History of Ayutthaya - Misc (original) (raw)

First Dutch-Siamese Treaty11 August O. S. (22 August N. S.) 1664.Agreement end closer Alliance of Peace made and concluded between his Majesty the King of Siam on the one side and the Commissary Pieter de Bitter on the other, deputy of the Governor General Jan Maetsuijcker (1) and Council of India ruling (in the name and on the behalf of the high and mighty states General of the United Netherlands) the State of the United East India Company in the East. Firstly, it is agreed, concluded and determined, that from now onwards and henceforth a just, inviolable, secure, sincere alliance and friendship shall exist and be maintained between the King of Siam and the Netherlands Company, together with the subjects of both, and that from this day onwards such questions, differences and further disputes as have risen between his Majesty's subjects and the Company shall be put out of mind and never more thought of, provided the King punishes and shall punish duly and as they deserve the authors of the affronts done to the Company. Secondly, it is agreed that henceforth the Company shall enjoy in Siam, Ligor, (2) Oetjangh Salangh, (3) and all other places and lands of the King, without exception, the peaceful, undisturbed exercise of trade in all such goods and merchandise as are to be found in each (place), without reservation of any nature whatever. Item. That the Company shall have power to trade, deal and correspond with all and any persons that they choose, he they of high or low degree, without let or hindrance, either direct or indirect, from any person whatsoever. Further it is agreed and determined, that neither now nor hereafter shall the Company be charged with, nor have raised against them, in any manner whatever, higher duties etc. on imported or exported goods and merchandise, be it in Siam, Ligor, Oetjangh-Salangh or anywhere else, hut shall satisfy and pay all dues according to former customs, as has been stipulated and agreed in the statutory ordinance of the King. Item. It is agreed that neither now nor hereafter shall his Majesty the King or his subjects, of whatever station they may be, have the power to place any Chinese, viz., the inhabitants of Japan, Canton, Cochin-China, Tonquin, on their junks, ships or smaller vessels, much less to endeavour to introduce men of that nation within their boundaries; that all junks and ships on which natives of that country shall be found, if met by ours at sea, shall be seized as prizes and the Company shall not be bound at any time to make any restitution. Further, it is agreed and determined that the said Company shall for all time have the exportation of all the deerskins and cowhides which come to Siam, as also the retailing of all other merchandize from any other nation or of any kind, and his Majesty shall be bound by all means to maintain the Company in this privilege. Moreover, if it, should happen that any debtors refuse to make their payments to the Company, as has formerly happened frequently, his Majesty shall, through Oja Berckelang, (4) the advocate of the foreigners, give his assistance, and those debtors he shall keep in strict confinement until the Company shall have received its own, and in case the company fail to secure payment of just claims by these means, then the King or Oja Berckekang shall be bound to hand over said debtors to the Company. In case (which God forbid) any of the Company's residents should commit a serious crime in Siam, the King and the judges shall not have the right to judge him, but he must be handed over to the Company's chief to be punished according to the Netherlands laws, and if it should happen that the said Chief was his accomplice in a capital offence, his Majesty is to have the power to keep them both confined in their own houses until he has sent word of the matter to the Governor General. Further, it is agreed and determined, that in compensation for the capture of one of his Majesty's junks by the fly boat Het Rode Hert, three years ago, near the islands of Maccauw, (5) the Company shall pay to his Majesty as restitution a sum of 156 catties in Siam coinage or 18,720 guilders, his Majesty moreover to resign all claim formerly made to the property on account of the seizure of the said junk. Item, it is agreed and determined that the Company shall restore and hand over to his Majesty such goods and merchandize belonging to the King as were recently taken from one of the same junks coming from Japan by the flyboat Hoorghcarpsel, (?) near the island of Poelewij. (6) Item, it is agreed and determined, that whenever it shall happen that his Majesty resolves to send a junk manned by Siamese to Japan, the Company shall he bound to deliver to the King 7,000 or 10,000 deer-skins (provided the supply of the same skins is large or average that year) at the price at which they were bought, on condition that his Majesty's factors, or some one else, shall under-take (not) to buy directly or indirectly any skins, still less to have them collected by others. If it should happen at any time that his Majesty should determine to send envoys to Pachin (Pekin) to the great Cham, he shall have the right to send with his ambassadors two Canton Chinese, experienced in the Tartar tongue, that is to say, so long as the Company continues and remains in friendship with that Prince. That the junks or ships, not only of his Majesty but also of his subjects manned by Siamese, shall have the right to voyage to Maccauw, Manila, Canton or other place so long as the Company is in friendship and alliance with those places, wherefore for the security of their voyaging passes or letters shall be given them. That all junks and ships of the allied friends of the United East India Company, who come from other places and are designed for the Kingdom of Siam on the Company's shipment not be let or hindered in the accomplishment of their voyage, provided that no native of a hostile nation be among them. In case the Company's ships happen to meet at sea any junks manned by Siamese belonging to his Majesty the King or his subjects, they shall put no let or hindrance in the way of their voyage, hut on the contrary shall show them all helpfulness (if they ask it) provided they are not going to a place with which the Company is at enmity and war. If at any time it should happen (which God forbid) that some of the Company's ships should through danger or other reason, be shipwrecked on or near lands subject to his Majesty and also if his Majesty's junks in like manner, should meet with the same misfortune near the Company's ports or districts, the subjects of the same at the place where this shall happen, must give a helping hand in saving the goods and the people on board and also see to it that all such as it may concern should at the earliest convenience give up and surrender the salved goods and the former crew. That the Company shall not have the right here in Siam to attack any ships or junks nor to commit any, even the smallest hostilities against them......* These prescribed points shall he maintained and followed, not only by the present King of Siam and the present Governor General Jan Maetsuijcker and the Council of India, but also by their respective successors and followers for ever and ever.

Done, agreed and decided thus in the city Judia, in the Kingdom of Siam, on the 22nd August 1664, and sealed with the King's seal in red, having the figure of a Siamese angel or devil on it, and below with the Company's seal.

[1]

* The remainder of this passage is obscure. It deals with the attitude of the Dutch towards ships belonging to powers with which they were at enmity.

Footnotes :(1) Jan Maetsuyker was born at Amsterdam on 14 Oct 1606. He studied Law in Louvain. He was assigned on 4 Oct 1636 in the function of
Pensioner at the Court of Justice at Batavia and became Chief Bailiff of the town in 1638. Promoted to Extra-ordinary Council of Dutch Indies in
1641 and Ordinary Council of Dutch Indies on 10 Aug 1644 and Envoy of the High Government at Goa. He became Governor of Ceylon on 19 Jan
1645 until 1650. On 26 Apr was assigned to the First Council of the Indies and Director General of Trade. Received the highest function on 18 Mai
1653 being commissioned as Governor General of the Dutch East-Indies. It took until 8 Oct 1654 before de Heeren XVII confirmed his function as
he had to revoke his Roman Catholic background and embrace the established church (Calvinism). He occupied the post of Governor General for 25
years. Maetsuyker died at Batavia on 4 Jan 1678. [Source: NNBW]
(2) Nakhon Sri Thammarat
(3) Phuket
(4) Berkelang - Chao Phraya (or Okya) Phra Klang, Senabodi or Minister of Foreign Affairs and Maritime Trade. Sakdina marks of 10000.
Referred to as Barcalon by western foreigners. The Phra Klang, was in charge of the royal warehouses, the commercial monopolies controlled by the
Court, and the relations with foreigners. In se he was the King's personal merchant.
(5) Macao
(6) Pulau Ay or Ai or Way - part of the main group of Banda Islands.