Journal of the Siam Society; 39

Table of contents :
JSS_039_1a_Front
JSS_039_1b_Hutchinson_SevenSpires
JSS_039_1c_Gehr_AffixionInSiamese
JSS_039_1d_Reviews
JSS_039_1e_AnnualReport
JSS_039_1f_ObituaryULGuehler
JSS_039_2a_Front
JSS_039_2b_Furnivall_TropicalFarEastAndWorldHistory
JSS_039_2c_Seidenfaden_KuiPeopleOfCambodiaAndSiam
JSS_039_2d_PrinceDhaniNivat_RamaVIsLastWork
JSS_039_2e_Reviews
JSS_039_2f_ObituaryPhyaSarasastraSirilakshna

Citation preview

VOLUME XXXIX, PT. i

June

i9S1

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BANGKOK

2494

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"tHE SEYEN SPIRES A SANCTUARY

OF THE: SACRED FIG TREE: AT CHIE:NGMAI

By

K W. Hutchinson, M.B.E.

INTRODUCTION

VA'l' OED.YOD, fm·nw1·Ir known as .BODHAHAM, raise•!' rn·nl>lc•uts colllll'C[('!l with the 1lnJ.c~ oJ it:-; com;tt'ndion, its llllllHTml dc•sigu awl strikiug deeorat.imt, whi

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-4·40--+--W.lt. on the last wall. ..... which era.ftsmen in for.me1· days had constructer1. ..... " rrhese words undonbtedly refer to some monument seen by

Sumana during his visit to Pagan for study prior to his ordination The inscription (loes howevPr refer to the late1·ite nse7 B.

Given tho inclinat.inn of the original tksigrwrs in Pagan tu roprmlnce the salient features of tlw t~arliPst. Bntillhil:lt art, H il:\ possible to trace a connection hut.weon the vanlkcl k and King Mnang Keo. 1

60.

Coedes. op. cit. Doc~tments

•.•.. p.p. 172 -174.

40

THE SEVEN SPIRES

PART IV Analysis of Tamnan Vat Ced-yod and JKM.

''THE CHRONICLE OF VAT MAHABODHARAM NOW GENERALLY KNOWN AS VAT CED-YOD"

Eulogy of the fonnch·e, King Tilnk (Tilokm·aj), a notr·d waJ•l'ior an2 many sons of good family

received ordination within the limits fixed by King 'l'ilok, the first to be ordained being the Thera, Mahanarada. This was followed in 1~±53 by similar ordinations beginning with the Mahathera, Abhayasarada: in these cases however the sponsor was Atula-Saktyadhikarana and the master, Maha Meghiya. Since that time until today (1516) the Sect of Ceylon Buddhists have conferred ordination on all who desired it, no matter from what city they came.

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"Thereafter, all the monks who' had been to Ceylon unceasingly practised ordinations in the Chiengmai district in accordance with t.he Buddhist religion. They extolled the rnerits of rwhosoever plants a Bodhi tree ( Ficus religiosa ), Hearing their discourse, the king believed in it and expressed a ~~L~Is11HU~~.tM\>~1i~~[6Q,.t

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Life 11:embers

1, 9i)2.~>0

Baht 8, 70~.!">0

Journal of the Society 5,59(i.GO 'l'he Bulletin (Nat ural History Supplement ti76.00 Le May: Coinage of Siam ... :22•1.00 Catalogue of the Stamps of Siam 7.00 The 1\Ion Dictionary 1!30.00

G,liG3.60

Sale of Publications:

Sundry Receipts : Bank Interest Foreign Exchange Adj ustme~

Snrplus from Excursions

...

4 70.B'l R4:5.iHl fHi5.10

1,980.77

17,342.87

C.F. Grove Honorary Treasurer.

