had formerly put upon their voyages beyond the seas. 

Buddhist literu.tme of the epooh reflects this state of a.ffa.irs, in revealing 

to us, among the generom lu.y protectors of Buddhism, a whole series· 

of navigators who had been enriched by commerce. Sylvain Levi wa.s 

able to write: "A large number of stories from the Pali Jataka deal 

'' wHh sea-adventure; the sea a.nd ~aviga.tion clea.rly held a high place 

·"in the life of India. at the time when these stories were being put into 

" 

shape," . 

. 

Chinese historians of the epoch have left us many details concerning 

·the aspect of the jl1nks of the high seas. 

lI 

l 

. 

~' 

\ .

G. OOEDES l VOf,, XXXV 

N a vigil. tors who o:~.me ft·om south India. into the buds of gold a.ud 

avoiderl coa.sting along the side of the Ba.y of Bengal a.nd preferred to risk 

tra.veriling the high se~, passed through either the channEil of w· between 

t4e Audama.n ::~.nd Nioob~H isla.nds or the one fmther aouth between the 

Nioobars \tUd the he:~..dlttnd of Atjeh. The former re[l.ohed the coast 

somewhere naar T[l.lttmpa, and the latter towa1·ds Kechh, two very ancient 

sites where archeological researches have revealed ima.ges and objects 

da.ting ba.ok to the first centuries of the Christian era. 

According to Chinese historians, the territory of the lY.I::Llay peninsula. 

wa.s divided a.t th::Lt time into :lr series of sma.ll principalities, each of which 

no doubt corresponded with u. ba.sin of one of the coastal rivers. Those 

most often mentioned are the following: Lankii:suka, Tiimbralinga. (in 

the region of Na.khon Sitba.mma.ru.t from where come inscriptions whi.ch 

could date back to tbe Vth century), the country of the red earth from . 

which ha.iled the patron of the iunk who lefb in the region of E.edah a 

curious Buddhist ex-voto in the Sa.nskri t lu.ngua.ge, Gmbi in the region of 

Chaiya a.t the extr.emity of the Bay of Bandon, a.nc1 others which I ha.ve 

no time to enumerate. 

The route of the Stra.its passed a.long the coast of 1\h,l::i.yn between · 

Jambi n.nd Palemb:mg, where a very [l.ncient stat.ue of the .Buddha. belonging 

to the school of Amri v:.tti dating bltck possibly to the "[1 Ircl-I Vth ceu· 

turies has beeu found. It touched occa.8ionally the w!!!3tern Pal't of the 

island of Ja.va., where reigned towards 400/450 A. D. Purnavarman, King 

of 'raruma, :from whom we ha.ve four Sanskrit in!lcriptions found in the 

region where later a.rose the ports of Bantam 11nd Jacatt·a (Bata.via). 

A propos of this Professor Vogel wrote: "It is significu.nt that 

ulillese a.ncient tr::~.ces of Hindu establishments have been found exao~ly in 

· "thn.t part of the island where Dutch traders se~ up their first factories and 

"which beQame the centre from which Dntoh power spread out all over the· 

«a.rcbipelago. The geographica.l position of the CO[l.Bt whe1:e Bata.via is 

"situa.ted, when considered in reference to Sumatra and the Indian cou 

"tiueut, a.nd the special advantages which such a situation offers in the 

''wo.y of navign.tiou and commerce are circumsta.nces expla.ining away 

"without d iffionlty a coincidence which is not due t6 mere chl1.nce." 

This route, whioh, for na.vigators bound from India for China., hardly 

seems to us a..' direct one, was in fact rendered necessary by the regime· 

of monsoons to which it had to submit. As for those whom tempests or 

errors in navigation turned away from the ordinary route and compelled,

P'l'. 1] 'I'Hl~ EMPIRE OI•' 'l'Rg SOUTH ::lEAS 

to substitute for it the Stmda. stra.its, then but little frequE-nted, they 

passed along the western coast of St1mt~tra. and ha.d to coJl either a.t. 

Palemba.ug or in .Tava.. 

~ro rellich China, then, navigu.tors bu.d to pa.ss in sight of.P11lo Condor 

and the co!1st of south Annam at the latitude of Pii.ndnranga, the ancient 

Cham province the nu.me of which still smvives to these days in the· 

modern ].ltovince of Ph:.n,ra.ng, ['0 ricb in souvenirs of the past. 

Hinc1l1 nu:viga.tors \\'ere from early times attracted by the great islands: 

of the .Ea.st, Borneo ll.nd Celebes. From the west coast of this latter 

islu.nd comes a v'er y old Buddb:1 in bronze. Another image b11s been discovered 

iu Borneo in the provinoe of Kutei, where are also the Sanskrit 

inscriptions of I\iug . 1\lulavarm:.~~J, dating irom almost the same period . as. 

those of Piirnavarman in Ja.vo., other Indian vestiges haye been dug up, 

alonq the river of Pontianak. 

This geogr:.whical sketch bs pei·mitted me, with the aid or a.rcheo~ 

logical discoveries, to identify the lccu.lities of the oldest cenhres .which 

received ::~.nd then diffused Indi:1n culture, most of which have rEmained 

throughout the centuries net·ve.centres of vitn,l importance for commerce 

and str::~.tegy. 

I wish now, not to retrace the individn!1l histories of ea.cb of tbese 

little Hindnised et~ates, but to study how most of them bad in the end 

whethEir of their own will ot· through coercion, to be org::mised into a 

coherent whole, by corning um1er the yoke of the most powerful or most 

favourably sihuated among them. Their commou culture, of which I bav·e 

just made a. mentiou, coupled with a. community of economic interests,. 

•·was bound to provokB the birth of an Empire of the South Seu.s and to 

promote its duration. Let us see now under what circumstances this 

emJ;ire :was ho1'11 at the end of tbe VIIth century, what were the landmo.J·ks 

of its long history of more than six centuries, and finally what has 

become of its iuheri tance o.fter its falL 

But first of ail I tnllst rec::dl very briefly n. first attempt at hegemony 

which took place as early as the lind century A. D. on the Indochinese 

Peninsula.. I refer to the great Eingdom which was centred in the valley 

of the lower Mekong, to which tbe Chinese ga.ve the name of Fori-nan, formerly 

pronounoed 1/iu-nan, a. transcription of tho Khmer word bhnam 

(phnom) ''mountain '', In fact the moDarchs of this country hare the 

title of King of the .LI1omltain, and the capital wa.s in the modern pro·

·6 . G. COEDES L v OTJ. :XXXV 

vince of Prei Veng, in the neighbourhood of the hill of Ba Phnom, not far 

from the ferry of Ba.na.m, two place-nll.mes which perpetuate the o,noient 

name to onr days. 

The origin of Founan goes back to the Ist century of the Christian 

·era.. In th9 following century a. milit:uy chief whom the gren.t inscription 

·of Vo-canh calls Sri Mira and the Chinese oa,ll Fo,u Cbe Man, was brought 

into power by the people, and became the principal artificer of the country's 

gr,tndenr. 

"I!, an Che ~Ian wa.s brave and capa.ble," so say the Chinese Annals. 

'"By the might of his tirm he attacked and subdued neighbouring king· 

'"doms; all admitted themselves his vassals. He assumed the title of Great 

"K!ng of l!,ounan. Then he bad big ships constructed, and by overrunning 

"all the high sea.s he attacked more thau ten Kingdoms, Tie extended his 

''territory uo five or six thousand li. Then he wa.nted to suhjugate the 

"I{ingdom of the Golden Frontier (Burma), but he fell ill." 

At the beginning of the VIth century, half a century before its bll, 

Founa.n wa.s still considered by the Court of China as a big power among 

the countries of the south. 

N eve1·tbeless, even after ita expansion over the Malay peninBnla., 

Founan, master of the land-routes, did not seem to have extended its 

power over either the straits or the isla.nds in au effectJ,ve or pennanent 

manner. It was above all a continental power, ancl it wa.s from the 

north that the blow came which brought its fall in the middle of the VIth 

·century. A prince of the royal family, evicted from the throne and n.p· 

·pana.ged in the region of Bassak on the middle Mekong revolted, attacked 

the King of the i\fountain and founded Camhodia on the ruins of Founa.n. 

But this empire, once so powerful, did not disa.ppea.r a.t a. single stroke. It 

transferred its capital ''more to the south", said the Chinese annalists, 

.perhaps in the Malay peninsula. where the dynasty continued to vegetate 

for some decacles. 

For a century and a half, young Cambodia gave up all imperialistic 

ambition in order to develop the lower valley and delta of the Mekong 

which a.re covered with monuments. Even after the foundation of Angkor 

in 889 the Khmer kings had to disinterest tbems.elves with the south seas 

in order to achieve expansion in the valleyA of the Mekong and the Menam. 

The field w~s open for the foundation of a.u empire oentrecl roulld 

Indonesia.

[•'1'. l) 'l'HE EMPIHE Oli' 'l'UE SOU'l'H Sl~AS 

The ilnu.l overthrow of l!'ouna.n iu the VIIth century Wt1.S cloae,ly fol .. 

lowed by the sudden o.ppe:ua.nce in the southern pa.rt of Sumu.trn. of 3. 

kingdom which lost uo time in ta.ldng up again, with more la.sting success,. 

the drea. ms of hegemony of Pou na.u o.nd even the imperial title of King of 

the Mo1mtain, resuscitated in the Vliitb century by a. J a.vanese dynasty. 

A group of inscriptions in old Malo.y found o.t Palemba.ng, in sonth- 

o:J.st Snt1.1a.tra on t\le height of B:1tang. Hari o.nd in the island of Banka 

testify, to the existence in 684-686 in the region of Palembang of a Buddhist 

s'ttte of recent creation which had just conquered Malayu (Jambi) 

and tbe isle of Banka and wa.s getting rea.dy to sand a. milit:.uy expedition. 

agn,inst J (J,ya,, This new sta.r was Sl'ivijaya, the sudden ascension of which 

was immediately registered in the Chinese Anna.ls which starting from the· 

year 670 mentioned a series of embassies ft·orn Obe-li-fo-che. 

The Chinese monk I-tsing who travelled from China to Indill. and 

from India. to China. between 67l a.nd 695 spol(e of this country as being 

a. POl:P of call having rela.tions with India. a.nd China. He ma.de a first 

stli.Y there of six months in G71-672, (l.llother one of four years from 6'75 

t,o 689 a.m1 a third on his return from Ca.nton at tbe end of 689. At that 

time, he mentioned the recent expansion of Sriviju.ya and her conquest of 

Mu.la.yu. Bnt since his first sta.y in 671-672 he ha.d noticed the high degree 

of culture a.ttained by this country: ''There I studied by degrees the 

,, science of sonnaa. In the fortified town of Fo-che there are IDOl'S than 

'' a thonsa.nd Buddhist priefJts who a.re devoted to study and good deeds . 

."They research and study in every possible subject, exactly as is done in 

''the Middle Country (India); rules and ceremonies there are identical. 

"H a. Chinese pl'iest wishes to go to the west in order to lea.rn the Scrip 

" tures t~nd reo.d thr• originu.l texts there, he ha.d better sta.y first at Fo.cbe· 

" for a yea.r or two n.nd practise there the proper rules : a.fter that he 

"coulcl go to the Middle Country". 

Palembang, the geogro,phical situa.tion of which I have a.lready indicated 

as being privileged on account of navigation, seemed from the 

first to have been a necessary belt on the way betwe~n India and China, 

and five centuries later, in 1178, a Chinese geog1·apher still wrote that" it 

"is the most importa.nt ma.ritime port of call for foreigners. Whether 

"they come from ,Java, or Arabia., or from the south of India, all of them 

"Pass through it in going to Obina." 

One century after its foundation, Sriviia.ya.Pa.lembang was already 

conqueror or overlord of the whole island of Sumatra, the western part

' 

G. COEDES 

·of ,Java and the grea.tet· part of the ::VIa.la Y ]Jeninsuh, where an inscribed 

stela, dated 775 a.nd coming from N akhon Sithammarat, commemorates 

•the foundation of Buddhist monuments by order of the King of SriviiaYa.. 

A propos of this expansionist policy, the Dutch historian Prof. N. ,J. 

Krom made these very pertinent rem:-~orks in his Indo-,Javanese history: 

11 

For navigators in this part of the archipelago, the choice of a port 

'"of oa.ll wa timited, for it had to fulfil t.he following conditions: it must be 

11 

a centre polilsegsing a certain degree of civilisu.tion, it must satisfy certain 

"geogra.phica.l exigencies, it must hu. v e a well-protected harbour-within 

"the month of a river for instance, and a safe anchorage. But the posses 

"sion and defence of snob a po'rt of call could not he unaccompanied by 

"resort to force. In order to monopolise his right, the possessor of this 

"port of ca.ll had either to render his rivals neutral or subjugate them, so 

"that he could maintain a high band on the commerce of the strait by 

"making his influence felt on both of its banks." , 

Thia VIIIth century was in the archipelago an epoch of big chfl.nges. 

Fifty Years after tbe foundation of t;he Kingdom of Palembang, we see 

arise in the centre of Java a new dynast,y which reassumes the imperial 

' title of the King of the l1Io1tntttin, covers the country with monuments 

of Buddhism (Bombndur, Ralasan, Mendut etc,) and sends its ships to 

plunder the coasts of Indochina. 

In 767 raida wel'El m1de on 'ronkin, from which the"invaders wlw ba.d 

penetrated up to the neighbourhood of Sontl1y were repelled and thrown 

blLCk into the sea. by the Chinese goveroor. In 774 the Indonesians. 

ravaged the coast of south Annam, where Cham inscriptions, notably the 

stela of. Po N a gal' of Nhatra.ng, speak with horror of these eaters of 

men, saying that they were " natives of other la.nils, feeding upon things 

"more horrible tba.u corpses, frightful, extremely black and thin, terrible 

"and wicked as de::tth, come on ships," who pillaged tbe temple of the god· 

dess. In 787 a new t•aid iu the same region attributed by an inscription 

to the '' armies of Java which had come on ships." 

But t.hese Javanese ra.ids on the coa.sts of Indochina did not ha·ve the 

same success a.s the Su matra.n conquest of the 1\:Iala.y peninsula, for they 

came up against vigorous states. Champa. did not seem to have suffered 

seriously. As for Cambodia, the aecession in 802 of Jaya.varroan II on 

tbe Phnom Kul~n and the definite installation of kingship in the region of 

Ankor marked the definite release of the Khmers from all annoyance 

from the direction of the isles of the south.

THE EMPIRE 01

·- 

10 n. coJ•~n~:~ [\·or,. XXXV 

''perfume :tnd a.romllotics t.ha.n ha.s a.ny othet· ldng. His territory produces. 

"ca.mphor, aloes, cloves, sanda.l, 1mtmeg, cu.rd:tmom, euheh etc." 

For the Chinese, Che-li-fo.che boc:1mll !::ia.n-fo-ta'i (o.uo~ber slightly 

deformed tr:1nscription of the word SrivihLYt\); u.rul frpm UO·f this country 

sent numerous embassies to the Court of Clbill:.J.. Sho 1\'a.s tlw uncoutcst11d 

mistress of the straits, through which ptJ.ssed u.IJ tl1e uormneree from Chini.\. 

to India.. But, h:.wing become a. great eoonomic power, Hrivijaya. seemed 

to ba.ve neglected the spiritua.l assets which attracted the IJilgrim I-tsing 

of China in the VIItheentury. In fa.ot, while tho Javo.nesu monarchs, \lho· 

were highly literary, oovered their island with sumptuous monuments which 

still win the admiration of the world today, tl1e sovereignfl of Sumo.tra. 

appeared to ha.ve been more occupied with wn.tohing over the tndllc of the 

straits rather tba.n cultivating Iitero.ture and erecting clurtl.ble religious 

editioes to such a.n extent that th()y have left ns with noLhing more than 

insigniJioa.nt brick towers and an infinitesimal l!Umber of inscriptions. A 

few pieces, however, of remarkable sculpture ha.s been met wiLh, although 

I dare not maintain tha.t they are not of Javai\ese workmausbip. 

The privileged position of Palembang could not fail to stir up dangerous 

rivalries espeoia.lly on the part of its neighbour J o. v u.. Tow a,rtls 

860 the latter regained the western districts up to now occupied by Pu.lem · 

bang, and 130 yea.rs later, an ambitious and enterpriain-Fl sovereign of Java 

succeeded in establishing his hold on Bali and. the west coast of Borneo, a.a 

well .as a part in 992 of the island of Sum!ltra. But thisla.st occupation 

was of short duration, for in 1007 Palemha.ng took terrible revenge by 

~a.rrying on a. war against .Ta.va. which ended in the destruction of her 

capital. 

The beginning of the XIth century marlced the apogee of tho Sumatran. 

Empire. It enjoyed relations of friendship with the Courts of south India., 

and a Sanskrit inscription coming from Nega.pn.ta.m relu.ted about the 

foundation in that town of a. Buddhist temple by the King of Ka.taha- 

Srivijaya in 1006. \ 

i 

The Emperor of China thus testified to his shu.re of hir.th regal'ds: 

"I b 

n 1017 ",says a passage in the Annals," Hia.-tch'e Sou-wou-tch'u.-P'ou· 

" mi (Haji Sum a. tra.bhumi) sends to the Cou~G of Chin:t ambassadors with 

"a. letter written in gilt cba,raaters and a tribute of pearls g .. nskrit books 

fC ' 1.,\1 

"and slaves, By the Emperor's order they were granted an audience of 

the Emperor and authorised to visit several impedn.l edifices. Whe1;1,

iPT. 1) THE EMPIRE OF 'l'Hl£ SOUTH SEAS 11 

" they returned to their country, a.n edict was Pwmulga.ted addressed to 

" their king and different presents were given them with the object of pleas 

" ing him." 

But it was not long before the Mahara.ia's expansionist policy and 

methods of commerce were put into conflict with a new maritime power, 

that of the Colas, who were supreme on the Coromandel coast. Some 

incident, not ext1ctly known, provoked from the btter, a little before 1025, 

a raid of reprisals which is fullY related in an inscription of Tanjore. 

Srivijaya-Palembang wa'! attacked, her king made prisoner, Pane and 

1\in.layu occupied as well as the dependencies of the J\1aby peninsula, 

namely: Takkola. (Ta.kua Pa), Tambralinga., (Nal{hon Si-Thamma,rat), 

then r..~a.muri, (Atjeh), the Nicobars, a.nd finally Eataha. (Keda.h). 

This was a simple ra,id, without a.ny la.sting politioa.l consequence, unless 

it be a rapprochement with Java.. Menaced from the west, the Maharaja 

was reduced by force of circumstances to make the best of his 

-neighbour of the East: the rapprochement wa,s even sealed by a family 

alliance under the great Javanese King Airla,nga who reigned from 10i9 

to 1042. 

'rhe following oentUl'y was marked by the expansion of J ava.nese 

powar, a.t the same tima a.s that of O:Lmbodia. The btter'R influence was 

p:uamonnt in th!:l north of Lhe Ma.lay penimula, where the use of the 

Ehmer language 1s testified by a bronze Buddha from Ohaiya dating 

1183. 

Inspite of the menace which took shape t1li two ends of the empire, 

San-fo-ts'i was still considered in the beginning of the Xliith ce!ltury by the 

Chinese as a. very great power. But it seems that her capital had been 

tra.nsferred from Palembang to Jt1mbi, in the ancient Maliyu. Here is 

what Tchao Jou-I\oua, inspector of foreign trade at Chuah·chou, the big 

·port of ]fulden, wrote in 12~5 : 

"This country lies on the ocean and is mistress of the straits through 

" which foreign traffic by sea in whichever direction must pass. Formerly 

" there used to be an iron chain as a barrier against pirates from other 

·'' lauds. This chain could be fixed high or low by an ingenious disposi 

" tion. When a trading vessel arrived, the chain was lowered. If a 

''trading vessel passes by San-fo-ts'i without making it a port of call, the 

" country's ships go out to a.ttaok it in an already prepared method, those 

·-«who man them being ready to die. It is for this reason that the conn 

." try ha.s become an important maritime centre •. Her dependencies a.re :

12 

G. COEDE.S 

[vor,, XXXV 

" P'eng-fong (Pa.ha.ng) 

" Teng-ya.-uong (Trengganu) 

" IJin g-ya..sseu-ki:.t (Lanka.suku.) 

" Ki-la.n-ta.n (Kela.nto.n) 

"Fo-lo-a.n (P u.tu.lung) 

'' Je-loting, Ts'ien-ma.i, Pa.-t'o. (?) 

'' Tan-m!l.-ling (T!!.mbr::Llinga.-Ligor) 

"I{io..lo-bi (Gra.hi-Oha.i:y u.l 

"Pa-lin-fong (Pa.lembo.ng) 

" Sin-t'o (Bunda.) 

" Kien-pi (Ku.mve-Ehstern Sum::~.tru.) 

"Lu.n-wou-li. {Lo.muri-Northern Ruma.tra) 

'' Si-lan (Ceylon?) " 

But at the very perioc1 when Toha.o Jou-kout\ wa.s writing, tbe empire 

of the Ma.hn.mia., mug of the Isles, was beginning to 01nmble o.nd 

show signs of internal decay. Ko.mpe, on the ea.st coa.st of Suma.n·a. was 

deta.ohed from the empire since before 1225. 

In 1230 a. ldmg of Tambra.linga. (Ohaiya-Ligor) showed himsolf t\ll 

·independent sovereign by despa.tching to Oeyl on on his own a.cconnt a.n. 

expedition which however failed. 

The fina.l blow was dealt by the a.ction, not combiped, bnt synchronous, 

of Ja.va and a new Indoobinese state-The Thai IGngdom of Sukhothai. 

In 1275 ll.u expedition left .Ta.va under the comma.nd of king Krtanll. 

ga.r!l., a geea't conqueror whose success is testified by the inscription engraved 

on the pedest::d of a. sto.tne of Lhe Bodhisu.ttva. Amoghu.pasa. which 

wa.s fonnd at Jo.mbi. According to this inscription, tbe statue ha.d been 

brought from Javlll in 1286 and the Prince reigning tJ.t .Ta mbi is co.lled in 

it just a vassal of the Ja.va.nese Mvereign. 

The year 1292 is remu.rhble all o.t once by the passage of Maroo 

Polo in the straUs, by the foundation in east J'ava of the E:ingdom of 

Mojopahit which was destined to be the leading power in the isles for two 

centuries and by the a.pogee of the Thai Kingdom of Sukhotbai, whose 

sovereign R11ma. I\bambeng declared himself master of the whole Menam 

valley a.nd the Ma.la.y penimml11 as far as NakbouBithammarat. 

In 1295 Rarn:1 Khamheug sent to China an embassy of which the An·· 

nals of the Mongol dynasty gives the following report :

J.>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

PT. 11 THE EMPIRE OF THE SOUTH SEAS 15· 

duration; for in 1811 England, c:urying the Wn.l' a.gainst N avo leon to the· 

Pacific, occupied the former Dutch colonies which had become French and 

entrusted their administration to Stamford BatHes; 

The Convention of London of the 13th August 1814 restored to the· 

Dutch their possession of the Island of Sunda. and the M a.lay Peninsula. 

But five years later, in 1819, BatHes occupied the island of Singapore and 

established there the "settlement", which, together with tbe Island of Pen. 

ang, acquired since 1786, were destined to become the centre of British 

expansion in Malaysia. Holland found herself hence forward evicted 

from tbe Continent and confined to the Islands. 

I must stop this historical sketch at the beginLing of the XJXth century, 

a period which will reveal the richness of the substrata of the Fellinsula. 

and the Islands, and tbe quu.lification of the soil for the culture of 

rubbe1·, sugarca.ne, coffee a.nd tea. 

This retrospection is instructive, for it shows us how a small Hinduised 

Mala. y Isingdom, by securing for itself both on the islands and on the peninsula., 

the possession of strategic points, the impol'tance of which aviation 

and the methods of moder11 warfare have not diminished, came to be a 

thalassocraoy, and an absolute master for six centuries of the commerce· 

and navigation in the South Seas. 

The lesson thus given us by the Empire of the Maharaja, King of the 

.Mountain and ov~rlord of thf!J Isla.nds, is worth meditating.

17 

STUDIE UEBER ALTE METALL·TROMMELN. 

yon 

U. CWEHLER. 

Vor etwa 60 Jabren taucbten in Museen una Sammlungen in Europa. 

. zum ersten Male jene eigena.rtigen Musikinstrumente auf, aie-Kesselgongs, 

Froscbgongs oder l\1eta1ltrommeln geuaunt-sogleicb da.s Interesse der 

Arcbaeologen und Ethnologen erregten. Seit der Zeit hat das Gebeimnis, 

das Herlmnft tmd Bedeutung dieser Metalltroromeln umgibt, immer 

wiec1er Forscbern und Laien neuen Anreiz zu Untersuchungen gegeben. 

Auch auf die Eingt3borenen vieler I.Jaender Asians haben diese Trommeln 

durch .Tahrhunderte hindurch einen gradezu mystischeu Reiz ausgeuebt. 

Vielfach wnn1en ihn:m uebernatuerlicbe He1·knnft und ma.gische Eigenschaften 

zngeschrieben. Immer galten sie :1ls etwa.s Besonderes, wurden 

hoch bewertet, soJgaam gehuetet und durch Geuerationen vererbt. Es 

geht die Sage, dass der General der Hat1, Ma Yuan, solcbe Trommeln 

nnter Wasserfaellen aufgestellt habe, um durcb das Geraeusch starke 

Truppenmassen vorzutaeuscben una c1adurcb raeuberiache Bergbewohuer 

fernzuhalten. Die Trommeln auf der Insel Luang und den Inseln Kei 

sollen uach ·dem Glauben der Inselbewohner vom Himmel herabgefallen 

sein, f:lie gelteu heute noch als tabM. Bei den I{arens in den Rcban 

Staaten und ehligen Sta.emrnen Indochinas wird mit diesen 'rrommeln bis 

heute noch ein foerrnlicher l{ult getrieben. Viele der het1te noch vorhandenen 

Exemplare haben eine abenteuerliche Gescbicbte. 

Einer der ersten,der diese Metalltrommeln mit system a tischer Grnencllicbkeit 

untersuchte, war Heger. Sein im Jahre 1902 e1·scbienenes 

zweibaendiges Werk Alte Metantrommel1~ aus Suedostasien ( 10 ) 

~ entbfBlt die ausfuehrliche Bescbreiburig von ueber 150 dama.ls belmnnten 

Trommeln. Heger bat mit seinem Werke die aucb haute uoch voll anerkannte 

Grundlage fuer alle spaeteren Forschungen gegeben, hauptsaech· 

,,Jioh auch dadurcb, dass er bestimrote Typen aufstellte, auf die Bedeu- 

•

18 

tung der weobselnden Orn:1.rnen to hiu wi0t> ur;r!!i t '' Bini ;(o dies·.~r 

Ornamente und Dakomtionen :;m deuten hu:lta.nd·· wJ.r. Ihm ha hen wir 

es zu verdanken, da.ss wir eino o.usfeohrlioh!~ l1cs•\hroibnng d•H· wiohtigon 

Trammel Moulie besit11on., dio seit f\0 ;ro.hr11ll V(mwhw ::llli1:n ic;t. Auch 

hat Heger durcb seine ausfnehrlidJ(m Bee

PT. 1] S'I'UDIE UEBER ALTE METALL--'l'ROMMELN 19 

Trommeln flu den w i r am Mantel pla.stis ch a.ufgesetzte T ierfiguren, 

meistens Elefa.nten und Schnecken. 

H e g e r hat nun auf Grund seiner Studien an ueber 150 solcher 

T rommeln eiue T ypenunterteilung vorgenommen, die a,uch heute von der 

Wissenschaft noch ah richtig a,nerka.nnt wird, Die Ohara.kteristil~:eu der 

wesentlichen vier Typen sollen im Folgenden kurz in Sticbworten zusamrnengefasst 

werden. 

TYPUS I: {Siehe Tafel]. 

Abbildung 1 und la.) 

Dies ist der aelteste nud vermutlicb der Grundtypus. 

Merkmale sind: 

Seine wesentlioben 

Grosse Stueoke mit drei d.eutlich abgesetzten Mantelabschnitten. Da.von 

ist der mittlere bei den fruehsten Elxemplaren fa.st grade, bei spaeteren 

mehr oder weniger konka.v na.cb aussen gebogen. Die Platte mit viEllstrahligem 

Gestirn, stoesst entweder fast unmittelbar an den Mantel an, 

oder ragt bei juengeren Stueoken bis einige Z@timeter neber den Ra.nd 

l1ina.ns. Die Henkel sind gross. Die aeltiesten Trommeln ohne Froescbe 

auf der Platte, jueugere mit oder ohne Froesche, a.ber nie mehr, al~ vier 

·einzelne Froesche. Die a.eltest,en Trommeln dieses Typns zeigen auf der 

Platte und a.m ~a.utel Figuren von l\1enschen, Tieren, Scbiffen uud 

Ha.eusern iu szeniscber Znsammenfassung, eine Art der Darstellung, die 

bei spaeteren Elxemplaren (Abbildung la) immer mebr fehlt, oder stilisiert 

wird, um schliessli cb unkenntlich zn werdeu, 

Obwohl die aeltesteu Trommel.n dieses Typus ueber ein weites Gebiet 

hin gefunden sind, ist ihr Ursprungsgebiet durcb neuste Forscbungen immGr 

mehr eingeengt und in dem Gebiet der Tmngeborenen des jetzigen 

Nordosten Indocbinas, der Miao·tse und Lola, ermittelt worden. Vorlwmmen 

der ael tee ten Art sehr sel ten, der spaeteren Art sel ten. 

TYPUS II. (Siehe Tafel I. Abbildung 2) . 

. Die Pla.tte ragt staerker ueber den Mantel bervor. Die Mantelabscbnitte 

·sind weniger betont. .Kleine Henkel. Gestirn ha.t meistens 8 Stra.hlen. 4 

-bis 6 meistens einzelne Froeeche auf der Platte. Selten plaatische Figuren 

am Mantel. Sta.erkste Stilisierung der Or~amente mit geriuger Abwechslung, 

Wenig Plattenzonen.

20 . U. GUI

" 

TAFEL I

...

PT· 1] S'l'UDIE UEBKR ALTE METALL-TROMMELN 21 

Von einer a.usfuehrlichen Besobreibung des geau.mten Mu.teria.ls muss 

na.tuerlioh in diesel' Studie Absta.nd genommen warden. Ioh verweise 

wieder auf do.s Werk He gars (10) uud die wichtigsten Trommaln des 

T ypus I, wie sie iluroh Golott bew und Parmentier in den Bulletins dar 

Ecole Fra.nt;aise d'Extrflroe-Orient beschrieben sind. Auch sind die 

wesentlichen Eigenschaften dar verscbiedenen Typen bereits bei der Typen-. 

einteilung besprochen. Jedocb moeohte ich a.uf bestimmte Einzelheiten 

und Te11den,;:rm i-n cler Entwiclcluna der TTommeln hinweisen, wie sie 

von He gar festgestellt nucl von spa.eteren Forsohern besta.etigt wurden. 

Die .Henkel der 'Prommeln ha.ben bis zu den neusteu Exempla.r.en 

ihra chtt:t:akteristischa Eigensoht•ft, u.ls Na.cha.hmung von Seilfiecbtwerk in 

Meta.ll, baibeha.l tan. Die Ausfuehrung dar Henkel in dieser Art beweist, 

dass du.s urspruengliche Vorbild der Meta.lltrommel sine fallbespu.nute 

Holztron1mcl mit Seilhenkeln gewesen ist. Die zu einem Pau.re gehoetenden 

Henkel ha.be11 durch a.lle Typen hindurch die Tendenz, immer mehr 

zusa.mmen ?.U ruecken una immer kleiner zu warden. 

Da.s Ml~tall r!e1· Trommeln bestebt im Wesentlichen (1.1.18 Kupfer, Blei 

unc1 Zinn. 'rypus I ist u.m bleiraichsten und kupferu.amsten, bai Typus l V 

ist es umge1

.22 U. GUEHLER [ VOTu XXXV 

ka.nn. Wichtig ist die Feststellung, da.ss-in heiden Fa.ellen mit wenigen 

Ausnahmen-a.lle plastischen Figuren auf der Platte in ihrer Richtung 

von oben gesebf>n links berum, also darn Sinne des Uhrzeigers entgegen. 

gesetzt laufen, und dass aile Figuren auf dam Mantel von oben nach unten 

gehen. Bei den neusten Trommeln des Typus III finden sich haeufig plastische 

Pflanzenorna.mente auf dem Mantel. 

Die Ornamente und lYiu8ter a.ller Tromroeln hat E e g e r in einer 

sebr deta.illierteu Untersucbung ana.lysiert. Auf Grund seiner Einzeluntersuchungen 

und Vergleiche ist er zn folgenden wesentliohen Ergebnissen 

.gak.)mmen, deren Riobtigkeit duroh spaetere Forsober bestaetigt wurde. 

Alle Trommelplatten entha.lten ein Gestirn und kreisfoermige Zonen 

versobiedner Za.hl, die meist duroh eiufache oder mehrfaohe ~eisten von 

eina.nder getrennt sind. Die Zonen sind mit Darstellungen oCler Orna. 

menten geschmueokt, die Maentel ba.ben a.usser horizontaleu a.nfa.englioh 

~uch vertika.l getreunte Zonen (Siehe Tafel II Abb. ii). Die n.eltesten 

Trommeln zeigeu auf ihren Hanptzonen szenische Darstelluugen von 

Meusohen, Tiereu, Sohiffen nnd Ha.euaern. Aus dieaen Da.rstelluugen 

habeu sioh im La.ufe vieler Jahrhunderte durch fortwaehrende Stilisierung 

die Hauptornameute entwickelt, die da.s ursprnengliohe Motiv zuna.echst 

]GJ.Um noch, da.nn gar nioht mehr er1renuem lassen, um sioh scbliesslich in 

rein geometrioohen Figuren ganz zu verlieren, In dei.1 Nebenorna.menten 

siebt Heger syJnbolisierende Elemente der Ha.upto1111amente. 

Im Allgemeinen entspricht das Ornament einer bestimmten Zone a.n 

eiuer Trammel dem an g!eicher Stelle stehenden Orna.ment aller anderen 

Trommeln. Dagegen kommt as haeufig vor, da.ss Ornaments "wandern," 

d. h. ihren urspruengliohen Platz verlassen, und zwar nmso eher, je mehr 

dar Stilisierungsgrad fortschreitet. Versohiedene besonders typisohe Orna. 

mente, sogena.nte "H a.uptmuster" verschw.inden zu weileu vollkornmen . 

. Auoh ist fuer die jahrhunderte lange Entwickhmg der 'I'romrneln in verschledenen 

Gegenden typiscb, da.ss gewisse Ornaments duroh gn.nz neue 

fremde Motive a,bgeloest und ersetzt wurden. An anderen Beispie!en ish 

festzustellen, dass sioh eiu Orna.ment wieder zu einer Darstellung zurneokentwiokelt 

hat. In diesem Zusa.mroeuhange kann ioh as mir nioht 

versagen, folgeude grundsaetzlioben Saetze Heger s zur Orna.mentenlmnde 

zu zitieren : 

".Die Orna.mente als freie Erfindungen des Menschengeistes da.rstellen zu 

wolleu, ist von voruherein eine fa.lsche Ansicht, Alle Ornaments sind 

unserer Auffa.ssung nach duroh allm&.ehliche Stilisierung ta.tsaechlich in

PT. lJ STlJDIE UEBER ALTE METALL-TROMMELN 23 

der N atur vorh and.ener Formen, oder frueher geuebter Tecbuiken entstanden. 

Das Ornament als Verzierungsmotiv ist immer etwas sekun· 

daeres. Ibm ist immer die Erzeuguug des Objektes voraugegangen, das 

dann nachhaeglich erst verziert wurde. N ach unseren Erfahrungen hat 

das, was wir als Ornament bez·eichnen, in erster Linie immer eiue rein 

praktische Bedeutung gehabt. Es widerstreitet ieder naturwissenscbaft. 

lichen Anff assung, das 0rnf1ment n.us einem dem Mensch en von Anfang 

a.n iunewohnenden Schoenheitssinu oder Kuusttrieb als f1llainigen Beweg. 

grund entstehen zu lassen. All das bat sich im Menschen erst dnrch 

jabrtausend lf1nge Sobulung entwiokelt, sonst muessten wir grosse Kunstwerke 

ohne Vorgescbicbte gleich von allem Anfang entsteben sehen 

Unsere Brfahruug lehrt aber grade die allmat;~hlicbe Entwicklung von 

anff1englich ganz rohen und unbeholfenen Werken zu immer hoeheren 

Formeu. Dass diese Linie sich nicht irumer in aufsteigender Ricbtung 

bewegt, lehrt uns die Gescbiohte und entsprioht auch jeder gesnnden 

N u.turauffassung, welcbe niobt rmr iro Werden, W a.ohsen und Bluebeu, 

sondern a ncb im allmaehlioheu Niedergeheu und Absterben besteht." 

Dies soil genuegen, urn die wesentlichen Ergebnisse der Erforschung 

cler Ormtmente festzubalten. Was bedeuten nun die Ornamente '? 

Nf1cbdem die Wissenscha.ft iabrzehnte lang vergeblicb versucbt batte, 

aus den Darstellungen nnd Ornamenten der Trommeln Rueckschlnesse 

auf deren urspruengliche "' Bedeutung zu zieben, und nachdem diEs a.ucb 

Heger und spaeteren Forschern nicht geluugen war, hat V. Goloubew 

im Jahre 1929 endlich Licht in das ruystisohe Dunkel gebracht (6). Zum 

Verstaenduia c1er neberzeugenden Scblussfolgerungen Go I ou be w 's ist 

zuuaeohst eine Beschreibung der wichtigsteu Zonen der aeltesteu Trom· 

melu, die fast aile im Norden Indochinas gefnndeu wurden, und deren 

Hauptexemplare sich aile sehr aehulioh sind, erforder!ioh. Die Trommeln 

Nelson, Moulie, Wien, sowie die von Ngoo-lu, nud Hoang-ha zeigen 

auf den Hauptzonen det· Platte und des Mantels Darstellungen von 

Festszenen iu fortlaufender Reihe. Auf der Hauptzone der Platte von 

Ngoc-lu sieht man z. B. ein Pfahlhaus, dana,cb eine Plattform, unter 'der 

vier Trommeln aufgebaeugt sind. Darauf folgt eine Gruppe von 

mebreren bewaffneten, federgeschmueckten Kriegern, die sich im Prozessiousschritt 

feierlioh dabin zu bewegeu scheineu (siehe auch Tafel -II. 

Abbildung 5 unten ). Hieranf folgt wieder ein Gehaeude, in dem eine 

menscbliohe Figur zu sehen ist. Dies Gebaende wird von G o I o u b e w 

mit der Da.rstellung der Grabkammern der Dayak von Borneo verglichen.

U, GUEHLEH, [ vor,, xxxv 

Der Mantel der Trammel zeigt Da.rstellungen von Schiff en, die mit 

Ruderern und wieder mit bewa.ffneten, federgeschmueckten I\riegern 

·besetzt sinil. (Siebe Tafel II. Abbildunoen 1, un.d :.?,) Go 1 o u be w 

weist nun a.uf die ueberrascbende Aebnlichkeit dieser Schiffschrstellnugen 

mit den Bildern der Ot Danom und der Olo Ngadju bin, auf denen das 

Totenschiff des Faebrma.nns Tampon Talon chrgestellt ist-( Siebe 

Tafel II. Abbilduugen 3 und 4.) und kommt zn clem beim Anbliok der 

heiden Abbildungspaare ueberzeugenden Sohluss, da.ss anch die Sobi!'fe 

auf den aeltesten Trommeln als Totenseelenschiffe a.nzusehen sind. 

Die Auffindung der Trammel von Hoa.ng-ba im Jahre 1937 hat seine 

Theorie von 1929 nocb bekraeftigt, weil auf ihr die Darstellnngen mit 

denen der Trammel von ~goc-lu fast identisch sind. Wir koennen a.lso 

heute mit grosse'r Sicberheit annebmen, da.ss die Deutung von Go 1 o u • 

be w, wonoh die Darstellungen auf den aeltesten Trommeln als Pestszenen 

des in 8nrdostasien sehr (Jebmeuchlichen Tot.en{t!ste8 a.nzusehen 

sind, richtig ist. Auch Heine-Geldern pflichtet Goloubew 

bei. Er weist in seinem Aufsatz Bedeutung ~tnd .Herlcuuft cle1· aeltesten 

hinterindischen Metallt1'0mmeln (/(esselgongs), As-ia JJ1aio1· Vo. VIII. 

Seite 519ff. (11) nacb, wie stark Go I o u be w 's Theorie dnrcb die 

··noah haute ueblichen Gebra.euche bei den Totenfeiern verschiedner 

Sta.emme Suedostasiens gestuetzt wird, und wie noah hen te aehnliche 

Gera.ete, wie auf den Trommeln da.rgestellt, bei diesm~ Rtaemmen gelegentlich 

des To ten £estes gebra.ucht Werden. Die Ansicht von G· o 1 o u • 

be w uncl P a r me n tier , do.ss anf den Trommeln totemistiscbe Riten 

dargl3stellt werden sollen, wird von He i u e.G e 1 de rn nicht geteilt. 

Doch stimmt G r a f L o e wens t e i n (Ostasiatische ZeitsGhr'ijt 1034 Seite 

97 .fl.) mit G o_l o u be w uebereiu, wenu er gelegeutlich eines Vergleiobs 

von Zeiohnungeu a.uf einem alten chinesisohen Spiegel mit solcben u.uf 

den alten Trommeln sa.gt "Die Verkleidung der Menschen mit Vogelfedern 

hat den Zweck, 1mnd zu tun, dass ein Kriegercla.n einem gewissen Vo· 

.geltotem zugehoert. Gewisse Vogelteile, Schopf, Federn, Auge, haben 

totemistisobe Bedeutung." H e in e-G e 1 de r n (11) waist weiter da.rauf 

hin, da.ss sioh die Festprozessionen alle links herum, also dem Laufe des 

Ubrzeigers entgegengesetzt, bewegen, wie es ja auch aile Tiere auf dan 

Trommelplatten tun, und er findet darin eine neue Bestaetigung der An· 

sicht G o 1 o u be w' s, da.ss es sich um ein Totenfest ha.ndelt. Denn nach 

einem weit verbreiteten Glauben der Eingeborenen Suedostasiens ist im 

Totenlande al!es umgekehrt wie auf der Erda.

6 

f,lf 

!JS 

J7 

r···1· r·1·· ·r ., ·~·· ., .. . 

... .... '""" ... L.,. .. .. 

. .SKIZZtN

.SKIZZEN

·PT. 1) HTUDIE UEBEH ALTE ME'rALL-TROMMELN 25 

Auoh die Tatsaohe, da.ss die Metalltrommeln grade bei den Karens 

und Scban in Burma, be) denen sie nacb meinen persoenlichen Feststellungen 

an Ort und Stelle noch bis 1925 hergeste!lt wurden, noch beute beim 

Totenfest verwa.nc1t. werc1en, erscheint a.ls weiterer Beweis fuer die Rich 

~igkeit der Th eorie G o I o u b e w ' s, N a.ch M a r s h a ll unterscheiden 

die Karens "heisse" Trammeln, die hei Totenfeiern verwandt warden, und 

''lta.lte" fuer profane Zwecke. Die in meinem Besitz befindliche Trammel 

des Typus III wurde von mir Anfang 1929 in einem Dorfe bei Loikaw in 

den Kar~nstaa.ten in Burma erworben. Ueber die lreschicbte dieser 

Trammel ednhr ich von clem Besitzer, einem Ha.euptling der Karen, 

Folgendes: Sie sta.mmt vam Grossvater des Hn.euptlings, der sie seinerzeit, 

mit Silberstnecken gefuellt, in die Erde eingegraben hatte, und 

seinen Sobn anwies, Trammel und Geld erst nach seinem Tode bei der 

Tatenfeier u.uszugru.ben, die Trammel bei seinem Begt•n.ebnis schlagen zn 

lassen nnd mit dem Gelde da.s Begru.ebuis zu beza.blen. Ausserc1em-sa 

lautet die Anweisung aes alten Haeuptlings-sollte ein Elefn.nt aus der 

Trammel ansgebrochen und.ihm mit ins Gt·a.b gegeben we1·den. Ta.tsaechlich 

fehlt a.u£ dieser Trammel eiu Elefa.ut. Diese Trammel hat da.nn etwa 

60 Ja.hre jn der Ercle gelegen. 

Dif;l Graeberfuncle von Dong.son in· Indochina. foerderten etwa. 20 

· ldeiue l\1etalltro~meln zn Tage, die den Toteu offenb:~or als Gt•abbeigaben 

mitgegeben Waren. Darunter war anoh sine Trommel mit Froeschen auf 

der Platte. 

An dieser Stelle sei noch hiozugefuegt, class die nrsprnengliche symbolische 

nnd ritnelle VeTwendung cler Trommeln bei Totenfesten sicberlich 

nicht die einzige gewesen, ocler doch nioht geblieben ist. Wir wissen, da.ss 

nnsere Trommeln ebenso a.ls Wertmesser und Za.hlungsmittel-z. B. anch 

beim Brautka.uf-wie a,ls Hoheitsa.bzeichen der Ha.euptlinge nnd Sta.mmesaeltesten, 

class sie auch als Kriegstroromeln, Versammlungs-Tromroelu 

nnd als Regenrufer, sowie fuer andere profane Zweclte verwandt worden 

sind. Zuwellen baben sie auch nur als einfaaher Aufbewabrungspla.tz 

gedient. Ueber die besondere Art der Verwendung in Tha.ila.nd berichte 

ich unten. Parmentier a.eusser~ sich in den Bulletins (13) ueber 

'26 ' U, GUEHLEf{ [I' oL. x.~xv 

dn bruit du tonnerre, ne do it pu.s titre eutieremen t ecn.rtl'. Cette destination 

n'est su.ns dante pas dn premier jour. Mu.is ce r6lt~ a du exister 

a qnelque epoqne posterieure et seule peut expliqner ln. presence des grenonilles." 

Ueber die urspruenglic~e Herlcunfl der Trmllllli'l 11, ih I' A Iter uml 

£hre /wltnrgeschichtUch~ Einteihunu haben die Bunde der letzten 

Jahre in Indochina, besonders die Graeberfnnde von Dong.:;on ( 22• (\' 

(22" 5'N, 114·. 93'0) weitgehenden Aufsohluss gegeben. Die Miniatur 

Trommeln von Dong-son wurden zosn.u:imen mit cbitieSi>when Muenzen 

au~> dem ersten Jahrhundert nacb Christi Gehurt gefunden. Die 

Aehnlichkeit ihrer Ornamente mit de11en auf a.ltt::n Bronzewalfen a.us 

den gleichen Graebern, sowie ihre mit der der W al'fen uebereinstimmenden 

Ergebnisse der Metall-Analyse er!n.uhen gen:~.ue Datierung 

Weitere Funds haben bestaetigt, dass unsere Trommeln weit in die 

vorcbristlicbe Zeit zurneckreichen und dass als do.s Ursprungsland 

des Typus I nunmehr dar N ordosten Indocbinas angesehen warden kann, 

und zwar das Gebiet, das heute die M.iao.tse und IJolo bewohncm. Die 

Frage waun und wie ihre Verbreituug ueber ein so gJ·osseB Gebiet, erfn!gte, 

wie uud wo die eiuzelnen Typeu eutstanden sind, kann haute noch nicht 

beantwortet warden. Wir duerfen aber hoffen, class neue Punde auch 

hierneber allmaehlicb Klarbeit bringen warden. 

