Arrival of Montigny in Siam Charles de Montigny (called Mongtikni in Thai chronicles) the French Consul of
Shanghai and the French imperial plenipotentiary appointed by Emperor
Napoleon III, left
Singapore on 29 June 1856 along with his family and his colleagues the 24-year-old young French diplomat Ernest-Napoléon Godeaux and
capitaine de vaisseau Jules Collier, who was the commander of all three corvettes accompanying Montigny in his mission, which consisted of; • Large sailing corvette
Capricieuse, without a steam engine, under personal command of Collier, who was accorded by Montigny the rank of "Commodore". The
Capricieuse also contained the gifts for the Siamese monarch. • Steam corvette
Catinat under the command of
capitaine de frégate Le Lieur de Ville-sur-Arce • Small steam corvette
Marceau under command of lieutenant de vaisseau Le Fer de la Motte. The
Marceau was the main vessel for Montigny and his family to reside. The three French warships faced strong southwestern monsoon winds. During his journey, Montigny conducted a scientific experiment on a
sea snake but ended up having his finger pierced by the snake fang. As the poison of a sea snake was lethal, the ship surgeon performed a surgery to cauterize the bitten site to prevent the spread of the poison but Montigny still had the symptoms of fever, chill and nausea. Montigny even gave instruction that if Montigny died from the sea snake poison, Captain Collier would take over his mission but eventually Montigny survived. of Ayutthaya from
Paris Foreign Missions Society served as the interpreter for
Charles de Montigny the French plenipotentiary to Siam in 1856. Montigny, along with his entourage and the three French warships, arrived at the
river bar at the mouth of
Chaophraya River on 9 July 1856. The river bar is a 100-kilometer crescent of deposited sediments, a major obstable to naval passage. The hull of any ships going into the Siamese river should not be deeper that eleven feet or else the ship would run aground. Bishop
Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix the
Apostolic Vicar of Siam had already sent Father Louis Larnaudie the abbot of
Saint Joseph Church of Ayutthaya to be the interpreter for Montigny in Siam. Father Larnaudie had been waiting for Montigny at the river bar. At the river bar, Montigny sent his assistant Godeaux to announce the arrival of the French envoy to Phraya Samut Buranurak the Siamese governor of Paknam
Samut Prakarn. Through Godeaux, Montigny demanded that Siamese should treat him, as the French imperial plenipotentiary, with at least the same pomp and grandeur the Siamese had received
Chevalier de Chaumont,
Sir John Bowring and
Harry Parkes before him or else he would not disembark. Montigny requested to reside in the British Factory, a Western-style mansion near
Wat Prayurawong temple that had previously received Bowring in 1855 and other British envoys since 1822. However, after the departure of Harry Parkes, the Siamese government had leased the house to Charles Hillier the first-ever British Consul in Siam. Phraya Samut Buranurak reported to the Siamese government about the arrival of the French envoy. Charles Hillier the British Consul refused to move out to make room for Montigny, telling the Siamese that France was a faraway nation that would rarely come so Siam should not care much. Hillier also pointed out that Montigny could reside in the thatched-roof bamboo house that
Townsend Harris the American envoy had stayed. Montigny retaliated Hillier by saying that France was a great nation with justice and desire for perpetual friendship with Siam. The five Siamese commissioners held an urgent meeting to decide on the matter. The solution was that King
Mongkut would annul the lease of the British Factory to Consul Hillier in order for Hillier to move out. Hillier, however, was persistent, refusing to move out. Prince
Kromma Luang Wongsa and
Chaophraya Si Suriyawong Chuang Bunnag then asked the king to allow Montigny to reside in the mansion of the deceased
Somdet Chaophraya Ong Yai Dit Bunnag who had just earlier died in April 1855, to which Mongkut agreed. Chaophraya Phrakhlang Kham Bunnag then wrote to inform Montigny at the river bar on July 11 that it had been arranged for Montigny to stay in the mansion of the deceased Siamese Chief Minister, where the
Bowring Treaty was signed, the place that was even more pomp that the British Factory. Montigny was satisfied with this arrangement. at
Samut Prakarn was shaped like a gigantic bell surmounted by a spire. King Mongkut sent Chaophraya Si Suriyawong Chuang Bunnag and Phraya Montri Suriyawong Chum Bunnag to bring a steamship to receive Montigny at Paknam Samut Prakarn. From Samut Prakarn, Chum Bunnag rode the steamship to greet Montigny on the
Marceau at the river bar on 12 July 1856 and to bring Montigny to Samut Prakarn. On that day, Montigny on the
Marceau crossed the river bar with difficulty as the steam engine propelled the corvette. The
Marceau arrived at Samut Prakarn, where Montigny observed the
Phra Samut Chedi Pagoda. Next morning, on July 13, the Siamese at Samut Prakarn fired twenty-one salute cannon shots for Montigny. Phra Wisetsongkhram Pascoal Ribeiro led the way for Montigny to disembark from the
Marceau with Godeaux and Larnaudie as the Siamese fired another seventeen salute cannon shots and the Siamese military band played
God Save The Queen. Si Suriyawong Chuang Bunnag, whom Montigny called Kalahom (Kalaoum) led the Siamese soldiers dressed in British military costume to greet Montigny in military columns. Chuang Bunnag spoke to Montigny in
English language, ensuring Montigny that he would be received with appropriate ceremonies and expressing his joy that the
Franco–Siamese relation was renewed after long hiatus since the seventeenth century. Chuang Bunnag then told Montigny that Siam needed a powerful nation like France to protect Siam from aggressive neighbor, indirectly referring to the British. Montigny responded to this sensitive question with neutral stance, staying that the prospective France–Siamese Treaty would guarantee Siam's security. Montigny was impressed by Chuang Bunnag; "
His Excellency the Kalaoum seemed to me truly a remarkable man, even in Europe, he is indeed the first head of the Kingdom." Montigny learned that the Kalahom had forty-five brothers and his father the late Somdet Ong Yai Dit Bunnag, whose house Montigny was going to reside, had been the Prime Minister and the Somdet of the previous reign. In that evening, Chuang Bunnag, along with his younger brother Phraya Montri Suriyawong Chum Bunnag and his son
Chaomuen Waiworanat Won Bunnag came on the
Marceau to have a Western-style dinner with Montigny and his family. After the dinner, as the three Bunnags descended from the
Marceau, Montigny had his warship salute them with seventeen cannon shots.