Bangkok, 28th February 1950.

to7

SOCIETY of the year 1949

Expenditure Home's Maintenance : Wage to Caretaker Fire Insurance (Baht ;300,000) Electric Current Water Supply White Ants Control

660.00 843.20 71.75 101.20 150.00

Baht 1,826.15

Library and Stock of Publications: Salaries to Clerks Insurance of Library and l!,urnitnre

960.00 134.16

Misc. Expenses and Delivery Charges

446.30

1,540.46

Secretarial and Editorial: Printing of Notices and Stationery Supplies Postage and Revenue Stamps and• Misc. Expenses ... Printing of Publications

1,713.30 709.50 5,934.50

8,357.30 5,618.96

EXCESS OF REOEP'rS OVER EXPENDITURE

17,342.87

•

•

108

Property and Sundry Assets of The Siam Society as at 31st December 1949 i3 rai Land as per title (teed No. 3458, book 33, page 58 1 Brick Building situated on above land 25 pes book-cases with glass panels 2 pes book-cases with glass/wooden panels 6 pes wooden cabinets 1 pee writing desk with book shelves 2 pes writing desks 1 pee desk 1 pee meeting table 1 pee table 4 pes wooden chairs w/arms & back 2f> pes wooden chairs w/back t!"_ 100 pes rattan chairs 1 pee black-board 1 pee document chest 9 pes ceiling fans 20 pes ceiling and wall lamps 3 pes table lamps 1 pee duplicating macJ..ine

ANNUAL REPORT 1 '9 50

The Annual General Meeting te1·minating the year 1949 was held on Sunday, the 12th March 1950 at the Society's Home, No. 60, Asoka. Road, Bangkapi, with the President, His Highness Prince Dhani Nivat, in the chair. rrhe Council for 1950 was elected as follows: H.H. Prince Dhani Nivat Pbya Sarasastra Sirilakshna

President., Senior Vice-President and Leader of the rrravel Section,

H.H. Prince Prem Purachatra, B.A. Vice-President, H. E. Chao Phya Sri Dharmadhibes Vice-President, Mom Chao Ajavadis Diskul Honol'ary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, • H.G. Frandsen Honorary Librarian, 1\'Iiss Mary Anglemyer Honorary Editor of the Olcott H. Deming Journal, Leader of the Natnral HisU .L. Guehler tory Section, Mom Rajawongse Sumonajati Svasdikul, Mom Luang Pin Mulakul, M.A.., Ariyant Manijknl, Chaloem Puranananda, M.D., Phya Anuvat Vanaraks, Pbya Arthakariya Nihond, W.A.M. Doll, H.E. Mr. Bhagwat Dayal, Luang J amnf Kolakarn, .J.J. Boeles, Phya Anuman Rajac1hon,

•

C.M. Anderson. The new Council upon taking office appointed the~ following standing committees:

ANNUAL Rli:PORT lD!>O

110

FINANCJD: 'l'he Senior Vice-President

(Phya

HaraHastra

Sirilak::;hnu)

Oil airman, rrhc Honorary Secretary, The Honorary 'l'n·asnrer.

EXCHANGE: 'rho Honorary Libt·arian (Miss ·Mary AnglemyE\rl, Cl.mit·uwll. 'fhe Honorary Editor of the .Journal.

W.A.M. Doll, U.L. Guehler.

EDI'l'ORIAL: · 'l'he Honorary Editor of t.he .Journal (Oleott H.

lhnuiug),

Chairman,

'rhe Leader of the Natural History Hectiou, H.H. Prince Dbani Nivat, ~ H.H. Prince Prem Pnrachatra,

.T ••J. Boeles. Phya Sarasastra Sirilakshna was appointed the~ Le:i!ler of the 'Pravel Section as in fonner years. One clwngo was made on the Couneil during thf the

1 /•!'">!">.00

l,f>Ufi.OO Publication of tho work on the Florae of

Shun compiled hy the late Dr. A.l!'.G. Kerr contributed during HHiO 1,41 ~tKl Bxcursions balance as at iH/12/1H4H t;nfi.lO ~:mrpl us

from excursions in

~ ~);>n

~Ll

x. 77

expenses in 1 !H">O

Surplus:

..

Balance brought forward from last year .•. Bxcess of Heceipts over Expenditure in 19fi0 Baht .u,t;oo. .iti --·W-•0'. . . . . ____.. ~.~.~~--·~~

Examined and found to agree with the books and vouchers.