Noch eiuige Worte ueber die gegenwaertige An zuM der lwl:rtlllllen 

Trommelu, Reger kannte nnd beschrieb 1G5, · P a r rn en tier 

berichtete von :;veiteren 25, inzwischen sind in Ohina tmd Iusnlinde etw a 

weitere 30 Trommeln hinzugekommen, Meine Studie umfasst wieder 

uugefaehr 20 'rrommeln, sollasa die Zahl der bekaunten und beschriebenen 

Trommeln sich haute auf etwa 250 bis 300 Slir1eck bebufen dnerft13, ]'i]s 

muss damit gerechnet warden, dass sich in Ohina uud anderen Teilen der 

Welt noch eiue weitere Antahl in Privatbesitzbefindet, sodn.se man iusgesa.mt 

mit einer Zahl von 400 vorhandewm Trommein reclmen kann. Dies 

ist nicht sehr vial. Weitere bedentungsvolle Aufschluesse ueber die Be. 

deutung der Orua.mente haben die Veroeffeutlichungen von M 11 e. 

C o 1 a n i in den Bulletins der Ecole Fmngaise d'Ewt1'hne-01·ient gebracht. 

Bei der Betrachtnug der zahlreichen Abbildungen von H e g e r und 

dem Studium der mebr als 50 Trommeln, die ich selbst gesehen habe, 

l1abe ich mich vor huger Zeit bereits gefragt, ob denn das Gestirn in der 

Mitts, das saemtlichen Trommsln gemeinsam ist, wirldich einen Stern 

\

STUDIE UEBER .ALTE METALL-'l'ROMMELN 27 

d:ustellen soll, wie frueher von a.llen Gelebrten a.ngenommen worden ist, 

-noch Heine-Geldern sprioht 1932von einem "Stern"-(11), oder 

niobt vielmehr die Sonne. Mir sohien es wa.hrscheinlioher, da,s Gestirn 

a.ls die Sonne ZLl betraohteu, erstens weil seine Da.rstellung-mit einem 

ma.ssigen Zentrnm auf clen meistan Darstallungen mahr dar Sonne zu 

entsprecben soheiut, l\lS eiuem Stern, dann l\ber a.uoh wegen seiner zentra.Ien 

Stellung auf der Platte. Beim Studinm der Sobriften der Ecole 

J?rl\n

28 C. GUEHLEH (VOL. XXXV 

gewiunen die Meto.lltror:nmeln eine besondere .uud erhoehte Bedeutung, 

und zukuenftige F9rsoher warden den Du.rstellungeu und Verzierungen 

auf der Basis dieser neuen Erkenntnisse neue tiufmerksar:nlteit · schenken 

muessen. 

II. ABSCHNITT. 

Im uaetJhsten Absobnitt will ioh versucben, eine Beschreibung der 

wichtigsten mir bekannt gewordenen Trommeln u.us Bangkok zu geben, 

Obwohl von den seobs im National-Museum in Bangkok befindliohen 

Exemplaren des Typus I fuenf bereits von Parmentier (13) beschrieben 

sind, hu.be ich diese fttenf der Vollstaendigkeit bo.lber dooh mit in meine 

Beschreilmngeu aufgeuommen, Da mir in Bauglwk zur Zeit nur eine 

Trammel des Typus II bekannt ist, die sich in meinem Besitz beiindet, 

muss ich mich damit beguuegeu. Trommeln des Typus III sind bier 

ziemlioh zahlreioh. Ich babe mich da.her auf die mir am typischsten 

ersoheiuenden und solohe beschra.enkt, die sich duroh irgendwelobe Besonderheiten 

auszeichnen. Trommeln des Typus IV, die vor etwa 10 

J a.hren zahlraioh bei den Antiquitaetanha.eudtern zn finden waren, ha.be 

ich ietzt nicbt mehr vorgefunden. 

Abk1~erz1~ngan- 

Pd-Pla.ttendurohmesser 

gd -groesster Durchmesser 

ud-unterer Durchmesser 

h-Hoehe 

o MA -oberer Man tela bscbnitt 

· .. m MA -mittlerer Ma.ntelabscbnitt 

uMA-unterer Ma.utelu.bschnitt 

St-Gestirn 

Z-Zone 

NB-Alle Masse sind in Zentimetem angegeben, wenn nioht u.nders gesa.gt ... 

TROMMELN DES TYPUS I. 

1) BANGKOK I. (National-Museum Bangkok). 

beschrieben von Pa.rmentier. Befeo 32, Seite 175, 

Herkunft-Thung Ya.ng, Thailand 

Pd-70, gd-77, ud-71, h-52 

h des o MA-18, b des mMA-23, h des uMA-11 em

1"1'· 11 STU DIE ugBim AL'rE METALL-TROMMELN 

29· 

St-l::l Stra.hlen. 

Keine l! 1 roesohe !lUf dar Phtte. 

Absta.nd von FI€:mltel zn Henkel 23, Breite eines Henkels 6. 

Auf den fhuptzonen dar Pla.tte 40 etilisierte Krieger uud 6 Voegel. 

Sielu• do.~u i)'kh·zen 1 nnd :!. 

m:\fA ist in Felder geteilt. 

2) BANGKOK II. (Nalional-Jiuseum Bangko1t:). 

beschrieben von Parmentier in Befeo 32, Seite 175. 

Herkunft Thung Ya.ng, Tba.il!lnd, 

. Pd-70, gd-75, ud-70, h-53, 

oMA-19. mMA-22, uMA-11, 

St--10 Strn.hlen, 4 Scbneoken auf dem Plattenrande ( !) 

Absta.nd von Henkel zu Henkel 21om, Breite eines Henkels 5,5 

Anf der Pbtte stilisierte E:rieger und 6 Voegel, im Uebrigeu schwer 

erkeuntlich. Ma.ntel weuig c1eutlich, doch ist zn seheu, dass der ruM A in 

Felder geteil t ist, 

B) BANGKOI\ III. (National-Museum Banykok). 

beschrieben von Pa.rmentier in Befeo 32, Seite 175/6. 

Herlnmft--Thun~ Y a.ng, Tho.iland, 

Pd-62, gCl--(i4, ud-61, h-42, 

oMA--14, mMA-17, nMA-11, 

St--l:J Stmhlen, keine Froesche auf der Pla.tte, 

Absta.nd der Henkel eines Po.ares 20 em, Breite einea. Henkel 1:. 

Auf ue1· Pla.tte nur 8 Voegel, keine atilisierten Krieger. 

lVIu.ntel sehr verwischt, roMA in Felder geteilt. 

4) DANG.KOI< IV. (Nat1'onal-.Museum Bangkok.) 

beschriehen von Parmentier in Befeo 32, Seite 17G. 

Herkunft-Thung Yang, Thailand. 

Pd-48, gel-50, ud-52, b-'..41, 

oMA-14, rnMA--17, uMA-10, 

St-10 Strablen, keine Froescbe auf der Pla.tte, 

Absta.nc1 zweier Henkel-19, Breite eines Henkels 4. 

Platte und M a.ntel voellig abgenutzt, sodass keine Einzelheiten zu erkennen.

.no U, GUEHL.ER fVOL, XXXV 

5) BANGKOK V. (National-Musewn Banolcok). 

Herkunft Khora t, Tha.ila.nd, wohin sie '\'On Phim ai a. us gebracht sein soll. 

Pd-66, gd-68, ud -? h-? 

o:MA--ll, mMA-19, 

St-12 Stra.hlen, keine Froesche a.uf der Platte, 

Abstand zweier Henkel-22, Breite eines Henkels 4, 5. 

Auoh diese Pla.tte zeigt nnr grosse Voegel, keine sti!isierten Krieger. 

Der untere MA fehlt. 

6) BANGKOI{ VI. (National-Museum Banukok). 

besohrieben von Parmentier in Befeo 32, Seite 176. 

Herkunft-Ubon, Tha.ila.nd, 

Pd-64, gd-70, ud-67, h-52, 

oMA-20, mMA-21, uMA -11, 

St-14 Strahlen, keine Froesehe auf der Platte, 

Abstand von Henkel zn Ilenkel-25, Breite eines Henl(els 4, 5 . 

. Auf Pla.tte und Mantel ist fast nichts zu erkennen. 

Die Besehreibungen der obigen Trommeln ln.beu ich verhaeltnismaessig 

kurz gefasst, teils weil sie bereits besehrieben sind, dann aber aueh, weil 

sie zum groessten Teil so abgenutzt sind, dass nur wenig Einzelheiten 

erkennbar bleiben. Doch weise ioh bereits a.n dieser Stelle daru.uf hin, 

r, 

dass die Tromrneln Bangkok III und Bangkok V keme 

H 

- auptmuster 

( shilisierhe Krieger mit Federschmuek) aufwaisen, sondem lediglieh Vogel· 

Muster. 

7) GUEHLER I. (Siehe Tafel III. Abb. 1 unrl ;;,) 

Diese Trammel wurde von rnir von einern ehinesisehen Haencller erworben. 

Sie sta.mmt angeblioh aus dar Gegend von Sulchothai, wo sie aus 

dar Erda ausgegraben sein soll, angeblioh vor etwa 20 ,J a.hren. Diese 

Angaben babe ieh nicht na.ohpruefen koennen. 

a.) Der allgemeine Erhaltungszusta.nd dieser Trammel ist schleeht. Sie 

hat Viele Loecher und Spruenge uud ist an zahlreiohen Stellen ausgebessert. 

Trotzdem ist sie in ihrer ganzen Form, wie die Abbildungen 

zeigen, erha.lten. Die Oberfiaeche ist im La.ufa der Jahrhunderte so 

sta.rk abgeuutzt, dass die Einzelheiten an£ der Platte nur mit Muehe, 

Einzelheiten der Zonen und Flaechen auf dero Ma.ntel fast gar nicht roebr 

zu erkennen sind. Immerhin hates eine gena.ue Untersncbung mit dem

(c .. > .. (

l 

I

P'l'. 1) S'l'UDU: II IWIW ALTi;: MgTALf/l'ROMMELN :n: 

Vergroeaseruugsgbse ermoeglicbli, n,lle clie beschriebeneu Einzelheiten 

einwo.udfrei festzustellen. Die Zonengreuzen sind gut zu uuterscheiden. 

Die l! 1 a.rbe i'lt sohw11err,lich·grneu in vielen Schattiurungen. Die gauze 

Ohedlaeobe lut einen sta.rkeu bl.oia.l'tigeu Gla.uz. Die vier Broesche sind 

unversebrt, ebenso die Henkel. Am Mantel fiuden sich zahlreiche regelm:~oessig 

a.ngeordnete Gnsspureu, die bis in den mittleren Ma.ntela.bsohuitt 

hiu9onfreiohen. Inmm nichts Besonderes. Die Trammel hat zwei Guss- 

naebte zwischen den biliden Henkelpu.Men. 

b) Die 3.eussere Porro entsprioht dem etwas abgewandelten Stile des 

'rypus I von Heger uncl xwa.r den aeltesten Vertreteru dieses Typus, 

m.ch den Trommeln Moulie, Hoang-Ha, Ngoc-lu, Wien. Unmi.ttalbar 

nnter der Pln.tte, die fast ga.r nicht vorstebt, schlieaat sich der obere 

gewoelbte 'J.leil des 1\r[a.ntels an, dem der rnittlere nnr leicht konkav gebogene 

'Eeil folgt. An diese gren1.t der konische untere Teil. Die Absl\etze 

del' drei Mantel a.bschnitte sind deutliche m arldert. 

c) Die Masse ller Trammel sind wie folgt- 

Pd-77, gd-80, ud-80, h-53, 

h desoi.\f.A-18, h des mMA--20, h des u MA-16 em. 

Das Gtlwieht der Trommel betra.egt 44,8 kg. 

d) Dill ]'roesohB, ,.. vier in ihrer Zabl, sind regelm a.essig am Randa der 

Plu.tte a.ng(3orlln(:l&. SiL~ lu.nfen in ihrer Richtnng-wie gewoehulich-\•on 

ohen gesehen links herurn, d. h. dem Sinne des Uhrzeigers entgegengeseizt. 

Sie xaichncn sioh tlureh hesondem Groess'e u.ns, denn ihre Lu.enge betraegt 

11 ern und die Hoehe 4 em. Au einern der Froesohe sind noob schn. 

hmckon-a.ebnlichc Vendorungeu zu erkenneu, wie in Skizze /.1 [l.ngedeutet. 

Die Au~>fnobrung ist grob, mit grossuu n:.wh ohen stebendeu Augen. Die 

Orno.meuto dor unter dcm I!'I.'O(:}Sohen vodaufehden aeusseren Zouen der 

Pla.tt;B sind an diesen Stelleu nioht unterbrocben. Die Froesche sind in 

ihrer Form denen der Trommeln So.leier und Wilczek II. (siehe Heger, 

Tu.felbanll) a.ebnlioh. 

e) Die pan.rweise angeordneten Henkel verbinden ch·~ untere Drittel des 

obereu Mu.nteln.bschnittes mit dem oberen Drittel des mittleren. Sie sind 

7 om breit und bestehen jeder aus zwei Haelfteu in fuenffacbem Flecbtbandmuster, 

die miteina.nder durch drei Stege verbunden sind (Slcizze 

3a) Der Abstand von dem H:.mde des einen Henkels des einen Pa.ares bis 

zum na.ecbsten Raude des zum gleicben Pau.re geboerenden anderen 

Henkels betriigt 24,5 em. Die Henkel sind also in ihrer Ausfnahrung

32 u. (JUJmLim [H>T., \XXV 

denen der Trammel Moulle und Wien aehr a.t>.hnli1:b. Bei dl·t· ~I:rommel 

Moulie betdLgt z,B. der clam ohigen Ma.sl'!!! \'Oil 24,5 em nnLsprnehende 

Henkel-abstand 25 em. 

f) Die Platte ist durch die Zeit sta.rk mitgeuomrnon, wie clio Abhildnng 

.zeigt. Es scheint, class die Trammel lo.nge a.uf d~ll' Platu~ ~.:l!'i\ a.ullen ha.t. 

Die Orna,mente sind sehr verwischt, a. her noel1 grt~de (~rkenn tlieh. 

Zone 1. mit clem erhn.benen Gestirn mit 12 Stra.hlen, dtmm ,\usla.enfer 

bereits abgesohliffen sind. In der l"orm gleioht der St.tHn !lt\11\ der 

Trammel Moulie. Von eiuem Zwisoheuzaok•mmuRLer ial uiehts mt:ln· zu 

·erkenuen. Die Leisten zwischen den nun folgendeu ?Jouen Hinu so :~hgewetzt, 

da.ss ilia uur noch a.ls duenna Kreise orkennh:Lr sind. /:'"'~" -' wie 

Skizze 8. 

Zonen 8, J, ;;, unkenntlich, vermutlich teil weise Ta.ngentmtheis(~. 

/ Zone 6 ra.dio.les Strichmuster. 

Zone l la.nges c1oppeltes Vogelschwo.nzmuHter, aehn\ich w ie 

Saleiel'trommel in Zone 11. 

a.uf der 

Zr;ne 8, 8 om breit, ist

~ 

,< t!fJ lL" 

·-·---··-----·--- 

·----··-----·---------·--------

Tafel Ill. 

1 

2 

3 

d. c. b. a.

l"l'· lJ :-,TUDI8 UlmER ALTE METALL-TROMMELN 33 

g) Die dr

34 

U. GUEHLim 

I\'(){,, XXXV 

J:t'emer die Aualuse einer [J(l(:/ce vuu Dcmy·S! 111 nach 1 ;uftm HHW 

Kupfer 

Blei 

Zinn 

Eisen 

Silber 

Gold 

51J,2''!, 

17,:;•,::. 

15\:1",\') 

4.4':,', 

0,0 l:t',', 

Spunm 

8) Platte BANGKOK VII. (Nat£onal-:11Jtsetllll Brlll!lkukj

SKl LZ. EN

36 U. GlJEHLEH 

S::t.emtliche Zonen der Pla.tte und des Ma.ntels sind durch 2 [,eisten von. 

eiun.nder g!ltrenJ;lt. : 

A) Tl'?mmeln d~s Tiff>U8 III. bei dt:'ll

Tafel IV. 

1 

2

l''l'. 11 S'I'UDII

-38 U, GUI~llLJW. lvor •. xxxv 

Aus dieser Tabella geht hervor, daRe von !lon 12 heiOchriehouen Trommeln 

des Typns III, die da.s Ha.np1;mu'lter nooh a.ufweiaen, nnr hei zwei 

Trornmeln der unt.ere Durchmesser groesser ist, a.Js

IS 

ftJ 

' 

17 

SKIZlE N

I"J', 1j 

Wien III 

Ah Sa.m 

Guehlet· III 

Guobler IV 

Guebler V 

STUDIE U2BER ALTE .M:ETALL-TROMMELN 39 

x gleich 15 Prozeut y gleicb 22 Prozent 

25 30 

12 33 

13 42 

13 40 

Dit~ hJiden Z02wngi:nppeu des mittleren Mantelu,bschnitts liegeu a.lso 

bei Ah Salll markho.r tiefer, ala bei allen a.ndereu Trommeln des Typus. 

III. Diese Ra.umeinteiluug laesat bei" Ah Sam eiuen breiten Streifen im 

obereu ~Ceile des mittleren Mantelabschnitts frei, eben da, wo bei den 

ersten Trommeln des Typus I die Felder im Rahmen waren, bei den 

spaeteren die Ha.nptzonen des Mantels. 

12) 'I'rommel G UEEL1t1R III. (Siehe Tojel III. Abbildm1g Bel. wnd 

Tafel V. Abbildung 2.) 

Herkunft-A us dem vor einige J ahren abgehrannten 1\oenigspal!.tst in 

Bang-Pa.-in. 

Pd-42, 5, ud-31, h-32,5. 

St-8 Strahlen. Vier einzelne Froesohe o.uf der Platte, soust keine 

plastischen Figuren. 

Zone 1 mit c1em schoetten aohtstrahligen Stern und einem grossen Zwiscbenzacl,enmuster, 

das ueber die H aelfte des Sektors zwische11 den 

Za.cken ausfuelU. 10 (87cizze 18) 

Zonen 2 ·nnd 11 ra.dia.le Strichmuater, 

Zonen 8 und 6 Augen 

Zone 4 Zwanzig sitzende Voegel (Skizze 10) 

Zone 5 Hauvtmuster.(wie Slcizze 20) 

Zonen 7, 18 doppelte Koernerkette, 

Zone 8 Karreeba.ndmuster, 

Zonen D uncl 10 Fische (wie Skizze 21), Voegel una Rosetten 

Zc•ne 14 die unverzierte Randzone mit clem Rand im Flecbtbandmuster. 

Der Mantel mit drei Abschnitten hat im obei·en Abschnitt 6 Zonen, von 

denen die erste und fuenfte eine doppelte Koernerkette, clie zweite und 

vierte ein Strichmuster; die dritte eine Wellenlinie und die secbste ein 

Rautenmuster a.nfweisen 

Im mittleren Abschnitt sind 8 Zonen, im unteren 3 Zonen mit a.ebnliohen 

Mustern •.

40 U. GUJmLIW. (Vof .. XXXV 

Oben zwisClhen jedem Henlrelpa.a.r befinc1en sioh zwei knopfartige JTirhe. 

bnugeu. Dies dnerHe die ldeinste bisher beschriebene Tremmel ller 'rypen 

I bis HI sein, neben der von Beger aufgefuebrton Trommel Fea. I. 

13) Trammel GUEHL"EJR IV (Sieha Tafel liT. Abbildnng :Jc. nnd Tafel 

VI. Abbild1mg 1). 

Herkunft-Ai.ls dem vor einigein Jo,hren a.bgehrannten Koenigspa.last in 

Bang-Pa-in. , , 

Pd-39, ud -38, h-'-36,5. 

St-8 Strahlen. Vier einzelne F1oesche an£ der Platte. Sonst keine 

·plastischen Fignren. 

Zone l mit dem schoeuen a.chtstra.hligen Stern und einem xiemlich grossen 

Zwischenzackenmuster .(Blcizze 21a) 

Zonen 2 und 4 Weilenlinien, · 

Zonen 3, 11, 15 radiale Stricbmnster, 

Zone 5 Koernerkette 

Zone 6 Voegel in sitzender Stellung, aehnlicb wie Heger Tafel 87 I 28, 

Zone 7 Ha.uptmuster wie Sldzze 22 und aehnlioh Heger Tafel 32;2:l 

Zonen 8 und 16 dreifacbe Koernerketten, 

Zonen 9, 13, 14 Rosettan, Fisohe und Voegel aehnlich wie Heger Ta.feln 

50/61, 37/29:nnd 38/16, 

Zone 10 Wellenba.ndmuste:r 

Zone 12 doppelte Koernerkette, 

Zone 17 die Ra.ndzone mit einzelnen Rosetten, Da.naoh der H:l.nd im 

F lecb tba.ndmuster. 

Der in drei _ Abschnitte geteilte Ma-qtel waist u.ehnliohe l\Iuster wie die 

Platte auf, jedoch in mehreren Zonen noch A.ngenmtl:lter und J:ia.utenmuster. 

Itn Ganzen ist die Tremmel der Guehler III sebr aahnlich. Els kann 

angenommeu. werde1;1, df!osS sie .den gleichen Ut·sprung und etwa da.s gleicbe 

Alter hat, wie Guehler III. So aehnlich sind aich a.uch die von Heger 

beschriebene~, Trommeln Fe a I. 'und Fe a II. 

14) Trommel BANGKOK VIII des National·M1iseums in .Banakok. 

Herkunfo-unbeka.nnt, 

Pd-48, ud-39, h-40, 

St-8 Strahlen. Vier einzelne Froesche auf der Platte, 1 )]lela.nt , und 

2 Schnecken auf dem Mantel,

Tafel V, 

1 

! '~ 

'"' 

2

1"1'. 1 i ::iTUDIE UEBim AL'l'J~ ME'l'ALL-THOMMELN 41 

Zone 1 mit Jem a.chlistra.bligen Stern und einem sohon kleineren Zwischeu 

?.a.ckenrnuster. 

Zonen Q, 7, J.:~, J,i rn.ilia.le Striohrnuster, 

Zonen :J, l:J J\oernerketten 

Zone :1· Ja.s schon stark stilisierte Hauptmuster, wie Skizze i"NJ, 

Zone :; stehende Voegel, 

Zonen u, 11, 1ti Ha,uten 

Zone 8 E:oenBrl,ette 

Zonen FJ, 10, 1:./, Pische, Bosetten nnd Voegel (Slcic .,en 28a 1Mul b) 

Zone 11' die mwerzicrte Raw]zone 

M a.ntel in 3 Abschnitten mit a,ehnlichen Ornarnenton wi e die Platte. 

15) Trammel BANGKOK IX. des National-llfiMeurns in Banglcolc 

H et•kunft-unbeka.nnt, 

Pd-57, nd-45, h-44. 

l:lt- 8 Strftblen, vier einzelne Froesche u,uf der PLLtte (wie Sldzze 24}, 

sonst )wine pla.stisohen 11' i gureu, 

Die Pbtte ha.t 17 !t,onen, von denen die Ornu.merite a.uf den ;.';onen 3, G. 'l 

und J.2 unkenntlioh sind. 

Xone .l mit dem a.cbtst.rLJ.hligen Stern. Zwischen den .7J:wkeu befiuden sich • 

viele regelrnu.essig a.ugeordnete Punkte. 

Zone 2 J':tdiales Rtricbmuater, 

Xone J, sit;;;ende Voegel, 

Xone .5 Ha.uptmnster wie Slcizze 25 

Xone 8 Ha.uten 

Konen .9, 18, 14 ]i'ische, Voegel, B.osetten 

Xonen 16, 10 Koernerketten 

Xone 11 Wellenlinien 

Zone 17 die unverxierte Ht>nc1zone 

Mu.nte l in :1ehnlichen lVJ:ustern wie die N ellcmmuster der Platte. 

16) '.rrommel BANGKOE X des Koeniglichen Pa.la.stes in Bangkok. 

JI r: rlmuf~-nnbelmunt, vermutlich Burma.. 

Pd-52, ud-41, h-41, 

St-8 Stmhlen, vier einzelne u,r 0 esohe a.u( der Pbtte, mittleres Zwiscben 

Zl.ckenmuster zwischen den Stra.hlen. Sonsb keine pla.'ltischen Figuren. 

Platte uuc1 Mantel schwa.cb vergolc1et, 

sich eine S.bla.ettrige Rosette. 

Im Zentrum clea St beftndeh

[ vor .. ~:x:.>· 

ZQ ru.dia.le S tl'iohe 

Z8? 

Z4 Wellenmuster 

Z5 einfa.ehe KoerueHeihe 

/IG doppelte I\ oernerreihe 

z;' stehencle Voegel 

ZB Hu.uptmuster 

ZO nnd 10 Wellenmuster 

Zll R[tuten 

Z12, 18, 17 l!'isoba Voegel und Rosetten, 

Z14 raclia.le Striohe 

Z15 einbche und Z UJ-cloppelte Koernereihe 

Z18 ra.dia.le Striche 

ZlU Koerner, 

Z20 Ranten 

Z!Jl die unverzierte Randzone. 

Auf dem Mantel sind die Muster nioht khu· arkenn1;lioh, wf:gen dtll' Vergolclung. 

Es sind 4 Grnppen von je 5, 4, 4, und 3 Zonen VQrha.udPn . 

• Hiermit ist die Za.hl det• Trommeln des Typus III, die noc:h a~:LH Hauptmustel' 

n.ufweisen, erscboepft. 1Jlinc1 Analyse rlieser 'l 1 ronnnt-~ln folgt im 

Abschnitt III. 

B) Tro!lmzeln de,o; 'L'!irn

1'~'. 1] STUDIE UEBER ALTl~ MJ£TALL·-TlWMMi!:LN 43 

81-l::l Stra.bleu. Vier U 1 roschpr.\,are auf der Platte. Auf der Ziel'leiste 

des i\1:ante1s 3 Elefanten in gleicher Groesse. 

Zone 1 mit dem zwoelfstra.hligen Gestirn, das typisch ist fuer die Exemplars 

des spae teren ~r ypus II I nnd. einem winzigen /'Jwiscbenzaokenmuster, 

da.s etw[.l, ein ZBhntel so lang ist wie der Zacken des Ge~;tirns. 

Zonen 2, ;J, UJ, 1 D ra.diale Stricbmuster, 

8, 4, 17, 18 Augenmuster, 

G, 10, /.? Hanten, 

?' u.nd 8, sowie l.'l nnd 13 mit je 6 Voegeln und 6 Ii,auten, 

9 nnd J.t s teben de Voegel. 

11 nur 2 em. breit, mit ein'3m eigenr.\,rtigen l\iuater, da.s in Skizze 26 angedeutet 

ist. Sollte clief-1 Mnster vielleicbt docb noch da.a alte Hauptmnster 

anc1euten, ZUUJl\.l es nur einma.l auf c1er Platte erscheint um1 sich nicht 

Wiederholt? 

!?0 Rauten mit Pnnkten und Ba.uten aehnli!3h wie Heger Tafel 42/22. 

21-clie Randxollfl mit schoenen achtbb,ettrigen Ro9ei:ten wit! Heger 

•.rafel 4()/ (i2. 

Der Mantel Heigt thei Abschuitte mib z')lli~n. die aehnliche Mustel' wie die 

Pia tte entha lten. 

• 

18) 1'rommel l~ERMANNS (im Privatbesitz von Herrn H. R. Hermanns, 

Hambnrg) 

Hetkunf~ --Ohiengm:1i. Gn t erhalten, a. her Mantel gesprnngen. 

Pd-66 ucl--56, h-oO, 

St-12 Stra.hlen. Vier tlrilifache WcoJsche auf der PL~tte, 13 plastiache 

Tierfiguren au[ einar Zierleiste des Mantels. 

Zonen 1-mit dem xwoelfstirJ.hligcm ~3t.ern und einem sehr kleinen Zwisl.lhenz~Vlkeumu8ter. 

Die Platte steht 30 Dll:n. ueber c1en Mn.ntel hervor. 

2, 8, 8, U, z,t,, 16-Augenmuster, 

:J,, 18-stehende Voegel, 

6, 10-Jhutcmmnster, 

a, 7, 11, 1.2·-mit je 12 Voegeln nnd 12 Rt~.uten, 

16 -radiales St ricbrouster 

17-die unve1·zierte Randzone. 

Die Henkel c1ieser Trommeln sind elega.nt ausgefi.i.hrt uud reiob geachmueckt. 

Sie sind denen von Heger •rafel 2g/ 18 aehulich, ha.beu a.ber 

7 Spira.1en an jec1er Seite.

44 

An£ der einen Zierleiste zwischen llem ehwn Uenl\(ll)':.t~tl' lttnfen nieht 

weniger n.ls 13 pla.stisclie 'l'iediguren von oben naoh untrn, die gam:e 

L:l.enge der ?Jierleiste einnehmend. J)ieso stellen von ohen Httch untc"n 

c1 1\r~eine grosse SpimHl, eine ldeine Rclnwe]\t•, eill P [Prd, ein f'chweitl, 

einen \Va,sserbueffel, einc"n Ochser~, vier J

1'1'• 1] S'l'UDII~ IJImer von 3 om wie eine Mnenxe 

aussiehi;, c1io untere der oberen gleicbt, a,ber uur die I:In.eHte Cla.l'Btellt. 

fliehe Skir..2·e !JrJ. Die Bedeutungen dieser Brhebungen ist mir nicht ldar. 

A nalu8e rler Tronwwl CJ nchler V (von Dr. Ing. Martin, B:~ngkok) 

" 

I{upfer 

62,2'(~ 

Dlei 

1G,2% 

Zinu 11,2% 

Zi11k 

nm~ 

Biseu 0 ()0/ 

,~JU 

Waehrend also die '.l!rommel Guehler I weder Zink nooh Risen r:ntbaelt, 

finden wir diese beideu Meta.lle bei der yiel juengeren Trammel M1S 

Burma hie1· vor. Ziuk wird in Burma gefundea.·.

U, GUEHLJLH [VOTJ, XXXV 

20) 'J~!'omrnel GO'.ri3UHLIOH (im Privo.tbH;itz t1es Herrn Dr. E. Gotschlieh) 

Herknnft-·Ohirmgmai, Thail3.nd. 

Pd-Gl, ucl-50, h-46, 

St-12 Stru.blen. 

Anordn1mg. 

Auf der Platte vier mal drei Pt·oeHche in ueblicher 

Die Platte steht 28 rum uehe1· d('l\ lVhntel hervor. 

Zonen Z-mit dern schoenen zwor:lfstrabligen Gestirn, l:ein Z\dschenza.cken•nnster 

2, 7, 10, 13-radiales Striehmuster, 

8, 4, 8, 9, 14-ein Augenmuster, wobei n.ber t1ie Peripherie r1es aensseren 

KreiRr1s nicht rnnd, soD.deru mit. Punkten verr.ifJrt i~t. sodass das Myster 

eher wie eiue Blu.ete a.ussieht. 

a, Z2-stebende Voegel. 

1~. 8--8 Voegel una 8 Rauten, 

11-12 Voegel una 12 Hauteu, 

15--Koernerkette, 

10-nnvl!rzierte Ra.ndzone mit Flechtra.nll. 

Die17 Zonen des M:J.ntelszeigen, in der.ueblichL'Ill 11eihenfolge una in ,:'!rei. 

Abschnitten a.ngeordnet;, Stricbmuater, Augenmuster, Koernel·ketten una 

Wellenb:.vmaer. 

Die Trammel ha.t zwei. Ziel'leisten, a.uf c1eren eh1•1r, vom untere.n M:~.utelabschmt 

n

PT· 1] STUDIE UEBER AVI'E METALL-TROMMELN 47 

Zonen--1-mit dem schoenen llWOelfatra.hligen Gestirn, an clessen Zackensvitl'len 

sich kleine Herzeu befinden, ::~.ehnlich wie Reger Ta.fcl 30/22 

den Stem vou Rom, Fea. III. 11eigt. 

2, i', 14--·Ranten, 

3, 14-bla.ettrige grosse Rosett0u, 

.J,, 10- stehende Voegel, 

;), 12-railiu.les Strichmuster, 

(J, 13-Aup,en-oder Bluetenmuster, wie bei 'l'1·onJinel Gotschlich Zont-n 

3,4 ff. 

8, .9-·-die Ha.uptzonen mit Voegeln, Rosetteu und Ranten, 

11·-Koernerket te. 

1D ---die unverzierte Ru,n

48 U. Gli!HILIW. [VOl~. XXXV 

TABBLLE III. 

, 

Kurze Angaben ueber die vou mir vermessenen Trommeln des Tupus Tli b, 

die im Text nicht naeher beschrieben sind. 

Narne Ch:stint Froosohe . Tiere Tel. ucl h 

1) f..Juang Raksa. 12 4 X 2 .2 Schneck G4 50 51 

2) Bangkok 11 14 4 X 3 i3 Nl. n Seb. G4 48 

3) Banghok 12 12 4 X 3 3 1lll. 2 Sch. G7 48 

4) Bangkok 13 12 4x2 3 El. 2 Sch. G9 LO 

5) Bangkok 14 16 4 X 3 3 El. 0 Sch. 72 ;)6 

.(j) Bangkok 15 12 4 X 2 2m. 2 Sch. (il 45 

7) Em. Hansen 12 4 X :J 2 }ill. 2 Seh. G3 51 4:7 

8) H. I\nudsen 12 4 X 2 3 El. 5G 44 41 

9) H. Andreasen 10 4 X 3 2m. 2 Fich. (i3 ,18 45 

10) H. Bache 12 4 X 2 1El 57 47 43 

11) A. Kann Rasmussen 12 4 X 3 3 J

@@@@§) 

31 SKIZZEN, ·

PT. lj STUDIE UEBEH. AL'l'JB NIJQ'ALL-TIWMMELN 49 

Typu3 III vorkommenden Form mit den Spiraleu (siehe 8ki;.·ze i:J;!), Das 

gleiche Muster iluc1et sioh r.. B. a.m Kopfschmuck eiuer grossen Qiva- 

S;~tne :n1s Bronze, ciie im NMional-Museum in Bangkok steht und a.us 

1te:n 13. Jabthundcrt stammt. (8lci;.::::e Bi')• ~.lit der Krone verzierte J3niidh,1koepfe 

aus der Ayuthia-Periode ha.ben violiach ein aehuliclws l\iuster 

(8kiz.2·e 88), a.uch ~~lLe Glocken aus Clem taos. Ja. selbst, in UllSU!?l' Y.eit 

wird chs Herzn:mster noch auf Stoff en b0i der W ach>·zeicbentechnik 

renvam1t. Skizze 3[1 zeigt dus Hen:muster mit SJliralen als Dekm a tion 

eines i rn N ationa,l- Museum befind lichen grOSbBJI \Vassergef3.er,ses. Im 

Uehrigen isli die Spira,]e allein eiu Eehr alteR r:hinesifches Orn:~.ment .. 

\Vir !1nden es x B. auf einer alttm Bronzepflulw (rl"ung-I

50 U. G U IG II L Kit l VOL, XXXV 

'r"'ts11ehen hinzustellen. Ieh bemuehe mich. diesen J?ehll'l' zn vermeideu. 

:Uls sei bier ganz tt'ctsdt·uecklich festgestellt, ch~s nusere Kenntnis von den 

i\1etall-T rornmeln, selbst mit der Bereioherung, die sie duroh die Untersuchungen 

cler Ecole F'1'WL0aise cZ'Ecctnhne-Orient erfn.hmn h11t, doch 

nooh nioht tLUsreicht, urn dtLs Problem zu. erschoepfen, oc1er um zn einigerma.ssen 

sicheren und ::~.bscbliessen

l"r. ll STlJDiill UEBER .ALT_E l\1:l!;TM,L-THO:tv1MELN ul 

c1enben. 

Da nach folgt die brltraeohtliche Zahl n.llEl' der Trommeln des 

Typus I, die eiue mebr ocler minder starke Stilisierung des Hn.uptnmsters 

(als solches bezeichnen wir immer die Zome del' Platte, auf der die sich 

im P rozeasionsschritte bewegeuden, federgescbmueckteu Krieger dargestellt 

sind) :tufweisen. In seinern £ruBber J~itierten Werlre hat Heger 

:1lle c1iese ibm chmals, bekanuten Tl'Ommeln aufgefuehrt nncl11war der 

Heihe nacb, also nn.ch Clem Grade fortschreiteuder Stilisierung des 

Hauptmusters und damlt ihrem Aluer entspreohend. 

In diese Reihe 

Hegers koenneu die meisten der spa.eter aufgefuncleneu Trommelu eingefnegt 

werdeu. 

Ueber die T rommeln des Typns IJ die gtl.r kein lhupt- 

-muster mehr 11eigen, werde icb im naechsten I\apitel spreohen. 

Vorher 

moe~btc ich aber eine Fra.ge streifen, die mir nocb nicbt genuegeml 

geklaert ei·soheint, das ist clie Frage des A~tftretens de1· Froesahe auf cler 

Platte. Saemtlicbe Gelehrten scheiueu clet Ansioht zuzuneigen, d[l,ss 

cliese 'rrommeln mit Froesohen sioberlich jnenger sind, als die a.eltesten 

belmnnten Trommeln. Dies mag zutreffen. Aber ich gln.ube doch. du,ss 

es nioht a.ngaengig ist, das Alter einer, Trammel nu,ch dem Vorbanc1ensein 

von Froescheu auf c1er Plo.tte scblecbth!n zu beurteilen, Die n.eltest,e 

11 

bekannte Trammel mit Froeschen a.nf cler Platte ist c1ie von Dong-son 

(I 19244), bei cler die vier Froesohe bemerkenswerter Weise nicbt links 

im Kreise herum'"'steben, S011dern mit den Koep!en uu,ch anssen und mit 

den Rueolten nach dem Zentrnm del' Platte zn. 

Auch ist zu bernecksichtigen, 

Class in vielen Faellen TrommEJln 

obne Froesobe einen viel 

sherkeren Grad de1: Stilisieruug c1er Om\Lmente a.nfweiseu, a.ls solche mit 

Froesoben. 

Bei H e g e r besteht eine grosse Luecke zwischen den von ibm bescbriebenen 

aeltesten Exemplareu Moulie uud Wien nnc1 cler daun a.ls uaeohste 

folgenden Trammel Sa,leier. Welcbe Zeitspanne zwischen den Trammel 

Moulie und Saleier liegt, ist uus unbehnnt. Merkwnerdig ist, class 

hisber so wenig l!lxempla,re gefunden wurclen, die in dieae Luee.he 

hiuein passen. 

Hei dem Versuch, die in dieser Stuc1ie neu beschrieben·en Trommeln Guehler 

I und die Platte Ooqui eiuzureiben, bin ich :-~u dar Annahme gekommen, 

ilass die Tr6mmel Guebler I mit 11t1 den aeltesten bescbriehenen 

Eh::empln.ren des Typus I gehi:iren dnerfte nnd der Trammel Saleier irn 

Alter na.be steht. Dies sind die Gruenc1e-

U. GGEliL.fG!t [voL. X;\W 

n.) Dio :ld3US:>llre Ji'orm j,;t, in :\:bsseu nnd 1.' roportiollf:H llt!r Mn.ntelaLsehnitte 

den :1elhsten T'rornmeln :Lehnlich, w:1s u.ns folgem1er Tabelle TV 

hervorgehL K> bebrn.gen die M:LntobbsclmibtE' folr~01dr·n Pro;;entsatz c1t"r 

GL18'1ll1thoeho 

obe?'et' mittliJre1' nutel'er _\lu.ntehbsebr,itt 

Hou.ng-h,u 40 40 20 

Ngoc-ln 40 39 21 

J'v[oullu 40 41 1\) 

Nel::on 40 H lfl 

Guehler I 34 ~3 8 '2S 

Auch die a.bsolukm Groessenrna.sse sind sich :.tehuliuh, ntit Ausn~dm1e 

HoGht~, wie :1118 Tabelle V hervorgeht. 

dot· 

fT 

Pd wl h in em 

H.on.nr,-ha 78 so ()1 

Ngoc lu 79 80 6

Tafel VI. 

1 

2

Tafel Vll. 

1 

2

P'l'. J] 53 

h) DttS B:tuptmac;ter ist noeh nieht dar]' stilisir,rt. 

In jetlem b'a,lle bin ic:h gondgt an:r.unelumm, esc bribb.::mer.t Platte Coqn i 

ein ziemlich hohes c\.lt

U, GUEHLILI{ l VOfJ, XXXV 

sbellung von Szenen mit l\Iensehen, Schi!Jen, Ha.ousern u. s. w. verscbwindet 

nncl m:1cht znnaechgt eiuer fhrRtellung nm· einzeluer Teile 

dieser Szeuen, wie Schiff en unc1 Kri.egern, Plat?.. J\ nch cliese wird im 

Varl:J.ufB fortschreiteuder Stili.sierullf.l immc: t' nnk~nn t1inher. 

Die l! 1 orm, besondera des mittleren i\:Ic1.11telabsclmittes, wird irnrner mebr 

geschweift Die Hoehe Lles oberen Mantela.bsclmitt.es win1 immer 1deiner, 

die des mittleren imrner groes:>er. Der H~nd der Platte waechst immer 

'rnehr ueber den Mantel hinaus. Die Henkel cines Pu.ares ruecken sich 

immet· naeher nnd werden imrner kleiner, sowie schrnaler. J!:inige aelteste 

'Muster der Platte; Rowie die Felder auf rlern Man tel verschwiuden ganz 

Am nnteren Ma.ntelabschnitt treten Zackenmuster UJUf. Aus Saegezaehnen 

S{)heinen radiale Stricbe, aus den Ta.ngentenkreisen Augen oder Kraise 7.U 

warden. Icb la.ss'l absichtlich da.s Auftl'eten von nlastischeu Figuren a.uf 

der Platte als Entwicklungsrnerkm~l fort, denn, wenn u.uch ohne Zweifel 

da.s Auftreten dar Froesche auf der Platte ein gewisses Merkmal spa,eterer 

Eubwiaklung zu bedeuten scheint, so erscbeint es mir doch-wia gesa.gt als 

verfehlt, jade Trammel mit Froeschen fner juenger a.ls sine salcha ohne 

Froesche zu halten. 

r :!.) Z1w· Frage der T·rorwrneln des Tvtn~s I ohne Fia·nptnmster. 

Die eigena.rtige Ta.tsache, dass verschiedene rrrommln des . Typus I 

da.s Ha,uptrnuster (Krieger mit Federschmuck) uebet·haunt nicht a,ufweisen, 

iat hereits von Heger bervoJ.•gehoben worden, Br nsunt " alB vier Beispiele 

die T romrneln von Sa.rna,ra,ng, Bu.njurneuing, Dieng Pla.tea.u und Des a 

Mersi. Diese stamrnen alle a.us dem J.:na.la.yischen Archipc1l. Hegel' sa.gt, 

da.ss keine einzige TrornmBl dieser Art, vorn a.sio,tischen ]i'estlande st!1rn· 

mend, bekannt sei. Seither sind abet• in den Bulletins dar JJJcole FrnnQaise 

cl'Ewtreme Orie1tt verscbiedene waiters Trornrneln t~ngazeigt nnd a,bgebildet 

worden. Ausse c1e r Tromrnel N elsou nenue ich oie 'rrommeln von 

Dong-sou (I 19306, und Giao-tat (D 16375) Himm komme~ d.ie von rnir 

obau ua,eher _beschriebenen Trornrneln Bangkok III :lUR Tung Yang, 

Btlingkok V ans Kora.t, sowie die neu von mir bescbriebene Pla.tte 

.Ba.ngkok VII, die im Sueden Thaila,nds auf der Malayischen Halbiusel 

gefunclen wnrde. Wir haben. es :llso ietzt mit 8 'rrommBln una eiuer 

Phtte zu tun, die alle die auffallende Eigenscha,fu ha.ben, class da.s Ha.uptmuster 

auf dar Pla.tte feblt. Statt rlessen weisen sie alle eiue breite Zone 

mit grosseu fliegenden Voegeln auf, in verschiedner Ausfuehrnng. J a. 

diese Zone mit den fliegenden Voegeln scheint gra,dezn zur Ehnptzone cler 

Pbtte geworden zu seiu. Mit Ansnahrne der Trommel von Dong-son

l''f.', 1] 

K'.L'IIDfl!: UEUI!:[t ALTLC 1.'11£TALL··T.EWMMELN 

(I 1930G), clor ja schon wagon ihre1~ geringen Croessa (Durchmesser der 

Platte 3Hi mrn) nm symbolische .l:.ledeutung zugesprochen warden kanu, 

stammen 11lle uebrigen bier r.ur J"ill'oertt:ll'lmg stebenden 1ilxemplare vom 

Pb.etr.en, die von ilern eigentlich9u Urspnmgsorb der aeltesben Tromrnelu 

weit, teilweise sehr weit eutfernt ·sind. Hchon IIe!iel' hat nnn die Fra.ge 

a.uf.~eworfen, oh nicht etwa diese Trommeln ohne Hauptmnster an einem 

anc1e1:en I' lt>t;w hergestellt sind. Ich wiederhole diese B'rage, glaube sie 

abet· u.us Vben ytir altu :mxempbre, ttuf d.enen dieses wiohtigste iVlotiv gal' 

nicht vorhanc1en, ROndern, wio ich annel1rne, absicbnlich fortgelassen iGt. 

Ist es daher nicht wahl.'scheinlich, class c1iese Trommeln entweder an 

eiuem gauz andereu Pbtze entstanden sind, oder il.ber fuer gauz andere 

Zwecke ll.ls fuer Totenfeiern hergestellt wurden? Wir habc:m ohen 

bemerkt: dass die Kfl.tens in Burmn. noch heute "lmlte" und "heisse" 

Tromrneln unterscbeiden, von denen uur die letzteren bei Toteufeiern 

vet·wandt werden. Kann as sicb bei den bauptmusterlosen Tromrneln 

nioht auch· scbon nm solcbe "kalteu" Trommeln hn.ndeln, die auderen

i;(j U. (J lJ :ntLI·:!i. [vor,, XXXV 

Zwecken di'en~en a.ls xur Verwenduug hei 1.'oten fe.iern ? Bs scheint doch 

so-, als ob im B~reiche von .lJaOF.l, rrha.ibnd, Burma, uncl des mabyiscben 

Archipels chs Vog1~lmohiv eine wichtigere J3ec1entung gespielt ha, t, alR das 

H anptm otil•. Doch muss ieh rUe Pruefnng ilieRer Fra.ge den Gelehrton 

uebadass.:m. Beme!'kenswe1·t ist, c1as~ hei n:th(ov.u allen 'Jlmmmeln des 

Typus IV das alte Vogelmotiv voellig versc]JWll!Jden ist, warJIH·ew1 sich 

das H[l,nptmol:iv bis in mHJere rrage erha.Jten hat. 

