Foreign Office: Consulates, Siam: Letter Books

FO 690

1876-1879

This series contains letter books from the British consulates in Siam. The records cover the period 1876-1879, during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).

These letter books were produced by the staff of the permanent consulate in Bangkok. They contain handwritten miscellaneous outgoing correspondence in Siamese script, most likely dictated by the British consul (Thomas George Knox), Vice consul (Newman) and other consulate officials in Bangkok to various Siamese government departments. The records provide a snapshot of the workings of the Consular Court as well as the International Court, which was established a few years earlier. Although many of the letters deal with extraterritorial matters, there is also correspondence relating to matters such as trading in cattle and timber, court cases such as insolvency, probate and inheritance and various crimes involving foreign subjects including Indians, Chinese and minorities such as Karen, Shan, Tong Su, who lived along Siam's northern border. Some correspondence relates to the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India. There are also letters related to the case against Thomas George Knox's son-in-law who was a member of King Rama V's Privy Council.

Public Record(s)

Siamese

2 volume(s)

Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated

Topics

International

Trade and commerce

Asia

Debt

Wills and probate

Forestry

In the middle of the 19th century contact increased between Siam and the West. This led Siam to sign the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce, also known as the Bowring Treaty, on 18 April 1855 (FO 93/95/1). The treaty also granted extraterritorial jurisdiction to European consuls, which gave foreigners the right to own property and reside in Bangkok. After the Treaty was signed, the consulate was established and the first consul Charles Batten Hillier was appointed in 1856. The records cover the period 1876-1879, during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).