L~F.

Sequeira.

H ono'l'a'f''!J A'ltditcw. Bangkok, lOth Febrttnry 195.1.

~

SOCIETY

1i5

31st December 1950.

Assets fixed Deposit: 'rhe Siam Conuuerclal Bank, Ltd.

Baht 27,100.00

Cash and Bank : Cash in Hand The Kiam Commercial Bank, Ltd., Onrn•nt Account

28.00

12,111.06

Baht 12,1;)9.06

Sundry Dlbtors : Orientali.u. Inc., New York :

US$ 8t1.5H

20/00

Baht 1,690.GO

Otto Harrussowltz, Leipzig

Baht G71.10

@

Consignment Account:

Baht 41,600.76

H.G. Frandsen.

"

H onorarry Treasure?".

i16

THE SIAM .,.

FINANCIAL RESUME OF

Receipts S~bscriptions:

Ordinary :Members, current year ... Ordinary Members, overdue accounts Life Members

11,050.00 4,900.00 1, 700.00 Baht 17,650.00

Sale of Publications : Journal of the Society 'I' he Bulletin ( Nat ural History Supplement) Le May :Coinage of Siam Catalogue of the Stamps of Siarn Craib's Florae The Mon Dictionary

1,095.52 854.00 563.01 10.00 80.00 25.00 Baht 2,627.53

Sundry Receipts: Bank Interest

./

,.

__ //

Baht 699.28

/

//

,/'

Baht 20,976.81

Examined and found to agree with the books and vouchers.

L. F. Sequeira. Honorary Auditm·. Bangkok, lOth Feb'rUa'ry 19/51.

117

SOCIETY THE YEAR 1950

Expenditure Home's Maintenance: Vvages to Caretaker ... Fir·e Insurance (Insured value: 300,000) Electric Current Water Supply \Vhite Ants Control

715.00 843.20 145.60 100.50 150.00 Baht 1,954-.30

Library and Stock of Publications: Salaries to Clerks Insurance of Library and Furniture (insured va1ue: 10,000) Misc. Expenses and Delivery Charges

•

1,460.00 ... 134.16 75.00 Baht 1,669.16

Secretarial and Editorial: Printing of Notices and Stationery & Office Supplies ... Postage & Revenue Stamps and Misc. Expenses Printing of Publications

4,119.50 1,411.55 7,125.00 Baht 12,G56.05

Sundry Expenditure: Expenses for Lectures and Exhibitions Representation Expenses ...

57 4.4:0 448.23• Baht 1,022.63

Baht if,£174.67 Baht 20,976.81

Excess of Receipts over Expenditure

H. G.

Frandsen.

H onm'anJ TTeasurer.

118

Property and Sundry Assets of The Siam Society as at 31st December 1950. H rai Land as per title deed No. oMia, book i33, page !>8 1 25 2 6 1 2

Brick Building situated on above land pes book-cases with glass panels pes book-cases with glass/wooden panels pes wooden cabinets pee writing desk with book shelves pes writing desks 1 pee desk 1 pee meeting table 1 pee table 4 pes wooden chairs w/~trms & back 25 pes wooden chairs,... w/back 100 pes ratten chairs 1 pee black-hoard 1 pee document chest 9 pes ceiling fans 20 pes ceiling & wall larnps 3 pes table lamps 1 pee duplicating ma~hine

U. L. Guehler

OBITUARY NOTICE

U. L. Guehler

The Society regrets to record the death of Mr. U.L. Guehler, age 5~), Inember of the Council, which occurred in Hamburg, Germany on 26th August 1950.