An rlieser Stelle soil nun noch knr;r, clie Fmc;e gest.n:ilt \\' ordeu, wie 

die i1"~1testen rromcrv~ln, die sich auf den Inselu des mabyischen Arllllipels 

hefinden, dorhhin gekommen S!:lin moegen. Die allgemdne Auscba.nm1.g 

geht d:.~.hin, da.ss tli6se Tro:nmeln nicbt. eL'.va. a.n clen ]'undpla.c;tzlbst 

hergest.ellt, sondem vielmehr dOt·thin ''a.usge1va.ndert" Rind. DiC:lHe Aus 

''''tmlnmug der 'rrommr~lu a.us ihrem Ul':3pruenglicheu Herstellnngegebbt 

in lndo.Ohina. muss bereits hei Beginn unserer Zeitrechnnng begonne.n 

ha.b3n. TJJ~ R::~heiru a.uf Gntnd genMler Untet·snchnngen festz•JRtehen, dass 

::.nf: keiuer der swo;dlichen ln8eln di

1''1'. 1l ::l'l'[JTJ!JC UELH:It ALTE MmTALL-TROMMELN 

l'ABFlLIJB Vl. 

Awrf!fse der Plu/te)l/!lll8te·r von L! Tnmnneln des Tt 1 fru .. ; IIIu. 

YiONEN 

-·-·"-----··-------,.------:----~~---.....,...--..,.---.,----.......,-----;-- --.---:--- 

(~~,::::'. ~~t=-I~~~~~~~:~I.~.~-~~_:_I_G __ ~_I-8_1~-l-~-ll 

~-1~-~ 13. 14 -:--:6 17 

!1 

i'\o.i :-.l:t.mr• 

- ---·--- i 1 gr I ro..d. 'mtl Ht.ob .. dopp,ll. .. l~setten I Rac1. ~~ dopp, \ ------.... ~ .. ·~~ ... 

. 

1 Ah fhlll H 4 1( I 

, ( iuultlt\r !I! 

,. 

" t }Ht~hli'\ [\' 

•f 

,, 

,\ 

·l ,. I 

~~ X 1 

·I !'.·:• l ·l ~ .. l 

u J···.::~ l[ ~·; 

·l X I 

li Stru:::~uoti d ! ·! :-; I. 

,, 

7 Ci\.h:utt t~ l .7'i 4 ~: I. 

,, q lhu;:lw1; 1\ K •t =~ 1 

~~ lbnnlwk \'Ill ~t .;'\.. 1 

10 l :~w;h ,J, >;. H ·i \ l 

ll j ,(HitiH!t J .. 4 ;.;. l 

l~ C~lmtU t\ II 

I flO •17 •tO Y.wt', St·' ",···ri. Voe• Koe lla7lJJt, oegol Augen l.r , unv. \ 

1St· 1 , til. 11u b· . rn. l!'iache • r. .~oer, 

1 

1 

1 

• I l I r· Rosetteu . I 

' 

'.' ,·,•t .••, gr. l'(l,a. Hlt,?:. If[ ' ' t \ ( Ol)p. .\3.1'1'. v I ra.d.. dOIJP 

t. o,, AtllWil anzl . tl"(Jll oe"e .·\naen K . I UtlV • 

Zwi. Rtri. " Voeg. 1 · • • "' 1\oer. \ IHI. I l.''' •li:W'IO ·~ 1 

Stri. " oer. , 1 

•,•r. I i rlollJl, Hi a fu.ch R,?s. r•d, c]opp. R~s.etteu 

l 

an :1:-J ;;ti 'iVAlkn! mr. \Volhm: l" v llML1Jt.l l" 1trsch Well. s'"t"l'. I". oer. Ihsche 

/Jwi : Hvri , >.oern. ne. 1 1 \Oer. V , · • .:1. 

i . l 1 i · f I r 1 · I ei::.g. H.osetteu . ~ oege]. 

·14 :la :w ~~.:vi. ;~ugen: IJinslm: ~~·i·. i. ~~~~~·u.l 1 r~:e;u i Augen Koer. unv. 

~\:~~~:·~~~:~. :Hanpt. Koer. Koer. ~fs~1 

1 e 8 

' ' • Rosetten Bos 

1 };h·hnt:,; ,1 ;;H ;;:; 

7 

ld. I r:td. ,[opp. , ., iii . . I ra.d. i l'Jlu.. clopp. li'ische Pfla.n. 1 ru,d. dopp. ·~~ b Kn.l'l'ee 

' ·· Y.wi. i')tri. Koer. : anpt .. ,l Htri. !, Bbtt. • 1\oer. Bbtt.l Str. K · 180 • Bd unv. 

e e · 1 ' Voegel 1 oer. !Voegel · 

I ' ! ' HoseLten 1 :Bosett. 

'·"··' :!7 ::,·-.) I kl. Is'[l,(~ dopp. ·, dr?PP· ·1, Von or IJ lan]Jt.! einf. Koel', l! 1 ische Augen I rsu.tat·:.· Koer I' Fisch Koer. nnv. 

' ;l,wi. Lrl. 1\oer. 1 \.uer. '"'' j ·· 

1 

ru.tl. 

lll itbJ. l' t.Hl. 

" 'Well. einf. c 1 5'PP· 

Yiwi. Stri, 

1 

i 

i 

ll 

, I 

f1H iH 47 i ld. 

l,.igun:u 

Augnn i 

[ fJ wi. 

HLr, llh,ut;, Vmlg. 

r 

~.: T•:lof. ',, 

:.1 Holm. ;J,, 4i~ '!() 

', 

I kl. 

fJwi. Augen I 

I 

I 

1 Koer. · · ' ' 

, · 1 1 

Voegel Voegel 

1 

i I i Voe••.! Voeg. I • "' I i 

.J:J ·W :n kl. JJinstmivoog. jJTa,U.Jit.l I\.oer. l! 1 iscl1. Koer ...' ~;olPeliJ .'. ].. ~iscb., hoer. ~roopepr·.l unv. i 

Y.wi. ' I Ra.ut. .u. Augen Kett. ·" I 

I I Voag.l Rosetten 

t17 •!;') 44 kl. ~~~~~i. ., \~~e. 1\ITtwpt. ~ '? ? 1Jli8ch. Koer. Wellen ? Voegel 

;; wi. Rcw. l!'ische 

rad. 

Str. 

3 fach 

Koer. nnv. 

Koer. Koer. unv. 

1 

1 

l • 1\!/0l', flan1Jl. svtoh. lhnt. rad. : Koer. 

Rosetten 

!Nsche 

· 1 

Raut. ~~~.. 

\.Ros. 1 

I\oer. I }j 1 iscb. rae. naut. unv. 

Htrl. I I oeg. Str. ' Voegel Voeg. Str . 

i I ~ · I JJ'iscbe rad. eiuf. dopp. 

6 

v 1 • iua1l 11t. Wollen Wollnu Hu.nten Voegel Stl'i. Koer. Koer. 

I Koer, \.oer,l oeg.l Hosottan 

mJ., Vtickx Htuh. . 1 rat!. rad, Voeg. steh. I nid. 1 ro.d. Voeg. 

i .. • l.hutJJt, ',J'tl.'. I Augen St··. u.,tt"•· Aug. ·voe"·· St", i hUg. Str. Ba.ut. 

, ' L'"' " "' • 1 

' i 

l'll.rl. J•ad. tlopp. md. 1J=r Voeg. rac1. A dopp, Voeg., steh. A a dopp. nnv. 

Fis0h. 

Voeg. 

Ros. 

Zick 

zack 

Raut. 

Str. Augen· t:Jw. Koer. fl~t·. / 'J.aUllt. Ha~t·.l~S~ · ug. I{oer. Baut. Voegel u., .• ~--

5'7 

18 

19 20 

rad. 

Ht.t·. 

a 

Hoset. 

eiuf. 

Koer, Hanten

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

59 

:1). UnterfeZ:lunr; de8.Typt

GO U, GUEHLER [VoL. xxxv- 

.5) Die Zu.hl der ueberein:~.nder sitzenden ] 1 roesche auf c1er Platte ni.rnmt 

r111. 

G) Die Zonen mit den Voegeln, Fischen unc1 Bosetten ha.ben durch Breite 

uud Pln.ziernng die Holle von Flanpt>~onen !.l.ngenommeu. +n ihnen verschwinden 

scbliesslicb (lie Fiscba, um durch B::mteu ersetzt zu \Verden. 

Fisc be tan eben spo.eter nur v ereinzelt wieder auf. 

7) Die allgemeinen Ausrna.sse der Trommeln scheinen zu wa.chsen, d. h. 

die aeltesten dieser Gruppe sind irri Allgemeinen am kleinsten, die spaeteren 

groesser. 

8) Die Profile, anfaenglicb konkav mit deut!icher Einscbnueruug im 

tuittleren Mautelabschnitt, warden immer flacher und nach unten zu 

steiler. 

Auf Grund dieser Unterscbeidungen babe ich versucht eine vorlaeufi· 

ge Altersliste det· 12 Trommeln so a.nfzustellen, wie sie in Tabelle VI 

wiedergegeben ist. 

Heger hat (i Trommeln bea.rbeitet, bei denen das Hauptmnetet· uooh 

vot·hu.nden ist. Diesen habe ich 6 weitere hinzugefnegt. Es erscheint rnir 

,. d:J.her ietzt an der Zeit, der scbon von Heger gemachten Anregnng zu. 

folgen und den TmmR ITiin zwei Grwppen zu leilen, naomlioh: 

T!!Tllt-'11/Iu. sind Trornme,ln des Typus III (Heger), b(ji48lemn da.s Hauptmnster 

der aeltesten Trommelu (die federgesclnnueckten 

Krieger) in stilisierter Form, u.ber uoch deulilich erkeunbar, 

noch erscheint;. 

Typu.s IIIb umfasst alle die Trornrneln des Typus III, bei denen das 

mspruengliche Ha.nptrnuater verscbwnuden ist. 

Die Chu.rakteristika des Typus III a sind oben gounegend beschrieben. 

Innerhalb dieser Gruppe liessen sich wieder Untergruppen bilden, doch 

glaube icb, dass dies, angesicbts des Mangels a.n verfLiegbarem .Material,. 

noch verfrueht ist. In ~ukunft sollte der Entwicldung der Zonen mit 

Voegeln, Hosetten t1ud Fischen besondere Aufmerlcsamkeit gewidroet 

vyerden. Wie alt die ersten Exemplare des Typus III u, sind, wa.ge ich 

nicht zn s!l.gen. Diese ll'rage faellt znsarnmen mit der weiteren Frage, 

waun die Karens oder Schaus ueberbaupt die Herstellung der Trornmeln 

begonneu habeu. Sicherlicb sind sie es geweseu, die die plastiscben 

:I!'iguren a.m ~fautel, beso;clers die Elefanten, sowie die Pfla.nzeumnster 

eingefuehrt haben.

PT, 1] STU l.HE UEBEH ALI'E ME1'ALL-'£ROMMELN 61 

Ich ha.be mich bei cler Analyse der Tromrneln des 'l'ypus III 

a. gefra.gt, ob sich die Hers teller denn · ll.UBSer cler rein m a.teriellen 

Tradition auch noch einer religioesen oder geistigen Tru.ditdon bewusst 

wa.ren, a.ls sie die 1'rommeln mit den verscbiedenen Orna.menten verzierten. 

Selbst weun sie --was man wohl anuehmen lmnn--von Gebraeuchen 

des alt·"n Sonnenkultus nichts mehr gewnsst ha.ben, so koenute es docb 

scheinen, a1s ob die Verziernngeu c1er Zonen c1ieses Typus aus einer 

Umwa.ndlung der n.lten Anscbauungen des Sonnenlmltes herll.UB entstanclen 

sin~. Dies ist natuerlich schon Spekuhtion, und wir koennen nicht 

wissen, wieweit nun teohnische Ueberlieferungen vorgehenscht haben, 

wieweit gechnkliche oder religioese, 

Doch hat mir zum Beispiel das 

i\fotiv der auf den 'rrommeln dieses Typns zum ersten Male auftreteuden 

sitzenden unc1 stah~nden 

Voegel Anlass zu der folgenden Hypothese 

gegeben, tlie ich mit a.llem Vorbehalt hier wiedergebe. 

lliine Betraohtung 

der Ta.belle VI ?.eigt, daRB mit Ausnu.bme der letzten beiden Trommelri (die 

wir irmerhalb clioser Grupp':l HI u. 

ala spaet ansehen) saemtliche Zonen 

mit den sit:>~enden oder stebenc1en Voegeln sich uaeher an dem Zbntralen 

(Jestirn (uer Sonne) befinclen, U:ls die Zoneu mit den fliegeuden Voegeln. 

C!olani weist dara.uf hin (1), class lJ!l, Prz!Jluslci in seinem Artikel Etudes ., 

indirnlnes et ehinoisus von "d'eufants eolos au lever du jour, ala. chaleur 

du S)leil" ;.pricl1b. Wltre es nun moeglich, dass bier ll.uf den aeltesten 

Trornmeln des Typus II l wieder (oder immer nocb ?) die Sonne als 

Pl'iuzip der f.Jebensschoepfung uncl L>3benserhaltnng 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. 

· 4)', Ueher die .Anordnnng rler verschierlenen Zonen Anj den Platten 

der Trommeln des T.IJPUS I. · 

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 Vogel- Z:l. 10 3 Z. lG V~t-~gel 

schw:1nzmnster Z. 9 Punkte 4 Punkte Z. 17 

Z. 7 Radiale 

Z. 6 Pnnkte 

;1,; 5 Tangenten-Kreise 

Z. 4 Punkte 

Z 3 Sondermuster 

Z. :1 Punkt\l 

Z. I Stern 

Z. 8 Punkte 5 Punktc Z. 18 

(:i Slriche Z. lD 

7 Punkte 13'. :JO 

t1 'rangenten-Kreise Z. 21. 

() Punkte Z, 22 

10 ra.di ale Striche Z. 2il 

11 .. . Punkte z. 24 

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 den 1 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 w

64 U, GUEHLEH, [VoL. XXXV 

eiuilrttcksvollaten :J.ber ist die Aehnlichkait mib unaeren Trommelu a.uf 

eiuer holzgeachnintuan P la.tte, die von der a.frika.nischen Somalikueste 

sta.mmt, und sich jetzt im Koloni~lmuseum in Hom betindet. Sie zeigt 

in der Mitte eine Sonne mit 16 Stra.hlen, do.un, in den folgenden Zonen, 

die in wellenba.naa.ehulichar Rtilisierung ausgefuehrte Ihrstellung lies 

Weltmeeres. Auf der a.eusseL·sten Zone dieser Platte sind in besonderen 

Orna.menten die vier Ha.uptriobtnngen der Windrose a.ngedeutet. (N. B. 

Bollen nicht vielleicbt die H'roescha a,uf den l\'[etu.lltrommeln, die in der 

rueberwiegenden 1\Iehrza.bl als vier einzelue, oder in vier Gruppen el'scheinen, 

ebLmfalls die Kardiua.lrieh tung en des Kompa.sses a.ngeben? ) 

JJ'roberJ,i1ts schreibt dl1nn-" Mit deL' Weltbildschale beginut c1ie Moeglichkeit, 

c1iase, eiueL' eignen Herstellungswelt ihr Dasein verdankende Nnss· 

scha.lenwelt eigner Darstellung vom Kosmos dem eigucn Willen zu 

erschliessen." Und auf Seite 186 -"Wenn. der Scba.ma.ne seine Trammel 

schla.egt, auf deren Vorderijeil ~as Bild cler Welt d:ugestellt ist, so ba.unt 

et• alle Geister in di1>se allegorische Fassnug, die cles Meares, des Landes, 

der Berge, der Gewaeohse.'' Uud-"In die Weltbildtrommel bannt c1er 

Scha.mane die Geister dar na.tuerlichen Umwelt"--So roa.g a.uoh zu d

~Tlmm UJGBER Al~'rE ME]TALL-'l'ROMMELN 

Tome XIJ, fu.sc. ~· 1940 die Da. rsGelhmg von Hirsch en auf einer Bronze 

Einfa.ssung a.us Koba.n im I{a.uku.sus, sowie auf einer Bronze von Ordas .. 

Ii'erner die Du.rstelhmg einer Barke o.uf einem Siegel von Mobenjo-daro 

(Indian), du.s a twa. u.us dem J u.hr 2500 v. Chr. stammt. (Die!Je Barke ist 

uebrigens der Du.rstellnng der Barkon der u.nf-und untergehenden Sonne 

a.uf einero [tegyptischen TI olzsarge, F1·obeni·ns op. cit .. Seite 154, Figur 99, 

sehr aehnlieh). ~iere mih Punktltreisen find en sich na.ch Goloubew auf 

einer spo.niseheu Beitertigur a. us Bronze und auf J agdhunden bei einer 

Bronze von Ordas. 

Eine weitere sehr weit gehendo Analogie zn unseren Trommelu hat Cfolobew 

in seiner Studie "Le Vo.,se Curtis Au Musee Du Louvre" (9) behandelt. 

Dieae Ya.se sto.mmt a.us China nnc1 ist etwa. 2200 Jahre a.lb. Anf ihr sind 

in deta.llierter Weise Sllenen dargestellt, die in ihrer Gesamtheit das Bild 

eines von m a.gh;chen Bit en beherrsobten Festes ergeben, auf dem die 

Menschell Beis nnc1 Wein als Opfergaben bereitgeatellt haben, mit Gongs, 

toonenden Steinen und Glacken die Geister rufeu, dazu dtuelle 'l'aenze 

anffuhren, und nun die G

-oe 

U, GUiBlldert una abgewa.ndelt, uoch a,nsklingen. 

·rronnneln, wenn apch 

Ich habe minh a:ther 

hemueht moeglichst viele Einzelheiten :m sa.mmeln, denn cines Tll>ges 

\Verden ~iellelcht u.tich cliede altsn Gebr:wuche einer immer ''modernereu" 

Zeit weichtln r:nuessen. 

Die am Ho.f.e des Koenigs von 'I'hll>ihnrr verwaud!;en 1\Iet::dltrommeln 

gehoereu ansscbliesslich (1em Typus III au. Eline unter ihnen gehoe~b :m 

Typns IUa., alle anderen zu 'rypus IIIb. Die Trommeln str.mmen also 

a.us Burma und sind offenbar. bereita vor Longer Y.eit in clen Besitz der 

Koen(ge Thaibuds gela.ngt. Hiermit meine ich znnaechst clie Trommeln, 

die bei bestimmten Zeremouien beuutzt wenllm, Sie werden· vom Bof· 

marscha.ll-Amt, bezw. dem Koeniglicheu Zeremonienmeister verwaltet. 

Ausser diesen etwa. 6 Exemplaren betinden sich weitere etwa 20 Stueck in 

den Priva.tgemaechern des Koeniglichen Schlosses in Bangkok, wo sie als 

'reile der Eiurichtung lec1iglich profanen Zwecken dienen. Diese habe ich 

nicht gesebeu, doch ist mir mitgeteilt won1en, da.ss a.uch sie saemtlicb 

M13 dem Norden gekommen sind, sodass wir aunehmen hoennen, chss es 

" sicb n.nsscbliesslich urn VertreteL' des 'rypus III handelt, Mebrere dieser 

im Privatbesitz des Koenigs beflniUicheu Trommeln 8ind Geschenke der 

frueber selbsta.endigen Laos-Fuersten. Die fuer deu xerr~moniellen Gee 

branch :1bgeteilten Trommeln sincluach der Guete des Elo.ng;;s ansge· 

wa.ehlt. Sie sind daher unbesohaedigt uncl ha.ben keiue Spruenge. Ihr 

Kiang ist volt und rein. 

Gironc01~rt ·(5) macht interessa.nte Angabe:n UBher cUe '.l'on· Eigenschaftan 

dar Troromeln, von deneu na.oh seiueu Vel'Buchm eiue jedeje 

na.oh dem Pnnkte dar Oberfiaeohe, auf clam ma.n sie ansuhlaegt, und. 

entsprechend der verschiedenen Diohte des Metalls-drei verschiedene 

tiefe Toene widergibt. Bei den Sta.emn:ien der Kh: 1 in Indochina ist die 

Ton-Kombination g, a, c ( ""sol, la, do,) am me1sten gescbn.etzt. In dam 

gleicben Artikel von Gironco1wt sind die Ton-Gruppen von verschiedeuen 

Trommelu des Museums Louis Fin,ot in Hanoi (wo. sich die beruehmtesten 

Trommeln befinden) in N oten wiedergegeben. Gironoo~~rt waist ilarn.uf · 

l1in, dass a.uch die Art des Schlag~us dm• Trommeln bei den verscbiedenen 

Sta.emmen noch gar nicht erforscht sei. Diese Art ist bei Fasten der 

Lebenden verschieden von der Art, wie sie bei J3'esten dorr Toten oder 

A~men a.ugewandt wird,

PT. 1] STUDIE UEBEH ALTE METALL-'l'liOMMELN G7 

Die Trommeln am Hofe des Koenigs sind vielfaoh mit schwarzr:;m 

und goldenem I-'ack ueberzogen, soda.ss die urspruenglichen Ornameute 

unkenntlich geworden sind. Von den bei den Zeremonien verwandten 

Trommeln sind einige znm Gebra.ucb auf Gestellen horizontu,l anfgehaengt, 

andere Zllm 'fra,gen auf Tragstaugen befestigt. Hies steht im 

Gegeue:1tz zn der boi den Karens nnd Sohans ueblichen Aufha,ougungs 

:1l't, wo sie an einem Paa,re der Henkel befestigt sind und schra.eg von 

cler Decke herunterhaen~en, oder aher schmeg l\,Ul die Erde gestellt uncl 

da.un geschla.gen wercleu. Die Art Cler Befestignugsweise in 'l'ha.ihud, 

sowill clie Al't dos Schlagtms mit Kloeppeln sinilltus Tafel YII Abbildunrten 

7 1md 2 zn erkennen. Ancb Clio alten Tracbten cler Hofbeamteu, a.ns 

kostbarem Gold-und Silberbrolw,t, sind auf den Bildem erkenntlich. 

Icb moecb.te noch besonc1ers auf die sonnenaehnliche Zeichnung auf einer 

der ahgebilc1eten Trommeln hiuweiAen, die in Gold nnd Schwarz auf dem 

1\:Ia.ntel aufgetragen ist. 

Am H ofe des Koenigs von Thaila.nd werden die Trommeln wie folgt 

verwamdt-- 

1) Bei f(muellen 8taats-AwlienZtm. dc8 Koen£17s. In dem Augenbliel,, 

in dem cler Koenig Clen Audienzsa.al betritt, ertoenen, wenn Seine Majestaet ,. 

clen Thronsessel besteigt, znsammen mit Trompetenfanfaren langsa.me 

Trammel-Wirbel von etw:1 5 bis 10 Sekunden Dauer, Der TrommelwirbellJOert 

auf, ~bald sich der Koenig niedergelassen hl1t. Die gleiche 

Prozedur wieclel'holt sich am Scblusse der Audienz, sobald sich der 

Koenig erheht und bis er dem Blicke der Anweseuden entzogen ist. 

Trommeln una I!'a,nfaren el'fuell~n a,lso bei cliesen Gelegenheiten na.ch 

altem Branche etwa den gleichen Zweck, wie hentzuta.ge da,s Spielm der 

Koenigshymne oder der Nation!.!.lhymne. Bei Weniger feierlichen Audienzen, 

wenn der Koenig nieht Ml£ einem Throusessel Platz nimmt, 

werden weder Fa.nt'a.ren geblasen, noch Trommelu geschla.gen. 

Weiterhin werden die Trommeln gesohlagen- 

2) Bei Strtats- Pror~e8Bionen, an denen der !Coem:g teil nimmt, so insbesondere 

bei den frneher regelmaessig stattfinden Tot-Kathin-Prozessionen. 

Auch bier ist ihr Gebrauch an die Gegenwart der Person des l{oenigs 

gebunden. Sie werdeu geschlageu, wenn seine Person zmn ersten Male 

der Menge sichtbar wird, aber auch zuweilen unt.erwegs, a. h. waehrend 

cler Prozession selbst, Bei der grossen Wasserprozession hefinden sich 

die Trommeln auf der gleichen koeniglichen Barke wie die Person des

68 U. GUEHLER [vor, xxxv- 

J{oenigs. 

Ideineren nur 2. 

Bei grossen Pro:?.essionen warden 4 Trommeln benutzt, bei 

Die Meta.lltrommeln warden weiterhin gescbla,gen 

3) Za uewissen Stunden am Abend und in der Placid an Plaetzeu, 

wo .sich der Koe1dg oder die Koenigin befindeu, z. B. im Pa.la,st, 

a.nf Reisen an den verschiedeuen Unte1·kunftsp!aetzen und im koeniglioheu 

r~l1ger. Bei solchen Gelegenheiten erfolgt da.s Schlageu der Trommeln 

von 18 Uhr bis 6 Uhr alle drei Stunden und urn 12 Uhr. Die Art des 

Schla.gens ist zu allen Stnnden die gleiche. Els soil also nicht etwa. die 

Tageszeit angegeben werden, sondern dar Klang der Trommeln soU in 

zeremonieller nnd symbolischer Weise von der Gegenwart der hohen 

Person em Kunde geben, :rus ist freilich auoh moeglioh, dass in frueheren 

Zeiten, als os uoch keine Uhren gab, das Schla.gen der Trornmeln fast aile 

drei Sbuden gleichzeitig zm· Zeitangabe diente. Auch in diesem JJ'a.lle 

erscbeinen die Trommeln ale koeniglicher Zubehoer Seiner Majesbaet und 

ihr Gebrauch ist a,n seine Person gebunden. 

Die Trommeln warden waiter geschlageu 

4) bei gewissen religioesen Zerenwnien in einigen lmddhistisrhen Tem 

,. peln. Als Beispiels ein€s Tempels, in dem solohe Metalltromrneln aufgestellt 

sind, nenne ich dass W at Phra Keo. Dort bel:inden sioh zwei mit 

Gold ueberlaclderte Trommeln des Typus III, die dam Tempel als Opfergaben 

an den Buddha vom Koenig zum Geschenk gemacht " sind. Dieser 

Tempel birgt den beruehmten ''Smaragdenen Buddha," dtlr jaehrlich 

clreimal sein Gewand wechselt. Das Wecbaeln des Gewandes-jtl einmal 

bei Be ginn der Regenzeih, der kalten und der heissen J a.hreszeit-geschieht 

unter Begleitung religioeser Zeremonien, hei denen (I.Uoh die Metalltrommeln 

ge~ohla.geu warden. In aehnlicher Weise werden a.uch in a.nderen 

Tempeln, in denen sich Meta.lltromrneln belinden (zum Beispiel im Wa.t 

Bovoranives) diese bei bestimmten religioesen Feieru geschlagen. So wie 

bei den Sta.atsaudienzen c1as Sohla.geu der Trommelu die Gegenwartder 

hoechsten Person des Koenigs lwndgibt, so scheint bei religioesen 

der Zeremonien Trommelwirbel die GeAenwart jener hoeohaten Verehrnng 

anzuzeigen, die die Gemeinde gegenueber dem Gedaechtuis des But!dha 

empfindet. Und diese Verebrung wird als so hoobstehend a.ngesehen, dass 

ihr clie koenigliche Ehrnng des Trommelscblagens zu Teil wird, 

Absobliessend moechte ich feststellen, class also die lVIetalltrornmeln in. 

Thailand ausscbliesslioh in Verbindung mit der Person des Koenigs und ..

1"1'. t.l H'lTD IE Ul~llKl~ AL'l'E M1~'l'AL L-'.l'lWMMWLN 

69 

fuor religioese Zwooke gGbt·o.uoht warden. Als Kriegstromm en, 

1 ., , 7 ers:tmmlungstrommeln 

oder fuor andere profane Zweoks warden sie t1.mtlioh 

nioht vorwo.ndt. In c1ieser Tu.tsa.ohe aehe ioh den Ausdruck einer ·ahr. 

hnnderto-jo. vielloicht ja.brtn.usendo-alten Tradition· W o.ren u~sere 

1'rmumeln VOl' zweito.uaend .J a.hren cler Sonne geweibt, genossen sie u.ls 

Gegenstu.endo jenes a.lten Sonnonlmltes hoeobste Verehrnug, 80 finc1en wir 

n.noh heute, da.es sioh dieae gleioha Verehrung in der Art ihrer Verwenclung 

in 'rha.ilu.nd widcnspiegelt, itenn a.noh hier verhindet sich ihr Klang 

mit der Gegen warh des fl1er die Tha.i lneohflten lebandigen Wesens una 

mit der Erinnernng a.n don Buddha, den Erlenchteten. 

SOHLUSSBETRAOHTUNG: 

Ho.t auoh IIeael' iu seinem grundlegenden Werke ~die wesentlioheu 

Zusu.mrnonhaenge iu cler Bntwiokluug der Meto.lltrommeln gefunden, 

h:1-hen a.noh Ooloubcw und Oolani die H:~uptfrags uaoh ihrer Bedeutung 

in ttflht!rzeugonclcr Weise geloest, so ergibt da.s seht• fesselne Studium 

nnserer •r.rommeln dooh nooh eine grosse Baihe weiterer Fregen, die fuer 

Ilia Gegonwo.rt a.ls nngeloest angesehen werden muesseu. . 

Wu .. nn flim1 (lie Ji'roesche auf dm: Pla.tte des Typus I hinzuge1wmmeu? • 

Welo\ws ist die Bedeutung der 1J1roesobe? Woher stammt der Typus II? 

Wo lm.t er sioh 1mtwioltfllt, und wie ist sein scbneller "Elntwicklungsgu.ng, 

dChen Ornarnenton nnd geometrischen Figuren zum Ausdrnck 

komm t, illl !lrklo.eren? W !J.l'ttm Hind die Trornmeln des Tyus II so 

A

70 tr. C: ULW Lim 

l!"or!:;ehern r.uga,englich xu umohen. \V :1s iu eiHiguu .f a.l1rtln von cliesem 

i.Vbtel'in.l uocb r.ug:umglich ist, ist fragiich. Wir 0rlebon iwmor wieder, 

wie schwer es tllElt' Htlmogr:J.phen und I

1''1'· 1] STU J)J I~ U Elli~R AL'rE ME'l'ALL-TROMMELN 71 

( 5 ) Georges du Gironcourt, Re

1 

J 

I 

' . 

'13: 

UNE. NOUVELLE INSCRIPTION D'AVUTHYA 

PAH G. COEDES 

Au cours lle t1·a vu.ux de voirie effeotues en aeptembre 1939 dans l'ile' 

d'AYuthya., une pierre pb.te inscrite sur sea deux fa,ces a. ete exhumee d'un' 

tertre sitno 11 c6M.du Bot Phrttm (1). Cat ancien sanctua.ir~ brabmanique 

se tronve c1o..ns la.. partie orientale de la. ville pres a~ l'auoien p~nt, 

nomrrie Sapha.n Ohi Knn, qui francbisaait le l{hlong du mtlme nom. . 

L'origine de cettl~ stt'lle est inconnue, et tout ~e qu'on pent en d~re; .vu' 

lea oirconsta.nces de Btl. deconvertl', c'est qu'elle etait la aepuis l'epo9ue . 

01't Ayuthya etu.it

"74 G. OOEDES [VOL, XXXV 

Oette liguee roya.le, qui a.ppa.rait ici pour la premiere fois, est completement 

distincte de la dyna.stie gouvernant a..lors l'empire khmer, ol't le 

roi etait alors Ja.ya.varman IV el; residt1it 8, Ohok Gargya.r= Koh Ker. 

L'ancl.'ltre, Bbagadattu., porte le m!3me nom qu'nn roi qui rognu.it en 51.5 

dans cat ~:)ta.t de la Peninsula 1\falaise auqnel les Clhinoifl donnent le nom 

de Lang-Jfa-.~ieon. OH Bhu.gad().tta dn J:,a.ng.ya.-sieon eta,i.b le fils d'nn 

parsonnage qni, apres a.voir ete ex:ile dans l'Inde, :wait ete rappele par 

les grands du royaume et ava.it regnEl 20 n.ns (2). i.\1ais le nom Bha.ga. 

d:J.tta est trop commun pour CJU'on pnisse euvisa.ger uue itlentifwu.tion de 

ces deux souvera.ins. 

Les 17 lignes dt~ la secoude b.ce donuent une liste de noms propres, 

preoedee du mot khmer. khf'Lll?JL, qui signifie ''esclu.ve." Cas noms sont 

eux-mt:lmes purement khmer'S et las a.ppellatifs dout ils sont precedes: alw, 

tai, si, yval sont lss m13mes que dans 1 'epigrapbie a.ngkorienne de cette 

epoque. Eufin, ce tex:te cornporte anssi plu;;ieUI's expressions khmeres : 

kvan, enfttnt; pau nna!l, t1n (enfant) an seiu; rat 'l'ttar, deux (enfants) en 

ltge de marcher (3); 7'N_?!OC lune deorois3a.nte; carwwt, entier, non cha.tre 

(4); dnyw!l pram, oinq paires. 

" Ainsi, en 937, trois siecles environ a pres !'inscription en langue mona 

de Lopburi (5), et pre3 d'uu siecle avant l'inscription khmere de 944-947 

Qaka. (1022-1025 A. D.) an nom de Sii.rya.varman I d'Angkor (6), la 

region d' Ayuthya faisait partie d'un etat qui n'etait pa.5 'l:lnc0re ru.ttu.cM a 

l'empire khmer, ma.is ou l'element khmer ava.it ae:i

l"I'· 1.\ !lNI,~ NOUVIi1LLii: INSCRIPTION D'.AYU'l'HYA 75 

TEXT.m 

Ji'acl? 1 

I t) netrii.rccirddagdhakiimena,

76 L vor .• :xxxv 

( 10) :rl_lpoc Q gho lmr~wiL • gho ka.nran n (11) gho k:uuvai • gvii.l 

pn,udt\U • gvii.l vmhi (12) gviil dai1hvan • ta.i bplwp • (13) tai lmt;npit 

o tar khn·n kvan vyar (14) - - siiii • tai lthi1UJ? vra.l} o tai iyik {15) 

- - - - tai.lmndhi • II (16) - - -- -- -· - kampit ai lmn-as (17) 

-- - - - - - - oa.nmat duya~1 llr'i\:mm 

TBADDOTION 

L Qa.nkar::~. ( ~ Qiva) est constn.mroaut viotorieux, lui qui tL brule 

Kama ("" 1' Amour) par le fen de son oeil et qui, par ora.inte de voir le 

monde brule (par son eclat), porte (sur son chignon) ce p(,tale cE!lesbe 

qu'est la. demi lnne. 

II. Saine?. la -tille de l' Hima.va.t qui a'a.pproprie la. moitiu au corps 

de Uara ( = Qiva), et que Guhu. ( = Skand~~t) lui-mt'lrm regarde avec 

incertitude en sH disant: "N'ost-ce pas ma mere '? " 

III. Il y out de nombreux rois, ornes de l14o richesse du monde, 

, posse"daut l11 Fortune, possedo.nt 1; terre de Oiini~tu.Pma, dont le premier 

fut Bh!lgado.tbu.. 

IV. Il out pour descendant Qt•I Suudamparii.hmm:.~. 

, 

qui fo.isait 

prosperer les 11rts (ou les lcara, c'est-a-dire lea portiou8 de ht luue}, d 

faisa.it briller so. fa.mille comme la. hme dans 1~ ciel. 

V. Son ills o.ine, nomm6 Qri Sundaravttrmttn fut par sa beante le 

1iremier des hommes bsa.ux, et Pt\l' sou onergie le premier cles heros. 

V L Son fils, a 'aspect agreable, nomme Qri N ara.pa.tisinha varm an 

fut, par sa. puissance, chef supreme (ad!dpati) de \h-i Oii.niqa, oomme 

Vi~~u ebait l'epoux (pati) de la. Fortllne. 

VII Son frllrt:J cadet, nomme 1\iangalaVtHman, done d'uue rema.r· 

quo.ble fermen0 d'eaprit - -- - grace U. sa force, Ha profondeur, sa 

douceur, son courage, sa sonverainete. 

VIII. En 9aka marque Par (8) pouvoirs su:rnaturels, {5) orga.nes · 

des sens eb 9 (7) - - - - uue im11g{1 de sa. mere· a.Ya.nt l'a.spech de 

Devl - - - grande affection - - - 

_ IX. - - - la• voix emise pa,1• lui - - - 

-·--··--~----·-----·-·-- 

(7) &59=- 931 A. D,

77 

THE EARLY ll-"'OSTAL HISTORY ~)F 

THAILiiJNO. 

BY PAUL P, LINDENBERG. 

lNTBODUOTION 

J. Postal £lislm·,11 as Port of General Histm·y. 

Up to the end of the XIX cent;ury it wa.s generallY hle (~f' the commu.nicutious, i, e., the development 

of posts, telegraphs and telephon:~s, of l'!l.dio-oommunioa.tions, 

rJ.ilwn,y, shipping ~1.nd n.ir·tra.ffic, as being an essen\ial pa,rt of t1uman life, 

as an intugra.l element of the growth of mankind. 

Prom all these I shall choose for the present study the development of 

the modem postal service wHhin .th3 bouuda.ries ot •.rhnJlaud. And within 

thi~ verY waste, aolnplicated and ratb

'78 PAUL 1'. UNJ)Ji:NHT!~IW Jvor,, XXXV 

A. POR'rATJ CONDI'riONS IN THA.If,t\N.D Lll' TO 'rrm 

MlDDLl!l OJ!' '.riHl XIX mW'.l'l.JHY. 

I. The Inland Seroit:l'. 

a.. 

Offioin.l Serviee. 

The iulaml ma.il service or the Tha.i Govt~rumenb in its state up to 

the micldle of the XIX. century must be looketl at as 'briginll.ting with the 

a.dmiuistra.tive reforms carried out by Kmu 'l'milok, (1448·1488) (1), 

who ere a. ted five eivil ministries. One of t.hose pa. rtiou lady oared for 

the transportation of government letters. 

A description of the orga.nisa.tion o£ tho· oilloiu.l inland mail given 

in 1925 hy the 1Y1 inistry of Communications sta.t~s u.s follows ~ 

"Prior to the establishment; of Post and 'Celugra ph services in 

the Kingdom of Siam, epistolary corroapondenco Wt\B couveyed by 

va.rions methods in accordance with old nsa.ge. 

" .Elor the inland service tho tnmsmiasion of official letters wa.s 

arranged under two ct~otegorif:s :-v£z, ordina.ry u,nd urgeut ... 

"An ordinary rness::q;e waH fonvardcd ft·om one provinoe to 

another. 

''An urgent mes>:age Wll.S conveyed by sr•e&'.la.l oourier. The 

courier was provjdecl with meanH of oonvey:moe thl'ough wL:~tewr 

province he had to go. 

"Alterations and improvements in the :~hove pra.otioo were 

ma.de at the time when H. R. H. Prince D(Lmrong beca.me Minister of. 

the Interior. ]lu,ch important t.own was provided with tf.'\gulttr 

couriers, whose duties were to despatch messages from town to town 

and to entrust same to fresh couriers, 

],or instance;· in ease of t~n urgent message intended for N agor 

Rajasima, the Bangkok courier had to convey it only to Ehra.buri. 

After handing ~he message to a. fresh courier at that place his duties 

ended., The successive couriers took charge of the message and 

carried it to its destination." 

We see here, consequently, a vivid description of a well·organised 

relay-system as it was in use in Europe in,the XV, XVIand XVII cen· 

( 1) seo; W, A. R. Wood: A History of Siam, Bangkok 1 ~38, p. 85, 

1/'i

,l''l'. 1] 'l'l.Lh~ .h:ArtLY l'OST.AL }fiS'l'OHY OF THAIL.A:t'ID 79 

tudes, With t•ogftrd Lo the iiWI:UiiU!,f!ers themselves we find some pa.rticula.r;~ 

in auothot· publim1tiou of the Ministry of Commerce a.nd Comrouniot1- 

1;ious, from whieh I sl10nlcl like to quote the following P3.Bsages : (2) 

'''l 1 he Governor of ea,oh town maintained a umuber of couriers 

who knew the t}Uickest rouLes to a.ll neighbouring cities. 

lwportant 

towns a.lso ha.d special couriers who were versed in tra.vel uo distant, 

cities wiLl! which they had business connection, In the Oa.1Jital tbe 

Oentral G·ovel'llmeut ma.intained a la1·ge number· of cmu·ien.; to run 

to all the cities Slll'l'OUnding the metropolis, and 11 group of spechl.l 

eoudel's who knew the quickest way to every city in the E:ingdom." 

'l'he sa.me work gives alflO some remarkable hil1Ls with rega.rd to the 

ron tes. (3) 

" 'J:he roubes were well marked and known to all. Resthouses 

were provided along the routes, which >\'ere kopt in oriler by 

the people. Tbe couriers were trea.ted with respect, and if t,hey 

carried tho King's letters spetlial treatment was afforded them on the 

routes. For urgent and important messages special comiers made 

the entire trip, and it was the dut.y of the towns along the rontn to 

provide them with fresh ponies and other facilities for reu.ohing their 

destination." 

• 

In thi:; eom1E>'\ltion we must also oonHider tho hl.ct that the U:ng as 

well u.s many nobles in ll.ncient Thailand nv to the middle of the pa.st 

centut·y htt(1 u. monopul11 q/' l:rade iu most of the exported or imported 

goodH, 'l'hey were, consequently, for the despatch of orders for ddivery 

or informations with regard to stocl,s, absolutely dovendent on a. reliable 

system of lettar-Ct\rrYing. 

This commercial acLivitY on the part . of t.he ,offich•l world 

unavoidably letl to numerous difficnlti~s as soon as fo,reign em- , 

basf.iies visited Thailand for the purpose of concluding treaties of peace 

and comn.erce. (4) 'l'he Eluropen.n and American countries, particularly 

their merchants, needed · the goods growing here, they needed on the 

other hand markets for their own products, anll for the safe-guarding 

( 2) see: Siam: Natu1·e and Industru. Issnod by the Ministry of Commel'ce 

and Oommunieation>~, Bangkok, 1930, Chapter XX, p. 285, t

80 PAUL P. LINDI~N.BElW lvQT,, X\.XV 

of both, they needed a. safe o.nd relia.ble mail sm:vice, They were deeply 

interested in a. free tra.de which Wfl>S contrMY to the interests of the 

holders of the monopolies. 

'J~he mail despatching orgn.nh;ation of Thailand during that t.ime

. 

. 1·.·,< 

'fH1TI ~AHLY POSTAL HIS'rORY OF THAILAND 81 

b. Private Letter Distribution. 

Private persons and officials Jo1' their pei'sona.l aff n.irs hacl their own 

me::~.ns of commnnica.tion. ~Chis resulted in the employment of private 

IIWSi::lenge1'S whiob were oeca.sionally S\mt. by people writing letters. All 

the tru.ders n.nd private persons kept their own couriers and' employed 

them a.ccm·cling to theh· own necessities. (7) 

We cu,n, lluwever, presttme that conditions with regard to this matter 

were quibe similar to 1;hose of the Midale Ages in Europe. Here the 

CJu.ilclB spreadir.g over large territories, employed their own messengers 

independent of imueria.l or royal postal organisations. Besides that 

monks to a. large extent ca.rried not only papa.l bulls, orders, ordina.nces 

or letters of the Catholic Churoh u.nd its institutions, but also messages 

from a.uc1 to private persons. 

The posto.l organisation of the famouR 

Counts of Thurn and Ta.xis (in the old German Empire), of the Kings of 

J~ngla.nd, of ll 1 ranCle or of bhe Italian Princes proved to he quite unable to 

claim a prerogative, not to sPeak of a. relagia, for the postal service within 

their respective terdtorieB. On the contra.ry st:vera.l of these rnivate • 

postu.l establishments gradually turned cut to be extremely n·lil).ble. (t.) 

The all'ettdy \nent,ioned Thai messengers were origir1ally slases or 

sometiu1es free employel1S of rich people who sent letters to their relat,ives 

or for commercial purposes. 

There was, oom.equently, no special fee 'tor 

each letter to be paid because the messenger did not earn his living from 

this business of letter-carr~ing only, as he did also other work fol' his 

m:1ster. 

'! ·1. 

;I 

'Ji 

.. 

I 

! 

,, 

., 

•I 

'i 

.· ... .! "l 

.] 

~ 

.. 

H is n.lso repqrted that these private messengers made use of the 

s:1me routes 1;1.nd of the same rest-houses on their way through the country. 

(9) 

------···--------------·--- 

( 7) see: Postal Progress in Siam 1885-19:~5, p. 3; S£arn: Nature ancl Industry, 

p. 28ll. 

( 8) see : The Penny- t'ost of William Dock1vr·a, in London; the Provincial 

Penny Posts ir. Middle and Northern Enuland; the Local CJarriers in the United 

States; the mtmero;ts privata postal :;ociaUes and· establi.chmer;.ts in Gennany: m· 

the Semstwo Posts in Russia, 

( 9) see: Siam, Nature and Indust?·y, p. 285 •

,. 

L vor .. '\X\V 

'.l~hr~ connection between Thu.il:ond t\nd ftweign oount;rie;; existed l\L 

i;ha.t time ma.inly by sea. though there wero o.lao som·1 possibilities of land 

rout;es to Burma in tho West, to China. h1 thu North, to Indo.CJhina in the. 

:mast, o.nd to the Mn.la.y Ponin•mla. in thH Smtth. A;,, hnwBvor, foreign 

mail chiefly consisted of correspondence o( high 'rha.i oftlein.b for tht1 sa.ke 

o[ their trade monopolies awl of thn,t of foreignnrs who liveii mn.inlv in or 

nea.r Aynthya, ot• b,t;':lr in or nea.r Ihngkoi\, 1,ile 11'11!/ll!f se11 wa.g tho mo'lt 

frequented. 

We ser3, uon~equently, dttriw~ uhe period in question nunwronH British, 

Da.nish, PortugueFJe, a.nd !!'ranch vegatlls ca.lling n.t lhnglmk or Pena.ng. 

We see :1!ao the vessels of the 'rba\ kings anrlnobles not only carrying· 

goods, but the necegsa.ry ma.il. 'l'hr:dr visit», li.S they all wertl :1t that timo 

only sailin(! ship.~. was highly dependent on the traae winc18, i. r.• , on the 

North·Tilast :\1on'loon in spring and on tbr~ Sont;h-Ba.Ht MonBoon in !tUtumn. 

. On the other hand i.t is quite impoasihlo to give . ror thB t.ime being any 

·particular da.tos about organisation of this mail sArdce which w:1S entirely 

FJubject to sLriotly priv1.1.te a.g1;aements :~,ncl Ml'O.nqomont!:l Wind~:~, 

" loa.ded goods, 11a.tiona.lity of the vessels

I".f!. lj 'l'Hif. 8Al?.LY P08'l'AL HISTOH.Y OF THAILAND 83 

proved to be l.'l.bsolutaly imJUiticient. The orga.nisation hithe1·to maintained, 

i. e., the thoro11ghly oc.:meiona.l cha.ra.oter o£ tramporfiing letters from 

J3a.ngkolc to their Eastern or Westem Asiatic or Europer"n and other 

destinations s0011 turned out to be too slow, not frequent enough, anc1 

too unreliable. 'J~he main problem was, however, that none of tbe t.hree 

narnect :>groements litPrally dealt with the CJ.l.l~Rtion of let,ter.transmission 

with rclgtud to foreign mail. 

!. lJon.g Kong Postal Service at Dauukok (1858-!886). 

Ways, howevar, were soon fonnd to check this ,Cl.ilen:una, u.nd it must 

be maintained. that Sir John Bowring who at tha.t time wa.s Governor 

General of Hong Eong, Wll.B the initiator of the respective impro':ament. 

This wag realized by inaugura.tiug a. real postal service by aid of the 

newly established Consulate-General in Ba.ngkok. The then Postmaster 

Ganera.l of Hong Kong, S. B. C. Rosa, later on published n.n interesting 

article in which he says :-(10) 

"a kina of unrecogoized agency of the Hong Kong Post Offine 

h:ul. been maintained at the Consula.te-General, Bangkok, where 

Hong I{ong stamps were sold and letters could be registered." 

This statement must, though coming from au official source, !lever· 

tbeless be looked t1,t a.s quite inexact. The service is said to ha.ve started 

in 1858; {11) we can see, however, from every postage sta.mp oa.ta.logue 

tha.t stamps were not introduoecl in the colony of Hong Kong before 

December, 1862. The Kohl-Handbook, furthermore, states that specia.l 

ob \iterations of Hong Kong stamps used in Bangkok were only fonna 

from 1883 to 188:). 

We o.re, consequent! y, bound to divide the postalu.etivity of the Consulate 

.General chronologically into tht·ee periods, i. e. :- 

( 1) from 1858 to the end of 1862 : o.caepbu.uce and despatch of letters 

only by indica.tiog the postal fee by pen or pencil; 

(2) from 1863 to 1883 : handling of letters by. franking them with 

Hong Kong stamps ; the obliteration took plu.ce only at their arrival at 

Bong Kong, 

·--~---------------------:~ 

( I 0 ) see : Postmaster General S. B. C. Hoss, Notes on the British Postctl 

Arwncies, in 8tamJJ Collectors Fo1·tnightly, 2\Jth S!!JJt .. 19Z3. 

( 11 ) set~: lh, Herbert Munk: Kohl-Bdefmm·ken-Hrmdlwch, Berlin, 1936. 

Vol. V. p, 222. 

•

(3) from 1883 to 1885: handling of letters by fl·a.uldng them with 

Hong Kong postage stamps n.ud oa.ueelliug them ~ilh a speoin.l obliterator 

cont11ining the inscription BANGKOK and the l1£Lte in a. circle of 2G mm. 

din. meter. 

T'he letters o£ the seeoud a.nrl thin1 period sometimes u.lso showed :.t 

large black sea.l with the British a.rms ::mel the inscription BRITISH 

CONSULATE BANGKOK. By this mea.sure the sta.mps could not be 

stole11. Nothing is kno~n up to now with regarc1 to the 110stal rates 

charged l\.t that time. 

In this couuectio~ it must be borne in mind that the hn.ndling of ma.il 

by British Consulates was quite a genera.l custom. If we study cn.refully 

tbe development of B1·iti8h Posl Office8 onf8icle the British Empire, 

especi::l.lly in Oentru,l l1.nd South America, in t.he ~Teu.r o..nd Middle Ea~t 

and in some parts of Africa., we see tha.t British Oonsuls.tes.Genera.l, 

Oonsnbtes and Vice-Oonsubtes were orclered to u.uoept ma.il for despatch, 

to use British postage stamps and oblitera.tors, to llx Bpeoia.l postal rn.tee 

for transportation to England herself anc1 to vn.rions othflr J~nrope:.m 

,. . countries . 

. 1. Straits Settlements Po.slal Serviee ol Bnlif!k(ll.: (!.'>'f-i:.'-!88ti). 

As ::~olreac1y mentioned the Postu.l Servi

·P'.r, 1] THE EAI{LY POSTAL HISTO:tY OF 'l'HAILAND 85 

which s:>,cm:ed a.ll these improveuents a.nd fa.cHities. It embraced the 

handling of all ma.il from Tha.ih.ncl destined for the West. 

'l'he lit.era.Ltu·e at this moment availa.ble unfortunately gives no pa.rticmlo.rs 

concerning· n,rrival and departm·rl of ma£l boats or regarding rates 

from Ba.ngkok to Singapore, India., or Europet1n countries via Suez or \ia. 

Cape of Good Hope, We know, however, that especially low rates were 

la 'er introcluced for letters to England via. l\larseilles. (12) 

To facilitate the prepayment of these rates sprxial postaul' sla111ps 

were sent from Singapore to Bangkok. 

They consisted of the stamps 

then in tBe in the Stra.lts Settlements, but with an overprinted B. At 

the opening of this new service which took place on the 1st September, 

1882, the values of 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24, 30 and 96 cents were put on 

sale. No particulara are lilc,?wise a.t prasent available conceruing the 

n11mber of stamp:; overprinted, Originally there must ha.ve been la.rge 

stocks of supply prepared but most o£ the stamps are now lost. To-day 

they are extremely soarce, and most of the oopie3 offered, perha.ps 

eighty per cent, are joraeries. 

• 

There is a very interesting remat•k given by Colonel G. E. Gerini 

in his Oatalornw of the Siamese Section at the Internationol Exhibition 

of Industry 7Tnrl Labnlll·, held in Turin in 1911; there the author 

says with regard to these stamps and their use :-(13) 

"ThE'Y could be purchased in this form at a trifle more than 

cost price, the surcharge being devoted to defraying tbe cost of 

oa.rrying the sa.id conespoudenca by meroha.nt steilotners to Singa· 

pore." 

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

( 12} From the t~ea.tles a.boub India in the Kohl-Brie;fma1'lcm·Handbuch, voL I. we 

learn only the following figures:- 

1859-186:3: Singa.porc to Pen11ng 

Singapore to Inclia 

2 Annas 

4 Annaq 

( s~o p. 481) 

( seo p. 485) 

1866: India to England via Marseilles 6 A. S P. ( s~e p. 486) 

188'2: dto. dto. dto. 

6 A. G P. (seep. 488 J 

'rhcre was, howowr, a~1 adclitioua.l rate from Bangkok to Singapore of 2 or 4 Annas, 

which, iu 1867, when tho Dollar anrl Cents Otnoron0y was introrluced in the Colony, was 

·chRngccl into its ocluivttlout in cents. 

(1.'3) sec: Col. G. E. Gerini: Catalogue etc. p. G7-G8.

8(:) PAUl, l'. LTND!mBKHG [vor.. XXXV 

Though Colonel Gerini by giving in hiE! Ca.to.logue u. short post:.d 

history of bbis country, ttnd though showing at this exhibition lwrs de 

concmtrs :.m extensive stamp collection, proves to be well acquainted with 

the ma.teri11.l in question, this remn.rl

l"l', 1.] 'l'HI•; EAHLY POSTAL ElS'I'ORY OF' THAILAND 87 

to supply Thailu.ncl with postage stamps similtu to those then in use in 

Enghnd, the time ha,cl not yet come n.nd the offer was deolioed. (15) 

By :.tn(l by, however, affairs got into some shape, and in 1881 H. 

M. King Chulalougkorn appointed his younger brother, H. R B. Prince 

Blmnurangsi a.s Minister for Posts and Telegr:.whs, a.t the same time 

CNlllting u. new Minist

88 PAUL P. LINDENBERG h·or.. x:xxv 

There were three mu.il-deliveries d:.ily throughout this area. ; on the 

other ha.nu a. great number of letter-boxes ha.d been pla.oed in a.ll pu.rts of 

the town to deposit there all the mail to he gathered n.nd distt'ilmtea. 

Speoial a.ttenti011 must be dra.wn to the Postal Rt\tes which are an 

important Houroe for some later investigations. Ii'irst cbss rna.il for 

instance, i.e., ordinary letters, was charged ftt ~ a.tts for the weight of 

one ticllll, that is 15. 13 gr., o..nc1 1 att. for every :J.dditionn,l tie al of weight. 

Postcards were sold at the counters a.t the following rn.te: 

1 postcard 

Bposteards 

6 postcards 

H a.tts 

4 n,tts 

8 at;ts. 

The oa.rds ha.d, however, a.u impt•inted st.a.m.p of 1 n.Lt only. Newspu.pers 

were despatched for 1 a.tt per sheet, a.uc1 a.ll fonrth cla.ss articles 

at the rate of one att per tical weight. .l! 1 o r :~.ny letter on which the 

postage was not fully prepaid, the l1ddressee \Yafl cba.rged with twice the 

amount of the deficiency, 

The important businass of sorting the ma.il, as well a.s the whole 

,. administra.tion, was done at the General Post Office, which a.t that time 

wa.a near the Ong Aug Cana.l that iA nowac1a.Ys nea.r the Memorial 

Brirlge, in a building to.clay a. pa.rt of th1j Telephone Service. 

8. The First Thai Postaue 8tMn.ps. 

Considering the mea.uB and speed of transportation n.t the end of the 

hst century it must have been late in 1882 that ::t.n order w:~.s given by 

the Thai·Ministerior Posts and Telegraphs to the firm of Messrs. Waterlow 

and Sons, Ltd., Lor~;clon, to supply the country with the postage 

st::~.mps necessary for the prepayment of the ru.tes mentioned before. And 

a.s hitherto nothing i;~ known wi~h regard to the ::t.t•tists who made the 

design a.ud who Cllb the dies, or regarding the choice of the colours to be 

used, we must assnme that Waterlow n.nd Sons were entirely at liberty 

concerning these Particulars. They seem to have obtained only a. portra.it 

of H. M. King Ohuln.longkoru in uniform, looking i;o the left, an 

informa.tion indica.ting the va.rions denominu.tions, and the 'Thai inscriptions 

to be inserted, None of the orna.ments engraved bad a. particular Thai 

char:1cter, no foreigner unacquainted wlth the Thai alphabet was able 

to ascerLa.in the va.lne of a. stamp, The printers seem to ha.ve ab9olutely 

,.

P'J.', l} ~'HE EARLY POSTAL HISTORY OF THAILAND 89· 

ignored tlw simplest principles and rules of intm·national postal law 

concerning tbese details. 

The denominations orderea and rcoeived respectively \\·ere :- 

1 solot 

1 att 

1 sio 

1 sik 

1 sal1~ng 

dark blue 

carmine 

red 

yellow and 

brown-orange. 

In·this oonnecbion we must remember that the rather complicated 

system of currency then in use in Thailand wa.s u.s follows :- 

2 solot 

2 atts 

2 sios 

2 siks 

2 juaw;Js 

4 sal1mgs 

1 att 

1 sio or pai 

1 silc 

1 /tttllll(l 

1 salung 

1 tical 

On the other hand we ha.ve a much simple!' calculation by dividing 

the tical into 64 atts. This monetary system was changed, in Novemher, • 

1908, int.o one tical, or baht, equal to 100 satangs; that means H atts 

were approximately equal to 2 satangR. 

lit 

Ali the inscriptions on the postage stamps were written ill Timi :.wd 

cousisted only of the indication of the value, but omitted the name of the 

editing country or ac1ministration. The centre showed the portrait of H. 

M. King Ohulalongkorn. Printing sheets contained eighty Rtamps 

:.uranged in ten borizonta.lrows of eight .. aopies. No marginal indications 

concerning plates or plate numbers were engraved, as is ust1a.l with most. 

stamp printers, and the paper itself shows no watermark The whole 

issue consisted of 500,000 sets, or 6,250 sheets of every value. Though 

the1·e was only one printing, ruany colour shades are lmov.n from every 

denomination owing to n. ]Jad distribution cf the eolom within tl:e printing 

mn.chines. 

I!l 

There was, however, a mist:.l.ke n;ade in w f:n as tbHE stam[>B \\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

90 PAUL P. LIN IH~Nlll·:W; 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.

P'l', 1] THE EAHLY POS'rAL HlS'fO[\Y OF THAILAND 91 

" A Post Offbe now tlelivers letters with regularity throughout the 

0'l.pita.l and its suburbs. The use made of it ha.a sur)wisingly exceeded 

Our expectations, u.s We did not think tha.t Siames~ would w1·ite so many 

letters. We :1re now mJst desirous to extend the posto,\ service t>hroughout 

Siam to the great a.dvaut:lge of t•ra.de aud good government; and 

when that is done, We hope, a.s invited by the Postma.ster-Gemral of 

Germany, to extend our co!'l'esponaence through t·he world br entering 

the Postal Union." 

Greo.t hopes were there expressed, gt·ea.t projects were there tanched, 

a ud great intentions explained. And it was, on the other hand./ quite 

understandable, tha.t the German Post master General, fleinrinh von 

Stephan, the initiator of the Universal Posta.l Union, had a. vivid interest 

t.o·see the fa'inous child of his love spread all over the world, a. pea.ceful 

nnion which should one day embrace all continents of the globe. 

Next year, i. e., on the royal birthday in 1884, H .. M. King Ohula. 

longkorn made another proolama.t.ion of which ourionsly two different 

versions exist. For su.viug time and space, only the correct one shall be 

given here. On this ocoa..sion the King said :·-(19) 

" 'l'he interior postal organisl1tion of our Oa.pita.l having been • 

completed, we intend now to extend it to all the provinces watered 

by the river Mena.m v.s far as Ohiengrai. Eneoura.ged by the promise 

which the United States of America, Germany a.nd Switzerlaud 

have made of their friendly co-operation, we have a.ocepted 

their iuvita.tion to enter the Universal Postal Union. Nevertheless, 

the]egislation which was necessary w:J.s not completed until after 

the o.djourument of the Post:~l Congress. We do uot doubt that 

this step will be a. benefit to a.ll the world in genera.!, a.nd, above all, 

to our kingdom," 

These explaurl.tiong lead to the conclusion tha.t during the firat years 

of her o~vn postal activity Tha.iland wa.e a.lready given mnch a.ttention 

by some impot·ta.nt western countries, a.nd tha.t a regulo.r correspondence 

held between va.l'ious postu.l administra.tious a.nd that established in 

(19) 1ee: F.red J. Melville, op, cit., p. 18, The other version which, curiously 

enough, is given Ly R. S. le May in his Historical Notes, p, 9, and runs ag follows: 

" Otu ii1ternal postal arrangements, which were confined to the Oapihll, have now 

been e:xtended to all the Provinces along the Menam as far as Oliiengmai. Encouraged 

by the kind offer of assistance from the United States, Germany and 

Switzerland, we have accepted the invitation to enter the Universal Union, "

···- 

92 PAUL P. LJNDENm:J;G [vor,, xxx:v 

Bangkok. 

The Germa.n interest ba.s alref.tdY been mentioned; Switzerland, 

~s the seat of the Oentrn.l Burea.u of the Union, lil~ed to see a grow .. 

ing importance of this institution, and the United States of America ha.d. 

since a long time eagerly looked for a.n improvement of their own com. 

mercia.l rebtions with this country, 

The next Postal Congress took phce n. t I.isbon in February a,nd 

Ma.rch, 1885, and besides other oountrie~, Tha.ib.nd proposed joining this 

Union. (2Q) 

In the meantime extensive prepar11tions bad been m:1de for extending. 

the posta.lservice along the l\Iena.m River; but the iua.ugurf.l.tion itself of 

all the post offices took place only a short time after Th::Lila.nd joined the 

Union. 

According to the explanations given by E. TV11on Sin it h in the 

already mentioned Descriptive Catalogue (21) we have to note the 

following new post offices: 

26th August, 1885 ; Pa.kl::l.t :~.nd Paknam, with a. d:~.ily service to 

Bangkok; 

1st October, 1885: 

Bang.Pa..In, for the time wheu the Hop,\ Court 

wa.s in residence there; 

19th October, 1885: N[];Jcon Ch:dsi, P1'apatom, Bn.ng Yang, Tachin, 

~ 

Ra.tburi a.nd Petch3.buri, with a weekly service 

to Bangkok; 

26th October, 1886: a fortnightly service between Bangkok and 

Cbiengm:J.i. which on its route touched 21 places; 

there were, furthermore, postal bran~hes erected 

at the.same d:~ote 

at Banpot Pistti, Kampeng· 

pet, Raheng, Snkotbai and Sn.wa.nk::lolok. 

According to Melville (22) the transportation of the ma.il £rom 

Bangkok took 5 days to Paknam Po, 10 da.ys to lhbeng, 10 days also 

to U lita.radit, and 15 da.ya to Chiengmai. 

[20) Other countries wme Belgian Congo, Bolivia and ·Tunis. 

(21) Bee: E. Wyon Smith:. T!w Postmarks of Siam, in Desc1'iptive Calalo(!ue of 

the Postage Stamps of Siam, p. 96, 97. 

(22) See: Fred J, Melville; Siam, Its Postage Stamps, p. 27.

PT. lj 

THE EA HLY POSTAL HISTORY OF THAILAND 

93 

fi. 

Consequences and Conclusions. 

The joining of the Universal Postal Union had some very important 

consequence for Thaifaucl, which were to alter strongly the character of 

the' vo.rious branches of postal activity. 

+:'here wag, firstly, a new legislation consisting of a.n Act promulga. 

ted 1st .July, 1885, ·and embracing in seven paragraphs and numerous 

articles o.ll the details of interuatioual .postal communication, such as 

the exclusive privilege of the Government for carrying letters, warranty, 

special penal code for privo.te.persous, shipm:J.sters, and officials, etc. 

Secondly, specia,l postal rates were fixed for the foreign mail, includding 

especially reduced rates for letters to the Straits Settlements, Sara· 

w a.k, North Borneo, anc1 China, but higher rates for South Africa, 

Australia and New Zeala.nc1, neither of which joined the Universal Postal 

Union before 1891 anc11893 respectively. 

One of the fnrbher effects was the neeessity to create new postage 

stamps which were able to meet the demand of this new service. Three 

ditf'ereut ways were gradually founcl. There was, for instance, a. rate of 

12 atts for ordinary leHers within the Posh! Union; the registmtiou fee 

was a.t the sa.me rate. There were, however, up to uow only stamps at 

1, 2, 4, 8, :mel 16 rlfits available. The latter, the one salung stamp, consequently, 

wa.s sold from this time on at only 12 atts, a measure which 

was generally uncom~on a.nd scarcely approved of by the public. (23) 

Another measure became necessary fol' creating a one tical stamp; 

this wa.s done by overprinting the hitherto unusable one solot c1enomina· 

tion. A hand-stamp was at first used, showing the new va.lue in capitals 

( 1 TICAL), but afterwards, a.ppa.rently for obta.ining a greater stock, 

three or four more hand-stamps were cut, all of them consisting of mixed 

letters. Nevertheless the whole number overprinted seems to have been 

not more than 7000 copies. !t is a strange fa.ct tha.t genuinely used 

(23) Similar cases are, for instance, known in Germany: during the inflation 

~orne of the provisionals were sold from 26th N Olrember, 1923, on for some weeks at 

\ . 

four times the face value without special indication. ; Led by similar rea5ons of 

decline of the currency the postal administration of Indo-China, in 191!l, sold its 

stamps at one half of face value to meet the difference between French and Indo 

Chinese Piastre (sec: Kohl-Handbook vol. v., p, 656 ). In India the 8 Pies stamp 

of 1866 was, according to a change of the rates, in 1874, sold at 9 Pies (see: Kohl 

Hand-book, vol. i, p, 486 ),

l'AUT, 1'. 1.1:; Pl•~NHEI~(; 

covioa a.re prilchicl\lly llrlknown. 

with in tt.bundance. 

Bntf(JI'!/t'l'tl'.'i t,f lhi.l ovar[lrint a.rt! mot, 

It \"''o.e not until April, 1887, however, Lln~ot :~ tteu· fi!'J'/JIIIIIe!ll set of 

postage stu.mps was issued, printed hy Messrs. Do La Huo and On , 

Loudon, S:\tlsfying a.ll the wishes oE modem interuo.tiomd post:\1 le.wH 

(J.Ooording to the rules of the Univcrso.l Postal Unio"n. Colouril, wll.ter· 

mark, inscriptions in '.Chl\i a.nd Hnglish, pe1'forl\tio11, dosigrt, a.nd po.per· •. 

treatment before the printing operation. oorreapouded to the latest 

inventions ::~.nd experiences of tl1o time with regtHd to ~:~o.feguarding 

a.gn.ins~ forgeries, eu.sy distiugniahing of tho donomin:1.tionH fl.nd ou.sr use 

by the public. 

A general improvt3ment within the whole pof:it:~.l u.dwiuit;tmtioli mada 

it possible for the Tht\i Postal Servioe :1.t the end of tho 'eighties worthy 

to plv..){ it:> p:nu in the servioo of intormttiont\l ootnmmtiuMions, for the 

sake of ooonomic :\nd onlturu,l eo-oport~otion with otl1er cnuntriafi 1\nd 

continents.

133 

OBITUARY NOTICE 

We regret to bear of the death a.fter a long illness of B. Adey Moore 

Esq. in Bangkok. Mr. Adey Moore bad been associated with the Thai· 

land Research Society in the capacity .of Honorary Secretary for a. long 

pel'iod; and it was upon the te1mination of his fifteen years' service as 

such that fellow members of the Council prepared a memento in the form 

of a silver niello cigar box of Thai workma.nship, though unfortunately 

the presentation was unavoidably dela.yed until it was no longer possible 

to do so. It was a fact rEcognised by all his collea.gues on the Council 

that his_ tenure of the Bon. Secretary's post was efficient a.ud businesslike, 

while his love a.nd wide knowledge of books enabled him to give much • 

useful a.dvice to the Council.

J'rintotlll.t tho "Thai l'rtJHH" 

Sipbya Hoa.cl, Btmqlwk. 

l'riutcr ilntl J>llhliahot·, by Clme f;hnB!Lfoi 

2487.

REVIEW, 

G. C:nede::o: Po1o· Mit14:1'} Comprendre A11ahn·;·, 

H(lnoi, Impdmerie d'.E:~:tremr•-Orient, 

tMfJ. 

To Understand Angkm· Better consists of 8 lectures given during 

1·eoent years by Professo~· Coedes, Director of the Ecole Fraul}u.iae 

cl.'Ib:trllme-Orient, short e:Ktro.cts of which hr.we beau published in the 

Oa.hiers of that Institution. '!'he idea of publishing these leetmes com. 

plate in book fotm is a.n excellent one, and should be instrnmenta.l in I 

opening the eyes of the genera.l rel.\di.ng public to the meritorious work ·. 

of the French Sohool of the Far Eo.st:, and give them u. clearer insight ._ ; 

of what Angkor really is, a.nd what its temples sha.ud for. By Anglwt : 1 

is, of course, meant the group of monuments witliin u.nd without the 

old oa.pital of Angkor Thoro, includinG its centnl s~nctuary Ba.yon, 

the mystery of mysteriea, with Angkor Wat, Phra Kho.n, Pnom Bakbeng, 

Nak P'an, Tn. Phrom, B!t.ntai Kdei ana still others, not "fo;-getting 

lovely Bantai Brei u.nd the two huge w,_,.t,er reservoirs, the t:oa.stern 

a.nd western Baray. 

His Excallenoy Vioe-Admir:ol Jean Decoux, the Governor-General in 

his preffl.oe to this book, rightly styles Professor Ooedes a M!lster of a.ll 

knowledge pertaining to ancient Cambodia and pru.ises bis, to us so well 

!mown, .talented and elegant exposiliion of the facts laid before us. 

We would fain call the Professor a Master Mind even becu.nse of 

his at onoe lucid and aobe1· tlenett·a.ting mind wbioh ha.s opened up to 

others so muoh of this fl.\scina.tiug world of ancient Hi11dn thought here 

made manifest in stone and, formerly, in l.Jronze. Professor Coedes, t\S 

the accomplished epigra.phist, Su.nskritist a.n

9G. 

ERJR SEinENl~A DJ~N 


As a. conqiderable part of the information, given here in hook form, 

ha.s a,lrea.dy been treated in our a.ppraciatione o{ the Oahiers

l'T. 1] REVIEW 97 

Khon in the south to Thi Khek in the north with their cttpita.l iu 

Cammon. ( 4) 

Between the Ka.mbui:;.s ttnd the Jl'una.nites of Lower Ca.mbodi:.r. 

there was no ethnic difference, though there m:JJY ha.ve bee11, as still is 

the case with the present Khmers living no1·tb u.nd south of the Dongrek 

chu.in, a difference o£ dialect. 

The I\ambuja.s seceded from Funa.n by the middle of the sixth 

oeu tury C. E., a.nd .decla.red themselves independent, a.fterw ::uds annexing 

Lower Cambodia in the VII century C. E. and thtts unkiug an end of. 

the Funan empi1·e. However, alrea.dy in the VIII century the I\hmer 

rea.lm again beca.me sepa.ra.\ed iuto two states; in Tchen-h of the dry 

land or Upper Cambodia. and Tehan-la of the wa.ter of Lower Ca.mbodi:t, 

so called by the Chinese (5}. It w:\s during that period that J:J.ya beea.me 

the overlord of~ parb of Southem Cambodia. Jayav:.uman II, the first 

great king of Cambodia., unified the kingdom :tnd introduced the rosal cult 

of the Godldng, the ldng's " Subtle I" residing in the lin(!a placed in a 

sanctuary. 

Then followed grea.t kings such as Y tl.~ovarman, who built tbe oldest 

Angkor Thom under the na.me of Ya9odhtuaptna; Suryavttrman II, 

apotheosed under the name of Paramavishuuloka, bniltler of the wonder· ~ 

ful Anglmr Wat, n.nd finally Jayavarmo.n VII, mighty conqueror and 

builder of the pr~ent Angkor Thorn with Bayou, Pbra Kha.n, N ak Par1, 

Ta Pbrom, Banta.i Kdei, B:tnta.i Chmar and a. host of other temples, 

perhu.ps the greatest of a.ll the Khmer kings, who was also in part at 

lea.st responsiblefor the decline of his country, are well known to the 

readers of this journal. Their reigns dated from 802 to 1202 C. E., am\ 

Anglwr Thorn still lasted for two and a h11.lf ce.ntmies longer until itr 

Wasfinally deserted owing to the deva.sba.ting wars with the Ayuthy11 

Th:1i. It is interesting to lel\m that the famous S:~.nskrit inscription o.t 

V o-can, IJrovince of Nhu.·trang, Ann am, is not, as hitherto believed, a. 

Obam king's inscription but a. Fun11uite king's in the 3rd century C. E. 

The ta.sk of dating correctly the va.rious periode and schools of 

E.hmet art and architecture bas not been an easy onB. Distinguished 

( 4) See however our remark about this in JTRS. XXXIII, 1, 1941, p, 78 

bottom. 

( 5 j Oambodia was divided fer a third time iuto two states during the XII 

century when a foreigner, Jayavarman VI, ms,de himself king of the territories of 

the Khorat plateau.

98 t

f'T, 1) REvmw 99 

The seooud oh!!o.pter ot the book dea.le with some erroueous opinions 

conaerning the origin o! the anoient Khmer people a.nd the composition of 

'the present one which have a.lren.dy been trel\ted in our a.ppreoiations of 

the Oa.hiers. 

As regards the ''discovery" of the Angkor ruins, which reo.lly 

must be a.soribed to Hev. Father Bouillava.ux in 1850, a.nd not to M onhot, 

a deoennium later, we rea.lly wonder why we Westerners spea.k u.bout it 

as ~ discovery? Instea.d of sa.ying discovery we should use the word 

a{'(znainta})('e, . The Kinner a.nd the Thai ha.d of course the whole time 

along, from their being deserted a.hout 14:40 C. E. down to our days 

l!nowu a.bout the existence of the old ca.pita.l and the other Angkor 

monuments wherea.s we Westerners were first acquainted with them 

during the time of Rev, Father Bouillevaux a.nd Moubot by ihe middle 

of the 1 aet cen tnry. 

With regard to the a.ge of :r.ny monument in Indochina, whether in 

the Angkor disttiot ot· elsewhere, not one of them can claim a.ny high 

:.ge compa.red with that of the rea.lly ancient ones in Egypt, not to spea.k 

of "Niesopota.mia. or Ela.m, some of which go bs.ck e.lmost to the da.wn of 

human civilisation. The oldest monuments in Indochina., even when " 

including the megaliths and the giant ja,rs of Ohieng Kwa.ng or Assam, 

ca.nnot possibly claim au a.ge of more than about 2000 yea.rs, while the 

PYramid of Cheap"' was b'lilt 5600 years ago, a.nd exca.va.tions in Mesopotamia 

a.nd Elam ha.ve a.lready brought to light monuments of an age 

·exceeding that by several thousands of years. 

Thanks to the patient (l.Ud Pr.lrsistent work of ~uch French 1.\l'Cha.eologists, 

epigra.phists and historia.na u.s Professor Coedes, we do know that 

the mighty stone enceinte and the five gates with their towers of Angkor 

Thom inClluding B~yon were built dttring the years 1182 to 1202 C. E.; 

and so on. 

Angkor W a.t, which preceded a.ll these gra.nd buildings, wa.s bnilt 

during the reign of King Sury:.wa.rmn.n II from the beginning to the 

middle of the 12th century, a.ud though fixed da.tes are nob yet known it 

Q:l,ll ha.rdly have t:.~.ken more tha.n 30 yea.rs to construct. this ma.sterpieoe 

of architecture. With rega.rd to the destruction of the temples Professor 

· · Ooedes says tha.t such wa.s due to both ma.u a.nd na.ture, both the vile 

t.ren.enre-hunter and the exnbara.nb ~ropica.l vegeto.tion. Ea.r&hquakes 

·have, however, not, conbra.ry to th~ opinion of some people, had a.ny 

100 ERIK SEIDENFADEN [ voL. x~:.,;v 

The'thi1'd chapter of Professor Coedas' book tre:J.tsof Pers(;uol cult.;., 

the apothensi.

l".r. 1] RICVIf£\V 101 

. When Ja.y~va.rma.n VH ascended the throne the devamja or King's 

" subtle I" quitted the linga to dwell in a.n itn!l.ge of the Buddha. the 

ima.ge wbioh wa.s found by the· late M. Trouve in a.n interior. well i~ the 

Ba.yon. It seems to ue bha.t this oba.nge of abode of the " subtle I " of 

the king to a.n ima.ge of the Buddha. aonsbitutes a. f:.H higher, nobler, and 

wbolely abttste, conception tba.t the gross veneration of the linga. 

Professor Ooedes also remarks tha.t whether the king's " subtle I" 

resided in a. Un.?a or in a.n ima.ge of the Bltddh~, it is not a.n exu.ggero.tion 

to sa.y that the g1·ea.t God of a.Mient Oa.mbodi:1 (in reality) was the king. 

And Ba,yon was thus the na.tiona.l temple of the Khmer. The cult of the 

ileV(Waja or godking, the a.nMstors and the deified persona.ges wa.s 

essentially a.u a.ristocra.tic one within the frames of Hinduism and 

Mahaya.nism, Buddhism of the Gnat Vehiole, and the Professor conaludes 

this clu,pher by saying: " With the introduction and victory of the 

Hina.ya.na. Buddhism, the "LE~sser Vehicle," which is fundamentallY 

hostile to the idea. of a personality ( of an Ego ), whose existence it denies, 

the spirit of this arigtollratic oult wa.s destroyed, a. spirit which bad 

hitherto united the people in the a.doration of their kings and great 

nobles," And he a.dds that in this ( fatality) one should perhaps see one 

of the g~ounds for the rapid decadence of the Kbrner empire which set in .. 

during the XIII anr1 XIV century C. JJJ, When the sovereign ceased to 

be Siva descended to the Earth or to be the living Buddha., the dynasty 

could no longer in"spira the people with tha.t respect that formerly had 

enabled their Idngs to do great things. 

Through the a.na.rchic spirit of Singhalese Buddhism the prestige 

and the temporal power of the Khmer kingi! declined too. The downfa.ll 

of the godking from his throne signified at the same time the Gotterdiimmern;zg 

of gods and kings. S~ill :1 lit~le of this parsona.l cult lingers in 

the court rituals of Cambodia. arid Thailand. Iu Pnompenh, the capital 

of modern Oa.mbodia, in the Silver Pa.goda. within the Royal P:J..ln.ce 

grounds, is seen a golden image of the Buddha studded with jewels which 

bdonaed to the late Kill[] Numlom, a.ncl which ha.s the exact height of 

the lu.lie King Om ca.nnot deny that there ifl a. aerta.in relationship 

between this image. a.nd the deified ones in ancient Angkor. And :~.gain 

in Bangkok, in Wat Phra Ka.eo, the two gi.lt standing statues, one on 

each side of the ta.ll altar on which is throned the Emerald Buddha., the 

pa.ll~dinm of the Kingdom· of Thaila.nd, which are said to personify the 

two first Kings of the Oha.kri dynasty, do they not a.lso recall the ide:L of 

·the personal cult of the "subtle I?" We think so.

102 

The contents of the fourth ohapter Ti'IIIJ)l••.-; i\1' T():11l1s h:J.s already 

'hsen treated in onr ::tPpreoi~tions of the Oahiars t~-nd espeoiu.lly by His 

late Highness the Prince Dew:~.wongs in the JTB8 Tho.i number 2, 

Ma.y 1942. 

The statue of the so-ca.lled Leper ldng, flo w.:>ll known to (I.J! visitors 

to Angkor Thorn, may now. be considered to rtlpresent the Dharma.ra.ia. i.e. 

Ya.ma., the Hindu counterpart of King :Minos, judge of th

PT. 1) REVIEW 103. 

The Buddhisl system, though different in detnil, rests :1.lso on th6 

idea of a central mount. Meru, on which are situ:1ted the vt~.rious 

heavens, and surrounded by the seven concentric ch:J.ins of mountains 

separated by an equal number of seas which ao:ra again walled in by a 

. huge ring. of mountains outside anc1 on the four sides of which rolls the· 

great ocean. In this are situated four continents of whieh the southern, 

Ja.mbndvipa, is onrs, the world of men. On the top of Mount Meru. 

resides the great god I nora with the 33 other ma.jor gods. 

The central tower, the "high place" or temple mount:.in, whether· 

Pnom Bakheng, Ba.phuon or Bayon where the linya, housing the king's 

''subtle I," fulfilled the s:l.me function as the z·iggumt in ancient 

Mesopotamia, the rea.l '' tower of Babel " the ga.te to the heavens, 

through which man was to enter the celestial abode. 

This architectural symbolism we also find in Java in the gra.ndiose 

atupa.-temple of Borobudnr. In Hindu cosmology the connection between 

man and the gods is represented by the rainbow. l\:1. P. Mus, a masterin 

solving the riddles of symbolism, has shown that the Khmer stone 

bridge3 with their halustra.des of nagas, which give admittance, over the 

city mo(l.ts, into the city itself, a.lso stand for the idea of the passing from 

the wol'ld of men, outside, to tbe world of the gods, inside the great • 

sa.cred city,_, a.nd thus then also symbolize the rainbow.(7) 

Professor C~edes a.dds that the lo.dders of gold, silver and ctystal, 

by meanH of which the Buddha. ascended to the he!\vens in order to prea.oh 

the IJ~W to his mother, is nothing else tba.n the rainbow. 

M. P. Mus points out that the occurrence of the thundergod Indra. 

mounted ou his threeheaded elephant, on either side of the Angkor Thotn. 

gateways, also allude to t.he rn.inbow connection. Indeed this god isto-do.y 

known in Cambodia under the 1;1ame of the minbow. It would take 

up too much space to mention all, however tempting that ma.y be, tb11t 

Professor Coedes hn.s to say about the symbolism of Khmer architecture 

so we will limit H to one or two examples more. 1'he central portion of 

the Elephant's terrace of the Royal Palace in Angkor Thoro is decorated 

with the figures of large uarndas which serve as atltmtides. As the royal 

Pavilion ( of wood) was erected on this te!'l'&ce there can be no doubt 

that the presence of the rwrudas symbolizes (1, floating aerial palace, a 

vima11a. 

( 7) In the old Nordic mythology the rainbow was the bridge befweeu 

Asgaard, the abode of the gods, and Midgaard, the world of men. The parallel 

is of course due to a common origin of bGth conceptiGns.

ERIK SEIDEN.F'ADEN 


,. 

The unique mon~1ment of N a.k Pa.n, which we b:we oa.lled '' I he jen·l'l 

i.n a lotus pond" with its single tower standing in the midst of a. wa.1;er 

filled ba.sin on a tiny island encircled by the sinuous bodies of two giant 

na.ga.s ( Nak Pa.n-Naga.s encircle) should be taken a.s the symbol of 

the famous sa.ored lake Ana.v11opba., in Thai 8ra Anoclat, which is situa.ted 

in the Hima.laya.u regions, on the roof of the world. The four gargoyles, 

through which the hea.lth-giving water pom:ad, were mu.ds in the likeness 

of the heads of a. ma.n, a..n elephant, a horse and a. lion. JVI. l\larcbu.l's 

discovery of many images of Lokesvara proves thu.t thia sa.nctt1u.ry wa.s 

d~dicated to this merciful Boddhi::~a.tva., and as such it wa.s n. much sought 

:for pla.aa of pilgrimage for sick and suffering people who by drinking of 

and bathing iu.the sam·ed W!l.ters, ancl by praying to the merciful One, 

believed they conld obtain a. cure for their various maladies. 

In the sixth chapter of his book Professor Oor.des treats the mystery 

of B3oyon with its cluster of towers deooratecl with the 1.60 enigmn.tioa.lly 

smiling faces of f.Jokesva.ra., a.t the sa. me time portraits of J a. yava.rman 

VII, Ba.yon is mysterious because of its complicated plu.n ; mysterious 

by reason of its bas.reliefs pa.rtly still unex.plu.ined and mysterious tlnally 

by the eerie decorations of its towers, unique in the history of :1rt 

There must. ha.ve been an ea.rlier building of which we know nothing but 

even the original plan of Bayou 'wa.s different from whitt we see now. It 

ha.

l"l'· 1] REVIEW 106 

manhioned rnost of this informu.ti·on, we shall con'fin'e ·ourael ves to cull hera 

and there some points of int'ereat new to re:Ldere, ia.yil.vu.rma.n II's reign 

is interesting for several reasonl:l. · He pacified .. ·and unified the country, 

which was in a. state of a.na.rohy when he took over the power ; he made 

himself independent of the Malay overlordship, of the 1\faha.rrtja. of Srivijo.·· 

ya. a.nd he introduced the cult of the Deva.raja, the royallinga housing tba 

"subtle I" of the king. JaYava.rmn.n II resided in a number of more or 

less tempora.ry c!ipitals during his long reign of 52 years ( 802-854 C.E.) 

The Ten.son for all these peregrinations was no doubt connected with tbe 

unsettled state of the country. Our knowledge of Jaya.va1;man II is 

almost whole I y clue to the famous inscription on a. Meia fonud at Sdok 

Ka.l' Thorn in the Aran district., Ohangvad Pra.chinburi, now kept in the 

National Museum in Bangkok, whioh tells about the rather fictitious 

relationship of ,Ja.ya.vu,rman II with the princes of Tehan-la of the wa.ter 

whose capita.! was in Anindita.pnra., so far unident!fied. The :first in the 

series of Jayava.rman's capitals was Ind1·a.pm·a, localized by Professor 

Coedes somewhere in the province of Thbong Khmum, east of I\ompong 

Cham, perhaps at the site of Banta.i Prei Nolcor ;. the second was in the 

Angkor gt·oup region at Knti, identified· by Professor Coedes as Kntigvara • 

a little to the north of Banta.i E:dei, where there are ruins dating back to 

the beginning of the IX century C. El. From here the ldng moved to 

Haribaralaya. lying sonthest of Anglwr. This third capital has been 

identified with the group of temples called Roluos1 consisting of the sanctuaries 

of Ba.!wng, Phra l{o and Lolei. As his· fourth ca. pi tal J a.yn. Vill'· 

man II built Amarendra.pura., which, after much discussion, ho.s been. 

localized to the west of the great occidental BaraY (water reservoir):,. 

anr1 near to Vs western embankment, where through aerial reoonnais·. 

sa.nces ancient ea,rth work have been discovered. After some years iri 

·residence at this fourth capital the king moved to 1\'Iahendrapa.rva.ta 1:.

' 

'106 G. COEDJ~S [VOL, xx:w 

made nn end to it in tbe XIV century 0.1!!. The tinga of King Ja.y~~.varma.n 

II was believed to have been obtained from the god Siva through 

the intermediary of the king'a clever cha.pla.in. The kings of Oa.mbodia., 

·a.nd a d~·nasby in J a.va., at> well a a the emperors of Fun an, former! r took 

·ae their titles tht\t of the Kiny of the Mountain, Sa.ilendra, from the 

11anctua.ry housing the roya.l linya erected on n. natural hill, ot· simply on 

a. stone pyramid, which symbolized Meru, the centr:t.l mountain of the 

universe. King Ja.ya.varma.n II finally returned to Ha.rihn.raln.ya. 

( a.ccompanied by his Deva.raja.) where he died in 954 C. B. He w:1s a. 

·grea.t king who m:~.de bie countrY free a.nd s~rong. Certain arohitectura.l 

feto:ll·es oc;urdng during the reign of this Jcing h:we eu:J.bled ns to bridge 

:the gulf formerl v existing between the pre-.\ngkor u.nd Angkoria.n schools 

-of lltrt. The lltl'b of King .Ja.yJ.ya.rm:l.u l['g reign shows the distinct 

·influence of both Cbll.mpii: a.nd Java.. FL"Om the first it is u. o:1se of phn 

'ning of the temples from the la1;ter decora.tive deta.ils. 

About the other great J a..yu. va.rm:J.n, the seventh of these " proteges 

of victory," Ml theiL· n11.mes signify, so much hMl a.lrea.dy been sa.id in our 

:appreoia.tions, and during this review, t.ha.t we shill! u.dd here only a. few 

,.. words. Of special interest is what we llre told a.bout the sister of 

Ja.ya.vat•ma.n's queen " whose knowleilge was anperior to that of the 

wisdom of the phllosopher»," lltllcl whom the king :J.llpointecl supreme 

teacher in a. fa.mons B\lddhist ml)na.stery where ahe to.t~-ght the women. 

Her Sa.nskrit, s'l.ya Professor Ooedeg, wa.a of the purest. It is interesting 

to us in Thailand to lea.rn tha.t the ima.ge of the so.ca.lled Thu.o Phroma.tha.t, 

formerly in :,;itu in the central tower in the M:a.haya.nistic f!a.nctu~ry of 

Phima,i,(8) a.nd now in our N a.tion1•l Mnseu,n, represents the greu. t King, 

~Ja.yava.rma.n VII WllB perhaps the much di~cussecl Leper King, 'and 

beoa.use of suffering fror.n this terrible mtt.la.dy he htlilt, out of oomp::~.ssion 

for fellow sufferers, his 102 bosplh:l.ls which were sm·ea.d ft·om south to 

nor~h over bia extensive rea.lm. He wa.s u. val'y fervent Budclhisb of 

the .Maha.ya.na. sect, a.nd a.s such a. speci:\1 devotee of r~okesvu.ra, :1nd 

he made of Bayou a. rea.l Pa.ntheon where were oeubra.li:r,ed the oult 

of tpe roYal fa.mily, a.nd of the va.dous provinoia.l cults 'rhere ou.n 

be no doubt of the king's considering himself a. living Buddha.. 

'.ro promote the cult of himself 23 statues of the Ja.ya.buddh:J.ma. 

ha.na.tha. ( the. enlightened great IJord of Victory) were ereoted a.nd 

consecrated in a.s ma.ny towns, among which figure Ltopburi, Suphanburi, 

--( 8) See our pa.per .An Excursion to Phlmai JS s: X vli,l~-------·- ·

l'T. l_j rmvmw 107 

Ra.ia.buri, Phet:Jha.buri l\ud :'IIn'a.ng Sing. l'his piece of informa.tion is 

of grea.t interest to \H in Tha.ibnd, rtnd shollld Incite u.~, a.s soon as norm:>! 

coudiGions return, to ma.ke a. t•a.tiona.I sea.rch for these statues which 

mw be discovered hidden in the ground at the respective teruplee dating 

tn.ok to tha yoa.r ca.. 1200 O.El. [n Lopbul'i the search should be carried 

out a,t Wa.t Ma.ha.t.hat, in Phetch'lburi a.t Wa.t Ka.rupeng La.eng [l,lld so 

on. .rL~Y:l.Vat•ma.n VII n•)t only restm·ed the Khmer empire to its former 

h)nn•b,de,; lmt e:d.;mded these. 'rhe ever inva.,ling a.nd pilla.ging Cham 

were compleGely subjuga.ted, :l.nd from 1203 to 1220 Oha.mpi.\. wo.s :lo 

verita.hle province of Cambodia., As his inscription at Sa.y Fong shows 

.T

109 

REVIEW. 

Uollt~clion 

de te:cte, d documents 8W' l'.lndochhe, Ill 

' . ' 

I nscription8 du Orn11horl ge, Fol, li 

hy G. Coedes. Hanoi 1942. 

~Phis l'!tl

110 

On the other baud, when th8 C[l.pitll.l wa~ fb:ud rtt Attgkor, the form 

of the words in the inscriptions oh:1nged ::tccording to the loeal J1ronnnoiation 

and tlu.t of we3tern Cambodia.. It is also iuteresti~1:.:; to notB that 

words borrowed from the Khmer by the Thai show regularly the 

dipthongneJ form of the An~kor pronunciation. So worils which b::~.re 

been adi1P~tld to the peculiarities of the 'l 1 h[Li tongue, lwlonged no doubt 

to the dialect; of the Khmer 1 anguage spoke !I at Angkor ::md tlw.t of 

Western OlLtnbodio.. Fur!ihermore a number of these word~ borrowed lly 

the Tha.i o.t that pedod, and thereafter olw.uged to Rrlit Tb::Li pronuuoia.tion, 

ha.ve come back into modem Khmllr in 1/u!ir '/'hoi (onu. Take 

for insto.nce the word for clerk or scribn, which i_11 origiual Khmer was 

smm·, a.nd thereafter ohanged by the Thai into samien, hn.s been adopted 

by the modern Khmer in its Thai form. 

The 73 inscriptions treated in the present voltime :ue eitl1er in the 

Ehmer or S:tnskrit language or in both. The greater part of the contents 

of these ancient inscriptions is rll.ther monotonons ali it is genera.lly confined 

to the invocations of some Hindu god or godrloss and emm1erating 

the gifts offered to his or her temple in tlw form of lttnd, paddy, rice, 

animLds, gold or silver utensils, slaves, musicians and danci11g girls even. 

"" The inscriptions usually conolude with calling down the wruth of the gods 

on any trespasser threatening him and bis wbolo hmily inclnding both 

the previous and future generations, with the dire vmu~.hmonts of tlHl B3 

hells, Howeve1·, as all the ternp!('s have l.1eeu thoroughly Jllundered for 

all their valuables ib seems that posterity ha.s uot paid any heed to the 

terrible menaces uttered by the pious donors l 

In the following we shall mention somrJ of the more intEn·estinA inscli!l· 

tions such aa the one found on a stela at tbe tmtnmce to the ca.ve temple 

of Phra I\uh'ii. Lu'ong nea.r Kompot. It was set up to tho honour of 

Siva., it Praises Jayavarmau I, :mc1 is dated G74 0. R It mentiOlJS two 

dignitaries \vho lived dmh1g the reign of BtldraYuman of Euna.n (515- 

545 0. El.). The town Dha.nvipurn. also mention eel therein must have br~;~n · 

a locality in the southernmost part of Cambodia. ana is not to be understood 

as another name for Vyaclhapnra, the capital of the Fnnan empire. 

In another inscription, dated 611 C. E., is mentioned a. number or 

femu.le musicians and dancers, almost ::~.11 with Sanskrit names, -..vbile 

other servants offered to the god are named by their I\hmer names which, 

.curiously enongh are very contemptible ones 1

PT. 11 REVIEW 111 

An interesting inscription is one of the two found in Prasat Nang 

Khma.u. It is an invocation of Vishnu under the name of Lokanatha. 

(Lord of the world) and under the aspect ofT rivikra.ma. The inscription 

praises Jayavarma.n IV, who reigned in 928 C. E. Professor Ooedes Sll.YB 

that the Vishnuite invocations h:umoniAe well with the frescoes (1) that 

decorate the interior walls of the two towers, and which represent Krishna 

lifting the mountain, and a dancing Vishnu which ma.y be Trivikro.ma 

covering the extension of the universe in three steps. 