In the meeting of the council of the Siam Society held on 14th September 1950, the President, H.H. Prince Dhani Nivat, recalled that the late Mr. Gneh1er had served the Society strenuously since 1929 and was on the Council for many years in the function of Vice President as well as Leader of the Natural History Section. The Council then rose and observed one minute of silence in respect of the deceased. The Society greatly benefitted from Mr. Guehler,s scie1itific research concerning Simn in the tie!ds of Natural History, Archaeology, Nnmismatology and Histor~r. and the results of his work were published mainly in the .Journal and in the Bulletin of the Society. 'rhe bibliog.eaplry of Mr. Gnehler's scientific work contains 13 papers of which 10 were published by the Society. Mr. Guehler was a t1·ne friend of Siam .

•Bangkok,

July 29th, 1951.

.J. J. B.

• •

•

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORI sequel was an extension of the n1d silk road until it reached the Rmnan E1npire along a cuntinnous highway linking up East mHl WeHi hy Ia111l. rrhe Latin authors of tlw classical age frequently mention the remote 8ere8 as the hmut~ of silk. But they knew only thO, contact was largely by sea with North India, though new development.s in Sonth India n.nd Chinn. about 1000 A.D. bt·tmk the period into almost, oqnal halves. 'fhe third period, from 12~0 to lBf>O, -,saw the reopening of the land route across eentral Asia nnder the • Mongol powet· in China. 'rhe fourth period, from lBf>O to 1f>00, is dominated by t.he expan .. sion of h;lnm in t.he 'l't·op\c~al 'Fa.r East and t.lu~ revival 11f the sea route, mainly t.hrough or· al'ound South India.

[n(J.irtn 0 olon·i.wtHon 100- fJ,i() .-•1 •/). The "great circuit indus trial and com mercia1 int.ereonJ·se'' about 100 A.D. has been eomp~::'l·ed to the world market of the early 20t.h century. 2 Rnme communicated with t.he other great. empire of t.he Hans in China by land up t.he Inau13 tlProngh the dominions of Kauishka and across central Asia, and by sea through or around South India hy way of Malaya and the ~~toa.sts of Indo .. China. In "the 'rropi~a1 Pat· East Indian settlements were developing into pett.y ki:Pgdoms: in lVIal ayaJ in Fn.nan at th~ month of the Mekong, and in Lin .. yi or Champa in the southeast ni: modern Ann~·l.ID. rrhese WPre ports of call on the way to the ChinesE; markets in Tonkin and Canton. :From the Chinese records it appears that all these settlements were ~xclusively Hindu or B 1·ahmauist; they make llO mt-ution of the presence Df Buddhism. rrhe records suggest also that, the settlers came from Sonth,.lnflia. 2 P. Vinogradoff, Omnbridye Mediaeval Histo?·y, i. 547.

.t.s.

1.28

Furniva11

\Vi th free intercourse along both tbe main routes by land and sea, there was little need for a byway through Bnrma except for pnre1y local products. But this region produced 'lnalabaih?,on, the source of the noblest Roman unguents. \Ve tn·e told how Rome got its supplies. Every year wild hill men from the surrounding neighbourhood gathered near the borders of soot,hwest China for a festival, bringing, of course, their bedding. Doubtless, like hill men of the present day, they filled and emptied the flowing bowl, and apparently they forgot all about their bedding. It was collected however, by traders better acquainted with its value, aud in due course it appeared in the Rornan markets as mnlabath'l'On. '£his probably explains the rout,e taken by the t>Xpedition of 97 A.D., and also why the Burma Road continued in nse even after· the opening of the sea route. It was along the Burma Hoad that Buddhism reached Yunnan during the seconcl century, and a party of Chinese mon·ks took this road to India at the end of the third century. But how far was there cow.munication by land through Burma between India and the. coastal settlements? 'l'he Chinese mention a Buddhist country Lim-yang, apparently in central Hnrma on the way to Suvannabhnrni. The discovery of a Uraeeo-Rom:m lamp of t.he second century on the road between Burma and t.he Gulf of Siam suggests traffic along this road at a very early date, though the lamp may have been import;ed much latel'. 'l'he oldest su rvivii1g inscrip~ tion in the rrro pi cal E,ar East, at Vo.danh in Champa, was formerly supposed to be of Buddhist origin, dating from 250 A.D. or even earlier, and some authorities identify the seript with North India.3

.