The inscription, on a stela from Kompong Thoro, which contains an 

edict by I\ing J ayavarma.n V, dtl.ted 974 0. 1!1., is interesting as it cont:~.ins 

a. roYal command to create two new ca.stes (2) or corporations. One of 

these, the Khmuk, was perhaps destined for the work of preparing the 

food for the gods, which shows that food wa.a offered before the images of 

the Hindu gods in ancient Cambodia. It was probably a daily rite. 

It furthermore appears from this same ~:

PT• 1] REVIEW llS 

Of interest for us Th!!oi ia the mention, in staliza LVII, of a prince 

whose name ended in -indra.va.rroa.n, and who was Lord of La.vodaya. 

(Lava- Lopburi), (5) Queen Jayarajadcvi, lt seems, practised television 

(st~nzs. LX-LXI), being able to see her absent and adored husband, the 

great wa.rriol'' and temple-building king. From stanza. LXXXVIII it 

a,ppea:rs that she presented the Buddha Vima.ya. image (in Phimai) with a 

gilt silver drum. 

ERIK SEIDENF ADEN. 

Bangkok, 7th November 1§43. 

• 

( i) J!ide page 17G footnote 8 bottom linea,

115 

.REVIEW 

Rccherehes de Gimgrapliie Musicale en Indochinc · 

par 

Georges de Gironoourt, 

\ Bulletin de la 8ociettJ des Etudes Indochinoise:::, ·Tome XII J, N(,, 4) 

.-it a time whem the sounds of wa.r reverberate around the world 

and civilisa.tion seems about to crash to its fall amid scenes of horrid 

strife, it is plea.siug a.ncl solacing to know that there yet remain learned 

men of good. will whose minds are bent, not on devising new means of 

de3tmction, but on pceserving those a.rts that give joy to mankind, a.nd on 

en1nidng into their origins. Such must be the thought of one who peruses 

in the Bulletin de l.q Societe des Etudes Indochinoises (Nouvelle Serie, Tome 

X VIII, No. 4) a monogra.ph by Georges de Giron court entitled Reohe?'Chee 

de G4ngraphie nmsicale en Indochine, published at Sa.igon this year. 

'i\'Iusicu.l Geogr::tphy is a· new science which was first presented as 

such at a meeting of the Geographical Society of Paris in 1928 and has 

since been developed by resea.rch in many countries. It is a. soience 

with a. wide appeal, for music is one of the links in the chain that binds 

.men into one great f:1mily, It is one of the tna.rks that distinguishes man 

from the lower creatures. Nat without reason is music called the divine 

art for, h:wing its origin in Heaven, its influence on manldnd u.s a civilising 

and refining agent cannot be·over-estimated. 

The monograph coyers. a very wide ground. Among many others, it 

·touches upon such subjects as the origin of hllman song; the influence of 

climatic conditions on music; the music of ancient China.; and the origins 

of i:l.zz .. As far a.s this pa~t of the world is concerned, the researches 

ha. Ye extended not only oYer the whole of French Indochina but also to 

-:Bangkok, Yunnan-fil, and the districts round tb::tt ancient capital. 

...

116 ANONYMOUS (VOL. X"XXi' 

While some pa,rts of the work oa.n be fully ~ppreeiu,teu only by t\ttl 

musician ,vell versed in the theory of his art, most of it can be followed 

with pleasure ::~.nd profit by the ordina.ry reader. Nearly :.\11 of us ha,ve 

some interest-be it aver so slight-in the origins of things; o.nd the 

a.nlihor ha.s written in a. way to stimulate tha.t interest. To those-few 

though they mt\Y be-who a.re interested in primi.tive music and the instruments 

by wbicl:i it is produced, the work is Lt veritable mine of 

informa.tioxi; presl'mted in a. mu,noer so. order[;; ~md scientific, thn.t avery 

page bears witness to the o.u~hor'a ernditioit. 

The instruments of music used by the indigenous peoples of Indochina 

o.re of the stringed, woodwind, and pclrcussiou f:1milles, so that- 

with tbe exception of brass-they are in line with the f:11:oilies into which 

onr own symphonic orchestras are divided! In the monogmph these 

instruments_, whose riames :1re Ml weird in sound a,s the instruments 

themselves in a,ppeu.rance, are represented by

PT. lj Rb:VIE\\r 117 

tllnes a.r::l piok·o·l up by Orienta.l peoplea. On the other ha.nil, it is most 

rare for f~ Westerner to be a.ble to pick up~ even :1 fra.gment of an 

·Orienta.l melody, 

a.re 

very simple in constrnction, such a.s the ba-mboo straight flutes (the jlu.nto 

.t.raverso seems to be unknown to primitive peoples) with only two or four 

holes; so a.lso is the b1·ak, a. one-stringed instrument one end of which is 

grasped between the toe;, of the plu.yer'e left foot while he sets the sliriug 

in vibra.tion with a. bo\v of very simple design. In a.nother form of this 

instrument, a. string is tied to the stretch cord and fastened to a. sma.ll disc 

·Of wood which the exeeuta.nt holds in his month. Some of the more complica.ted 

instruments ha.ve gourds attached to them a.s sound-boxes. One 

such instt·ument is a. kind of ha.rp with eight string~. There are other 

·in3Lrumants, however, tha.t show no little ingenuity in .const:.ructiou, among 

which ma.y be mentioned certain forms of the khene, especiallY one made 

from a. gourd fitted with a. varia.ble numb:Jr of pipes inserted obliquely. 

This weird instrument, the m'huat, is common in Anna.m. Very ingenious 

also is the di1~g-bout which consists of ten bamboo tubes fixed on a. 

irame to form five V's, t1Ul is played by ten executa.ms who, bending 

their bodies, cla.p their hands before the orifices of the tubes, thus setting • 

up a vibration ofthe column of air within ea.ch tuba. Another ingenious 

in!!trument is a. t~ea-holed flute fixed in a. gourd. In the gourd is also 

fixed a. tube lea.ding to a. sound-box. This instrument, known u.s rlep, is 

C3.P:~tble ofproducing plea.aing notes. A~tonishing indeed a.re the otches 

~res h!Jrlmzdiques whiah a.re not musi!la.l instruments but oontrivances 

ior producing sounds loud enough to soa.re a.wa.y. dest~uative beasts a.nd 

pilla.giug bh·de. Some of these contraptions are set in motion by w:1ter, 

others by the wind. The lithophone, or sonorous stone, is used for the 

same purpose. 

Soi:Qe of the insbrmuents illustrated in i\:1. de Gironcourt's p 3.'~ar 

. Th~se in'3truments, primitive though they be, should not be despised; 

-for they evince iu their construction a. gradual accumulation of lmowledge 

-knowledge ga.insl empiriaa.lly, of course-but still· knowledge. It ha.a 

b,ken generations of experience to tea.oh the flnte-ma.ker the diameter of 

the ba.mboo he needs for his i~strument a.ud the wa,y the holes must be 

·.spu.oed a.nd where the embouchure must be pla.ced. He knows-though 

"he knows. not why-tha.t, if he devia.tes !rom the rules experience hn.s 

·taught his forebears, his flnt~ will not be sn.tisfa.ctory, The ma.ker of 

:iltdngecl instruments ha.s ~lso found by the experience gained by his

118 ANONY~WUS [vor,, XXXY 

I" 

predecessors over long periods of time jngt hov; tight! Y h f' must stretch hi"'· 

strings to get his rndimenta.ry violin in tune. He does noli lmow why, 

but experience ha.s ta.nght him tha.t if his strings :ll'e 'ltretehed 6vc;r an 

hollow body, grea,ter resonance will result; a.nd

REVIE\Y 

down mot~fs in free rhythm, b:J.f.led on ontlcmdiah sc:J.le;;;, !l.Ud executed on 

primitive instruments of faulty intonation, is a task of extreme difficulty 

ancl M. de Gironcomt is worthy of the higl}est praise for his a.ohievement. 

It may be tha.t there are those who consider the study of primitive 

music only a waste of time. This is by no means the case. ''The proper 

atucly of ma.uldnd is man" and the steps of m:J.n's progress in the re::~.1m of 

m'Bic 3.t·e ~ts worthy of stucty ::ts those he has taken in other directions. 

We should not be too proud to remember tba.t music in the West was once 

as primitive a.s that heard in Indo-china. tochy; and that the accurate and 

intrica.te Boehm flute, for instance, is but :1 development of the t·wo-or 

four-holed reed flute on which in ancient times the European rustio plll.yed 

his simple a.irs and on which the Indo-chinese villager of our times .produced 

his quaint mnfifs. Why should primitive music be scorned a.s 

barbarous when there are thousands of "cultur_ed" Westerners who would 

rather run a mile th&n listen to a Beethoven symphony yet wbo find. 

delight in the lost-soul-like W!Liling of a S(I.Xophone and fall into ecstasy 

at the hideous cacophony of a jazz-band'! 

In writing a.nd publishing his paper M. de Gironcourt h~\S rendered 

timely service; for the primitive muaio of Indo-obina is doomed. Every- • 

where the gramophone, the radio, a.nd the cinema a.re making such inroads·~ 

sven into the remotest regions, tha.t little by little the indigenous music is 

being supplants~ by that produced in the West. The old motifs will be 

forgotten a.nd the instruments on which they have been pla-yed for ages 

will be leas and less nsed nnt.U their manufacture will aHogetber die out. 

The profound changes brought t1bonh by the War will but hasten the, 

process. Well is it, then, that M. de Gironcourt bas rescued so many 

moti{8 from the oblivion into wbioh they :tre fated to fall a.nd th~t his 

po,ges a.re l'iob with t;he descriptions of instrt;ments that, in tl few genera,·· 

tions, will have vanished from the dwellings of men. 

l3angkolt, Thailand, 1943. 

ANONYMOUS.

,. 

,..

121 

REOBNrr THAI I'UBI:,ICA'riONB. 

( 1) The Annals pt' A!}urlhurr. ( l'f1~'l"WVJ~1:fl1~11TilHif;'UIJ1itnl, version 

of Prinoe Para.ma.nttjit in three volumes: ' ' · 

Vol. I, From the foundation of Ayudhya. to the end of King 

Naresuan's reign, pnbl. by royal command in memory of His late 

Excellency Gene1·a.l Um Bija.yendrayodhin, member of the Council of 

Regency, December 24:85 ( 1942 ), pp. l-240; 

Vol. II, ·l!~rom the reign of King Ekt1.thoaa.roth to the death of King 

N aro.i, publ. by royal cowma.nd in memory of Her late Royal Highness 

Princess Phong, Deo, 2485, pp. 241-382; 

Vol. III, From the reign of King Petra. raja to the sack of Ayudhy:J., • 

publ. by royal oomro(l.nd in memory of Her late Royal Highness 

Prinoeas B1wban, Deo. 2485, pp. 383-513. 

The u.bove "Volumes being published on the occasions of the crema~ 

tion of the rer:na.ins of distinguished personages, each one therefore 

though not prefaced as usuu.l by o. short biogro.phy, contains a. photogru.ph 

of the l'espective personage. In a. prefn.ce to each of the volumes, the 

Fine Arts Department states that the Anno. Ia published used to be known 

as the Pflro R(~japony.~aw(uian in two vulumes or as Dr. Bradley'"' 

Vet-.~iou C!/ lhe .Annals. 'J:he latter name w&..s due 1o the fact tba,t Dr. 

Br:~dley of the America.n ( Presbyterian ) Mission wa.s the first to print 

the work (in 1863 ). The preft\CG goes on to say that when the fact 

became widely known that Prince Para.manujit was the author of the 

work, bter historians oame to know it as Prince Pa.ra.manujit's vereion of 

the history of the country. Since its first publication some 78 years 

have elapsed and copies of it a.re hard to find. The Fine Arts Department 

has been using the work for vn.rifyiug dates in history and is of 

opinion tha.t it is not very i.n~~occtmJ>te a.s regards chronology. It. is therefore 

reprinted in order to :1oid historians in their task of oompal"ing historical 

facts.

D. .[ vor., :xxxv 

As :1. ma.tter of fa.ot there have of oourse bean published, since tl~e 

origiua.l edition of Dr. Bradley in 1863, other .editions suoh u.s tha.t of the 

King Mongkut Pa.li Aoa.demy and the a.bl'idged edition of the Ministry of 

Pttblic Insliruction in R. S. 131 ( 1912). 'rhe original edition of Dr. 

Bro.dley conta.ined a. summary-Phra 'BajapongsmDadmt San!t·!tepwhioh 

>vas pla.ced in h·ont of the full text of the Annals. 

In-his introductory SJketch of the sources of Tha.i history prefa.ced to 

the Royal Autograph History (B. E. 2456-1912) Vol. I, p, 6 ct 8erf,, His 

Roya.l Highness Priuce Da.mrong ma.de it' clear tha.t the version of Tha.i 

History i)opula.rlY known as Pri11ce ParamanuJit'.

l.'T. 1) REVIEW 123 

the pronouncement of a verdict in historical oriLioiJ>m to its judicial 

counterpart. Among his instances of ba.d evidence in historictul criticism 

are some ''absurdities ana· blunders," the sort of whioh w'ere mentioned by 

Burna.y as quoted a.bove. · 

( 3 ) The Diary of Ris Royal Highness Prince Somrn;t, part I, 

selected and edited by M. R. Sumonajati Svastiknl, published for presentation 

on the occasion of the cremation of tbe remains of Momchao 

Vipulya Svastivongs, B. E. 2485 (1942), octo. 90 pages. 

His Royal Highness Prince. Sommot was King Ohulalongkorn's 

Private Secretary a.nd Keeper of the Privy Purse for some thirty odd 

yea.rs. An extremely taciturn. personality, of studio-qa habits and inexhaustible 

energy, he was greatly trusted by his Sovereign· and generally 

considered as an ideal Secretary to a. King who wa.s his own Prime 

Minister, through whom importa.nt a.nd often very confidentiaJ m~~otters 

ha.d to pa.ss and obtain their decision. The diary of such a man, therefore, 

can not fail to be of interest, As the Prince himself u.dmitted, he 

often had the grea.test difficulty in keeping up writing his diary. An 

example of such an admission is quoted in the preface of the editor, u. 

gr:J.ndson of Prince Som!llot. It is worth the following reproduction: .. 

"Monda,y, the 11th of the waxing moon of the first month, cor· 

responding ~o the lOth December 1883 : . , , .. An excessive amount 

of worlc tod:J.y. No rest possible. Everything seems to have to be 

carried over because I have neither the strength nor time left. No 

one to take some of it off roy shoulders either. Arrived a.t the office 

about :fiHy minutes past one. Looked in a.t the lower office (tha 

Privy Purse) till about two, and then went to the upper office (the 

Private· Secretariat). Went into lihe King's study and worked with 

Him till four. Came out and did some work till half past five. 

Had something to eat and worked on till eight. Went in again to 

work with the King till past eleyen ..... , . Hands ached through 

writing. Came home n.nd wrote diary, Siok to death with it, but it 

would be a pity to leave off a.fter keeping it up regularly for almost 

a year. Seems as if coming out of a scorching ~un to bn.s1' before 

a. fire . , . " 

It is presumed that the diary baa been selected for the present publi 

(la.tion primarily with a. view to a.ssemble all the data concerning the 

life-history of Momcha.o VipulYtll, his eldest son, in whose memorY the

Hl.\ n. ! vnr.. :;:•:xv 

book ha.s been isstlefl. It, confi!lin~ tVlVt'rtlu:le.:.:; nLht=:r ma.Uers 

int•3rest for t.he historian, tho philologiBt and t;he a.rehtv•olo,:ist .. 

those f~r the former a.re : 

nf ~;l'toa.l; 

Among 

"lrJ .Tnne 188:3 (p. 24) His M \\.jc•l:it·\' re(miVLHl in :1w1ience the 

French Consul (there being no !vTiniflterin thnso. d~t\'ill who e):Jll'f:H;secl 

u, WiSh that the I(ing might SBUrl lL!l expedic·ion:Hy foree nf p~tha.pS 

500 men to help France in her campa,iKn in Tongldng lTiH :\I:.t.jt~Rty 

sa.id that He wonld ha.ve to oonsult th•.o e:~hir.u:t firl"t." 

"25 June 1883 (p, ~H) A Chiueso olliebl :nrivod. tmhy .... on 

3. mission to remind om· Gov,n·mn:mt tha.t the periolli~:•l tribute 

v 

' 

(f1'Cl~) is due. 'l'his is non olu cnsoonl which wn,!l cli~contintted by King 

Mougkut iu C. S, 1214 ( L85~). No r·:con1 ''Xif-lts a.a to whatl1tH the 

·Chinese Govemment sent t1DY further romiw'lnr to tba.t Lllf(l(:L in tha.t 

reign, bnt in C. S. 1231 (1809) tlm Hegent, (ilnrinl,l th'~ miuorily of 

King Chulo.longkorn) asked permission for tlH~ !):\S:-l~LgH tl1rough 

Tientsin instea,d of the usnu,l roLltH via. Canton of u. 'L'htti missi

);'T, 1) REVIEW 125 

. of nationality here in Bangkok. If a Chinese Dutch protege, for instance, 

is qnestioned regarding the town of Batavia he wonld probably 

be quite at a loss for an answer, having never been in the colony." 

Philological interest is served for instance on pages 21-23, where 

technical terms in the science of Elephant Service are given. 

The archaeologist will find mur.b of interest throughout the collection. 

On p~ge 11 there is a full explanation of the significance of the eight 

Prangs, pagorh-like strnctures of different colours to the east in front of 

the Pantheon ·at W a.t Phra. E. a. eo. Guides and sightseers usna.lly · misunderstand 

or do not know what these mean even to the present day. 

According to Prince Sommot, then, they are as follows :- 

1 white, dedicated to the Buddha., 

2 ultramarine, dedicated to the law (Dhamma.), 

3 pink, t,o the noble oommnnity of monastic disciples, 

4 green, to the now extinct community of women mouks,· 

5 purple, to the Pra.tyeka. or .Pa,coe!ta. Buddhas, 

6 light blue, to the ideal Imperia-l.sovereign, 

7 red, to the Bodhisattva, 

8 yellow, to Sri Arya 1\ia.itriya, the future Buddha. 

• 

Pages 42-7 ~nta.in the text of the so-far unpublished inscriptions, set 

up by King i.Vlongkut at two vicinities of the Phra.bad shrine, much 

respected by local inhabitants as well as the Bangkok tourists of the old 

schookt> The gist is mainly propitiatory, bearing however dates and in· 

formation regarding the effigies of the thewad'a set up at those places. 

On page 51, on his visib to the Bodleian LibrarY at Oxford, the 

Prince was shown, among other objects of interest, a roya.l autograph 

·letter from the King a.t Ayudhya bea.ring the da.te of B. E. 2230 written 

on fibre paper with a bla.ck pencil and a. letter from Pbya Pipat dated 

· 0. 8. 1048; wi·itten on foreign paper with ink f).lld signed with a lotus se.a,l. 

( 4 } Memoirs of Forbin, translated into Tba.i by Momcba.o Datnras 

Devakul, published for presenta.tion on the ocoasion of the cremation of His 

la.~e Highness Prince Deva.vongs V a.rodaya, 1943, PP· 196, with a. bio· 

gra.phy of the deceased, 35 pages. 

' 

That Morochao Da.mras Devaknl should be responsible for the first 

:translation into Thn.i of yet another of the XVII century French

l\l6 1>. [YOL, XXXV 

inemoira dealing with the Coul't of King N lll'O.i a.nd with 'I'l{n.i :l.l'fn.it'H in 

geuera.l is doublY fitting. 'rhe Prince was hy profMJsion a. diplom11t 

trained in the Eoolt! libre des Sciences Polil.iques of P"ris, n.ntl a.tta.ined, 

in the practice of bis profession, to the gotl.l o[ :1. dip!otn:.t.t's Cl11'68l'-the 

office of an :Hlnvoy Es:tr:~oordino.ry a.ncl ;\Iiuistet· Ptenivot':'nti:J. ry accrediLed 

to a. foreign Court. It 11:1ight he said, therefor;~, thn.t he haa lived in an 

atmosphere, the couuterparll of which, however dista.nt in rego.n1 to their 

chronology and situation, Fo1·bin ha.d been writing mnmoirs of. It is 

moreover fitting th11t Prince Damras' tr:1.uslation W(l.9 publh;bed as a 

me.morial book on tl1e occ:l.sion of the cremn,tion of the remains of his own 

brother. 

The book is prefa.ced, as is the custom in this country, by a. biography 

of the deceu:sed to whom it is intended to serve :).H a. memoriaL 

The. au thor of the memoirs wo.s 11 man of high RIJiritA :~.nd hh youthful 

escs.pades before the time of the emb:1ssy fill up some :) I. [)~\ge3, They 

are nevertheless interesting n,nd help one to underst'.l.m1 m:l.ny develoP· 

ments of his subsequent o:1reer. 

] 1 orbin was selected by the Gru.nd i\Iout.~orquo to S!H'Ve as a member 

of his first emba.ssy to King Narai nmler the le:J.darship of th0 Cheva.lier 

de Ohu.nmont, u.nd wa.s Io.ter loaned for militn.ry service nnder the Thu.i 

King. He a.tt:~;ined to the high ro.nk of Okphrt\ H::d;t:li 8ouggra.m, In· 

trigue, he sa.ys, r.elega.ted him b.ter to u. provinoi:1l comma.nd a~ B:J.u!.ll\ok, 

whence eventually be left t,he country. 

Prince Damras' style in writing ha.ppeus to fit in with th::~.t of: the 

original, which wa.s short., direct a.ud unburdenea wit,h litet•ary :1dorn· 

ments, The commt1tation of French weights and rnt~u.durea Ml well u.s con· 

tempora.ry monetary values into present·du.y 'J.1ha.i stu.ndu.rds mu.y not he 

g13nera.lly a.pproved by reo.dew1 for it lletra.ots somewhat lrcm.1 the XVII 

century atmosphere of the original. 'rhe suhHtitution of Buddhist cleriua.l 

terms for Catholic dignita.ries, Bnch o. abb1J, sonnds ho.rdly congruous, bub 

it cannot be helped and the hitch can not be a.litributed to t,he tra.nslu.tor. 

Tire book is in a.ny oo.se a. valua.ble contribution to the setieq of, 'l'ho.i · 

tra.nslations of French memoirs of hhe XVII century which must be by 

now nearly con1plete. 

Bangkok, 7th September 1943.

I"L', lj '· REVIEW 127 

. 

Unde1· the S/1elter of the Yellow Robes ('l~jlJtmmviom"), by the 

. Rev. Dr. Bunrod Sujiva. of Wat Ka.nmS.tuyiri1m, 4 + 178 pages, King 

.Mongkut Pali Aca.demy Press, B. E. 2486 (1943) . 

Under the Shelter of the Yellow Robes is. the title of a pioneer work 

a.long the lines of a. historica.l novel in the Thai language. It is true tba.t 

origino,l historical novels in Thai have been written ere this and it is not 

ola.irned here that this work is a. pioneer in that respect. It seems however 

tha.t a historica.l novel constructed out of the Tipital;a. and other 

Buddhist literature has never been written in our language. The author 

is a young Buddhist monk who gra.dua.ted in the highest·-tbe ninth 

sta.nda.rd-of the clerical exa.miu!l.tion in P:.>li and Buddhist Literature. 

His ta.lents seem to ha.ve been duly appreciated for he has been selected 

to a. sea.t on the Grand Council of the Ohurch·-an honour extended to 

very few of its younger members even though they have graduated in the 

ninth standard. In the preface the author admits that he drew inspiration 

from [l.ll English tr[l.nslatiou o£ Gjellerup's Der Pilge1· Kiimanita, a. work of 

propaganda. on behalf of the Buddhist Faith as well as a literary accomplishment, 

which h3.s been done into Thai from th.e English tra.nslation by 

two well-known writers under the pseudonyms of Sathia.n Koses and 

N a.ga,pra.tip, The literary merit of the Thai version is 'videly recognised • 

here and it has just been prescribed as a. school classic for Thai Literature. 

The Rev. Dr .. Bunrod's work, like the Pilgrim lGimanita, interests 

its':llf in the ta.ming ' of the murderer, who came to be !mown a.s "Finger- 

Garland" (Aiignlimiila in 'Pali) on account of his resolve to murde~· a 

thousand persons for the rHckoniug of which record he a.tta.ched a. finger of 

ea.ch vietim to a. strin;~ worn round his neck g:uland-wise. .Gjellerup, 

however, trea.t~d the disagreeable personu.lity as a. side-issue, while the 

B•w. Doctor a.dopts him as the raoo1~tcu.r of his plot. 

Prefaced by an i.atroductory chapter setting forth the period and 

scene of the story, incidentally the first resume I have come ::J,Cross in 

Thai of the political situ3.tion in the lauds in whicll the Master lived and 

disseminated his doatrines, describing more especially the city of Sivatthi, 

capital of the Buddba.'s friend and supporter King Pa.seuadi, as au (l,d. 

ministra.tive as well a,g a. culhural centre, the nu.rrative takes us in, its 

twelve chapters through the story of how a young man of good breeding 

entering upon the final Rtages of au academic education beca.me led 

a.stny by a.'i:1 idea. of trying to a.ccoroplit.lh a. thousa.nd mnrders·in order to 

·COmplete his education ; how he set himself to the task in earnest until he 

tecame the terror of the countryside and gained the name of Finger.

128 !), [ vor .• xxx:v 

Garland: how he oa.me to be tamec1 by tho Buddkl. :~.nd sought the 

Master's guidance by adopting His way of life (J,S a disciple; bow he came 

across a preguu.nt woma.u ::tnd helped her through the pains of childhood 

by his act ol tr nth- a.n episode held np in this country ::ts a classic 

exa.mple of the sacoo.kirZ:ya and recited on every ooc::tsiou of a henedictory 

service; how be lived under the Master in the .T etaY::nw. Mon(l.stery of 

Sii.ntthi where his conversations with fellow-monks 3.1'0 utilised for setting 

forth the m(l,in doctrines and te(l.chings of the Budd.h~t; ending, in ch3.pter 

12, in the night scene within the d(l,rk chasm of a ruined Hindu sancliua.ry 

where in the solitude of (1, cold snowy night the former rnnrllerer's outlines 

could be discerned, ta.ll and majestic, Pilent a.t firgt as if in deep meditation 

but finally giving vent to ecsta.hio utterances of joy 3.t haying realised the 

inner mea.ning of the l'lbster's doctrines. This scene forms the climtJ.x to 

the plot which thus drama.tica.lly ends. 

By way of cdhicism, it wonlll he no use to mainbin that (l. vioneer 

work like thi.s is fla.wless. 'rhe (l,hsence of an element of love and wom~tn 

in lt popular novel iS of COUrse a. factor which ha.ndimLps. r_rhe introduction 

however of such themes would be absurd for an n.l1thor of monu.stic 

sto.ncling a.nd therefore o. greater handicap thn.n their absence, After (1,11, 

" romances like the Jonaleur ds Not1·s Dame o.ncl the Arthurian legendlll 

have been able to succeed without hrwing to depend much uvon tho loveelement. 

The author ha.s evident! y tried to ttse very simple la.nguage 

and yet iu mfl.ny pla.oes, snob as in the dialogue between (he monk N 'indi ya. 

and the leu.der of the sect of Jatila, the lo.ngu:.\.ge is somewhat teulmiea.l 

tending to follow the oral method of the over two-thonsa.nd.-yeo.r-olcl Holy 

Sct•iptnre3 so much that its repetitions would seem· to be thing to the 

ordina.ry lay rea.der. 

A very nseful !aa.tme of the book is the references given of thl'\ soureus 

of all tha more important sto.tements of doctrine a.ud in fu.ct of :J.l\Y d::tta. 

of imporhance with regttrd to the historical. geographict~.l a.nt1 soeiologictd 

descriptions which ha.va been welded togethe1,· to present a. compl

l'T· LJ 

REVIGWS 

129 

History of the Thai Diplomatic Service ( 1h~1~~ rll'i~ 111 1 1\'lu) 1 H 71 pages, 

8 pl. 2 maps. Phrl\ Chant Press 2486 ( 1943), by His Royal Highness 

,. Prince Wan W aitba.ya.kon. 

In the preface to this volume, Prince Wan traces, clearly and con· 

cisely, the growth and development of international intercourse in the 

modern age which l'esulted in International Law primarily to govern in. 

t.ercourse between the Christian nations of Europe. When these nations 

began to have dealings.mostly commercial and missionary-with the non· 

·Christian nations, Turkey at first, others more to the ea,st afterwards, it 

•,vas deemed Ht to apply the system of capitulations~ hter to be Jmown a.s 

exterritoriality, to safeguard their interests. The Industrial Revolution in 

the West over 11 century 11go aggravated matters and the old commerci11l 

:wtivities,took the sha.pe of guests for raw materis.l and for markets to 

dispose of their industrial products, finally becoming quests for new 

territol'ies, China, among others, resisted that aggression by force ::md 

paid her price very dea.rly. '.rhe Thai na.tion, va.luing its independence, no 

less than t,he European ones, uuenanmbered by religious intolerance for 

Bmldhism inculcates love for a.ll men, bas always professetl the open-door 

policy in its foreign relacionship and managed to survive. This, concludes " 

the author, is the diplomatic culture of the Tha.i, in illnstr11tion of \\hich 

the present work ~s written. Starl;ing with the earliest times of N a.nrhao, 

pa.ssing throngb those of Sukhothai and Ayntbya, we come step by step to 

the modern period; We are told how the impact of western might n.nd 

dipl,)mo.cy limited our sovereign rights by the Rystem of exterritoriality, 

how a l'ei1l da.uger threa.tened our sovereignty from east a.nd west am\ 

how the nation began in the time of King Ohulalongkorn to recover 

gradually a.nd with no small amount of trouble thG full sovereignty that 

waE:> not complete till 1937. How such a.restitution was accomplished is 

best illustrated by the moral of a. simple story told by King i\fongkut 

reproduced in the conclusion of this book. It is : 

" There were two men of the forest carrying bundles of primitive 

" merchandise such as jute bound for a trade emporium. On arriving :1t 

"the first stopping pla.ce, a little less primitive than their homel3.ud 

" the cleverer of the two sold hi3 jute for the more valu11ble commodity 

" o.f cotton. This was 3.gain sold a.t the next stopping pbce in order to 

" obta.in money to buy a more va.lua.ble commodity" still-sill\. At the eud 

" of their journey the cleverer one rea,lised his Rale for an infinitely

130 u. [vor •. xxxv 

"greater amount than his friend who in~iste(l on k

131 

PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST IN OTHER JOURNALS. 

BULLETIN DE LA SOCIJflTE DES ETUDES INDOCHINOISES. 

.. 

I 

L' Amerique prcoolombienne et l' A. sis meridionale (2e arti 

Paris, P. : 

ole), pp, 45-68. 

'l'ome XVIII, no!:! • .z & 2. 

Here is an additional contribution on the similarity between American 

pre-Columbian art and that of south Asia by the same author whose article Wall 

mentioned in our columns before (JTRS XXXIV, 1, p. 88). In the present article 

M. Paris examines among other items the problems of elephant-representation, of 

the turban, the \inga and the prolongation of the.eyelids and eyebrows toward• 

the temples in a horn-shaped curve. This last feature is found among us on the• 

Khan mank~ of demons. Both the .American and the South Asiatic arts have traces. 

of Chinese influence. The author touches again on the tran3ocean relationships 

and the problem."tf navigation. Recalling the theory of Laufer that, though 

America had been from an early pedod peopled by Asiatic migrations she even~ 

tually followed an evolution of her own completely independent of Asiatic in 

'fluence, the author comes to the conclusion that inspite of its Jargar dimensions: 

it was acTO$B the Pacific rather than the Atlantic that cultural connection~ were' 

m;~de between the two continents. 

Dupont, P. : La P?'OtJagation dn Buddhisme indien en Indoohine 

occidentale, pp, 91-106. 

This very interesting opinion baaed on strong arguments m~y be summed up 

in the words of its owner that the form of religion now prevailing in western Indochina, 

which is taken by M. Dupont to cou~ist principally of Burma, Cambodia ar1d 

Thailand, haa been that kind of Buddhism which was developed in these countries 

from the first centu:des of the Christian era and maintained to the present-day 

without much interruption, 

Merida.t, L. : La Nouvelle Annee Zaotienne, pp.107-Il'?. 

A veritable work of referedce for students. of ethnography with detailed 

description• of the Lao calendar, the different eras in use in that country, going on 

ihen to describe bow the Lao new year is reckoned and celebrated.

VOL. XXXV. PT. 2. SEPTEMBER 1944. 

THE 

JOURNAL 

OF THE 

THAILAND 

RESEARCH SOCIETYJ 

, I 

, (J. T. R. S.) , 

I . 

BANGKOK 

2487

•

THAILAND RESEARCH SOCIETY 

(FOUNDED 1904) 

PATRON: 

His Majesty the King._ 

HONORARY PRESIDENI: 

H. E. the Prime Minister. 

HONORARY VICE-PRESIDENTS : 

H. H. Prlnoe Bidya.longkom, , H. E. the Minister of Education .. 

President: 

Vice-Presidents: 

THE COUNCIL FOR 1944: 

H. R. H. Prince Wflii1 Wa.ithayakon. 

Thtl Rev. Father L~ Ohorin, 

8. S. Bukhyang ( Phya Sa.ra.sastra 81rila.ksh). 

U. L. Gu~hler. 

Hon. Secretaru: Wisut 0. Krairoek (Luang Chakrapani). 

Hon. 1'rtasurer: I. Zieler, 

Hon. Librarian:. Mom Chao Aja.va.dis Diskul, 

Hon. Editor: H. H. Prince Prem Puraohatra.. 

Hon. A 1'1~/dtect: 8a.ro3 R. Sukhyaug, ( Phra Sa.roj Ratn.ntmimma.l~). 

Mnnbers of the OouncU: 

H. H. Prince Dhani Nivat, l'ast President. 

f.Ia.jor E. Seideafaden, Past President,. 

Mom Luang Pin Malalml. 

Dr. J. J. de Campos. 

Suldoh Nimmanhemin. 

"'samahn Pa.nyarjnn, (Phya Srisdikr~r Banchong). 

Y. Matsumoto. 

• 

J 

COMMITTEES:· 

Ji',;nance: '!:he Senior Vice-President, chairman,· the Ron: Beo~·etary and the Ron. 

Treasurer. 

Exc:han!fe: Tho Hon. Ubraria.n, chairman, the Holi. Editor and Ma,jor E. 

Seidoniaden. 

Editorial: 'Phe Hon. :ffidit.or of the Journal, chiLirma.n, the Ron. Edit01: of the. Bul· 

latin (Arya.nt Manjiknll, the Lea.der.of tho Natural History Section 

( Sn.ma.hn Pa.nya.rjun), H. FI. Pxince. Dhani Nivat, Vidya BivasriyanoM, · · 

and Mom Raohawong Sumonoha.t Sa.watdikun. 

Member~ldp: H. H. Prince Wan Waitha.yakon, oha.irman, U. L. Guehler, and Morn 

TJuang Pin Malakul. 

SECTIONS: 

Na.t!lral IfiBtory: Sama.hn P,anya.rjun, Leader, 

Aryant Manjikul, Ron. Editor, Bulletin. 

Archmology: Major E. Seidenfaden. 

Tra?Jel & Transport: B. 8,. Sukhyang.

THAi CULTURE.'' 

by 

H, H .• H. PlliNOE WAN WAI'l'HAYAKON. 

T shou!a like, first. of :.J.ll, Bincere!y to tbapk the members of the· 

Society for tbtl high honour they h.we b~stowed upon me in electing me to 

the responsible position of Prei?iof'nt. H. H. the former President very 

kindly snggr•stoi! th11t I shonta, on this ooc11sion, give a lecture in the 

natme of ~n iuauguml adilress. It Ro b:l.ppens that the 'Nationn.l Institute· 

of Culture has· asked thiB Society as well ::ts other n.ssociations to cooperate 

·in the promot;ion of culture in this country; n.nd I ht1ve been· 

designated by your Conneil to speak on the subject. As :1 preliminary 

remn.rk, I should like to ma.ke it clear that although I am· a member of • 

the Conncil of the Na,tional {nstitnte of Culture, I a.m not now spea.king 

in th:1t capttrlity ;.,.:J.nrl the views I am going \;o expre~s are entirely my 

own personal views. 

Cult,ure is :1. word which is very much in vogue nowad:1ys. Take· UP 

a d:1ily newspa11er, whethr~r in the verna.cul:1.1' or in :1. foreign !::Lngua.ge, 

and you win flnd something (i;bout cu1tnre. I. pick up a number of the· 

Ban{!lcok Ohrm1.ide at ru,ndom anc1, in its isstle of Februa,ry 19, find Sven 

Hedin speaking t~bont "the Continent which is the home a.nd citadel of 

Westem Cultme". The third principle in the Joint Declaration of the· 

Assembly of Gre:J.ter Bu,st-Asin.tic Nations reads a,s follows: "3. The· 

conn tries of. Gre~ter East Asia. by respecting one ariotbe~·'s traditions andi 

dev'eloping the creative faculties of e:1.ch race, will enhance the cultui·e· 

. and civilisation of Greater E:1.st Aflia". 

But Wh::Lt ex3.ctly is culture? And what is civilisation? In i1C1dition 

to the Pact of Alliance covering politic:J.l, military and economic fields of 

collaboration between Thail:1.nd arid JiJ.Pan, a-Cultural Agreement between 

*Lect~;~ deli~~red before the Thailand R~aearch Society on Sunday 27tb. 

February B. E. 2487 (1944).

136 PRINCE WAN WA I'l'fl A Y :\ KON [VOL. XXXV 

the two countries was coneluded on Ootober :l8, 1942. Thi:; cert;a.inly 

atte·3ts to the importa.nce of oultnr:1l eo-opm.·,tt;irm, but no definition of 

culture iii given; and if the various provi~ions :ue exa.minerl, the term 

"oulture'' in that Agreement woi:tld appear to refer to :1

P'l'· 2\ THAI CULTURE 137 

Act'ions su.nct,ioned by PLlblic ap.prov:!ol ct·e~te a. force of public opinion, 

which can compel observ:J.nce by a recaloitrant minority who now escape 

the ann of the law. 'l'he· public ~ay, for instance, give a stern wa,rning 

to a }J(ll'ROU violating the State cust;om and conveution or they nay withhold 

him from such violation or make him over to the a-uthorities. 

'J~he St~te cnetom and convention hu.s been promulga.ted in the form 

of notification b~· the Pl'esidency of the Council. Twelve such notifica.tions 

have been issued, a.~ follows: 

1. Jnue 24, 193D, r.oncerning the designn.tion of the country, people 

and uation11lity, namely, Thaibnd and Thai. 

2. July 3, 1.939, concerning the prevention of posaible'd:~uger to the 

nation, euioini.ng upon the Thai people not to lose sight of ua.tional sa.fety 

and nn.tiornl interests, nqt lio r,~veal secrets detrimental to the ne.tion, not 

to act on behalf otfot·r;iguers without considering the nn.tionu.l interests of 

Th~iland a.ad not clandestinely to sell or purchase land on behalf of 

foreignei·s so· :ts to be a danger to· the nation. 

3. August 2, 1939, concerning the designation of Thai persons, all of 

whom are to be 'known as Thai. 

4. September 8, 1939, concerning respect to be shown .to the national "~ 

t1ag, the Ntttional Song and tbe Royal Anthem .. 

5. N oveml:"r 1, 1939, enjoining upon . Thai people to ende:1vour to 

use co~nuodit.ies prodnced or ma.de in Thailand. 

G. Dec~lmber 1.0, 1939, concerning the new wording of the National 

Song; 

7. Ma.rch 21, 1940, appea.ling to the Thai people to joiu in the nationa-l 

reconstruction by ea.ch having a definite occup~tion. 

8. April 26, 1940, concerning the new wording of the Royal Anthem. 

9. .Tnne 24, 1940, concerning the upholding of the Thai la.uguage asthe 

duty of a goodcitizen. 

10. J n.uuary 15, 1941, ·enjoining upon Tha.i people to dress suit 

. ably. 

11. September 8, 1941, concerning the da.ily life of the Thai people, 

·who a.re to distribute their time properly for .their ocoupa.tion, their per· 

sonal affairs and their recreation a.nd repose . 

. 12. .Janu~ry 28, 1942, concerning' the extending of 11. helping hand 

to the young, aged and infirm in public pla.ces a.nd highways.

138 PRINCl£ WAN W.AITHAYAKUN lvoL. XXXV 

In these N otiHcat.ions of the St(l.te !lUHtom ttncl eonvention no legal 

sanction bas been provided for. 

In promulgu.ting the Jk,;t two NotHieat,ions, 1,he following of!icial 

explanation wa.s given : 

"The duties of the Government, however mnHift\i'iouB u.nd comprehensive 

thay tna.y be, ma.y be snmrned up in the duty of bniltiing up the 

sta.bility and development of the natiou. 

''Stability is most important anc1 must be provided for lirst, but development 

cannot be neglected. 

''Elver since Thailand entered in to the new regime, the Government 

ha.ve successfully· endea.vonred to build up stability in ma.ny ways, such as 

by revising the treaties which resulted ir1 uhe recovery of political, judicial 

and economic a.ntonomy, by bnilding up stronger national dHfeuce forces, 

by strengthening s,3curity in matters of fin11nce, :Lgricul ture, the sa.fegua.rding 

of public t;anquillity and public health o.ntl by Itmn y other 

activities which a.re fa.ctors of stability. 

"For the permu.nent efficacy of the work a.lread y clone (.tllU still to be 

done, the Th11i people must culLiva.t,e in themselves quu.liliitlB inho line with 

"the·uew regime. The Govet•ntnenl; mu8t thert~fore devote their u.ttention 

.to ouilding up development side by side with the stability which they have 

,endea. vonred to bring about. 

( 

''But the building up of stability is not the f:l(.ttne with thi1t, of develop- 

'ment. The fot·mer can rely on law a!i a meO.ns of Bnforcemerll>, but for the 

'a.uter it is not convenient to a.dopt law as nhe means. 'rhe Government 

hu.ve there fore set up rul

;pT. 2j THAI CULTURE 139 

king, the grea.r. religious tea.chers or, in other words, by the lea.ders in the 

'l:~.ommunities concerned. Tha.ilaud pa.ssed from pll.tria.rcha.l kingship to 

:tbsolnte mon:1rchy without passing through feud 11 1isrn; a.nd u.s it has been 

esseutia.lly ll.U a.gricu\tnr:J.l country, urb!l.n life b:1s been confined m:J.inly 

to the c:J.pita.l. Thus codes of etiquette ha.ve emanated m:J.inly from the 

Court. Now with the a.dvent of the coustitutiona.l regime the Govermp.ent 

n:1tnrally h:1ve to take the lead formerly taken by the king himself. 

King Ihmkha.mbooug, who was the father of his people, not only 

!l:J.Used religions pt•ea.ching to be 1.:mil.ertaken by the monks, not only dealt 

with atia.irA of State in full assembly, but himself ta.ught the people in 

moral 1·u les of conduct : "Pho!tht1n Phm Ba.mkha.mboong is the lord a.nd 

·Chief of a.li the Tha.i a.nd 1 is the preceptor tea.ching all the Thai to know 

truly what is meritorious a.m1 what is righteous. '• It is so recorded in the 

inscriptions of Sukhotha.i: 

There n.re many curiona notifica.tions of King Mongkut laying down 

rules for observance in rniscella.ueous matters. whbh normally, in the 

West, would not be the subject of legislation. I ta.ke ex:1mples a.t random, 

There is one prohibiting the use, in petitions a.i:ld letters to the king, of pen 

and ink or pencil, the writing with which is faint and pale a.ud not truly • 

black. Coloured European pencils, whether blue or red, a.nd blue or red 

ink ma.y be used; and Thai black pencils may be used on Tha.i pa.per, a.s 

heretofore. Tbe?e is no sa.uction provided for, but it is stated tha.t noncompliance 

will be displea.sing to His Ma.j'eety, while compliance will bring 

a.hout every fa.cility and convenience iri seeming the realisation of the 

petitioner's wishes. There is a.nother one ennmera.ting many excellent 

kinds of Tha.i musical entet·ta.inments, Auch as Lald~on theatrica.l performance, 

l•,onr::tm dancing, Pil)ha.t instrumental music, l\ia.hori orchestra, 

half-portioll Sepha balla.ds, Sa.ka.wa,repartee songs, Probka.i songs' ma.rked 

by h~nd-cla.pping, Tba.i h:.rvest a.nd other songs. Why then should the 

khmn b:.gpipe he so muoh in vogue as to oust the tra.ditional kinds of Thai 

music just enumerated. It'is therefore :1 matter of concern to His Ma.jesty 

who is gru.oiously plea.secl to implore all those concerned to give up tbe 

khrnn bagpipe for a. year or two as a try. If the Itboon bagpipe entert:1inment' 

is still persisted in, a hea.vy hx will be imposed upon those. responsi~le 

for the entertainment; and if such entetta.inmnnt takes place in 

secret a twofo1d or threefold tax will be imposed as a fine. 'rhere is a. 

long notification pointing out that, according to a.ncient custom, gold is 

·either kept in safe-keaping or is the object of commercial transactions or,

140 

PH.INC:f

THAI CULTURE 

141 

be.t1a.viour looking to the honour of the na.t.iou and the Buddh' t 1' · 

tJi · d · lS re 1g10n, 4 , 

e ctency a,u t~ttquette in occuva.tiona.l pursuits, 5. spiritna.l a.~d mora.l 

~evalopmeut. of the pe.ople, 6. progress ib 1iter.M·y arid artistic works, a.nd 

I. ~•pprectatlO.n of thtuga 'rha,i. The National Institute of Culture has 

?,een set up, wtth ~he status of a. public body under the Presidency of the 

vonnctl. Its duttes a.t·e 1. to resea.roh into, adapt, preserve and promote 

the exisl;ing na.tiona.l eu1tnre, 2. to resea.rch into, a.da.pt and determine the 

culture which should be adopted or further re-adjusted, 3. to diffuse the 

n:1tioual culture in conformity with the times, 4. to control a.ud find means 

of ia~tilling th9 ~ational culture iuto the spil:it of the people, and 5. to give 

opit1ion upon consult.ati.on or otherwise and to take action as desired by the 

Government in rn:~.~ters concerning th~ n:J.tiona.l cul~ure. The Institute is 

divided into five burea.ux: 1. Bureau of Spiritua.l Culture, 2. Burea.u 

of Customary Culture, 3. Burea.u of Artistic Culture, 4:. Bureau of 

Literary Cultme, a.nd 5. Bure:tu of Women's Culture. The Institute has 

control over aasoc:iations a.nd organisations with culuural objects. The 

-pem.. lty fot• viol:J,tions or Bo-y;al Dec:rees has been raised to· a. fine not 

exceeding one hundred Baht. or imprisoum~nt not exceeding one mouth 

or both. 

Boy:1l Decrees h:1ve been issued regarding orderly conduct·in public • 

places or in pl a. · • • d • · 

' . t' a industria~> 3 Art-Oa.rving, patntmg, ra wmg, n1USl

142 PRINCE WAN WAITHAY:\KnN [VOL, XXX~ 

of reckoning kinship, c. Inherita.nce, cl. Socia.l control, e. Sports a.nd 

ga.mes. ·7. Property-a.. Reah.ncl personaL b. Sta.nda.rds of value ::tud 

exchange·, c. Tr:l>de. 8. Governrnent-a.. Politica.l forms, b. Judicial 

ancl legal procedures. 9. w a.r. 

N (Jr ha.s culture in the n:.urow sen9e of a.rts and letters been neglected. 

Au University of l!'ine Arts has been set up; n,nc1 :1 literary revival bas 

been set in motion. Ortl.~ography has been simplified by the elimination 

of 13 consona.nts .and 5 vowels, which :J.re not necessary for Tb:J.i spelling. 

while the remo.ining ~l·phabet is sufficient for indicating Pali.-Sanskrit 

derivations.· A monthly ]~iterary Review l1as been published ; a.nd as 

Editor I can saY tht\t it ha.s met with a kaen and wide interest. 

Enough lias been said on what is being done in the development of 

culture in Thailand. But what a.bout Thai culture? I am aware that 

questions have been asked why Thai men should wear trousers. The 

answer, in my opinion, is that_ the function of culture is twofold: it is 

calculated to bring ab~tt, amopg the people, a. mode of life, which cu.n 

meet the requirements of the times, while a.t the same time upholding the 

spirit of the nation. It is a fact that m9dern civilisa,tion in the form 

,.. of the Industrial System has pervaded the world. Each nation,, in 

order to achieve progress or even merely to survive, must so org[l;nize 

the life of its people as to be able to make an adequa.~eresponse to the 

challenge thus put fbrwu.rc1 by the prevailing world economic system. 

Some yea.t·s a.go, I asked a Ja.pa.nese friend of mine why .Ta.panese 

men had t:J.ken to trousers. He replied that he put on trouser.s in order 

to go to the ot'fice, because he felt more business-like th:1.n if be wore 

the kimono, which he preferred to wear at home. I httve been struck by 

his remark; and, from the psycho.logical point of view, I think ,there is a 

great deal to be saicl for it. An En::~lish ioum:1list once s:1id that the 

Thai pl:1Yed at work. and worked ·at pla,y. In order to meet the requirements 

of the times, we must work a.t work and play :1t play. 

But bas Tha.i culture a partict1br stamp of. its own? 'rhe Nation:l.l 

Institute of Culture ha.s issued a nt1tiona.l code of v:1.lour called National 

Windham, a. litera.l translation of which would be the epic ethics of the 

na.tion, or, in other words, the heroic virtues of the na.tion. lVira means 

a. strong ma.n, a ma.u of courage, a warrior, a. ma.n ivith fortitude or 

enduring effort; :1:ticl Thmn mea.ns righteousness, or, in otbe.r words, the 

rig_bt way of life. The best rendering into English that l ca.n think of at 

present is "Code of Valour".

14'7 

FURTHER ST.UDIES OF OL.IO 

by 

THAI COINS. 

U. GUEHLER. 

A. INTRODUCTION. 

The mystery that surrounds all old Thlli coins ha.s always puzzled 

·me.. At the sa.~e time, during my yea.~s of collecting Tha.i ooine, I felt 

that It would be JU .the interest of further research to bring to the knowledge 

of a wider circle all the mat.erial and facts wbioh I had been able to 

ga.ther. Collecting old coins is a fascinating occupation for the s.ntiquarian; 

collecting old Tha.i coins is fa.scina.ting li.nd disa.ppointing at the sa.me 

time, heoa.use so ma.ny important questions cannot be solved and will-in" 

my opinion-never be aolvecl. Every student of Tha.i coinage will na.tur• 

ally base his res~a.rch on le ~Iu.y's book The Ooin'age of Siam, published 

··by the Thaila.nd Resea.roh Society in 1932. · O:Uly the student of numis 

. matics can fully· rea.lize the high merits of this book, which incorpora.ted 

all our knowledge a.hout Thai .coins a.·t the author's time of writing. · 

In the introduction of his book, le 1'la.y underlines the difficulties which 

· every sbudent of \rhai coinage has to encounter during his research. And, 

indeed, those difficulties are almost unsnrmoun\able, Mr. le May-as a 

true schol:u·~seems almost to ha.ve exhausted the s~arch, and I agree 

with· him in the opinion ~ha.t the princip~l question with r~gard to .the 

·early coinage of this country, namely to whi~h reigns pf the Sukhothai 

a.ncl A yuthia. d ynt~.sties the vat'ioJ.lS coi1;1s may be a.scril;>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 pre 

Ba.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)·:

150 U. GUEHLER [ v or... ~'!'XV 

N. B. This coin would be simHtn to le May PL~t~ VU/4, 

Marks 6 a.?Ld 8, bub for the connecting line between the 2 outer 

Lotus blossoms; it would be similar to le M(J,y VITI/:3 but a) the 

top-blossom is not pointed, b) there a.re connecting linea bet\veen. 

the three blossoms in the centre :J.nd the lower l'ibbon. 

5) Racha.wa.t below, ElephMLt above, Plate I, u. 

Broad with long ha.rnrner-m~~orlu!, ends of coin part, two medium 

sized cuts u.nd two small a.dditionC~.l cuts, no hole,· weight 14.7 

gr. 

The coin is simil:J.r tole l\hy Plate VILI/4 !lfarks lfj/](i, but 

.the Elephant w11lks to thll right, !lond the roark is pl::t.eed the other 

way round. 

6) Raohasi in centre a.nd 2 conch sheUs on both sides. Plate I, 

6a/d. 

The mark on this coin is. similar to le May JJ:[Mk 1. Ita weight 

is 9 gr. But there. is !loll additional mark on the opposite side 

and on both end~; where they meet; as shown on the photograph. 

I cannot give a.n opinion a.bout the meaning of this ma.rlc. 

This ooin is very rn.re. r- 

7)-r.- Conch-Shell and, Wheel of Law (6 spokes). Plate II, 1. 

Bron.d coin with rounded sides, no hammer-marks, ends ;,1eet, . 

no cuts, tr.i:l.ngula¥ bole, weight 13 gr., cj. le Mn.y Plate VI 1 and 

VII( ta.s .for shape. J?resumo.bly 'a. very old a.nd cert1tinly a 

.ra.re coin. 

B)* Bunch of Lohts and Wheel' ~oith dots, Plate II, 3. 

A high coin with round shoulders ao(/- long ends, which meet, 

two Cluts a.nd a. rottnd bole .. IJong oval bamroer•rn arks. 'Similar · 

in shape tole May Plate V/5, weight 14 gr. 

. I • 

This coin, Plate II, 4al b, weight 48 gr., is of good silver and hs.s 

clear ha.romer.roarks a.t the ends. Th~~e are 5 marks, of which· 

the centre•roa.rk on top is a oirde. of do~s and one side-Mark, an 

·Elephant. I Clorisider it a very old coin (pre-Sulchotha.i ?) of 

Northern origin. There are .severn.l outs. 

....

P'i'. 2) FU8THER STUDIES OF OLD THAI COINS 151 

b) Pre:;iliJwh!y Auufhiu Pe1·iod. 

10)'·:- The coin depieted on Plate II, 5a. b, Bloch 6(7, with a Conch 

Shell a.nd Wheel ( 6 spokes) is undoubtedly genuine, but a.t 

present only one specimen is known. It weighs 14.95 gr. Clea.r 

sha.pe, cleu single.hammer.marks, no cuts or nicks. The sidemn.rk 

does not correspond to le Ma.y Ma?'lt 45, but the shell is 

shown the other wu.y round a.ud corresponds to N ai Kula.b's. 

duwing No. 1. 

11)'1.- Elephant in fmme a.nd Wheel (6 spokes), Plate II, 6. 

Cleu.r shoulders and single ha.mmer-mu.rks, no ci.1ts or nicks, tio 

hoie~ weight 14.5 gr. 

12)·:+ Elephant withmtt frame, Oi1·cle of dots around oentre-dot, PlaM· 

11 .. 7. . . 

Ole~J.r sha.pe, many tnllorks of old age, no cuts or nicks. Two 

a.dditiout\ 1 Elepho.ut-ma.rks at;both ends. Weight 15 gr. ·Single 

ha.mmer-ma.rks. 

13)-'1:· Bachawat (1:n fram.e) and Wheel (6 spokes). Plate III, 1. 

Clear sb~J.pe, no cuts or nicks. Weight 15·7 gr. 

The Raclwwat has 10 dots. Similar to Na.i Kula.b's drawing 

No, 3 . ., 

I 

I 

14)* Laroe Rac:hawrtl (without frame) a.nd. Circle of 8 dot8 mound 

centre-dot. flate 1!1, la/b. 

Clea.r sha.pe, no cuts or nicks. Weight 14.6 gr. Olau.r round' 

ha.mm.er-roa.rks. 

Hi)* Open Conch-Shell ~nd Oircl e of 7 dots around centre-dot:. 

( Pli:tte III, 8). 

Similar to le MllY Plate lX/9-lO, but there are no dots t\t ther 

left side and no stroke inside the Conch-Shell. This roark is ' 

called Bet by the Tba.i. 

16)* 

Elephant a.nd Open Conch-Shell a.s side-marks, Wheel ( 6. 

spok~s), as top-mark. Plate III, 4a/~. · 

A vary old. specimen, rouoh worn, Shoulders soroewha.t rounded, 

but :Qu.mroer-ma.rks oiea.r. 2 cuts below elephant, weight 

13 gr. ·

152 U. GUEHLEH, [VOL, XXXV 

17)* 5-mar'k~-C·ll:n Elephant (le :i\Iay .llarlc ::34) and 

Buru:h of Lotns (Ie Ma.y lvlw·k !7) on both 

sides. 

Wheel (le May Marie 18) on top. 

O£n·le of Dots (le May .Jl;[arlc 40) on both 

shoulders. 

weight 14.85 gr. Plate .TJI, 5ajb. 

lB)IIe 11-nwrks-Coin Anchor on one side. 

Bunch of Lotus on the other side .. 

TV!teelt()ith d.Jts on top .. 

Ct:rcle of' dots (le May MaTic 40) on both 

shoulders. 

4 additional uwrk8 (6.spoked wheel) on the 

four corners. 

and .!:! additiunal ma:rlcs (a-spoked wheel) on 

the ends. 

Weight 14.75 gr. 

Plate.III, 6a/b. 

· 19) A.nchor and ii spoked-wheel 1.vith dots sa/me as le May's Ptat.e 

XVIII/7, ,who "does not like this coin". I have .seen six specimens 

of it and am satisfied of its genuineness. The weights 

varied between 14.3 and 14.9 gr. But the soope of the Anchor 

is not identical with le 1\:Ia.y's Mark. I conclude therefrom tha.t 

there must have been at least two different coins of the Anchor 

mark. See Plate IV, 1. 

19a)* The sa. me coin, but with 2 a.dditiontul marks as shown on Plate 

IV·, :!a/b. Weight 14.4 g~. , . 

20) The coin depicted on Plate IV, 3 is the Yantra-ma.rk a.nd the 

Circle of' Dots as shown by le May mi Plate XII/1-2. But on 

the other side there is an additional roark of a Narno as shown. "' 

Weight 14.8 gr. 

21) Tbe coin shown on Plate IV; 4 weighs only 12,5 gr. 'rhe 

shoulders are high a.nd there are two single 'hammer-marks. 

The side ma.rk can be seen on the photograph. A similar coin 

is depictea in the Album of the N a.tional Museum: Between the 

ends is a. round hOle,· which ma.y have been bored la.ter, thereby 

causing the underweight. It may be 

. 

a ooin from 

' 

the North. 

.

l'T· 2\ l~UHTHElt STUDIES OF OLD THAI COINS 153 

22)x The coin with m~rks shown on h'fncks s. (;ltd{! and Plate IV, fi 

is in the posses~ion of Iltr. N oirot. Its weight is 14,[)5 gr. I consider 

this coin u.s genuine. 'L'be sha.pe is clr:~:uly r\\'uthin; with l 

cleu.r h[l.lUmer.ma rk on ~ach side, n.ud the weight i~ plausible.,· 

23}'* The coin on Plate ITT, 6a/b h3.s ·:,circle::; with r; dot8 as toprrl3.rk. 

The shape is clear with 2 perfect r~uud hammer-ma.rks. 

One nick, no cuts. Weight I4.48 gr, The side.mu.rk is not 

quite olea.r. It .ma.y be a Buur:h of Lotus-,tlmners in a. fra.me 

or the Ya utru m[~rk (!e i\1aly .Mark 89). 

24:)* 'J~he next coin, Plate V, L Weight 14: gr. The top.mu.rk is H 

dots surrounding a centre-dot, the side ma.rk a. recta11gular 

cross will! 4 dnls. The sa.me m:uk can be seen as top-ma.rl,: on 

a coin in the Album of the National Museum. Two hammermarks 

on each side. 

25) '' Another .newly-described coin,. (Plate Y, ,2), weighing only 13.5 

gr. Top-rrw.rk 8 dots ·with a r:rntre dot, side-mark an open 

conch-shell, Clear sh:~.pe with one hammer-rn&rk on ~ach side. ~ 

2 outs. 'rhe side marl\ is similar to Kul:l.b's drawing No. 2i, 

but tnr..$led by :111 a.ngle of go•. 

26)* Plate V, .'1a/h shows a very interesting coin, weiRhing 14.4 gr. 

Olear shape with two round bam~er-marks. On top 8 dots 

a.ronnd a Cfnh'l'-dof; the side·ma.rlt is a. water 7JOt (Kontho) in 

a frame similar to tha.t depicted by N a.i Kulab in dru.wing_ 

No. 5. 

No cuts or nicks. 

27) * This coin (Plafr V, 1 4) is depicted by le May on PlaleXVIII/3. 

On top is a Rachru:11:, on one side a bunch of lotus-flowt~1·s, 

on the other side !1 toheelwith () spokes. Weight 14.85 gr. 2 

cuts. The aha.pe is not olen.r . .I oonsider this coin as genuine, 

beMuse I have seen three specimens, all alike. · 

· 28)* This coin (Plalr V, 5) weighs only 12.5 gr. The shape is cleat·, 

No cuts, but a hole between the ends, On top 10 dot.~ 81l1Tound- 

. i·~g a centre-dot. The side-ma.rk is somewhat simil~r to Bua · 

Yanfra (le May Mm·k 3.9) 

"'·

154 U, GUEHLER [VOL, XXXV 

. 29) The next coin (Plate V, 6) weighs 13.'15 gr. The shape is 

clea.r. On top fl dots arounrl a cenii'P-d()t, '!~he side-mark 

is similar to Nai Kulab's drawing No. 7. The Album of the 

National Museum shows a similar coin. The mark is there 

called Burt Ban Laos. 

30) .11fark No. 37 (le May), Bunch of lotns-Jlower:-;, 

There are two va.rieties of this coin distinctly different. One is 

like Mark 27 (le May), but the oth9r one is like BlockS, of which 

the top-mark is also somewhat different from Mark 28 of le 

1Yhy. There. were probably two editions of this coin during the 

respective reign . 

. 1Jl) I ha.ve also found some varieties' to Marks 37 and 88 (le May), 

the coins of Pbra Narai's reign. They probably represent new 

editions of the same mark, which are likely to have been issued 

during a long reign .of 32 years. The variety of Mark :37 (le 

May) is shown in Block 4. The lower part of the frame is 

clearly interrupted. Block .:; shows a variety of Mark 88 (le 

May). The lower part of the frame is likewise interrupted and 

the dot in the middle of the lowest line of flowers ha.s been placed 

r: 

in the middle of the fram~. 

:32) 

Mark 39 (le- May), Yantra. 

I ha.ve a specimen with 4 marks in a.ddition to the top-mark, 

which latter corresponds to Mark .18 (le May). 2 marks are in 

front and at the back, 2 on the hammer-marks. The meaning 

of stamping the coins with more than one mark of the same or 

other ldnd is unknown to me. 

'33) Block 10 and !'~tate V, 7 show a coin, whiohweighs only 9.6 gr. 

The ~bape is clea.r and both ends are perfectly cut. and round. 

There is a hole between the ends. The top mark is somewhat 

blurred and shows a Ohakra-wheel with 9 spokes. The .metal 

(apparently not pure silver ) is of slight' yellowish colour. I 

believe that the coin is pre-Ayuthia, a specimen £rom the N ortb, 

or a forgery of the Unalom mark. 

..

:!'T, 2] l

156 U, GUEHLER [VOL. xx..xv 

possibility or manufn,cturing dies for the sm:tller coins which 

woulil prodnce a mark sm[J.Iler but otherwise the; exact replica 

of the baht-mark. 

Tbe coins which are shown on 13/uck.s IU and 17 are still easily 

found in Bangkok silver-shops. It is all the more surprising 

that they were not mentioned by le !rlay. He mentions the 

elephant-mark only in connect;ion with another ml!.rk, hut has 

~pparently never seen this coin with the elephant :1lone. 

36) Block JU-Ooin with a.n eleplw!lf os side.mnrk. 

A high and narrow coin. · Two clea.r hammer-marks. Ends do 

not meet. I believe it to belong to le M:1y Plate XIII No. !} 

(t Baht), The weight of this coin is 1.7 g'r. ( = ·~ Baht). 

37) Block 17-Elephant as top-mark. 

This is similar in shape to le MaY Plate XIV, No. 1 but ha.e no 

side-mMk. The weight of this coin is 3.4 gr. ( = :l Baht). 

38} Block 18 shows the side view of another coin, with a.n elephant 

as top rnark. There is no side-ma.rlr. The shoulders are rounded 

a.nd between the. ends is a. clea.r hole. 

39) Blor:k 10 represents the side-view of a. coin '"'hich is high and 

na,rrow. The ends a,re wide apart, the han:'Jmc-lr-rnarl

PT. 2] FURTHER STUDIES OF OLD THAI COINS 157 

43) BLock .'23 ~nd Plate VI, 3 show a coin with a pecn!ia.l' top-m;~.rk. 

It looks like a.n elephant, but there is a hump on the shoulder, 

The side mark is a CIJ11Cli-Sitdl. There are. 2 deep and 2 additional 

small cuts. The weight is 3.5 gr. (}';! Baht). 

44) Block .!!4 is the top ma.rk of a small a.nd fiattish coin of only 

1.45 gr. weight. The mark looks to me like a hare. 

45) Block 2.5 t•epresents the only mark of a coin of :3.85 gr. weight. 

It is probably the inside of a shell.. The edges of this coin are 

noVclea.rly cut and show traces of two hammer-marks. 

46) 

47) 

Block .J(i is the side-mark of a coin of 1.8 gr. weight. The 

top-mark is a.· wheel with ii spokes. I believe it belongs to 

Mark Ja (ie May). It is also shown in the Collection of 

Photos of the N a.tiona·I Museum. 

Block :!7 shows the side·ma.rk of a coin of 1. 7 gr. weight. The 

cmu:h-shell is of the same design Ml that on Bloek :!5 (le May) 

and I believe it to be the k Baht coin belonging to tha.t. The 

should~re a.re oomp'!etely rounded. But I have a.uotber specimen 

with the sa.me mark with two long oval hammer marks. 

In a.ddition I have collected the following coins, not yet 

rpentio~ed by le ~by : 

48) Ys·Ba.ht of Murk 55 ( le May), Conch-Shell. 

49) ~~·-Baht of 1!1.arl• 56 ( le l\f:Ly), Conch-Shell. 

50) )4. Baht of )lark 57 ( le Ma.y ), Cm1ch-Shell. 

51) !13-Baht of Plate XIV, No . ./':! ( le MaY), Conch-Shell. 

52) Ys-Baht of Plate XIV, No. 1 t ( le May), ConclH1hell. 

Th!') coins with ma.rks depicted on Blocks 28-31 a.re from 

Mr. N oirot 's collection : 

53) Block 28,' a Oonci1.-Shell,. weight 1.8 gr. 

54) Block 29, ~lso a. Conch-Shell, weight 2.85 gr. 

55) Block 30, .weight 1.8 gr . 

. 56) Block 31, again a Conch-Shell, weight 3 gr. 

I add three more coins, which came into my posseReion 

during .the writing or these studies~ 

.. 

I 

I 

...

158 U. GUI.EHLER [ vor .. xxxv 

57) Cle:l.l' sba.pe with rounu hammer-mtlrka. On tO]) clots; sidemark: 

4 doll! separated bylines. Weight G.rl gr. ( ~ Ba.ht). 

58) Olea.r shape with round h11mmer-mn.rks. On top dots: side· 

mark: Rac/irui·nt with /1! drds. Weight 7.2 gr ( ~· B:l.ht ). 

Plate VI, 4. 

59) This coin .weighs 3.2 gr. (}/4 Baht). Rounded shoulclere. Only 

one mark: Thed'Onch-shell shown on Plate VI, :i, 2 cuts. Probably 

a. ru. tber old coin. 

I repeat, it seems strn.nge that none of the m:..ny coins described 

above should have been known during le 1\fa.y's time 

and I am sure that of the small coinn.ge of Aynthiu. still m:J.nY 

more will come to light. 

60/61) Before adding u. few coins, [j,ppo.rently belonging to the Bangkok 

period, I give the photos of two coins on Platll VI G/7, showing 

the famous Fork-Mark. In both oases the ma.rk is a.pplied 

to the ooin n.t u.n a.ngle, the points of the fork pointing downwards, 

not upwards, as shown on le May Plate XV IT II 8. One 

coin has as top-mark a wheel of 5 spoltes with clots between 

the spokes, the other tbe Chakra- Wheel. The latter, stra.nge 

to su.y~ although indicating the Banglmk peri~, hu.s two clear 

round hammer-marks, where u.s the former bu.s one olea. r round 

bammer~mark on one side and two hammer marks on the 

other. Plate VI, 7 weighs 15.1 gr., a.nd Plate VI/G weighs 

14.85 gr. 

The question whether the coins with the fork-mark ::~ore 

genuine or not has been dealt with by le Ma;y, who believes that 

they 3ore forgeries. I am, after having seen so many of them, 

unable to share his opinion. A coin with the fork-mark doubtless 

exists, but I cannot say whether it is the mark of Phya. 

Tak or not. 

d) , Bullet coins of Bangkok Pe1·iorl. 

I shall first describe a few coins, which h:we the Ohakrawhsel 

as top mark and seem therefore to belong to the Bangkok 

period, although I a.in not quite sure about it. lt might be possible 

that the Ohakra- Wheel was a.lso used before the Cha.kri 

Dynasty's ooming to power.

PT· 2] FURTHER STUDIES OF OLD THAI COINS 159 

62) Plat~ VI, 8. Ohalmt-wheel ou top, Rachawat (10 dots) as sidemark. 

Weight 15.15 gr Strange as it seems this coin ha.s 

IJlea?'l'IJ A112tthian shape with one ole~r round hammer-mark on 

each side. · 

63) Plat~ VI, .9. ( Ohakra-wheel on top and some flowers (?) in a 

frame as side' m~rk. Weight 15.15 gr. This coin has 2 hammer-marks 

on each side, A similar coin is depicted in the Album 

of the N ationa.l Museum. In is genuine beyond doubt. 

j In this connection I would like to add the following note : 

\.,,. 

a) Le May, in describing the bnllet coins of the Bangkok Period, 

mentions the oue-Ba)l.t a.nd the it-Baht values of the "Flower"· 

mark and the Bai Matum mark. in many years of collect. 

ing I have never come a.cro:s one of.them. This of course does. 

not mean that they do not exist.. But they must be extremely 

rare. Apparently le May had none at his disposal for making:. 

his· plates, as the representa.tives of these two marks in his 

'book are photographs of lesser va.lues (f.Baht and H-Ba.ht). 

But I am fa.irly. sure that 'tbe coin described above under No. 

60 represents tbe One-Baht-coin of the ".Flower" mark, on 

which, a.s may be seen from the reproduction, the ma.rk, as. .,. 

compared with the ±-Ba.ht coin, has been repeated four times,. 

the whole surrounded by a frame. It seems, that the 1-Baht :.>.ndi 

the :1·-Ba.ht vi:\.lues of both, tbe "Flower'' mark and the Bai 

Matum-mark are very rare, whereas tbe lesser va.lues of ±·· 

Baht and %·Baht are fairly common. 

b) Le May distinguishes two marks, ·i. P. the "Flower" mark andl 

the m!lork of "Arrow-hea.d". Although be mentions that Prince• 

Piya considers these two marks a.s variations of one a.nd the 

same mark, he is hims~lf not prepared to accept this suggestion, 

because, a.s he says, ''tbe ''Flower"·mark ba.s no fr.ame''. I 

have however found ma.ny coins of tbe salueng value of the 

"Flower" mark with three dots and a complete frame around. 

I therefore believe that. Prince Piya is right, and that both 

marks of le May ~re Bimply variations of one and the same coin. 

I 

64) Plate VII, 1. · This coin weighs 15.25 gr. Top.ma.rk: Ohakrawhul, 

side.ma.rk: An ttpright open. shell in a. frame. The shape 

ia not clear. ·

160 e. GUEHLER [vor•. xx:x:v 

I have included in the Plates photographs of two very ra.ra. 

.specimens. 

65) ',rbe Cha!eo-mark of the third reign (Platd VII, 2). 

66) The Phru Kio-mar/,: of the fifth reign. (Plate VII, 3). 

Al~bougb. these coins are known, it might interest collectors to 

see some clear photos of these.very :rare coins, of which I hiwe 

. seen only one specimen each. 

•6'7) I have a Baht-Coin with the Krut-marlc on one side and the 

Palace-rna.rk on the other. The weight is normal. Two ba.mruer-ma.rks 

o:q each end. ·(See No. 76). 

68) In my collection ha.ve a. ~-'2-Baht-coin with the Monuku.t-mark 

repe~ted on a.ll four sides.· This cu~iosity is mentiona.d already 

by le l\la.y. 

[ have recently searched a collection of more than 600 

B·a.ht-coins, which a. Chinese dealer pad bou~ht from a Thad. 

Before sending the lot to the melting pot, the dealer allowed 

[)lS to search it. It must have been a. collection . of the third · 

reign, because about 500 coinB were of the, fra8at mark a.nd 

the rest were coins of the first, second and fourth reigns. There 

were only three coins of the Ayuthia. period\ 

69) Among these co~ns I found a. Baht-coin with the Tri-rna1·k, 

which a,pp:uently ba.d not been used a.t all, ·bl-1t had been kept 

attar it came from the mint. As the ma.~k is ver'f distinct and 

clear, I have made \mock 32 of it, to show how it differs· from 

the representative ma.rk given by le May. 

-7€1) I \nve se'3n hundreds of B:1oht.coins with the Tr'i-mark. On :J.ll 

·of tbem tbe points of the blades of the Cbakra. run to tbe left, 

when seen from above. But I possess one· specim~n on whioh 

the points of the Chakra blades ~un to the right, ( e. in clockwise 

direction. This I wonld like to mention as a curiosity . 

See Plate VIi., 4. 

The facts tba.t, o~ the one hand very many of the small 

Ayuthia.n coins a.re still obtainable' in Bangkok, whereas on the 

other hand the l.esser values of the first coins of the Bangkok 

peridd ( 'fn'-Vnalom mark etc.) a.re decidedly ra.re; lead me to 

the assumption that the small coinage of Ayuthia may have 

rem.ained lega.l. tender for a. long tiuie a;fter the ·beginning of 

the Ohakri Dynasty. 

. • 

)

P'E. 2] FURTHER STUDIES OF OLD THAI COIN3 161 

It ht1s never been mentioned by le May tbt1t the sm~IL 

coins (!/4 and Hi Baht) of the B11i Mof11111 and Ruan(l Buc11!7 

ma.rlts ha.ve no Chakrn wheel on top, whereas coins with the 

Arrow-head mu.rk have a. Chakra wheel:1s mark of the dynastry. 

Could this fa.ct give a.n indica.tion of the prospective 

·a.ge of the respective coins, about which le May seems to be 

dill in douht? · 

71) The coin shown on Block 33 (perhaps a conch-shell) is so 

frequently found in Bangkok shops, in the size of :} Baht, th&t 

I wo1:1der why le May did not mention it, or how it could escape 

his notice~ In. a collection of small coins, comprising 400 . 

pieces odd, I' found not less tha.n 26 specimens and two of the 

smaller value of ~ Bn.ht. In the Album of the Nation:1l 

Museum this coin is called Han{J:hong stamp, the meaning 

- of which I do not understand. I presume it is :1 coin from the 

first reigns of the Bangkok dynasty, as it w:~.s among numerous 

coins of the Bai Matum and the Ruung B11e11[1 marks. The 

ha.mmer-ma.rks a.re partly double, partly single. This sug- · 

gests a still existing connection with Ayuthi:l., similar to the ·.,. 

Tri-mark coins. 

Ftfrther, the following coins of the Ba.ogkok period, which 

show different or repe:~.ted side-marks on each p:~.dic.ular speci- 

men, have been found: 

72) J~Baht coin. Unalom on one side, Pra.~at on the other. 

73) Prasat on two sides. 

'74) Prasat four times repeated, 

75) K1·ut on' two sides. 

76) Krul on one side, Prilsat on the other. 

'77) Js-Bai1t, Pmsat, repeated four times. 

78) ~-Baht. · Wdter-po't, repeated four times. 

7!}) k-Baht. Unalom, repeated four times. 

These coins, from 72 t9 79, .are likewise from Mr. Noirot's 

collection. 

SO) Le May mentions the SO-Baht coin issued :~.t the beginning of 

the reign of King Monglwt together with the well-known series 

of the Mon,qlcut mark.

16'2 U. GUEHLER [VOL. XXXV 

This wa.s the first !lOin issued of such an enormous weight, 

to be followed only by a.notber one under I\ing Chulalongkorn, 

when a. series of six bullet coins wa.s issued of SO, 40, 20, 10, 4 

and 2 Ba.hts in memory of the I\ing's mother. 

Although the 80-Ba.ht coin of King Mongkuu is rather rare, 

I have been able to collect three pieces, which a.re all shown on 

Plate VII, 5/7. The weight of these pieces is 1216, 1195 and 

1185 gr. As may be seen from the photos, the marks· on these 

coins are all engmved, n,ot stamped by dies. Therefore the 

designs are not quite alike. It is strange that the Chakra-wheel 

in one case turns to the left, whereas in the two other cases it 

turns clockwise. Plate VIII 1/9 shows the SO-Baht !loin in its 

na.tura.l size and. also one of the sma.llest bullet coins minted, 

of 1/64 Ba.ht. This will give a.u impression of the large size of 

the SO-Baht coin, which is 5120 times heavier than the small 

coin. 

On Plate VIIJ, 8/4 I sh~w 2 coins, approximate! y natural 

size, the larger dne 

.8la) ha.s a Yantra-marlc as top-roark and four marks with a Rachasi 

on the four sides. This coin weighs 444 gr. ;fhe other coin 

:81b) has the same top.mark and four elephants on tb.e· four sides. 

This coin weighs 244 gr. · 

I do not know the history of these two coins, which are 

from the collection of Nai Kroen Silapet, but I have been told 

that they were purchased from the palace of H. B. H. Prince 

Bhanurangsi. I presume that they were issued privately on 

some special occasion, but not by the government. 

e). 

Vario11s other coins. 

Finally I Propose to deal briefl;y ~itb some other !lOins, wbillh 

I believe to be interesting for those interested in Thai Coins. 

Firstly I would like to ·add some notes on !loins, which 

owing totheir peculiar marks a~d weights I have been unable 

to pla.!le. Possibly these notes might elicit further information. 

There is a collection of ~small coins in my possession, 

which I bought a.t Chiengma.i 5 years a.go. They are all very 

,.

P'J', 2] FURTHER STUDIES OF OLD THAI COINS 163 

similar in shape, a.lthough varying in weight. The materia.! is 

of very good silver, the shapes uniform, i. e. flat in front a.nd 

a,t the ba,ck and a.lmost rounded a.t the sides. The ends close 

a,ml the t•e is a hole in ea,oh coin between the ends, to oarry the 

coins on strings. The weight va.ries between a little over 1 gr. 

and 1. 75 gr. The a,vera.f~e weight of 20 pieces is 1.5 gr. which 

might correspond to one-eighth-baht of the Northern Baht of 

::~.bout 12 gr. The coins have no cuts and bea.r marks as 

shown on 

82/83) Blocks B·t/35. I must admit that I do not know where to 

pla.ce these coins. In the Bangkok shops they a.re ra.re. 

84) Block 36. A coin of 2. 7 gr. weight. Both ends meet, 2 

hammer-marks, a clear hole between the ends. On top a 

mark with 7 dots around a' centre.dot. 

85) Block 37. A coi!l of 3.15 gr. weight. Only one mark, 2 

haminer-marks, ends do ·not meet. 

86) 

87) 

Block 3.9. A very small round or oblong coin of 1.3 gr. weight. 

Doul?lellha.mmer-marks. The mark is known a.s Namo. Both 

types are in the A.lbum of the Nationa.l Museum. 

-88/91) Blocks :w to 4$ a.re likewise sma.ll coins, with marks so far 

undescribed, from the collection of Mr. Noirot. They all have 

rounded edges, the ends meet and there is a. hole. between the 

92) 

93) 

94) 

95) 

96) 

97) 

Block ;J8. A coin of i-Ba.ht with only one side-ma.rk a.s shown. 

Ends with double ha.mmer-ma.rks do not meet. 

• 

ends. 

Block 40 weighs 3.0 gr. 

Block ,J,l " 2.15 gr. 

Bloclc 12 " 2.3 gr. 

Block 13 2.7 gr. 

" 

Bloclc 4·1- is the only (top ).mark of 2 little coins, perfectly 

sha.ped, which weigh only 0.65 a.nd 0.126 gr. respectively, 

Secondly i shall describe some coins, not of the bullet-type, 

· which I collected and ~hich ha.ve not yet been described before: 

On Pl~te IV, l I give a picture of the famous Mexican Dollar 

stamped with the Mongkut-mark a.nd the Ohakra·wheel A 

similar piece is shown by le May on Plate XXII, ,5 dated 1856. 

I

164 

• 

U, GUKHLgl{ [vor,, xxxv 

My specimen cl::Ltes from 1857. This pieco is 'so rare, that le 

May knew of only three, and the one shown here is the only OWl 

I ha.ve seen. 

98) The largest fia.t gold-piece issued under E:ing M ongkut is of 2- 

Ba.bt weight, as shown on le 1\by's Piotr' XXI. I. The series 

of silver-coins of the same design is headed by a. 4-Ba.ht-piemi, a.s 

shown on le May Plate XXII, 1/1. I have a.cquired recen~ly 

a piece of gold, weighing 61 gr., whic:h is a replica of the 4- 

Ba.ht-piece of the silver issue. See Plate IX, .C:u/ b. It can be 

seen that this beautiful coin must. lmve been ma.de by the Bll.me 

dies a.s the silver 4:-Baht piece, beca.nse the design on the obverse 

is· exactly identical. On the reverse however there are slight 

deviations, i. e. the inner frame· arot1nd. the words Knmg 

Siam oonsists of 2 lines on the silver~coin, of only lline on the 

gold-coin, a.nd all the dbts and strokes !lit the edge, which are 

shown .on the silver coin, are missing on the gold-coin. 

99) 

I presume thu.t this gold-coiu.of {Baht weight was minted 

from the old dies and issued on some special occa.sion, but has 

never been leg~~ol tender at any time. The bea.utifnl execution 

of the design together with the precious metal (99.9% gold} makes 

it an outstanding piece. 

"-' 

On Plate XXI, 6 le May gives a picture of a r:opfler-token, which 

wa.s brought . to Thailand by English merchants during the 

reign of King Mongkut, probably as sample for a prospective 

order for coins from abroad. This coin ba.s on the reverse a 

large lotus bloom witb the date 1197 ( -1835), 

I ha.ve collected a similar coin identical on the obverse with· 

that one described by le May, but showing on the re~erse not a 

lotus bloom, but an Fllephant as depicted on Pfate 1 X, ~l. 

This is 'probably likewise a sample of an a.lterna.tive design, 

but a~parently. wa.s also rejected. 

100) The. coin on Plate IX, ia/b is a. copper coin, bearing on the· 

obverse in Thai the word ''Souglrh!ll." and the year 1241 (1879) 

as well as a.n inscription in tbe Malay language (Ara.bic). 

On the reverse a Chinese inscription (Chin Beng Tong Pao). 

No yalue is indicated. This seems to be a coin, perhaps priva.tely 

~int&d, for I'ooa.l use in Songkbla.. 

'

:P'.il, 2] 

FUR'.l'H.ER STUDIES OF OLD THAI COINS 

165 

10 l) On Plate XXV, 814 le May depicts and describes the paper 

money issued by King Mongkut and showing the value in 11 

different bnguages. To le May only 5 values were known 

i. 1 '· 1, ~. %, t, and ~/g Baht. I supply one of the missin~ 

va.lues of % Baht, :~.s shown on Platr X, 1. This papermoney 

is very r:~.re. 

On the same Plata I show some odd coins, i. e. 

102) The old India.n Coin, already published and described by le 

May Plute I, .f. o.nd Kneedler Plate X, .2/8. 

This specimen was dug up at Pra.chinburi Plate X, '/:!alb. 

103) Another Indian Coin with the ()onch-shell o,lso already known 

:1nd described. Plate X, 3alu., 

Both coins a.re very rare nowadays. 

104) Plate X, ,1 A beo,vy lump of Chinese "Syce-money" weighing . 

1747 gr. The Chinese chamcters give the .name of the firm, 

which issued the coin, the year and the month of issue. There 

are two :1clditional Chinese names. It seems ~s if each holder· 

ha.d to have big name stampe~ on the coin ~efore passing it, in a. 

. 

similar way as at present checks or di·afts !H'e endorsed. . 

105) Plate X, .5 A small piece of the Elame shape, weighing only 

110 gr. 

n 

lOG) Plate X, () A piece of Chinese" Sa.ddle" money cut to make 

change, Weight 135 gr. 

:r o fill the space on this plate : 

107/108) Plate X, ?/8 two old coins, one (X 8) of tin-alloy, the other 

(X 'l) of silver, found in the M!tlay Peninsula. 

•::··,·.1 .... 

f) I shall now briefly deal with '«hat le May calls- 

Larue T!!pe of Base Me~al, 

109/116) The representative specimens are shown on Plates XI, li 8 

They all bear several ma.rks, mostly five, among which the 

, Elephant, the Rachawat, the Yantra Circle of Dots, the Wheel 

of the Law ~re predominant, 'rhe material is of different 

alloys, a composition of silv.er lead, tin, copper. The weight~ 

are indicated on the pl11-tes and vary considerably. Le. Ma.y, 

in his first article on The Coins of the Bangkok Dynasty

166 U. GUEHLER. [VOL. XXXV 

(J o~wnal of the .Siam Societ11 Vol. XVlll Part 3), considered 

these lumps o! ba.se metu.l a.s coins, whereas in his book, issued 

S years later, he was '' inclined to think that these lumps of 

non-precious rnetu.l wet·e iss\Ied as weights and not a.s currency 

at u.ll." 

I u.m however inclined to share his former opinion, t~.nd 

think it probable that the l\lmps were used as money, either at 

a time when silver-coins were not yet in gener::d use, or in 

addition' to the silver for smaller change as in European 

countries. Of course they are not httndy, but rather bulky and 

the weight is a disturbing factor for this theory. But I ba.ve 

weighed a. bout 100 pieces of such lumps of non-precious metal 

a.nd.have .found, that in nearly all cases a round figure of Babta 

C!l.n be obtained, when dividing the total weight by 12 or 13. 

Assuming that the No1~thern Baht weighed about 12-13 gr, 

nearly all these pieces give full Baht-weights with a little 

allowance more or less. If we look at the Phtes, we have a.s 

weights 26, 52, 122, 60, 63, 61 and 40 gr. The pieces weighing. 

52 gr. would be eqna.l to 4 Baht (divided by li.l), the piece of 

122 gr. about 10 ·Baht (a.t. 12 gr.), the piece of 6U and 63 gr. 

equal to 5 Ba.ht and the piece~ of 40 gr. equal to a. bout 3 Baht 

(at 13 gr.) In this manner I have a.scertainec1 that nea.rly !1.11 

the weights of the 100 coins under examiua.timnhow a. full Bo.btweight 

from 2 Bahts to 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 Ba?ta. I did not 

find a piece' weighing 9 Bahts, nor any piece hea.vie1· than 10 

J3ahts, This leads me to the assumption that these pieces were 

used as money, not a.f! weights, all· the more as pieces larger 

tha.n only 10 Babt-pieces·"would have been required for use as 

' 

' 

weights. I just think it possible, as I said before, that all these 

pieces, which in most cases look very old, have been used a.s 

money at a much earlier da.te than up to 'now a.nticipp.ted. • 

More I cannot say,. 

Note: 

The. possibilities of good reproduct~ons of coins by pbotogra.phy 

a.re grea.tly restricted c1 uring the war, owing to the la.ok 

of good photogra.phio plates, pa.per, .etc. The pla.tes are there. 

fore not '-tlerfeot.. As it was sometimes difficult to' obtain photo-

:t".l\ 2.1 l~O"RTHEH. S'l'lJDLI!lS' OF OLD THAI COINS 167" 

gr-.ph!l a.t a.H, the pictures· could uot be ml);de: so :liB to reproduce 

a.ll coins in the same proportion of size; but moat of them rue 

reproduced in n~turu.l size. To fu.oilitite· the' ren.ding of the 

Plates I ht~ove a.dded the weight to each PMticuh.r coin n.nd 

sometimes given saver:.i.l pictures· of the ao.me coin wbiohi however 

could not afford in avery aa.se. I hope therefore tha.t the· 

reproductions together with the description a.re elear enough to 

give the re:;~.der a.n impression of the respective coin, a.nd tha.~ 

inspite of deficiencies the pla.tea will sufficiently aerve &8 a. kind 

of record to which later references O!itn be ma.da. 

C. OONCf.JUSIONS. 

Wba.t conclusions c~~tn we dr!l.W from thE! long list of coins. of the pre· 

Bangkok period ? 

a.) I believe tba.t Ia Mn.y has been a. little too scrupulous a:nd 

suspicions with regard to the authenticity of old ooins. He wa.s app~rent· 

ly inclined to reject each coin a.s a. forgery, w.hich ,a.roused his ausplcion 

be its pa.rtioular sba.pe or weight. This ilttitude ma,y be justified wheu 

0 

only one specimen is· lmown. But iUhere are ma.ny pieces of similar 

shape :~.nd weight it seems unlikely that they should all be forgeries··a.nd 

a.ll be forged in 1 'the same way. As an insta.nce I mention the peculiltrly 

sba.ped coins on le Ma.y's Plate XVIII, I, 2, 4. Oi No. l have seen 5 

pieces, of No. 2 a.nd 4 two pieces each, which were all corresponding in 

shape with those depicted by le ·M a.y; although their weights were le&e. 

than le May's exa.mples. In o.d~ition the coins which. I htt>e seen ho.ve~ 

been in the possession of Thais for a. long time a.nd it seems very unlikely 

that they should be forgeries. I consider these three coins as genuine :1nd 

of considera-ble antiquity. The same is the case with Plate' XV!ll 8, of 

which I ha.ve a simil!l.r specimen (Plate V,·4). The top ma.rk is a. Rr:cho8i. 

There is in addition quite a. number of other coin~. the shape .of whioh 

is not· quite olea.r (neither Ayuthb with one clear hammer-ma.rk, nor 

Bangkok, with 2 hu.mmer-ma.rks) but whioh I consider nevertheless to be 

genuine coins. There may h!l.Ve been a period of minting coins, during 

which none of.the clea.r sh~pes was adopted, espeoia.lly in the North. Therefore 

i~ my opinion the shape alone is not sufficient ren.aon for rejecting a. 

coin. . This touches on the question of manufacturing the bullet_ coins, In 

particub.r tbe question how the ma.rka were a,pplied. Before the intro-

168 U. GUEHLER' [VOL, XXXV 

iiuntion of dies. and- punches the marks were probably engraved by hand. 

I believe that moat ma.rks on very old eoins ba.ve been made by hand, 

more or less skillfully, sometimes ra.tber erudely. For ii:Jstanoe, the two 

cmueh-sbells (le May Plate IX l/ 10) appear to be engra.ved as well a.s all 

the specimens which _l have seen of le May .Piute XVIII, 1, 2, 4. (See 

Pla.te II; 2). 

Also a sm:1ll overweight seems not snffioient reason to rejeot a. ooin a 

priori, heea.use ' 1 U.litt1e ~eight ma.y have be;m tbro~n in for luok", a.s le 

May says. l agree however with le May when he su.ys that all specimens 

of rare coi11s ,.;/Lould be 'snbjected to ver!1 caret'ul examination, as the 

likelihood of their bei11g forguies_ is much greater tiwu ,;ith ordinary 

eoiils. 

b) I presume that the_ material at my disposal was far greater than 

thL~.t of le M.a. y; 'fhis is paruly due to ·nhe extra.ordi.nary circumstances 

during the war. 

Iu propottion to the sroa,ll number of known. Ayuthian and pre 

Ayuthia.u coins, a. ooosidera.ble m1mber has reaently come to light, which 

in le Ma.y's time coy.ld not be found or were known only frqm pho~o- 

.. gra.pbs. This bet ma.y be explained partly by the present troubleso;;;e 

times, when collectors are.forced to part with their .treasur.es, On the 

ohher hand the continuous rise in the prices of gold ant silver- aj; the 

moment of writing the price per Baht ( 15.25 gr.} weight of gold is 250. 

Tcs. a.rrd for sd ver 2.40 Tcs -:-has certainly stimub,ted sales. The coins 

sold have-I a.m afraid-for the greater part found an obscure end in 

the melting pots of golc1 and silver c1ea.lers and only a small number 

w .:lre sa.vad hom destruction by collectors r believe tha.t the number 

iOf old coins still in ex.iste1.1oe is a. limited one. This is no time for colleo 

'ting antiqued a.nd curios, And ;r fear tba.t, the aumber of serious 

eo Uectors beit1g still on the decline, it will become· more a.nc1 more difficult 

to increase our knowledge and infcil'ma,'tion a. bout this interesting 

subject. I mention the f.tot tha.t genuine gold caine from the reign of 

King Mongkut are extremely rare toda.y a.nd hardly obtainable a.t a.ll. 

There is however a. new dema.nd for ancient bullet-coins ca.used by the 

wa.-r. Mn.ny people buy such coins to have them melted and east into 

small figures of the Buddha. (see Plate X 9) I a.m told tbat they a.re 

used as amulets to render the bearer safe against bullets a,)ld other bodilY 

harm during the·war.

FHR'l'HER STUDIES OF OLD 'rHAI COINS 169 

c) Na.i Kula.rb, who published his list of ma.rks on Ayutbia. coins in 

190H and who attempted to t~osorihe eaoh mt~o.rk to a. P3.rticul:u reign, is 

severely to. ken to task by !e. May. Now ,my list of coins shows that seve rill 

marks drawn by. N ::Li Knlilrb in his .book have actually been found ou coins 

as I llave mentioned in the description. I therefore think this a.n occasion 

to exonerate this gentleman at leaat partly from the shame to which Ie 

l\ia.y has Put him. Although th,e various reigns and marks on coins may 

have been brought together by Na.i Kularb mll.inly on hea.r.say, there 

might be some tl'Uth in ora.\ tradition cll.rried on for centuries in spite of. 

the lack of written evidence. I am not pr~pared to accept Na.i Kul:J.rb's 

st:1.tements a.t their fa.ce·vu.lue, but even Geriuiha.s in his time dated some· 

marks, :t.nd some of Gerini's a.nd Nai Kularb's suggestions may be correct. 