3 According to Cl1abra, J"o_ziJTnal of the Asiatic Society of B'engal, this Sanskrit inscription is not Buddhist~ but records ccan orthodox . Bhramanical sacrifice". Majumdar's view (BEFEO xxxii, p. 127) that the script is. North Indian has not found general acceptance. Sirkar (Jonrnal of the Greater India Sodety, 1 rJ39, VI) remarks that, unless the script is North Indian, the use of Sanskrit points to a date much later thari 250, and that the inscription is not wholly in prose but, at lea~t partly. in a metre that did not come into use in East India until after 320 and in South India until after 375. Coedes appears at one time to have accepted the view of Majumdar, but subsequenty agreed with Sastri (BEFECJ xxJCv, 234) that the script is South Indian. As regards this particular inscription, the arguments of Sastri do not seem to me convincing, and unless the points rais~d by Sirkar can met the date tof the inscription must be much later than was Jormerly accepted • J[J.)5,

be

.

,

r

THE TROPICAL FAR EAST AND WORLD HISTORY

129

Relics, seanty t.hough widely spread, show the inilnence of Amara~ vati at the mouth of the Krishna, where a. school of Buddhist art flourished fl'otn the 2nd to the 4th century. But Amaravati influence was still strong in Ceylon and elsewh~re up to the 7th century. Along the Irrawaddy a:ncl the Menam, Hiuayanist Buddhism v.ms 8o strongly entrenched by 500 A. D. as to suggests that it must have arrived nmch earlier, probably in its Sanskl'it form. Beyond this, however, there is no satisfactory evidence of Buddhist. penetration or of inlluenees from Northern India y sea: they were in tonch also with China hy the land route. During the early stages of the decline of 'l''ang power there were new developments in the l'egion north nf Burma, the emergence of the Kingdoms of 'l'ibet and Nan·chan. Since G7~) 'fihet. had been at war wit.h Ohina. Further south the tribal ehief:tans of Thai race between China and Bnrma had re1, it turned against the Emperor. During the next century H maintained close relations, amicable or hostile, with Tibet, ·where spiritual authority was hegin~:ting to dominate the seeular. power as Maha:yanism wafl; gradually transformed into Lamaism. Nan-chao Stf,od aeross the Bnrma Road between China a11d lndia, and hPfore long it gained eontrol over the Irrawa.ied. of 1evying toll on t11e prot1tH 0 r t;bc~ China t;l'ttde hy sea. 'l'h is, h9 Kubla succeeded to the Mongol

leadet·ship as the Great Khan, and moved the capital to Kambaluc, the Oit.y of the Khans, horn whieh in 1279 he eom pleted the sub:juga:lion of the Slangs. Fot· the flrstr t.iwe ::;iuee t,ht> days of Harsha and the early rf'angs, the land route between China and Europe was op(!tl thronghont its lengt.h. Num0rons mh;sionaries and merchants fonn1l thoi r way along I his ront.e, an(l the impol'ta.nne of the tt·ade is suggested by the fact that a single tnerchant might carry goods to t,he valne of £12,000 to be exchanged for the precious silks of Cathay.

·Marco Polo \vas only the most famous of a ·large

company, and never again until t.be 19th century was :E~urope so well informed as to the interior of China. Bnt eont;rol ovet• the land route did not satisfy Knhla.

In

l;nl he sent to demand the submission of Pagan and later, after defeating the Sungs, backed np his demaud ·with an army. The outcome of thif:! expediLion wa::; tlw temporapy annexation of Uppe1• Burp1a.