But we are still in the dark a.nd I fear we always will remain so. 

d) Le May says: "The only indication I can give to its (each coin 

of the Ayutbia period) proba.ble date, is thefrequency with wll'ic!t each 

1:s fnundlodau." This is to my opinion 11.n erroneous conclusion. The 

Ereqnenc:v with which each coin wa.s found in le May's time a.nd now a·· 

da.yR is a.ccording to ll?Y experience entire/11 different. And such a 

variablA frequency seems to me a. very doubtful and uncertain indication "' 

as to the respective age, beca.use any edition of coins ma.y have, or 

:l.lmost certu.in\ y bas, va.ried in the quantity of its to fa,\ issue. In addition: 

During tHe same reign severll.l marksha.ve apparently been issued 

in more tiha,n one edition, slightly varying,, from one ll.nother. Therefore 

a coin issued in small numbers during a.. short.reign is probably more 

r:ne now th:111 a coin issued in large numbers during an earlier a.ud lange~ 

reign. 

e) Oriain ufthe bullet-coin. 

There is however n.nother importa.nt question, in which I entirely 

agree with the suggestions b1'ought forwn.rd by le Miy, i. r. the origin of 

the bullet-coin. It ls :J.drnitted that the mystery, why the Thais came· to 

adopt such a peculiar sha.pe for their money has· not iet bee~ solved. But 

there are strong rea.sons to a.ssume tha.t the bullet coinage was introduced 

before the Sukotha.i period and may date frooi the XIth or XIIth century. 

It is probo.ble tba.t the Tha.i of N:lncha.o, 'before their emigration to tbtt 

South, through their conta.ot with Burma., crea.ted a coinage of their own 

in the sha.pe· of bracelf'lt.mon.ey, in. order to do a.wa.y.with the Chinese 

syce•mcmey. The. rpa.rks on these bu,celet coins suggest , Indian in-

1fl1l 

[YOL. XXXV 

:Buence. ·Now ~he exa.mplea ·Of bracelet money as depicted in le May's 

book on Plate 1/l, ·!i, 6, 7 weigh 4 Baht, 4·~ and 8~· Ba.ht respectively, i. e. 

they a.re equal to the Thai Ta.mlung or 2 Ta.mlungs. Bracelet money 

seems to me the fore-runner of the J(ha~Jch£m mon:ey a.s ·well a;s of the 

bullet-coins. In the first oa.se the two halves of the bracelet were bent out-· 

wa.rds to result in the Kha-khim, in the second ease the two halves were 

pressed together to form the shape of ·the coin which I show on Pla.te II, 4:. 

The latter therefore seems to me a. remarkable kind of a. missing liak, 

n.s it seems to indicate the transition from the bracelet-coin to the nol'thern 

Bullet-coin The weight of thi.s coin is 48 gra.ms, i, e. o.bout 4 times the 

weight of the later Nortihern Ba.ht. The marks are simila.r to those on 

br·a.oelet-coins, but there ll.re olea.r ba.mmer-ma.tlcs at both ends. The 

quality seems to be of goodsilver. 

· If the retl.de~ will look a.t le Ma.y Plate III, d then ·a.t Plate II, 4. 

a.nd then at le May Plate V, the evolution of the Baht from the braceletcoin 

into the standardized shape of the Ayuthia. Baht. will appear plausible, 

although the thickness of the bracelet-coin was less, because it was probably 

worn actually as a. bracelet, whereas the coin on Plate fl, 8 is 

~"Obviously made from a. much thicker bar of silver, by bending the ends together, 

Bot as th9 latter was no longer carried around the wrists, but 

prestlmably on a string, it was not necessary to tll.ke a. *very thin bar of 

silver in order to obtain the weight of one tamlung. Obviously there soon 

arose a. dema.nd for smaller coins in the. North, which led to the division 

of the tamlung into 4 pa.rts of about 12 gra.m-weight each. In the ume 

wa.y the Ayuthia. Baht was divided into 4 sa.lungs. And such a nol'thern 

Baht of the earliest time must have looked like le ):11a.y Plate V, 1 or 

Plate II, 1. The former weighs 12.6 g~., the latter 13 gr. It seems that 

only much later after the existence of the bra.celet coin the principalities 

of the North developed the Kha-khim coin, whe:r;ea.s the South (Sukbotha.i 

:a.ncl Ayuthia.) gra.clually a.dopted the Northern Ba.ht improving the marks ' 

a.ncl changing its weight to the later sta.nda.rd of a. bout 115 gr. So to me 

the Bha.pe of.the Ayuthia. Ba.ht seems to be the outcome .of a. gradual development, 

n·~t the idea, of anY p3.rticular King. I prefer . this theory of 

tramition a.nd evolution to tht of Major Seidenfaden, who suggests tha.• 

the Thai in ma.ldng their bullet coins me.a.nt to imitate the shape of a. 

~owrie-ahell. · · . . . · 

f) Le Ma.y has made a.n .in·ter.esting 'attempt tl:l cla.ssUy a.nd da.te 

·tbe Standa.~:d Baht· ooina:ge of A-yntbia. and Sukhothai by comparing th•·

l''J', 2] l~llHTHIHt STUDIES OF OLD TH.AI COINS Pll 

number of different ma.rks whiab he h~~rd compiled with the 'number· of· 

the H.inga of the Ayutbia. 11tnd Sukhotba.i dynasties, After eliminti.ting those 

Rings who in his opinion were unlikely t.o h!love issued .new coins owing to 

\he shortness of their reign, he arrives a.t the figure of 27 Rings, which 

ne~~rdy corresponds to the number of 24.-26 marks known to and considered 

as genuine by him. But if, a.s I hope to have proved·, the number 

of rn:l.rks on genuine Snkotbai and Ayuthia. coins is actually muoh higher 

th:m anticipated by le Ma.y, the two figures do not cor1Jespond ~ny more 

and the assumption of le Ma.Y is wrong. · Appl!>rently le Ma.y o.ould not 

wi thsto.nd the temptation of a. certain spe.culation., ~~tnd I :Lrr,t the la.st one 

to blame him for th~~>t• Bu~ it is.obvi()\1!!1 tbu.t hie whole attempt to ma.$e 

the nqmber of Kings ta.lly with the ~;~umber- of marks must ,be futile a.nd 

his theory overLhrown, a.a so.oij as addi~ion!lil discoveries ,a.r,e m.a.de and. 

tbe existence of ao ma.ny more marrks on genuine ooins is esta.bliahed. It 

might likewise be tempting for me to sa.y :. ,Now includip.g the coins newly 

discovered n.nd described by me,· .ind these are at least 19 different 

coins of the B3.bt weigh~, we have so many more coins proba.bly of the 

Bukhotha.i verioc1 n.nd so ml!>nY more coins of the Ay11thia. period. Let us 

reinstn.te some of the Einga which le May elimina.ted a.nd make .the two 

!igureH tally a.ga.iu. B11t I am not going to give way t.o this teJ;UPta.tion, ., 

because &ny day ne~ coins with unknown marks may and will probably 

be discovered, a~:~d 1 firmly believe that it is not possible to make both 

ends meet. Besides I a.In of the opinion that this juggling with figm·es is 

entirely usllless from a scientific paint of view a.nd does not bring us 

. nca.rer to the solution of the problem. 

'£here is u.nother reason why anY attempt in this direction seems 

futile to me. Jje Ma.y quotes the opinion of .His late Royal Highness 

Prince ] >a.mroug, that a particular King may have changed his personal 

lltc!rl< 1 

iurinq his reiqn for .~ome sperial occasion, or that the change of 

nwrk IIW!J 11 • 11 t reprc~ent a eltanae of King. at aU, but a period of mintlin!l, 

in·es 11 ectiv 1 : 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 

172 U. GUEHLER [ V'OL. XXXV 

:t()oording ~ode ln. Louber~'s book wa.s legal tender during the reign of 

Phra. Na.r_ai ( 1688 ) .. 

· .. d) The purpose of the publication of these studies is two-fold : I 

wanted to bring to ~he knowlC~dga of a 'wider cirole-especi:Lily to the 

knowledge of the Thai-'-'a.ll the material which has not yet been published. 

-~ But in addition 1-w'Oilld be gla'd; if by: these not'es the· fascinll. ting' 

Hobby of· eollecti:D.g · coins should • he propagated ·and stimi

l t I 

'1 ( 14.5 ~) 

3(145~) 

• 

. 4b(\Li .. L\q) 

4 ('\I\ L\ 5 ( ~l/1.7 c1.) a 

' 6 

6 a 

Ei c ( 9 ~) 6 d

l t 

r:: ·~.. ( ·I 9 s· c ·) 

.,)0 .. ''d 

., ( 1 ;; r ) 

b ,.c,,J q. 

. ~

l t 

I 

'l(lli tJr1,) 

' ' '.' .. /· 

.) 

2 b (14 6 ?l) 

"('!\ r~.) 

' 5 ·' · ") 'rl

I 

J 'l 

; I (

; ) 

'I 

~ ; 

( i'j fC '.t) 

\ ':;:;; ' ~..,) 1,0

.. 

9 ( 1 f5. I 5 ~~)

Plate VII 

. ! 

2 ('15.2. 4(15 ~) 

• 

5 ( ·11 g 5 ~,)

• 

(3( l-l4q;J 

(} / 

. Li. ( 2, 4 L( J)

l?l t 

I

l 

3 a ( 8.5

1 

'

13 14 '15 

"16 17 

21 22

26 

7 28 

-~-- ---~ - -- 

30 31 

33

34 36 36 

~·. 

p 

38 39 

·~ @ ffi 

I 

40 41 42 

' 

0 

·__@9o_ 

.• ·· 

'@ 

' 0··.· 

• 0' - 

' . 

- ' 

., .... ;,"··· "- •. 

• • •••• •••••••• •••• • • 

-43 .·44

VATICAN PAPERS OF" THE XVII CENTURY 

by 

THE REV, FATHER P; CAR.RETTO .. 

In ~he &caounts of the :va.rious Thai Embassies to Europea.n shores in 

· Lbe days of the grea.t King N a.ra.i, that whic}dook place between the Tha.i 

Mona.rch a.nd the then reigning Pontiff, Pope Innocent XI, (1676-89), is 

ut>ua.lly either briefly Plentioned without det~~oils or a.ltogether passed over 

in silence. 

This present article, founded on manu~oriplis in the Vatican Archivea, · · 

aims at filling this ga,p. 

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

174 THE REV. FATHER P. CARRETTO [TGL. xxn 

The fourth· (I.Ud l:ut wu sent soon a.fter the raturn of the third, s.nli 

oa.rried home Monsieur Cabaret. The Tha.i Amba.ssa.dors were three, bub 

Col. Gerini rec.ords only the na.me of one, Okkhuu Cha.mn!l.u ('!.Hlfl'II,U'li1ulw), 

who was proba.bly the first Ambassador. 

The Emba.ssy ::urived in Frllonce in July 1688 a.fter being a.lmost eight 

months a.t sea. on a. French vesseL As King Louis XIV could not gr(l.nt 

a.n ::r.udience to the Amba.ssa.dors before December 15th, it wa.s suggested 

that they should first proceed to Rome, They left Pa.ris on .the 5th N ovember 

on their way to the Eternal City, led by Rev. Fr. Ta.cb(l.rd. 'l'wo 

Fremch ships ca.rried them from Cannas to Civitavecchia., where they 

arrived on the 20th December 1688. A stately ca.rria.ge of the Ca.rdina.l 

Vioa.r t'if Home-, drf)."\Vn by tb:ree pairs of horses, took them to the pa.lace 

Plaioed at their disposal. Por.tifical gua.rds in full uniform stayed on 

orderly duty a.t the pala.oe gate during their sojourn. 

On the 23rd December they were received\ the first time by H. H. 

Pope Innocent XI. His Holiness exempted them from the kissing of the 

foot, a.sking them to follow the Thai royal ceremonia.l. 

At the :1oppointed ~ime, two papal O!l.rria.ges by the ord.er of the 

., Cil.rdinal Vica;r's Secreta.rY went to fetch the Thai Ambassa.dors a.t their 

pa.lace. .Ali the streets through which the Ernba.ssy was to pass wer& 

densely crowded with people, who cheered the Ambassadors in the most 

. " 

oord1a.l way. · · 

From the entr~~otlce ga;te to the Va.tioan Pal~~ooe, Papal soldiers were· 

ranged in two 1:ows. H. E. Ca.rdiual Cybo, Secretary of State, was a.t 

the fbOt of the stairoa.se to welcome the Embassy. A great throng of 

Bishops, and high dignitaries, both eccleaia.stioal and lay, crowded the· 

entrance ha.ll. 

The Thai Ambaaaa.dors a.lighted from their carria.g.es bearing on golden 

trn.ys the messages a.nd presents of Kipg N ara.i a.nd of his first Minister, 

.. 

Constantine P b~~oulkon. · 

His Holiness wa.s waiting for them on His throne, surrounded by eight 

Cardinals, seated four on ea.ch side. As soon as the Ambassadors entered 

the .audience ho.ll, they placed their. trays on a specia.l table a.nd then too·k 

their pla.ces on the cha.irs appointed for them. Fr. Tacba.rd a.dvanced 

with the three ritual genuflections and kissed the Pope's foot. Then His. 

Holiness invited him to s·tand up. Be did so: he withdrew a few steps, 

paid his homa.ge to the eight'Ca.rdina.ls a.nd, a.fter.making a. low reverence,. 

presented the Mission to the Sovereign Pontiff.

VATICAN PAPERS 0]' THE XV!I'CENTUI\Y 1:75 

"His :'vhjesty the King of Sia.m W:l.s desirous," he sa.i(l, ''to form 

friendship with· Rome, ::tnd ha.d ta.ken under his royaJ protection the 

Ca.tholic Missiona.ries who ha.d come to ta:;.ch the Chriati3.n Religion iu 

his Kingdom." 

His Holiness expres;;ed His high s:~.tish.ction !Lnd joy, then Fr. 

T11ocha.rd, ta.king the ro~·al message from the table, handed it to the Pope. 

Hie Holiness uofolded it a.ud re11d lt a.t once. then p:~os>ed it to his secretary, 

who took it into the Pope's priv::~ote etudy. 

Next, Fr. T::~oehil.rd pa.nded the present of the King, and the letter ~~ond 

present of Consta.ntine Ph:Joulkoo to His Holiness. The King's present 

consisted of a golden box skillfully engr:1ved hy Tba.i goldsmiths after the 

Th11oi fashion. H wa.s throe ta mlun(ls in weight. Phaulkon's present was 

a. silver box:, five chanq.

176 THE REV. FATHER P. CARRETTO [voL. x:i.xv 

.. 

KING NARAI'S MESSAGE TO THE POPE. 

The King of Ayudhye. to His Holiness Innocent XI, Supreme Pontiff 

of the Holy See, 

Greetings: 

Since we have ascended the Throne of Ayudhya, it ha.s been Our wish 

to cultivate acquaintances with the great Sovereigns of Europe and to 

el!:cha.nge with them correspondence in order to foster mutue.l friendship, 

which We hope might be the means of introducing into Our country the 

benefits of western knowledge, thereby giving enlightenment to Our people. 

While th11s pondering arid before We sent over an embassy with that 

object in view, You~ Holiness anticipated Us bY deputing the Bishop of 

.. 

Ileliopolis to Us with 

. 

Your gracious letter and presents, which We have 

received with great pleasure. We therefore send a.n embassy bearing Our 

letter t\nd presents to reciprocate Your Holiness' expression of friendship 

r 

and to strengthen the more th~ bonds thereof se that the two nations may 

be cemented as one golden land united and indivisible. To Our regret. 

however, Our emb1'3'ilY never succeeded in reaching its high destination, 

having been shipwre1ked off the Cape of Good Hope and all Our presents 

scattered on the high seas. 

· We have therefore again despatched another embassy bearing Our 

tComp\imentary letter and presents and have attached thereto the Reverend 

Father Tacha.rd to a.ct in a guiding oa.paClity. By sending this mission 

We hope to give yet another testimonial ef Our desire to cultivate Your 

'friendship and to acquaint Your Holiness ot Our constant purpose to sup. 

port the Christian missiona.ries who have come to spread their Religion 

Jn this country a.s well as the people who have embraced it. We would 

take this opportunity to assure Your Holiness that it shall be Our duty to 

look a.fter them in. such a. manner that You shall not need be anxious 

of their welfare. For this purpose We have ii.1structed Father Tachard 

:to inform Your Ho.liness in Our name of all tha.t You may wish to know. 

Ma.y Your Holiness accept the presents We have much pleasure in sending

PT. 2) 

VATICAN PAPERS OF THE XVII CENTURY 

1 

177" 

in order to strengthen the bonds of friendship existing between Your 

Holiness a.nd Ourselves. 

Ma. y the supreme Power in the Universe grant Your Holiness a long 

life for the benefit of Your Religion. l\Ia.y it spread gloriously throughout 

tbe world. 

I!'rom Your Holiness' true friend. 

(roya.l se~~tll 

(countersigned) Pha.nlkon

178 THE REV. FATHER P. CARRETTO [VOL, XXX'V 

A 

SHORT REPORT 

of what happened at Rome to the Siamese Mandarins 

who came with 

the Reverend Father Guido Ta.cha.rd, S. ,T., Envoy Extraordinary 

of the 

' 

King of Sbm, after an a.ud,ience with His Holiness Pope Innocent XI. 

fl 

He who knows that Rome is the hea.d of the world, that is to say the 

moat beautiful and noble part of it, a.s in every living body the hea.d 

governs the limbs which are subjerit to it, maY for himself, without relying 

on des\'>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

\ 

PT.· 2) 

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 of a. Triumph in the days of the ancient een'ators. 

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

PT. 2J VA TIC AN PAPERS OF THE XVII CENTURY 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 con

182 'HIE REV, FATH!!:H. P. CAHREI"ro h·oL. XXXV 

for the deep piety of Ria Holiness ::~.nil his saintly intentions for the conver--: 

sion of the wot'ld. 

:From these visits ensued the honours be8towed by II is Holiness upon the 

Envoy a.nd his pa.rty, a.s alre(Ldy reported in the first letter, and to which ~ 

further reference will be made. His Holiness g(Lve orders for the hla.r)darins 

to be a.llowed to vi~it the large Pontifica.l P:d:;~.Ue iu the Va.ticu.n and, 

that they might enjoy a.t leisure the fa.rnous Library, the Arsana.l :tnd the 

attached. Belvedere garden, he ordered tnea.ls to .be prepared there which, 

throughout .their stay, were sumptuous. It is impossible to express tbe 

sa.tisfa.ction felt by the Mand:uius a.t visiting these places and that atbeing 

permitted one afternoon to n.scend the sublime Dome of St. Peter's. 

All these events were also many beams of light illuminating the minds 

of the three r.Ianda.rins and enldndliug in their hearts such love of and 

faith in Christ, that they openly declared to F11ther Tacha.rd that they 

would live subjept and faithful to Rome, intere~ted in the growth of the 

glory of Jesus whose amiability shines forth in the person of His Vicar 

on e11rtb. They determined, therefore, on their rflturn to entreat their 

King's consent to their receiving the water of Holy Baptism that they 

might rejoice o.s much iu carrying on their foreheads the Holy Cross a.e. 

., they rejoice in the honour of being officials in this Royal Palace. And a.s 

11 token of this determination, one of them ?ad a life-sized portnloit of himself 

painte!l in the attitude of holding two golden vases, out of one with the 

right hand he poured water on a fire while with the left~1and he wa.tered 

a. tender tree with the contents of the other, typif~,ing by the fire the 

idolatry be desired to see extinguished and by the tree the principle of the 

Faith he would culuivate in his heart, All three, therefore, made a. request 

to obtain from the Pope an image of the Crucified Redeemer; and His 

Holiness having gro.nted it by sending them three silver crucifixes, they 

received them with venera.tion, kissing several times the Sacred Wounds 

engr~ved on the Figures. 

In this fr:1.me of mind they were led by the Father Envoy to the feet 

of the Pontiff on Ja.nua.ry 5th to take leave of His Holiness, :lJfter which, 

amid good wishes for a fa.vourable voyage, they set sail for Siam. 

This last audience brought the utmost joy to the souls of the Envoy, 

the Mandarins, and the C!l.techists; whobeing deeply moved with tender 

affection, wept at lea.ving him who ha.d shown. himself to be not only a,. 

munificent Prince but a. loving Fa.ther; aud this notwithstanding the vehe· 

tnent love, engendered in a.ll by na.ture, whioh wa.s o(.I.Uing them back to 

their inotharltJ.nd.

pT. 2] VATICAN PAT'D:RS OF THE XVU CENTURY 183 

H(1ving received the last blessings of His Holiness, they went to the 

apartment of Ca.rdinal Cybo to t::~.ke leav.e of him, wbo hononred them by 

sending them b(1ck in his carriage. From His Eminence they received 

good wishes ancl promises of his protection, a. powerful aid greatly to tlie 

a.dvanta.ge of a.ll Cbris.ti:ms so:J.ttered throughout the kingdoms of the 

Indies. 

It remains to record the answers given by His Holiness a.nd .to record 

the gifts he sent to the King of Sia.m 11ond to his First Minister, Constantine 

Phaulcon. His ~oliness bade three Briefs be dra.wn up to be entrusted 

to the Father Envoy. The first, t~oddressed to the King under the title 

of Illustrious and MoBt Puissant King of Siam, expressed the Holy 

Father's joy a.t receiving His Majesty's Embassy and the heartfelt desire 

of His Holiness to see the King fully enlightened by the Sun of Justice, Jesus 

Christ, so that through the light of the Holy Faith he might become 

possessor of Heaven. It was written on vellum enclosed in a box of gold 

four h:~ches wide and half a span long, on one side being engraved the arms 

of His· Holiness and on the opposite the following in capitals: IN NO 

OENTIDS UNDECIMOS PON. MAX.. AN. XIII. (Innocent XI, 

Supreme Pontiff, 13th year.) The box was enclosed in a plain orimson "' 

velvet satchel, bordered along the width with eigbt roVis of gold bruid, 

The second Bri~, addressed to the Oathol!c Minister under the title of 

Beloved Son, was on parchment enclosed in a red damask satchel, adorned 

a.long the seams withgold fringe. The third Brief was an answer to the 

Christians ·of Tongking, ~ kingdom bordering on Siam, who now number 

some 300,000 souls, in whose name petitions, wbiob were grt~onted, had been. 

eent to His Holiness. 

· To these three Briefs, His Holiness was Pleased to add several 

presents. His Holiness entrusted Father Taoha.rd with the duty of 

handing to the King, on behalf of the Pontiff, a gold medal bearing on one 

side the Pope's image in bas.~o rilt'evo, a.nd on the other a. figure of Oha.rity 

giving suck to two babies a.nd bearing the motto "non quaerit qvae sua 

sunt.'' "seeketp not her own" (I Cor. XIII. 5). This medal was adorned 

on both sides with diamonds, twelve of which we.re of great va.lne. Eis 

Holines~ also Sent to the King lJo telescope, 30 spa.ns lon·g, containing four 

big crYstal lenses, skilfully prep:ned by Mr. John jbptist Dindr:ne, whose 

skill in making optical instruments is known. to be second to none, together 

with its proper tripod. This will be highlY a.pprecir.ted by the King who ia 

interested i:n 15eholding the stars with such instruments a.nd in Beeing the

1,8.6 .• .. '~l'J;;E .. REV •. FA'l'HEij. P •• CARRET"I:O [voL. xx:xv 

The above mentioned Father Ta.cha.rd, a. man distinguished for piety 

and virtue, and whom, therefore, We entrust to You with earnest entreaty, 

will more closely show Your Majesty the feelings of Our soul, and will at 

·fihe same time express to Yon the proofs of the benevolence We bear Your 

Royal Person. It remains tha.t Your Majesty fulfil Our expectations 

whilst We ea.gerly call down upon Your Majesty from AlmightY God a.ll 

Prosperity. 

Given at Rome,· near St. Miry-Major, nuder the se~l of the Fisherma.n's 

Ring, this 7th day of January, 1689, in the XIII year of our 

Pontificate. 

,

Pl.\). 2) .. VA TIOAN P .APERS OF 'fHE XVII CENTURY 

SECOND BRtEF. 

FROM POPE INNOCENT X I TO CONSTANTINE PHAULKON 

INNOCENT XI, POPE, to the beloved son, CONSTANTINE 

PHAULI\ON, greeting and Apostolic blessing. · 

Since a. certain time We have been aware of and admire the zea.l with 

which you burn for the propa.ga.tion of the Christian Fs.ith in the wide 

r~gions of the Far Ji1a.st with infa.tigable joy and eagerness. No~withstanding 

this, We rejoice in a higher degree in knowing the sa.me from the 

letters you sent Us on 2nd Ja.nua.ry last year, and from Our beloved son, 

Father Ta.ohard S. J., who handed them to Us. 

Thh;~ new and excellent proof that We have received of ypur 

distinguished solicitude in fudhering the spread of this Fa.itb, adds greatly 

to the love We have alrea.dy borne yon; consequently We sha.ll avail" 

Ourselves of all possible occasions of plainly showing you how We esteem 

the piety and reijgiou of your soul. As to tho~e questions which l!,a.tber 

Ta.cha.rd so diligently disoussec1 with Us in your name, you will fully know 

!row him Our thoughts about them in the Lord. · 

In no way doubting tba.t you will wiilingly submit to Our decrees and. 

tba.t you will, day in and da.y out, a.dd new merits to the immortal merits 

tbus. far acquired by you, Beloved Son, We implore God to he your 

.plentiful Rewarder; _ anc1 We bestow on you with 'great affection Our 

Apostolic blessing. 

Given at Rome, this 7th day of Ja.xma.ry 1689.

lft8 

TI.'[E REV. FATH!TIR P. CARRET'rO 

THIRD BRIEF" 

FROM POPE INNOCEN'T XG 

TO Tlf·i!E CH'RISTIANS OF TONGKill'l!G. 

INNOCENT XI, POPE, to the Beloved Ob.ildren, :.~.ll the faithful 

Christians of TONGKING. 

Beloved Children, greeting I 

We have indeed experienced au immense joy from your letter tha.t 

has been brought, in the name of you all to Us bY certain eminent men 

from among you. 

From it We have, with overflowing joy of Our spirit, clearly learned 

how devoted a.nd plainly filial are the feelings you foster towards this 

Holy See, your Mother and Mistress, in wbioh We-though unworthypreside 

over the Ohuroh of God; and also ho~ promptly you submitted to 

the wise decree of this See, acknowledging as proper the Apostolic Vicars 

and true Shepherds established by the same. " 

For which, as We now bestow abunda!lt and well-deserved praises 

on your piety, so We will not fa.il as occasions present themselves to show 

Our·a.ffeotion for you more excellently. As in your letter yon expressed 

. . 

~ 

plainly thatwyou a.rdently await the return oft he Jesuit Fathers by whom, 

with God's help, You have been transferred from tbe darkness and the 

shadow of death to the light of the Faith and the way of eterna.l salvation, 

We did not fail to take heed of your requests, through a peculia.r impulse 

of Our good will, and to comply with your desires, for the augmentation 

of your spiritual joy, by enjoining other Fathers oi the same Society to 

oome to you to replace those who have been called back. Meanwhile, 

with all the affection of our burning heart, Wer beseech you in the Lord 

to obey spontaneously and willingly .. the .. before mentioned Apostolic Vicars 

and to remain constant in the Faith which you profess; and, though you 

may be oppressed b}' hea.vy difficulties in this morta.l life, never to abandon 

it, always remembering that the sorrows of this life at·e not worthy to be 

compared to the glory t!:ta.t will be reve::~.led in us. So tha.t you ma.y more

VATWAN !'AI'ER!::l Of THI': XVII CEN'fURY 

Hl9 

et.tih obt.l\in thia, W& h&at.ow upon you, de1u Childrtm, with the greatest 

~~otTeot.lon, t.be ApostoliC! bl&BBlng. 

fH-V~on at Rome, th!e 7th of .Ja.nnary 1689 in the .:\III yel\r of our 

:P o:u\lt1oa.t.e. 

INNOCENT \.I 

POPB 

•

191. . 

.. 

NOTES AND QUERIES 

The Word Jetawan Agai·n. 

ln JSS XXXI, 1 (pp. 49-56), I ventured to present. some material: 

to determine the meaning of the word j~tawan ( or j eta. van ) as a generic 

name in ecclesiastical architecture and was able to indicate· a. Mon venue 

d~~t_ting possibly as far back as the XIIth centttry of the Christian era. 

To sun:i up the evidence then presented of its use: firstly, in this country,. 

the o1Cl Law of. Inheritance which I dated 1635 

. 

mentioned a jetawan . 

having been built and dedicated.by King Pra.sat Thong in the same yea.r; 

secondly, the standard histories of Ayuthya seemed to h11.ve used the word· 

Ubosoth for wh11.t oould have 'been called a jetawan, and I ventured the· 

ij opinion that an identification of one with the other was more than probable~ 

thirdly, the discovery at a Mon monu.stery in Pathum of a model of a 

jetawan oonfiri:ned my suspicion of the generic· nature of the use of that 

na.me; and £ntt'lly that suspicion was further strengthened by a statement 

from a Mon scholar in Rangoon and also by the Gazetteer of Upper 

Burma and the Shan States tha.t /etawan in But·meae arohitectura.[ 

pa.rla.ncfl referred to an edifice of three-tiered roof which housed sacred 

effigies. 

Now, although the evidences seemed to point out with almost definite 

certainty tha.t the jetawan of Wat Ohai (:f8.ya.va.rdhanii.rim) of Ayutbyathe 

one mentioned in the Law of Inberito.noe 1635-corresponded with 

the building refe~red to in the standard history as the Ubosoth, i.e. the 

main assembly hall, lea.ding therefore to the conclusion tba.t a. jeta.wan was. 

iclentical wi~;h. an edifice of some kind, it still. needed the arcbib~ctura.l 

confirmation of a. three-tiered roof in order to fit in with Mon tra.diti on. 

No edifioe retained ita _roof in Wa.t Ob.a.i a.t Ayuthya when I went up again 

and my recollection of that model at Pa.thum failed roe ori this point. 

In May of this yea.r, however, I went up to Pa.thum on a. visit and 

:while there wondered whether I could yet re-diacover tha.t modeL The 

I!ame of the monastery where I found· it ha.d slipped my memory. I 

nevertheless took my chance and crossed the river from the town in a 

..

192 D. (VoL, XXXV 

north-ea.sterly direction where there was a. Mon monastery called W a.t 

Bot, venerated by the people there a.a a very old relic. To my delight I 

a.s rewarded with au easy find. The former incumbent of the wat was still 

there and recollected ray former visit. · The Jetawa~" w11s no longer lYing r 

about in the courtyard of the main building as before but bad been taken 

aw 1Y to adorn a miniature fish-pond in the private oell of a young monk. 

Its mea.suremeuts were m. 0.40 x 0:1 x 0.39, the la.st being the height at 

the point of ita gable. _The macetial of. whi:oh it·wa.s made was te1·mautta 

and I fonua th:1,t it ha.d ·a th?-ee 7 tiered: roof;· 'rhis last faot was to me 

highly import~n.t for it sqppl\ecl . a . much-needed oonf!rmation: of the 

identity q{ the )'et.awan as ·a generic nu.me in ec~lesia.stical a.ronite~ture. 

In the R~ln;ce ~t \fat1d~l~y the Zed.a.wa.n h~ns~d Eudgb~~effi_gies' ide~tified 

with deceased ~o~a~cbs s~cli · ~~ · dqubt. a.~ tl;le. ~ffig~es' ku~wn iJ ·this 

. : : . ; . ''· rl . ,-' ' . .. !• '.. ••• • ·, ••• 

co:ml.try as th13 l'll~~'H1~W~~'flHl_of ~ha.i mona..rcha .an~ high pel.·aonages. In 

the edifice ~t W11.t O.hai of A.ynthya-the. one mention~d by th~ L~~ of 

1636 -it doubtiess: · hq~se:d. the: ':Buddh~:l3ffigy ·.~f:th.~ ~~~n-~s~e.~blY,~iu~ll, 

whioh might ha.ve.b.ee,n ide~tified w~th 'the.' a'ecEl~a~allloj;:her 0~ ~lng::l?.ra.sat 

Thong, .to whorri the):hon,U.9tery _w:as d.edi?~tecl h.Y -tha~.mppa~!1h: : ' 

The word mnst .have. dropped .0ut. of U!lE!.in .Ay.ut):lya qy the .ti.r:ne of 

~ing B5~otn\l.kQes . and 

landm.a.rksleft. b.e.hind in the old capital. · The ,ietctwan in stteh .~ .~a.se 

could ha\Te b'ee:tr"a'pplied to' such places as· wha;t: wa.a called, ·irul~e. :L.'J!w of 

Phra Ra!i.i.kii;IIim)d Ma.i 1785, the'. Sauati:ill.ry of ·the. Gre~.t: • A:t:~.cmstor 

(rtel~l~i'll~U(I)~) or· tho i.riodern.··"Sanctuai:.y of ttia·Dord" ·(11'il"\il'in:tY;riivwlJ1u) 

ou the east wing of the 'Halt 'of :Pii.is~l in: the 'Grand' Fa.lace, · .;. · 

It niight be ·a.adeu that· tbe lncumbenf ot' ·w~t ·B'ot. hU:s-' idridly given 

roe the; m~de'l 

a.'ua· 'it has: been' p~esehte:l'lo: tlie:i sdciety: wbe'ra it oan be 

seen in .the iib;ary, · • ' ·· · .,. · · : · .. · . , : 

. : " . ~· .. ;,.;'. ~. . ' ~·' ,;·. . '. ' . : ; . ' . ~ . ''·. :. .. . . . . . . 

Wat B.ot.itselfis of sortie int.ere$t'and.well W\>rth a·visit by the tourist 

Wiuh a t~ste f~r.'tb~--Pa~t .. 'rt ~ova~~ 'il.a.rgci ~~ea'o~· the. ea~t' bailk bf the 

river almost opposite the present town of Pathttm. One does not know 

what its age might have been. The incumbent says that it migbt ha.ve · 

been there for at least a. century a.ud a. hal( for tradition says thit it

I 

..,. 

0 

_.., 0 

•

• 

,.

PT. 2] NOTES AND QUERIES 193 

wa.,s already existing when Ayutbya. fell to the Burmese. Tl:ie Bot itself 

is a fairly tall building with a curious gallery inside iu~t below the ceiling 

where Buddha-effigies and cinerary urns are kept. The gilt and green 

.. decorations of the ao"orways a.re in good taste and still in a fairly good 

condition. Another building, a. vihara no doubt, is almost tumbling down. 

It is however worth looking at, espeoh,Uy its fa.Qade, profusely decorated, 

the like of which is not to be seen in Bangkok. It houses numerous 

statites of all sizes, the principle one being especia.lly noticeable. It is a. 

seated figure i.n regal robes, bttt the royal robes do not look like the usna.l 

ones in central Thailand. They resemble more the regal figures which 

decorate the stttpa of Wat Ohedi Ohetyod of Chiengmai and might have 

come irom Bmma. I was told tha.t it was a figure .representing the 

story of the King of Jambu. As it was in a plll.oe of honour among 

statues of the Buadha and not knowing the story of that King I took it to 

be an effigy of the Buddha. in connection with tha.\i story, in which be 

took up the role of the King of Kings to tame the Inng of Jambu who was 

a tough character. A thhd building lies alongside the viham and iR 

known as a. k(r,n parien. It is a low wooden building open on all sides, 

in which are to be found some old Paintings in wa.ter colour dating, 

probably from the third reign of Bangkok. ..,. 

D. 

1 .Jnne 1944

19li 

.., 

" 

REVIEWS . 

. Emploi de la pierre en des temps 1'tcules, Annam-Initon.esie-Assam,. 

par 

}i!} lle. Jtadeleine Oolani, 

250 pages, 63 pbotogra.phs, 139 ma.ps, plans and dia.gra.ms, 

publ. by the Societe des Amis du Vieux Hue 

194. 3. 

The use of stone in remote times in Annam, Indonesia and Assam is 

·the title of the la.st work wdtten by the learned Dr. Madeleine Colani 

who so recently pa.ssed away. Like eve:fything written by this distinguished 

prehistorian it is oa.refully, convinoiagly and lucidly worked out, .. 

and being the pioneer work of its kind this book is destined, probably for 

-ever, to be considtred a. standard work. 

The author's discoveries in Annao:i of water reservoirs, wells and 

superimposed terraces for sacrificial purposes have already been shortly 

mentioned in the Cahiers de L' Ecole Fra,'u;aise d' Extreme-Orient but the 

whole problem of these no doubt a.ncieut a.nd very interesting hydraulic 

constructions is here taken up for a thorough scientific examina.tion worthy 

wf Mlle. Oolani's accustomed ea.ga.city and wide learning. ' 

The locality of the northernmost of the irrigation works and other 

stone constructions, treated in this book, is found in the centre and 

northern parts of the province of Qul\ong-Tri. The constructions on tbe 

'ha.sa.ltic outcrops of Gio~Linh a.nd Vinh-I!inb, situat.ed to the northwest 

of Hue, come in for speoi~l .treatment as they. are m.9re numerous here 

than . in any other region of Anna.m. The. ba.sa.ltic soil is .the outcome of 

' . 

. dea.omposed basalt, a volca.nic prodl1ct .. This soil, .which is very fertile, 

tlOnsists of two kinds, blaok ana brown, and red earth, Basaltic .soils 

are very good conductors of water, and a.s such are the ra.iso1t. d'Ure for 

ERIK SEIDJ

:PT. 2j 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 An 

Ya) 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 

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~

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. 

r 

1) As our La:w; on the Bo Luang plateau, southwest of Chieogmai.

'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 

' ~bl'l gb.n~ snti t:hu m~tigna.nL auperntLtUrl\.1 heiogs they feela.re presettt 

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

200 ERIK SEIDENFADEN [voL. xxx:r 

from Nia.s sa.iled up the gulf of Benga.l (la.nding on tbe. eoa.st of Anbn) 

a..ml" penett a.ted inland to Ass a.m. Bev.. Father Oa.diere says, however; 

Were the builders of Gio-Linh na.viga.tors from Indonesia ? Or were they 

local people relcr.ted to the Indonesians? And were the emporiums (where ,. 

the potsherds have been found) J?ei.'Jlaps not du"e to different merchants 

probably more recent? We sha.lll:llter explain why we do not a.gree with 

Dr. Oola.ni but side with the learned Reverend Father. Professor 

Hutuon, howeVe\', agrees ~itb Dr. Oola.ni saYing tha.t at a. certain undefi~ed 

period there was a migration from Indonesia. to tipe bills of Assam. 

The wells studied by Dr, Oola.ni are either round-or squa.re-formed, 

the materials used for their construction being also blocs of ba,sa.lt. Some 

of these wells have a. 1:\atura.l subterranean outlet. ln the Notes on ilie 

irrigation works of the Oham in the provinoe_oj Phanrang the author says 

that it. seems that the Burmese were the educators o£ the Cham with 

regard to hydranlio works. We doubt the om:rectness of this view partly 

beoausa the Bnrmese were the last of the Indochinese nations to become 

civilized, a.nd partly because their hydraulic ·methods used il.t the mines of 

P.a.ilin seem too recent to have influenced Cham technique. 

According to M. Montandon, the irrigation of terra.ced fields belongs 

• :to a so oallea·:-austronesoiP, culture cyole which extended fwm Insnlinde 

to Madagascar and Easter Island in the Pa.cific. Irrigated terraces are 

also found in. the Mexico-andinoide, o1dt1we oy'.Jle,· where this art reached 

its highest development; Dr. Rivet,· the eminent anthropologist a.nd 

Americanist, sa.ys that the Peruvian irrigation ·systems were anterior to 

the Incas. He also says that to attrilmte the an~logies .of these two 

cycles, the Austronesoid a.nd the Mexico-a.ndinoide, to simple coinoideuce 

would be an error. The Amerindians t>re not antochtons, a.nd at present 

we know tba.t four different elements have contributed to build up the 

ra.ce of the Amerindians; .viz. au Australian; an element of the M a.layo· 

Pelynesiau tongues related to the Melanesian group; an Asiatic element 

which, by far w.a.s the most -important, and which ha.~ given a. certain 

uniform aspect to the American IndiB.ns, and finally a. Uralia.n element. 

represented by the Eskimos. The 'Ma.la.yo. P.el.ynesians a.nd the Austra· 

liane would have come to the Amerioa.s by ~ea. 

The .cnlt of stone in Anna.m has been studied a.nd treated in a superb 

manner by Rev. .Father Ca.diere ( 4) so a.s to serve as a. model for a.ll 

(4) Vide P, Mus Barabudur BIDF.EO. Vol, XXXII, p. 638 foot not~, and 

p. 666.

. ) 

PT. 2) HEVI[I;WS 20t 

.. 

studies ot this kind wherever it ocom·s on our globe. Few, if any, hava 

been able t9 penetrate and gra.sp primitive beHefs ::~tnd ide::~ts of the 

superna.turu.l better or even equalling this venert1ble and lea.rned mis. 

siom~.ry. The view of these ruml altars placed in the. roost picturesque 

environments framed by fine old :fic.·ns trees bea.r witness to the profound 

.worship of na.tnre a.lready po~sessed by the :lluoient builders of our terracea 

and water systems. Such an understanding of the beauties of nature is 

.found, more ··or. less developed, by many primitive people ..,That the 

ancient builders worshipped both stones u.nd trees it quite clear. This kind 

or worship was also known in Europe where if; became necessary ::Itt the 

beg,inntng of th~ medi a.eval period to iorbid Christians to worship such 

stones t1ongbt to be inba.bited by occult powers ( feticbea). In our days 

. the cult of stones is still pra.ctioed a.ID;ong .the Anga.mi Na.ga.s who even 

believe tbu.t stones may move from one plo.ce to another. ,The 

Melanesians believe that some stones are endowed with miraculou~ 

powers. The Annamiteg, who are ·animists 'pM excellence, a.lso believe 

·that stones may be inhabilied by spirits,. good or had, especially the latter. 

Among the Annamites, the presence .of the screen, binb-phong, in 

front of temples, ifa.go~1a.

202 ERIK SEIDENFADEN lvoL. XXXV 

On tha tena.ces .~re a~so f~nnd ancient tombs with cenotaphs which 

11re "called by Anna.mite .names. Some are round a.nd some square 

:formed, the former no doubt represent the oldest (6) awl in spite of their 

'Present names ma.-y: represent the tombs of those unknown Indonesian 

master-engineers who were responsible for the construction of tbe water 

installations and ir riga.tion works, and whos,e spirits are now worshipped 

by·the present ignorant Annamite peasants. 

Besides the

P'J.', 2) REVI.EWS 203 

savage tribes of Borneo, the wild W :i a.ud the various N aga tribes of 

Assa.m pra.ctise ·this gruesome custom of l1ea.d hunting but a.llfb tb.e 

otherwise civilized Ab~m, who are Tba.i, did use to place the out-off heads 

~ of conquered erreiny chieftains on the tombs of their kings, or even 

interring several slaves with the bodies of their kings, as the ancient 

Snmerians did iu Ur more than 4,000 yea.rs ago. Oerta.i.n pr-imitives 

believe that the hea.cl is the a.bod\3 of the soul. Among others a. young 

girl will refuse the courtship of a young bra.ve is be does't ·produce a 

head out off by himself I The wild W ii.. consider the obtaining of human 

heads as vita.l for the feitility of their pi!.ddy fiBlcls. It is a. seasonal duty 

to procure such he:~ods. Professor Hatton thinks that the fertilization .of 

the fielda throngh the souls (of ld.ll~cl. enemies) is au a.ccepted belief in the 

whole sphere of In1onasia. The otBtoms in thiseonnectioniollowed by 

the wild tribes in the Philippines are· exactly as those in · N a.ga.la.nd in 

Assam. There is a cultm·a.l oonnexion stretching from the bills of the 

' ~ 

Na.ga.s to M6lanesia. with ra.mifieatious crossing the Pa.cific Ocea.n to New 

Zea.land. The fundament::d beliefs and habitudes are almost the sa.me, 

also suQh as regards stone monument more or less phallic, the custom of 

erecting cet•ta.in menhirs a.ud dolmens, et(l, Professor Hutton opines that 

the hunt of heads 5oes ba.ok to neolithic times while the pha.lHo cult and, 

separate buria.l of bead .and body belongs to pa,laeolitbic times. 

Mlle. Ool~ni. arrives a.t tbe conclusion that

204 Ji~RIK SErDENFAD£W Lvor... XKKv 

lt is to-da.y a.dr:nitted that part of the hill ·people of Indochin~~o 

peopfe ta.Uen from a former higher stage·. Soma of,them ba.ve eve,l had a.. 

brilliant pa.sli. The r:na.jority of their a.scenda.nts on the other hand ha.ve 

let't for and settled in Indonesia.. We agree with proposals l. and 2. but 

not with 3., and we think the author's last st:.J.temeut-is qu·rte correct a.nd 

verylikely to be aacepbed by a.ll ethnologists studying the 'migr~~otious of 

the peoples of South East Asia. 

Mlle. Oola:ni !JUOtes the following arguments in favour of the 

hypot~esi.s of a. "driven baok to. the hills" popul3.tion. H.er informa.tion 

is ma.inly dt1e to Bev. Fa.ther Oadiere, who sta.tes that among the· 

Arma.mite dialeats the one spokeniu Upper Anna.m (from Hue to Tha.nh 

H~a.) is ~ea.rest to the Mu'ong din.lects. M. Ner sa.ys h~ ha.s penetrated 

into the district of the Kil, one of the most primitive of the Moi' tribes, to 

the valley of the Male river • and. the valley of the Female river. Bev. 

Father Oadiere sa.\}s tba.t at Gio-Linb we find the well of Ong (Mister) 

and Ba (Madam). The' latter is the most complete with a c~ntral stone 

(lin.ga.). This suggests a matriarchal system :~.nd among the above 

mentioned Moi' Kil the lma.triarchate is in vog~1e too. The R6verend 

Father ad~s that ix1 Upper Ann.am, north of Qnang-Tri, there exists a cult 

• of ta.w atones called B1d. T~is cult'is a.lso found :~omong the Nguon. a.nd ·' 

the S&ob, two 1\fn'@:ng tribes to the northwest of Quang-Binh, and a.g!loin 

this .cult .is encountered a.mong the Muuda. tribes of Northern Indi:i with 

-exactly the same n:l:me e.nd aa.me idea.s ! 

Mr. Va.n dar Hoop thinks tha.t pa.rt of the a.noleut Dong·So'nians (9) '· 

mt~oy have bean absorbed by the Mu'ong. Were not our Gio-I;inb people 

.a.lso absorbed by the Anna.mites? The Anna.mitea themselves ba.ve a .. 

vague noti6n that their present country wa.s inl.)a.bite¢1 formerly by 

"a.nother" people whom they oaoll :Moi' t.e. ba.1:ba.ria.ns. As will be seen 

the preceding arguments are all· in -favour of ·a. relationship between the 

bt1ilders of the water installations and the "drivenba.~k to the hill" people. 

· On the ethel' hand M. Goilrou sa,Y:a that. the hill people o.f the Annamite 

cordillera a.nd the Oam:bodil:lin mguntains are olea,dy in relationship. with 

the inhabitants of the Southeastern Asiatic isles, with the Dayaks of Borneo 

· a..o .. This fa.ct, Mlle. Oola.ni has fn:rther eata.bliabed hy her studies of 

compa.ra.tiva ethnography in Induohina. and Indonesia.. A ooniPairisou of' 

the bathing basins at· Gio-Linh with those found in Bali ~nd Nia.s should · 

are· 

.. 

(9) Vide our Appreciation of the Cahiers de l'Ecole Fran9aiae d'E~treme 

Orient vol, XXXIII, Pt. ( p. 32.