Between 1;278 and 1287 he invaded Cambodia and Champa,

and soon aftenvards sent n pnnit\ve expedition against .Ja.va fot' its

temetity in encouraging Champa t.o resist.. · 'l'he Mongol inenrsion Wt1S

only a passing episode, lmf it had laSting c(msequences; for by

shaking or dest,roying the t•nling pil.wers, it left the mainland to he parcelled out among petty 'I'hai princes, and a long heritage of anarchy. In Java, by a strange accident, it restored the ancient ,ine wllich, ., gathering new st;rength, foun.ded the empire of Majaphit. Although M

repeatedly harassed by Mongol forces from China, Majapa.hit est.ab~ lished itself as master of tbe a1•cbipelago and, by conqueNng the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, gained command over the sea route to the West. With the death of Kubla Khan in 129·1· his empire began to crumble. After 1350 few Europeans reached Cathay. In 1368 a natianal movement in China cast out the Mongols. and the Ming dynasty attempted to reconstruct the country on its former pattern. But the land route to Europe was agai..n clo~O good to last. 'l'he rrurks were pressing on Europe. Venice was no longer sitting at the receipt of custom. 'rhe hardy Portuguese embarked on their· great adve11tut·e round the coast of Africa. Once again the interruption of traffic in the West. changed the course of history. in the rrropical Far JiJast. rrhe age o.f contact through India \Vas drawing to Hs close, and the age of clhect contact wl\h ·En rope along the main sea route was opening.

J.s. Furnivall

188

Colonisation, Old and New Here it seems convenient to call a halt in this breathless baste through history to comment on some aspects of early colonisation. First, one may note tllat Indian settlements were typically colonial in the old sense of foreign settlement without foreign rulL

'rhe

settlers came as traders, intermarried with the people, acquired wealth and formed an aristocracy, gradually diffusing their own type of philosophic religion in place of, or on top of, the prevailing animism of the tribal peoples. They imparted their culture, the fruit of theh· own civilisation. And they did more than that. Among these peoples organized on tribal lines they introduced the idea of territorial kingship. The local people, by adopting a new religion and by the acceptance of a common kingship, were enabled in sorue measure to transcend the limits hitherto imposed hy tribal life. ':J.1he Indians introduced not only new cnJture, lmt also civilisation in its original and e~act sense, the art of living together as neighbours. Then, as new migration ceased, tbe Indian rulers and aristocracy were absorbed into the people. In the inscriptions, the language and written cbamcters take on native forms, and the names of persons and places are no longer Indian but native. Similarly iu the religious monnnrents and other buildings a native style is spperimposed on the earli~r Indian models; the absorption· of the Indran rulers by the people is placed on 1•ecord in brick and ston.e.

"' da Gama dropped anchor off Oalicut in 1498 he When Vasco must have seemed like David challenging Goliath. In the tiny cockleshells, closely-packed sailoi·S sustained .life on a bare ration of unpalatable food, or died so freely of dysentery and scurvy that a voyage on which no more than a quarter of the crew succumbed was reckoned prosperous. · One could hardly depict a more vivid contrast with the luxury in which Ibn Batuta travelled. But the Europeans' though worse lodged and fed, were better at·med and, more important, better disciplined.

,.

THE TROPICAL FAR EAST AND WORLD HISTORY

lSQ

'rhe Portuguese, like their Arab predecessors, bypassed Burma and sailed round the south of India directly to Malacca, where they established their head(1uarters und as soon as possible went straight on to the Spice Islands. rrhis set the pattern of history for t.he next four hundred years. Each successive western power aimed to command the Straits of Malacca. Until it could achieve this it had to be content with control over the Straits of Sundf\. Bantam becomes a strategic post for settlement or, failing Bantam, some point (Batavia, Benknlen) as near the Snnda Straits as possible. Only when unable to obtain access to the archipelago, or when driven out, of it, did they seek consolation on the mainland where they could cut into the spice trade or hope to find a byway to China up one of the large rivers, preferably the Irrawaddy. The pattern of history that former ages have suggested, and ,that may have seemed too speculative 01' fanciful, is now printed in a clear eut design. I do not, wi~h to suggest that Auawrntha or Suryavarman when subjugating the Mons~ . or Nan-chao when pressing southward down the Irrawaddy and eastwards to Tonkin~ were consciously animated by the clear design of Ruffles t.o command the trade by sea; but there was loot in the rich trading centres along the rivers and the coast; and t.be commercial policy of the great sea-powers, ~ n-nan, Shrivi:jaya, and Majapahit, ''ras essentially tl1e same as that of theh successors, the Portuguese and Dutch. 1