1 

REVIEWS 205 

. 

··OODV'ince any ooubting {lritic. In Bali· too. are found the· sacred tree 

Wa.ringin, and the raw stones worshipped in oomp~ny with the i1p~es of 

Hindu gods. In Assam a.nd in Burma.h agriculture is very pld and in no 

~ other part of the Asiatic oonhinent does one find so numerous and profound 

similitudes .with the hoe culture of t·he Indonesians and Melanesians, sa.ys 

Busoba.n (10) Messrs Mills and Hutton SBIY that the monoliths of ~he 

Syriting u.nd N aga. tribes of Assam represent ling as; the standing, while 

· tbe l yiug signifY the female prin:~iple. All this seems to indicate that the 

descendants of the builders of water. insta.llation ~re to be found partly i~ 

the hills of A nnam partly on the isles of Indonesia. 

There are many points of resemblance ~etween Assa.m, where 60 

diff ererit l'a.nguages a.re spoken, and Indonesia. (Celebes), New Guinea.,. 

·Fiji, the Ma.rquesas Islands and Ma.daga.sca.r. Such are huma.n sacrifices 

when building a. new house, ancestor worship connected 

. 

with the pba.llie 

· cnlt, the myth of the tower of Babel, a.. god serpent encompa.asing the 

' 

' 

earth, the souls of the dead going to live in a. mountain, oaths ta.kel;l bY 

drinking wa.lier wherein a weapon has beeri dipped, (11} red is the ~olour 

of royalty and many more all showing strong cultural ties between these 

widely separated places. One of the tdits · common to the Kukis of 

Assam a.nd the Hova.s in Mad3oga.soar is a curious myth about somebody,. 

who e~ca.pes from. a purei:dug ogre by throwing a.. feather which ba"fomes 

a forest. Thii kind of myth is well known. in Soanctinavia where it is 

found in severa.l. folk tales, see, for instance, in Selecttd Folk Tales 

(Udvalgte Eventyr) by. Bans Ellekilde, the ,tale 1about The G1·ey Filly 

where the, witch, who pursues Hans and the princess, whom she had tr~ns. 

formed by her roa.gio into a.. 'grey filly I is stopped severS.} time!:! by Ra.ns 

'throwing three gr.a.ins which in succession become a. for,est, a gla.ss 

mountain a.nd a lllke•rw""On plate CCVI-I is sbown on a. small map how 

'these cultural elements were diffhsed from centres in Sumatra and Ja.va. 

to Ceylon, South India, JVIa.dagasca.r, Assa.m a.nc1 the 'Philippines, New 

Guinea arid cross the Pacific Ocea,n- 

• In an additional n()te Mlle. Oola.ni S\\YS that her investigations ofthe 

Kjokkenmodding a;t Sa.mrong Sen in Cambodia revea.ls tba.t tbe implements 

·found there a.re related to tbose foUXld to-day in Indonesia and the Mala.y 

Peninsula., and she concludes that there are two layers of culture in tha~ 

. ' . ~ 

{10} lllustrierte Voelkerkunde, . 

(11) Compare this wit.h the former Tu'nam ceremony in Thailand a11d 

-•Cambodia, ., 

'\

206 EIUK SEIDENFADEN [VOL. XXXV 

. kitchen midden; viz , one of -a. dolicocephalic ra.oe with primitive implements. 

aud :fuether, later, of a. bra.ohycephalic ra.ce with'less primitive implementt>. 

There must(have been numerous connections in bygone days between 

Indochina and Indonesia, due to which the wa.ter-works at Gio-Linb owe 

their origin (·by the h:ndy Indonesian navigators). Mlle. Col ani finishes, 

however, by sa.ying that the contrary is also possible, namely that it was 

the Indochinese who taught the Indonesians how to b.uild thei?· water 

, basins a.nd irrigation works. We would :J.dd tba t though a cultura.l 

reflux from the Indonesia.n islands to Assam and Indochina is very possible 

we still tb,ink, a.nd it seems that the late lady savant shares our opinion, 

that the m~.~oin cultural cnrrent, giving birth to megalithism, the construction 

of Wf.loter works a.nd introduction of irrigation, oame from the west (12) 

going eastwards (and southwards) till a.fter having &oesed the Pacific 

Ocean, it reached the two Americas. We think that wa a.re right in this 

snpposition a.s mega.lithism in Western Asia, North Africa and Europe is 

far older than is the case in the Far Ehi.st. Also from Mlle. Col ani's 

great work Les Megalithes d1t Hatd Laos ibis. evident that the makers of 

the jars, and those who erected the megaliths, had received their know· 

' 

@ 

ledge from the west and not vice versa . 

• t)ihis book on the use of stone in remote times, which we have tried 

to render an accounr. of in the above, was tbe b.st work from the hand of 

this deeply lea.rned lady scientist, and it therefore seem~; only fit and 

~roper that we should conclude onr appreciation with ·a few words in 

memory of an unusually aotive and for the common hum an knowledge so 

fruitful life as was hers. We had the priviledge to meet the late Mlle. 

Oa lani .in February 1938 when she visited our exhibition ·of Thai U::l. tiona! 

and tribal dresses in the House of the Thailand Resea.rch Sooiety. In 

Professor Ooedes' moving obituary, published in mchion (a French paper 

in Hanoi) of 5th ,June this year. we iue told tba.t 'Mlle. Madeleine Oolani 

wa.s. born in Strassbourg ·• in 1866. She studied in Paris and oame to. 

French Indochina in 1898 as a teacher in natural history in which capacity 

she remained until 1916~ Meantime she bad taken up the study of 

geology a.nd in 1917, having then taken her doctorat es-soience wHh honours, .. 

sbe'entere'd the Geological Service of Indochina and worked there until 

her retiretuenh in 1927. Her prehistoric research work in company with 

• • 

( 12) Irrigated oerraced paddy fields as well as fountains with bathing ponds, 

strikingly alike to those in Bali, are found in Nepal. See Majors W. Brook North1;lF 

& 0, J. Morris in TfleGU?·khas p. 166 and p .. 178, 

/

l'!J!o 2] 0 REVIEWS 2()7 

the late M~uauy, her famous discoveries of·hum:1n rema.ins in the caves at 

Bacson and her strict methods employed, when exca.va.ting, soon•mada 

her known in the scientific wol'ld as a. sa.va.nt of the, first order. As will 

be known a. whole cultura.l stage, the Bacsonia.n, was na.roed after her 

discoveries. The fa.r-seeing first direotor of the Ecole Franya.ls!') d'E::Hreme 

Orient, the late Louis Finot, therefore decided,' in 1929, to attach Mll~. 

Cola.ni to the School. Numerous and alw::~.ys fruitful were her voyages 

of exploration to the various ,provinces such as Roa-binh; Chiang Kwang 

a.ud Hua Pan the results of which were published in admirably written 

a.nd illustrated papers in the Bulletin EFEO, besides in her beautiful 

monumental Work on the jars and megaliths of Upper Laos quoted above 

a.nd the book here under l'e,view: Also her studies in comparative 

ethnography are bf the grt:~atest va:lue. We should think ,that no or very 

iew prehistorians oonld have man,aged to exoa.v:~.te or ·examine the ~me· 

number of caves as Mlle. Cola.ni did. . She. who· looked· a. tiny £rail 

creature, possessed an indefatigable' will power, a.nd 'in her soul, there. 

burned. the sacred fla.me oLiiersevering enthus\asm. As Professor Coedes' 

rightly says "The life·of Madel~ine c·ola.ni, filled with la.hour and devotion, 

is the most admirable exa.mple.of a.n existence comj!l!etely devoted to 

the cultu~·e of the spirftua.l va.lnes." She wa.s lndeed lll great woman, a" 

' l ' ' 

great savant, and a noble soul wa.a hers t 

All. works~ by Mlle. Oolani' laid down in numerous 'articles 'a.nd· 

several books,· should be' carefully rea.d and digested by our young Tha.i 

students of geology and prehistory a.s they are the necessarY premises, so 

to say, for .·the study of the prehistory of this part of Asia. Indeed 

no better guide could be found 1 Below we give a list of her contributions 

to the Bull~tin de l.'Eaole Fr.angaise d'Ealtreme-Orient a.nd others. 

BEFEIO. vol. XXIX 

vol. XXX 

vol, XXXI 

·' 

vol. XXXIII 

.-L Quelques.stations hoabinhiennes. 

2. Gravures primitives sur pierre et sur oa. 

-Reoherches sur le. Pr~biatorique indochinois. 

"-Procedes de deooration d'un potier de village. 

(Ca.mmon-Isa.os). 

-!· Cero.mique, p~;ooe'des anciens de decoration. 

2. Cha.mps de ja.rres i:nonolithiques et de pierre& 

funera.ires du Tranb-ninh (Ha.ut Laos). 

S. Briquets en fer, 

4:. Hache pediforme. 

5. Trousses de toilette ha.llstatienne et a.ctuelle.

• 

.. 

210 ERIK SEIDENFADEN (VoL, XXXV 

l\L V. Goloubew delivered on the 16th March 1942 a most interesting 

Jectu~ on Antique China and the archaeology of Tong king bil.sed on a s~udy 

of the famous Curtis vase in the collections of the Louvre Museum. 

( Oabier No. 30 pp, 23-29 ). ~ 

This bronze va.se is a vine vessel of the type hou, and destined for 

ritual libations. Apart from two masks of the 'rao-t'ie~ (ogres head) 

there al!e no other decorations in relief on the vase. The scene~, which 

are to-be desdribed, are cut ~ut of thin co~par leaves, divided in to four 

horizontal lnnds, running rouud the vase. 'rhe arb of meta.l incrustation, 

a.s in the case of the Curtis vase, was not invenLed in China. i;Jut in the 

Near Orient, in Mesopotamia, probably in the third millennium before 

C. E. Poignards found during exca.va.tions in · a.ncient My~enae shqw 

excEillent work of gold in~Jrustation. The bronze work decorated in this 

manner found in China seems to be .rela.t,ively recent; the oldest da.ting 

ba.ck to the IV to II~ centuri@s ~afore O.E., from the period of the th?-ee 

ki1~gdo1ns. The Ct1rtis vase is from this period during which Ohiu a. began 

to feel the influence of the countries of the West. ·It is no longer a secret 

to-da.y that China. ·owes muah to ancient Hell as, a.~d the hellenistic 

.civilis!l.tions of the N ea.r Orient. The scenes 'depicted on the vase can a.U 

be explained as .elements of an a.ncesliors' fa a st. Dul'ing the period of the 

Chou dyna.sty (in China) it was the custom to precede the ancestors' 

fea.9u with contegts in shooting :;vith bows, as seen from th: decorations on 

the Curtis va.se, also for the young women to go a.nd collect aromatic 

pepper which, together with wine, was a wellcome sacrifi~e to the ancestors. 

Tns prepa.ra.tion of the 'sa.cr!ficia.l fo')d and the offering of it to the. 

an

'tttli·l vt.t~.ll wbinh ~u11 made cHUI\Urie·!l a.~o! ln our dayll the aorcerera 

cl ;be: l\:lu'cm~ ( .Provinou o! ::X:h~nh·hor., Ann;~,.m ) ll~ill di$guille them!l;}lven 

filii bird pba.ua.om11 U. wMn otlltJit.~ing ~' burla.l11 but here ebe costume h~t-s 

~ beret~ rl!'d!lllti!ld t1> a. 1iuale p~i\i:lOnk'!l feMhar which the s.orcerer holds in front 

of himf.lelt tiuub !lirntth~ tni\ke ··believtl disguises 86Eitll a.lso to lu,ve been 

bJ.o,•n in arohll.ic Ghitm, sn -.veil described by th't la.oo :\b.rcel Gra.uat. 

l:lol'l'i'!JVfH', h i11 mure ~\HHl dt>llh~lul tho.~ the figures represen~ed on the 

Curti11 'II'&M 1\1.!'6 Ouin&l*l lUI norm of tbetn a.re olo~bed in the uoatumea 

b.milill.r "o ~b~1 t)tH'lU or H.lll.n Piilritld, ~J.ntl the :..rohera a.re oom.pletely 

oa.k~4. t~. vfU'Y un '-,Ghinee fn~m·e. ·rh~u a.ga.in most of these human 

iiHhcmat.li!Mi, ''bit~h by ?iha a.rtillt. M'o ~reu.tad liU ~pirhna.!Iy, ha.ve the 

I~PPIHU':li.Mtl o[ young women wi~h ua.rrow Wl:l.iS~!I a.nd pronounced hips 

(like ~;he Mino~u wom"tl ~~ ), To wht:Lt people did tbey belong? \Va think 

'ht~}' ~na.y b~~ovl:l ~~~MUl It1tlone~i~ru1 of 111. 11ort, Due io the aon~a.ot with,tbe 

w~~~'• vi~~. ~he st~!lPflt of Getlt.ra.\ A'l:'iu., China. ranelved ron.ny of the myths 

o[ ll.I:Hli(!ltU l:lulltLI a.nd l.h ~ N ea.r () rieu~ u.mons Lb&tQ ~bM of the A 0011.301lS. 

Tne la.ner a.nt'b \Ut !:tlll«Jh in vot~~te a.roo11g Lbe ·raoiatio wribeu. In one 

of theM mylihli, HOI:ttfiwha.t ~r&ttlform!ld on Cbineaa soil, )a menLioned a. 

n11.~ion of wmrum wbol'J!I U.tltleiLou were birdo. 'l'bay were a.ll o£ n. 

r~m"rki\blt b:ia.t.Uy a.nd vuy hospi~~~.h\e buL they u..ll died beJoro their :iO~h 

Y;f;IM;'! Should ~n n.ua.logoull m,y~h tH~rlt~~tP3 be Lhe origin of the fa.soitll.t.~ing 

problem wi&b whiob ~h~ Our~ia Vll.l.le oon!rontll uu,&o oonoludas l\1, Goloubew 

hill in~era1Uh1R 1i~:~o~ure, 'rhe illle1:1 or the old khl!tdcml ol wmn.en was 

beli·~~·ed by o;n~~.in Ghine1:1e !li0/4t'a.p:tera. to lie to tbe east of .T a.va. 

( 01' {;hill!!. ). {.2) 

Uf o~l:uu p!!,rliioula.rly int!ll'fillting tbitii!IIJ found ln the recent Ca.biers we 

aha.U mer1tion M. Pa.ul 13oudet's :l'IM t1•ea.tiUirMJ in tJU~. M·ohiv•s of the 

BniP'fOTI of .bn.a.m. A t~bndy of these a.rohtvas rnighb be of int~m:at; to 

Tha.i hi$\orhmiJ too. 

The oleo. ring of ~he trees Mlrl o~her vegeta.l c~rowth whic1h ettdansera 

the su.bilitiy of ao r:o&ny line Khmer temple ruins goes on, and sevan.l 

buildings ho.ve been sned in this wa.y in the niok: of ~ime, ~he :vork mf 

(!On

212 ERIK SEIDENFADEN (vor,, XKXV 

n:13,de a. new find of pa.leolithio implements a.t B"n V a.ng, on the Me.k:bong· 

up~rds from Wiengcha.n. These imolemeotf! o.re identical to those found 

in the rich deposit near to Luang Pra.ba.ng. Perhaps researches on our 

side of the Mekhong upwards from Nongkha.i or ThB.bo would reveal t> 

similar

PT. 2) ' 'HEVIEWS. 213 

unfinished from the ha.nds of the sculptor. 

We would remind our readers 

that sucb.a standing iroa.ge of the Buddha;, on which the fa.sbioninlfha.s 

just sta.rted, is found in Phra.pa.thomohedi in one o£ the niches .of the 

' · oiroula.r gallery sm·rotindiug the giant 'Stupa.. (3) M, Levy 'has also 

studied the Lao cult of .their decea.sed which culminates in the launching 

of illuminated floats on the river ;\lekhong. Tha.t is of ·course the old· 

Thai festival of Loi Kratbiing. M. Victor Goloubew gave on.lst December 

1942 a. lec.ture entitle(l The Khmer art and its relations to the classical art 

of Indict The learned lecturer sa.id 1iha.~ the evolution in Oa.rnbodia. of 

a.n India.n a.rchiteotura.l, type, the prasat tower, is inspired by the symbolic 

notion of the templ{;l mounta.in. a.nd tha.t the rupestrian temples in India., 

suu h (l.S those of Ell~ra. .n.nd Ma hi vellipur, were not, to begin with, 

considered a.s centres of a mystic, world, but a.s the nude.rgrouud abodes 

of Siva. a.nd P(l,rva.ti, his consort. The solid il.nd well built briok sanctuaries 

of King Iga.na.varma.n of Oa.mbodia. ( 616-.626 0, E.) show a.n a.·atonisbiug 

likeness to the OhS:m towers, This does not, however, mean tha.t the 

Chim architects wet;e either the rnMters or the. disciples of their Khmer 

confreres but tha.t both have received the essential elements from Hindu 

architecture. The question is fro~ what pa.rt of India did they derive 

it? M.,GoJoubew ia inclined to sea.r!3h for it in Northern .India in the .... 

plains of the Pa.njab and the Gauges · where the art of using burnt or 

sundried ula.y w~ O'ommou long before the Oristia:nel'a., The oldest exa.wp~e 

of such oonst.ructions is found in a. bas-relief representing . a.' ma.ny 

storeyed tower in the museum at Ma.thura., a.nd the finest exa~ple· of su~h 

a building is met with at Ka.firkot in Kashmir. 

;vra.y we be (l.llowed to point out that in our review of Ram Ohandr 

kale's "A~cient Mon1.ungnt8 of Kashmir" (4) we have a.lrea.dy pointed 

out the sithilarities and common tra.its which exl:st betweert the a.ncient 

Kashmiria.n and Ca.robodia.n. temples . 

. There were (l,lso lectures, in the Oa.hiers under review, on the two 

forms of Buddhism \Vhich .penetrated into Anna.ro and La.os respectively. 

M. Levy says that Buddhism has iu fJa.()S, which was not indianized, 

.gone deeper a.nd more completelY iut.o the Population tha.nis the case with 

the ott.er peoples of.Southea.st Asia. (However.,· the ·Anna.roites were also 

not india.nized, a.nd by them .Buddhism has not penetrated very deeply 

perhaps because o.f their a.neestor w~r~b1p and Confu\'ia.n traditions?). · 

( 8) Vide Qur. Guide to Nakhon Fathom. 

(4) P:ide JSS. Vol. XXVII, 1934, pp,121-l26.

:ERIK SEIDENFADEN 

[V.OL. XXXV 

Professor. Sutji Umih::na/s lecture on a.rcha.eologico.l research work 

in :ltora9. is D.lso very interesting. According to his description the old 

tumulus-sba.ped stone burials, with their funera.l furniture, should recall, 

in a certain sense, the a.nqient tombs of the Etruscans. 

The Aca.demie des In~criptio~s at Belles Lettres has awarded the 

Tborlet. prize to Professor. Ooedes in recognition of his scientific work. 

This news will no doubt be received with satisfaction by the members Ot 

the Tha.ila.nd Resea.rch Society of which this distingui~hed savant is au 

Honora:rY Member, 

Bangkok, 8th August 1943. 

ERIK SEIDBNFADEN. 

I 

L ~ 

I 

• 

...

215: 

1, Stor£es cif the Past, (!U'111J " 11J1'11Jfll'l "' ), by Hisla.te Roya.l B.ighnesi!- 

Prince· Da.mrong, published in Tha.i for pree~nta.tion on the occasion of 

the crema.tion of the remains of its a.uthor,. Ma.rch l\;144,479 pa.ges, 1 

pla.te. 

A recent publication which ha.s been generally approved a.nd valued· 

· by the Thai reli.ding publi~ is the Nit an Boranakadi from 'the pen .o{ one· 

.of the most distinguished stateerriau and historians ·of the Thailand of 

yesterday. While spending the, last nine or tau. ye'a.rs of his life a.w :l. y 

from home, the Prince has· not wa.sted his time in inaction .and'has wri,tten . 

ma.ny Volumes, IL COnSiderable a.mouqt of. which still reniain unpublished: 

As to.the volume under review, the a.uthor'explains in the preface tba.t its."' 

contents is nothing but the truth; the incidents having been directly taken• 

from the Prin~e's· own experience. He ha.s named it in a way which.· 

n1ight perha.ps be .rendered a.s Stories aj the Past, although word for word· , 

one might he more irvHinad to trli.usla.te the·title as Archaeolo[iica l S.tm·ies, ' 

which in my opinion wa.s not meant by the .Ia.te author. The stori~s· are 

full of intorma.tion .for etud~nts. in all branches. of knowledge, more· 

especially the ethnolog.ist,. the historian, the archaeologist and the administrator. 

One might wish perhaps to add .to these the politician, th~ugh , 

personally I prt;Jfer not to make any pronouncement in that cotmeotion. 

'~hey certainly bear witness not. only to the wonderful memorY. of a.n 

octogenari!Jon but a.lso to his undiminished menta.l activity a.nd keen 

a.cumen. A brief survey of these stories would lengthen this review into 

soores-literally.,--of pages 11.nd it is feared that the Editot;ial Committee 

would accuse the reviewer of taking up ·undue spo.ce in our .valuable 

Journal. 

Since however these reviewlr should serve tbe genera.l reader-"-inclusive 

of those who. are un:~oble to read Thai-it would seem permissible to 

give a.·'vary short, survey of some of the s'to,ries Which might appeal to sucb. 

re~ders,· 'It is for insta.uce told, for the first time it is believ~d. how the 

.. 

...

216 D, [VoL. XXXV 

National fjjbr~l'Y found a working nucleus and grew iDto its present 

. propo:ftliions; how the Public Health service of the Gov.ernrnent started out 

of modest beginnings and developed within~ a rema.rka.bly short time; how 

·Chinese secret societies came into being in China and spread to adjacent 

4lonntries with its faction-fights a.nd secret murders until as far as this 

eonntry was concerned it was put down, The historian a;nd the archaeologist 

would be able to trace step by step how. old sites of history a Ed epigraphy. 

-Chalieng, Utong, a.nd the memorial pagoda erected to his fallen foe by. 

King N :nesuan --were searched for and identified at the instigation of t,he 

Prince, who was constantly travelling in his capacity of Minister of the . 

Interior. The science of the Elephant is explained in a. clear and intelligibl(l 

mann~r in all its aspects-nnnting, taming, and training as a. military unit. 

As an example of a 'short survey a chapter dealing with the institution 

of what ha.s been known to the foreigner a.s the Second King may be thus 

sum~m.ri:;ed. Iu i:l recalled that uo £01·oigoers tb~s constituted a dis.tinc· 

tive feature of the Siam of those days. When Prince Damrong had 

audience of .Queen Victoria of Great .Britain thE,l Queen ·asked' him how 

. 

'true was the hot that we had two kings a.t the same time. That was in 

1891 and the custom bad been· discontinued. It was a fact nevertheless 

. 

that King Mongkut, ( 1851-68). treated his brother Pbra. 'Pin Kla.o with 

regal honours though there were slight technical differences in etiquette 

.such as in Court p~rlance and the 1·egalia. Prince DamrotJg wa.s told by 

a contemporary of King Mongkut's accession that tl:ie King accepted the 

Thr.one on condition that his brother shared regal ho~:~ou{·~ "and it was in 

conformity with this condition that the ·throne was· offered jointly to the 

brothers. Instead. of being installed a.s Prince of the PaJace to the 

.Front (W~ngna.), as heirs to the Throne usually were before him, the. 

Prince was made a. joint King reigning in the Palace to the Front. 

Prince Da.mrong cites. a.s an example of stj.ch a procedure the precedence 

of Kings Naresua.n a.I\d Eka.thosa.roth of Ayuthya., a widely knt?wn 

case. The Prince we)lt however further b~ck and found uhat when King 

Boroma.' Tra.ilok came into possession of the northern Kingdom of 

Sukhotha.i he removed his Oourt to. Pisnulok where he ~eigued over the 

north and made his s~n, Phra Boroma.raja B..ing of Ayu'thya., 'rhis latter 

succeeded his father in 1490, but remained in· Ayutbya installing a. younger 

brother a.s King of the northern capHa.l of Pisnillok .. The younger b~other. 

a. her wards succeeded his ·elder brother a~:~d transferred also to Ayutbya. 

where modern historians know him a.s King Rama.tbibodi U. T.he institu~ 

r 

· •

I.'T. 2J . RECEN1' THAI PUBLICATIONS 21'1 

tion of the Second King then, in the late Prince's opinion, was ·aue to a. 

policy of King Borom.~ Trailok to placate the northern sta.te which"he bad 

bad just acquired, When the younger brother of King Mon~lmt however 

became a joint King, he wa.s not required to govern a separate &tate but 

''reigned in the Pala.ce to the Front." :E1'e was in fact the oQly Second 

King of the Bangkok dYn:1sty, his predec~ssors of the first three reigns. 

having been just Prinr·es of the Palace to the Front as was also his son 

who was simib.rly insta.lled when . King Chnlalongkorn ca.me to ·the 

'l'hrone. 

' 

The stories not only serve to while a.wa.Y one's time in aQ interesting' 

a.nd. very, imtruotive m~~onnar but a.lsp emphasize, without the a.utbor 

having to. say so,· how pa.iustaking must have been the effort and 

determination of the Government of King Chula.longkoi:n".in Hs uphill 

struggle to modernJ!')e the country by enforcing stan~!i.rds of public 

welfare ~s yet lln!!.pprecia.ted by the contemporary Thai· pub,lic who 

a.cquieaced merely out. of resplilct fot' the King's person rather. iba.l:\ of its 

own conviction. 

2. A Biography of P1·ince Damron!], published in Thai for presentation 

on the occasion of the oreml)otion of 'his rema.ins. 35 pages, 12 pla.tes, 

March 1944 • 

. . This bio~rapby is more iri the nature of a· collection of offiCial 

records in connection. with the la.te Prince. Princess Poon, who, ::~.s 

everyone knows has been the constant oompanion of her father, explains 

in the preface the reason Why this. biogra.pby has assumed. such a form. 

· 'rhe idea of an autobiography W!L.fl at first suggested to the late Prince by· 

King Prai adbipok. The suggestio~ was at fi~st. taken. up but after four 

chapters ?o.d beau writt.en Prinee Damrong ·gave it up. He wa.s too· · 

modest to· write his own although be ba.d ·beel! in the habit of writing 

perhaps a. few htindreds of o.tber people's biographies. Princess Poon's 

:pleadings for the continuation of her father's autobiography only .resulted 

in the suggestion that a.ny one wishina to know about his.biography need 

onlY .consult the Boyal Decree promoting him to the. rank of K~oma.luaog · 

in B. E. 2442 !(1899) because tht1t Decree o~me from the King's own pen. 

The work a.s it is now pre~ented consists of the ·document. w.ritten 'bv 

King Mongkut bestowing upon liiS new.born son tbe ~a.rne of Diswar~ 

.Kumar.. Decrees of Ki~g · O!iul~longk~rn promoting Priupe Diswara. 

Kuma.r to Kromamiin. Damrong· and later to ltromalua.ng, tlre Decree of 

Bam a VI promoting him to KroriuJ.ph.r:l., a.nd the Decree of the next King 

i 

...

218 D. (VOL, XXXV 

Promoting him to Somdech Krcimaphya., The above are supplemented by 

a. recrtrd kept in the Government archives of the Prince's official life-just 

the usual fa.cts and figures 'kept by the Government burea.u of personnel. 

· A report is also attached of his illness and death.. ~ 

The late Prince's record, whether official or a.cademio, is well-known 

and a. real biography when it comes to be written should be a most 

interesting study of the career of a soldier-scholar who eventnal.ly turned 

out to be one of the most capable. and successful statesmen with special 

adaptation for administrative organisation. 

8. The ·Tipitaka of the Kingdom of Siani ( vm:'lmillijrH'I'mm"'~ ), a. 

seCJond edition oUhe Buddhist Canon in Thai charaCJters, 1925-1928. 

Though qhviously not a. recent publication, having been published 

nea.rly 20 years ago, this edition. of the Sacred Ca.n,on of Buddhism has 

not, to .our knowledge, received anY notice by wa.y of comment on the 

Part of the Thailand Research Society. An obituary notice in the 'Iham, 

maca!csu of one of the leading men in the Thai Buddhist Church, inci~ent- 

. ally one of the most ~ctive editors of this publication, c?mmented upori_ the 

fact that contrary to the first edition of 1893 this edition had not received 

il!l.nY, recognition from iuteruational scjentific quarters. A co~pl,ete publica. 

·-Hon of the. Buddhist Canon can of course never be anything but epochmaking 

·an account of its size, being much longer that the Christian Bible 

' 

fl 

:and the Hindu Maha.bharata and Ramayana combined. This particular 

.edition wits commenced in 1925 and completed in 1928 in the charge of a. 

·Royal Commission of nine high dig~ita.ries of ~he Thai Buddhist Church' under 

the presidency of the then Ea.triarch, His Royal· Highness Prince Jinava.ra, 

Lt;~rd Abbot of Rajabopit mona.stery. It was ~ mf?morial to the Kin'g•s 

brother and ·Pr.edecessor, King Ram a. VI,who h~d just died. The public. 

was permitted to jo:inin the workof merit. by way of voluntary :conuributions. 

This permission was reli.dily responded to amd the public which 

availed itself of it -was cosmopolitan, ·a not inconsiderable number of 

subscribers of large sums CJoming .from Cambodia where numerous pupils 

of the Tha.mmayut seCJt testify to its widespread cultural. influence, there.· 

King Prajadhipok headed the list with 10,000 bahts 'at1d \by the time the . 

subcription Was cl·osed-tw 0 yea.rs later;-the amount had reached 

568;737 .ba.bts wifih 73ll. 71 bahts' interest accruing frolll Thai Gov.ernment 

stockiJ. The expenditure in printing .was over two hundred thousand 

bahts and the surplus was set aside unde;r the care of· the Govern.ment 

Treasury for further editi.ons either of the .Canon itself or the O~;mz- 

. ... 

1

·PT. 2) RECENT. THAI PUBLICATIONS 219 

mentarie8 and their Ann?tations (tika.), or in fact a.ny publication 

which ma.y be considered from time to time as a. classic for the stuj.y of 

the Buddhist Religion. 

The Royal Commission took as its principal working text that edition 

of 1893. Foreign editions of Burma. and Ceylon as well as available 

manuscripts and of course the publications of the Pa.li Text Society 

formed m!loteria.l for collation. His Roya.l HighneJ:!S Prince Kittiya.kara. 

of Cha.ndaburi, himself a Pa.li scholar, was chiefly responsible for the 

international connections of the Commission, of which he was a.u adviser. 

Wha.t the Thai edition of 1893 omitted to include, namely the Jata.l!:a., 

Viman~v:aJthu, Petavatthu, Therag'i.i.tha, Therlg8.tha, Apa.dina, Buddhava.msa., 

Ca.riyapita.ka. of the Second Pita.ka and the Pat.~hina of the 

Third, were included in the present one. The set was complete in 45 

volumes amounting to some twenty-five thousand odd pages oc~il.vo. 

AHogether 1500 sets were printed, 200 forpreseutatiou to learned institutions 

and perso!ls in Thailand, 450 abr~ad and 850 sets to' subscribers of 

upwards of 450 bahts. 

· The erudite work of editing and collating fell upon members of the 

Royal Commission. The Vinaya. Pitaka (8 out of the 45 volumes of the 

set)wa.s under the chai'ge.o£ the Most Reverend Somd~ch Phr!i. Puttha.· ·, 

kosachan, then as now Lord Abbot of wat Thepsirin. The Sutta Pi taKa. 

took up 25 out ot the 45 ~olume11 was distributed among several scholars. 

Ins first Nika.ya-the Digha.-ha.d ior editor the a;bove-men~ioned Lord Abbot 

· and took 'up 3 volumes. The Ma.jjbima (3 vola) was edited by the Rt. 

Bev. Phra Uba.li (then bearing the title of Phra Thamma.pidok) now 

Lord Abbot of wa;t Po. The Sa.myutta was shared by the above (2) and 

the late Rt. Rev. Phra. Tha.mmawa.rodom (then bea.ripg the title of Phra. 

Tha.m:nakosa.) who was responsl.ble for the remaining 3 volumes. The 

Angutta.ra (4) was edit~d by Prince Jinavara., the President of the Commission.. 

The I3.st 'Nikaya. of the· Sutta Pitaka contained many texts 

edited for. the 'first time in T.ha.i characters having been for some .reason 

or other omitted in .the edition of 1893. Four of such books as well as 

two others, ·making up two volumes in print were edited by the Most Rev. 

Somdech Pbra Vajira.J;J.an:.wongs, head· of the Thammayut sect; the 

J a taka (2) a1~o neW to thi~ edition aS weq ttS tWO other VOlUm\'lS by the 

Lord Abbot'of wat Bencha.ma, nowrtl>nking as the Bt. Rev. Phra Phrom 

. Muni. Thr.ee volumes also of this last Nikaya. were edited by .the Bt. 

Rev. Phra Sasanasobhon of wat Mongkut. The Abbidbamma Pitah, 12 

.....

220 D. [VoL, XXX:V 

volumes in .prinh, were completely .in the hands of the b.ta Most Rev. 

Somlech Phra. Va.na.ra.t, Lord Abbot of wat l\hha.t~::tt a.nd President of 

• the High C'onvoca.tion of the Buddhist Oburch. 

Bangkok, 15th June 1944. 

,. 

4. The Life of Hitum 'l'sirtn(J ( tln:i'~wnn"~'lflJi'~) translated by 

Kangli::tu Sibunriia.ng, 3tl2 pa,gas B pl., 1 map & index, Bangkok April 

2484 ·(1941) .. 

This is another book which can hardly come under the category of 

a; recent publication and yet oannot be 'Passed over. According to Mr. 

'! v" i >"" q 

S~bunriia.ng the title of the work in Thai characters would be PitH fl 'IHJIV ~ 

~'li'11i'~!1)1J;e~-~ 

and this I have ventured to translate as The L~fe uj thP 

Pitakadhara of the Monastery of the Great Com;;assion durin(! the 

Rev~. 

T'a.ng dynasty, basing it upon tbe Thai rendering given by Mr. Sibunriiang 

in the introduction tci the book. The work was published for presentation 

on the occasion of the oremation of ·the remains of its translator at W at 

Thepsirin. I~ is prefaced .as is usual with such souvenirs by a. biography 

-with a foreword by Phya Anuma.n-of the deceased, a vivid sketch 

obviously vlritten by those who knew Mr Sibunriiang intimately. By 

• profession a m;~.n of business, Mr. Sibunriia.ng was also a ma.n of culture. 

His. Highness Prince Bidyalongkorn, whose advice and help is acknow-. 

!edged in the book, contributes an appreciation of tha trlnslator's effoJ•t. 

Mr. Sibunriiang comes from a well-known Chino-Thai family, being a 

Younger brother t,o the famous scholar and po'liticinn, the late "siew Hood 

Sang, a Bangkok. resident df long standing who became a Minister in· the 

Chinese Republican government of latter days. His liter:.trY inclinations 

·have therefore sprung from. natural grounds, though it· has on! y 

m:.tterja.liae.d in this. one and on I y work, The translation occupies 267 

p::tgea, or nearly three-quarters of the :whole volume.. It is true that it 

contains many ina.couracies of printing !l.nd clerical mistakes but I have 

been told thl),t the publioa.tion was nish~d through. ThE~ language of the 

translation is. nevertheless easy and pleasant. · A technical mistake in 

Court parla.noe occurs repeatedly that it deserves to be pointed out. A 

royal comm:.1.nd is r~ndered a.s an ornlcara (1v~m1). Now the word has 

its own peculiarity. It .is an admitted fact that the traditions of the Thai 

m ona.rchy have been influenced by those of the ancient Khmers. Although 

Buddhists, the Thai accepted this mystic Hindu term, employing it for the . 

command of a crowned mona.rch. The so-called coronation in fact is not

PT. 2j RECENT 'l'HAI PUBLICATIONS' 221 

the act of putting on the crow:n as in ~be We~t bu~ the ·rer bal acceptance 

of the invitation from the High' Priest of Siya to rule aft~E the ·lattertthad 

invoked the god to .come down and merge into the king's person. · Not 

• until then does the mona.rch become entitled to give a command ra~king . 

as an o1nkaM. 'rhe significa.nce of this ritua.l is no longer present in the· 

rqind of the Thai, but its outward sembla.nce exists. It would seem 

therefore that the employment of this term for those monarchs in the 

"Western World" of Hiuen 'rsia.ng, even if they were Hindu~, is ha.rdly 

instified, for pristine Hinduism did not develop snob a theory of Kingship 

as did the a.ncient Khmer cult of the Deva.ro.i. 

The theme. of Hiuen 'rsiang's tra.vels from

ll 

tra.nelatot'e own notea ~nrl form a. uaelnl feature u th$) St~.nl'lkritt na.rnNI 

a.re fbo"re fa.m1liel.r to '-11. Another welcome fea.~t~ 1!1 the full iar!er. d 

tba tnd, ~ht1 :1b11enoe of wbioh h:u m~rred so many Vt.lu,.bh~ Thai 

publioa.tions. 

D . 

•

ACCESSIONS TO THE LIBRARY. 

B 1 rom the Iustitut Oceanographiqne d•'l l'fndoohine, the Library of the 

T. R. S. bas reoently received: 

1 )-36th Note-Note on some new fishes little known to the fresh 

waters of Ca.mbodia. This note hy ;J ea.n Durand was published on the 

30th J a.nuary 1940, by Station Maritime de Cauda at N hatra.ug. It is a 

small in-oota.vo of 40 pages, with 7 plates of different kinds of fishes and 

1 map in black. 

2 )-37th N ote-Oonoerniug the fat taken from the fish known as Oa 

linh Banh or Thynnicht/i.JJS thynnoides Bleeke1'. This note, is a. sma.ll 

in-oota.vo wot·k, pnblished at Nha.trang by Station Maritime de Cauda on ., 

the lst July 1940, containing 27 pages only, The author is Henri 

Maroelet, • "' 

3 )-38th Note-This note is a.n exhaustive iltudy of all kinds of 

Indollhinese tortoises, by Bene Bourret and B'. Le Poula.in. It was 

published by the Station Maritime de Cauda, Nhatra.og, in June 1941. 

Ib is an in-oiitavo volume of 235 pages, with 11 sketches· in black, 48 

plates in black and 8 full page Plates in colours. 

4 )-39th Nate-Published by Station Mat;itime de Cauda., N hat rang, 

on the 15th June 1942, is a bdef t:esume of all the activities of the 

Cooperative Sooiety .of the 1J 1 isheriea in Cambodia., by F. Le Poula.in. It 

is a. small iu-ootavo of 20 pages with 1 map in bla.ok and 4 phobotypies in 

bla.ok. 

5 )-40th N ote-Uoncernl3 the !::hpunculiens d' Induch"ine by Pierre 

Leroy. This note was published by the Station Maritime de Cauda.,. 

Nhatra.n$, on the let July 1942. The booklet is in-octavo of 61 pages, 5 

·~ 

plates in blfl.ck and 1 map .. 

6 )-41st Note-Published by the EHatiou Ma.ritime de Cauda, 

N ha.tra.ng (no date), is a. medical study concerning the morphology of the

• 

225 

ANNUAL REPORT 

1943. 

r.rhe Annual GenertJ.l Meeting wa.s held on February 28th. 1943 at 

the Society's Home, in Cole Avenue, Ba.ngkapi, with the President, His 

Highness Prince DhtJ.ni Niwa.t, in the chair. In submitting the a.nnua.l 

report and the statement of Mcount for ·the year just ooncluded the 

President said that the Society ba.d been ·facing a. very difficult Yea.r in 

various aspects. for unavoidable reasons. It seems however to have 

pulled through. The reason for the success was due to the loya.l co~ 

operation received from members, n.n unprecedented peroentn.ge of whom 

ha.ve responded to the need of the Society by readily contributing the 

annual subscriptions. 

The Council for 1943 was 'elected as follows; 

H. H. P~inc"' ..., Dhn-ni ,., Niwat, 1~ · 1 · em ·a eu t . 

H. R. H. Prince Wanwa.ithayn.kon, l 

Mr. s~ 8. Sukhaya.nga;, Leader of Tt·avel Sectt'on, \_ TT'. p. 'd ·. t ., 

(Phya Bar as astra Siril~ kshna)' r v ne,- I es~ en s I 

Mr. 0. L. Guehler, Leade1· of Natural Histm·y S~ction, ) 

H. H. Prince Prem Pura.cha.tra.; 

M. 0. Afa.va.dis Diskul, 

Mr. I Zieler, 

Reverend Father L. Chorin, 

:Mr. Sa.roi R. Sukha.yanga., 

(Phra.Saroj Ratana'nimman) 

1\bjor E. Seidenfa.den, 

Dr. J, J; de ·Oa.mpos, 

Mom Luang Pin Mala.kul · 

Mr. Visuddhi C. Kra.irikBh (Luang Ohakra.pani), 

Hem. Edit01'c 

Bor •. Secretary, 

Hon. Trea:wrer. 

Bo1~. Libra1·i.nn. 

Bon, Arohiteot, 

Past President 

and 'LeadB?' of 

Section for Ar. 

ohaeology ((; 

Ethnology,

226 ANNUAL REPOHT [VOL, XXXV 

Mr. Sukich Nimmanhemin, 

Refer end Professor T, By odo, 

Mr. Y. Nitta, 

Mr. Sa.mahn Pa.nya.rjun (Pbya Srishtikarn Banchong)-being elected later, ,. 

The .Council held eleven business meetings during the year, all at the 

President's house in Pechaburi Road, the place being chosen for the 

convenience of members who mostlY live in to,JVn, 

The new Council upon taking office appointed the following standing 

committees : 

Finance The Senior Vice. President (·H. R. H. Prince Wa.nwa.itbayakon 

), Chairman, 

The Hon, Secretary, 

The Hon. Treasurer, 

Exchange The Hon. Librarian (Rev. Father L. Ohorin), Chairman, 

The Hou. Editor of the Journal, 

Major ]], Seidenfaden, 

• 

EditoTial 

The Hon. Edihor of the Journal (H. H. Prince Prem 

Pura.chatra ), Chairman, 

E. H Prince Dhani Niwat, 

The Leader of the ~ atural History Section, 

Dr. Vidya. Sivasriyanond, 

Mr. Ariyant Manjikul, ., 

M. R. Sumonacbat Svasdikul-being co-opted later, 

Membership H. R. H. Prince W anwaithayakon, Chairman, 

Mr. U. Guehler, 

. Reverend Professor T .'. Byodo, 

Mom Lua.ng Pin Malalml. 

The Committee for Prizes was abrogated as iJ:! the previous year. 

At the close of 19~3 the Sooiety's membership consisted of : 

Honorary 9 

Corresponding 5 

Life 3 

Ordinary 136 

Associate 4 

Free 2 

making a. total of 159 i!-!l compared with 193 in 1942, 247 in 1941, 233 in 

19~0 a.nd 200 in 1939. This reduction is due mainly to severa.l foreign 

med;.bers having left Thailand or resigned from membership, 

During the ye&r 3 meetings had been arranged by the Society, viz:

PT. 2j ANNUAL REPORT 227 

Ordin:.~.ry Meetings: 

on May 16~h. l!H3 Mr. Paul Lindenberg lectured: on 

''Early Postal History of Thailand''; 

on August 29th, 1943 films depicting various ceremonies 

and even~s of the p:1st were shown by Mr. Visuddhi 

0. Krairiksb; 

Natural History Section's Meeting : 

on tllarcb 28th, 1943 :\tr.' Rudolf Schaller lectured on 

"Pharmacognosy in Thaihnd, ita Importance for the 

Development of Natural.Resources." 

Owing to transport difficulties for individu:.l members it has not been 

possible to arrange for more meetings to take pi ace. 

The year under review W:l.S marked by the loss. of several distinguished 

members. His Royal Highness Prince Paribatra of Nakon Sawa.n. 

whose death in Java has only been recently reported, wa,a an Honorary 

President and a ready supporter of the Society while he resided in Thaila.~d. 

His Royal Highness Prinae Da.mrong R!!oianubhap wa.s Vice 

Patron and his distin~uished scholarship and keen interest in the Society 

from its inception is too well known to need any further mention. Mr. R. 

A dey Moore, former! y Han. Secre.tary for fifteen yea.rs, rendered valua. ble .,. 

service on the executive side. 

The most oui'Btanding feature of the Society for the Year has been the 

windfall in receipts on . sales of publications, mostly to the Japanese 

institutions and members. The total amount realized from the' sales 

amounts to Baht 9, 180.01, a figure unprecedented in the history of the 

Society ever since its inception in the yea.r 1904. Although tbe prices of 

our publications have been revised and increased, this has not in any way 

hampered the s~~oles. In the matt.er of the Society's publications we have 

been able to keep up the usual standard. Two journals, Voh1me XXXIV, 

part 1 and part 2 have been published, and Volume XXXV, Part 1 as well 

as a further number of the Bulletin would have been at the members' 

disposal had it not been for the partial interruption in the printing wotk 

d\le to local a'ir-raids. The Council popes however to he able to continue 

its publications without too much i~terruption, since it fully rea,lizes that 

this is the one activity which oan be still kept up inspite of wa.r conditions 

Excursions to various pla.cea of intereap have been irqpeded by the very 

limited means of tra.nsporta.tion. The Library has also suffered owing to 

the impossibility of exchanges wit~ our fellow institutions. We are 

happy however to sa.y that we have not been deprived of the relationship

228 ANNUAL liEPORT [VOL. XXXV 

with~ few ue1ghbours suo11 a.s the J1oole lhau9a.ise d'Extreme-Orient, tba 

pub*i~Ja.tions ot whieh continue liO arrive periodically to enrich ou:r 

Libra.ry. 

Due to fa.iling eyesight the SocietY lost with regret the service of a. n 

old Library clerk, Mr. Sin Cha.loemphao. The Council wishes to record 

hereby a sincere a.pprecia.tiou of his services. His post ha.s been given to 

Miss Chan Xavier. 

During the ye:u a law has been promulgated by. the Oo~ernment. 

regula.ting the cuhnra.l activity of the State, under which· the Society h a. a 

bOleu permitted to continue its activitie~ and asked to participate in up~ 

holding the national culture. 

The Society is at present in a. good fina.ncia.l position, The coming 

yea.r, however, must not be expected to yield the sa.me results, for the 

posilibility of fur fiber sa.les cannot be reckoned upon with a.ny oerta.inty • 

•

l 

' 

.. 

SI'A TEMENT OF 

ACCOUNTS 

\943

, 

(J' 

)30 STATEMENT O..F ACCOUNTS [voL. xxxv 

,Su.bscriptions .· 

Ordinary Members, Arre~rs 1936-42 

-,- Current 1943 

Associate Members 

Life Members 

Receipts 

FINANCIAL RESUME 

Baht 

" 

,. 

325.- 

3, 187.:'i0 

45- 

-- 

Baht 

3,557 .5

II ,., 

'' lj 

~ 

HTATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS 

0 F THE YEAR 1943. 

IJ~pairll and Renewals 

J.,'•rury d· Stw ks ut Pui•licatic.ns: 

W agt·s of t.'lc rk 

Hook.hinding 

F'ire Insurance of Books & Furniture {Baht 10,000) 

Book11 pur

. 

,J'" -,, 

. ' 

Prinlied o.t the "Thai Press" 

SiphyO. Roa.d, B!l.nglcok .• 

Printer .p,nd 111lbllsher, b:V Cht1e r,imsP.roi 

. 2497.

The Journal of the Thailand Research Society Vol. XXXV ... - Khamkoo

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