~

From 1500 onwards we can trace more clearly the connection between the course of events in the Tropical Far East al\d developments in the ouLer world. This is well illustrated by the evolution of ideas as to the natut·e and purpose of a colon.v. Formerly a colony was merely a settlement in a foreign land and the settler had little or no political connection with the home land. 'rh~ Indian and Moslem became foreign r·ulers, but they did not establish foreign rule. 11 he Portuguese and Spaniards came as royal ag~nts and with a wan-ant from the Pope to undertake both the conquest and conversion of t.he people. The old idea of a colony as a settlement survived; there were grandees with large estates, pet·mauent immigrants of lower rank who mar1•ied nath~e women, and priests spendin~ a lifetilne in t4eir parishes. But the colonies

'

•

J.S. Ftu'nivall

140

\vere ruled by (iovernurs frnm lt~ut·upt•. a.nd l'nlers.

The Dnteh

e;tml!

rn~"t·ely

rl'hey were but h :'t~tth•t•t; as trade!'::!, lmt t lwy ~~nnld

obtain twpical produce only in tllf.\ fol'w nf tl'ihutP:

Acouomit·

circumstances reqnired thflm to accept sovereignt.y on heha1f o l' the home company and to rnle the people indit·eetly through uatl'\'U chieftains, and a1so to settle poJ•manently, thongh on a

eompat•atin·~

ly small scale, to snpe1·vise native eultivatit'l.llt'l' Kui Yii. Am11hrj Uthulllllhoi·nphi,;ai (fot'Hlt•t·ly l'nd1in Sri:mkl'l, i.e.

Wl',.;(••t'll

St·i:-;akl'l)

lyi11g lo t lit• ;.;onthw1•Kt of S1·i;.;akl'(. aut\ lltuK

i;.; a l'c•rlilt•, Wl'll-eulllvull'd and denHt•ly populalt•d plain with aii'I':Itl~· ill 1!117 IIVI'I' oti,OOO inhahitanlH. OJ' l IH' :~\l latulH>IIt-< (vill:q.(l' group;.;) ;~;~ Wl't't' JJw 8oni wit.h H~,il80 fnl'tllt't' /{lli y;·,, M'lfJ a11d Jr'lon; i\ wnl' lllll'" f{u.i, ~2 wut't' Klmuw i1'rm.i, and :2 Wt•t'!' Klti/l.tW mix.l'd. with Dau and Phztlltni. 'l'J1P !Ot?nC?' 8uai Wl't'l' f•ll'lllt'r J.:'ll,.i kl'loa.; t.lll: pnt'l' l(ui WPt't• dividt-1l into ,.;oulh of

Ra;.;t·i;.;a]ai

fi,7o0 Jlf'loa, :..l,OIJO 11l'lv, 1.7~20 Knndrra.f., \JOO l!f'ai awloldJ' 100 yii. 'l'Jmi IH'opl1· iJl('htd;·d l,4fi0 Plmthni and 1,200 Uw Vieug. 'rlw • 8()(/'i II I' I hi~ litrgP d iHL t•i c(; WUI'l~ H!l iullllH [J'i; t.lwy :we decent and. inr1ust.rions peoplo. rrhe Khme1" of Bnttambong and I'hnompenh uRed, however, to talk somewhat disparagiug.ly about them, calling them Northern Soai because of their llia.lect. 'fhe language spoken hy tho Khmer nm:th of tho Dong Rek range is l'eal !( hmer ltll cl not Kui though 1vith a tlialoct.ical diH'm·enm• :from. t.he tongne spoken iu tlw 0c•ntra 1 part oJ' tht' Kingdom oJ

..

Oam\HIntut•y. It. is a JlOJltllar IH'etwnt,at.iou nnd ean lw reld wit.h interest by a non military man. .. ...

.

~

70.

Anmmi.n, l?hya: Histm·y of /Jw 0H8toms ~11nu~·Mnfl1

lHi pages; 1951. It wonld be at once agreed by the reader who has been able to wade through these instructive if some·wln~li difficult ~;mge~ that Lhe author hatl rendered valuable service he1·e to the student of

Siamese economics and administration.

··"'!

RECENT SIAMESE PUBLICATIONS

202

'l'axation on imports and exports, he says, has existed among mankind from time immemorial. In this country, at any ru.te, we know from the inscriptions of Rama Kamhaeng some 650 years ago that in his times "there was happiness in Siam. Fish abounded in the waters and rico in the fields. Governors did not collect ta:ies in transit. A fellow coulcl go, about his business walking by the Si;lo of his ox or riding on his horse. Whoever wished to trade in · elephants, horses, or gold and silver could do so''. 'l'hc word for a tax hero was "~kob'', a Khmer one, and the "ckob" recurs in later laws. DisCiltH:lion follows o( the motlB ,oJ: eoJlecf;iun, the rovenue depots and other aspects of taxation !:Inch a!:! tho trade carried . on by means oJ: junks, etc. Then follows a full description of the organisation in the time of King Ohnlalongknrn. of the H.evenne Customs ancl Excit:e service::;, The book wits published Olil the occasion of the cremation of: the remai.ns of Mr: and Mrs. Merigkim Simtrakul (a couple well respected in Bangkok business circles) at Wat Ohakrawat in Jnn':l 1951 and photog1•aphs of tl:\e deceased are of: com·so reproduced.

80.

Boribal Bnribhand, Luang : B·~tdrlltrt-'imaue.s of D(f/eront }l]r·as ·

.

.

in Sirlrn 1"1~~\IJVI1i'l"llf1Jrl~H '1l1n.l"J :::!'Vlfl',VIU '

29 pages, 25 plates, 1951.

.. .,.. A.s is nsnal with Luang Boribal, his presentation of the subject is lucid. Conithencing with circumstances leading up to the custom ot.making images of the Buddha, the. author goes on to r:!pecify the . . ~ccessive periods of Buddhist Iconography in India and later in Siam with their characteristics.

..

It may be convenient for the student of Siamese al't who can • .not read Siamese with facilit.y to have a snmmat·y of Luang Bol'ibal's classification of the n,eriojis of Siamese Buddhist iconography, thus: •

•

'

I

1. Dvarava.ti (VI. VIII ·centuries A. D.), centred round the modern Nakon Pathom stretching out as far east as Korat and

•

Ri~CENT SIAMESE PtJBLlCATIONS

203

Bul'irum, modelle1l upon Indian Onpta art., the hnst example being tlw main figUl'e in Lhli but of the monastery of Pbra Pu.thomn~edi on it~ east side.

:!: 8r£m:}nyn (VII.XII oeuturies A.D.), vestiges found in small uumlJl'l'B in Llw Malay peninsula, snch as ,Juiya, heing however for the most. pal't, tigu,·.~s of Mahl1yi1nifll, Bodhisattva tignrt'H.

:t LophWJ'l; (XU- Xlll el\ntmies A.D.), found ennt.t·al Sill.JH, /Om~er featnres .

mostly in

.].. U!t.il!lt!f::;aen (XII eontmy, or ilnlt half of XIII t.n XVI), intiii~'Jtelhl at, lht-!L by Iu.Iiau Pt1la art ot' Nalnn1li1

(but. ltLLi't.• dovcdopod on

Plll'D

(7110-1197)

'l'hai illt•als in which the usnisrt

iA

elungate1l) its vonue being pl'Ohably overlan1l through Bnrm:(

t.ow:mltl the east even as far as Viengchand.

;,, .~'lt/;:/wthai (XIII mmtlll'y t.o :14HR A.D.). originally derived

fl'lllll

Hinr,:halt~Htl

art hut lai.nr .,cluveloped intn wh1tt has hecm

eon!:1il\m·e1l as ehat·untHrif:ltie ol: Snlcholhm: ;tl'l; wlwl'oln tho :[aqe i;; oval ant:ul

Hukhot.hai ehtH·ac:tm·i!:ll;ies :wH