Arrival of Montigny in Bangkok On 13 July 1856, twenty-five Siamese royal barges came down from Bangkok to fetch Montigny's entourage but Montigny requested that Siam allow him to bring his warship up to Bangkok to salute the Siamese royal flag, to which the Siamese surprisingly consented. Montigny required Captain Jules Collier to leave the two corvettes
Catinat and
Capricieuse at the river bar for Collier to command the
Marceau to go upstream to Bangkok. Captain Collier weighted the anchor of the
Marceau at Samut Prakarn on July 14, bringing Montigny and his family to Bangkok. Montigny complimented Bangkok was the "Venice of the East" and a fairytale city; "
No European city, and perhaps no other in the world, however picturesque, can evoke such an impression." Montigny on the
Marceau reached Bangkok on 14 July 1856, anchoring at the Pong Patchamit Fort about 2.5 kilometers downstream from the actual Bangkok Fort in modern
Khlong San. The
Marceau fired twenty-one salute cannon shots and the Siamese reciprocated with seventeen salutatory cannon shots. At Pong Patchamit, Prince Wongsa the king's younger half-brother brought all the five Siamese royal commissioners to greet Montigny on the
Marceau. Vice-king
Pinklao the Second King of Siam also wrote a greeting letter to Montigny. Montigny was informed that there were about 400,000 inhabitants of Bangkok, of which 250,000 were Siamese, 100,000 were Chinese and the rest of 50,000 were Mon, Malay, Vietnamese and the Portuguese
Mestizos. Next day, on July 15th, as Montigny was preparing to disembark from the
Marceau at Pong Patchamit, the
Marceau fired salute cannon shots but a French cannon exploded, amputating arms of two French solidiers and the whole ceremony had to stop. Vice-king Pinklao wrote to Montigny expressing condolences to the accident. The Bunnag brothers Kalahom Chuang Bunnag and Phrakhlang Kham Bunnag led Montigny to the house of the their late father Somdet Dit Bunnag, where Montigny and his family would reside during his mission in Siam. Montigny noticed that the houses of the late Somdet, the houses of Kalahom, Phrakhlang and Somdet Ong Noi, all of whom were of the same (
Bunnag) family, were in the same vicinity. King Mongkut granted two royal barges with canopies and sixty oarsmen for Montigny's personal use. Mongkut also assigned Chuang Bunnag's son Chaomuen Waiworanat Won Bunnag and Father Larnaudie the interpreter to tend to Montigny's personal needs. On 21 July 1856, the Siamese king Mongkut requested Montigny to have a private audience. Bishop Pallegoix and Abbé Larnaudie led Montigny, who rode on a sedan chair carried on the shoulders of eight Siamese porters, to visit the king at the Siamese royal palace. Montigny waited outside of the Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall, where the Bowring Mission had been received in 1855 and Montigny's private audience with the king was going to take place. Montigny, however, was kept waiting for a rather long time. Montigny told the Siamese that punctuality was an important part of Western diplomatic protocol and the French imperial plenipotentiary should not be kept waiting for a long time. Montigny then sent Bishop Pallegoix into the Throne Hall, where Mongkut asked Pallegoix how should he receive the French envoy. Montigny's mission to Siam presented a new challenge to the Siamese elites, who had learned English to deal with the British and the Americans but knew no French. Pallegoix replied that the king might converse with Montigny in English language. The Siamese king was surprised to learn that the French envoy also understood English but Pallegoix affirmed him. Montigny was eventually admitted into the Throne Hall, where Siamese royal princes and officials prostrated on the floor. The interior of the hall was decorated in Western-style. Montigny was allowed to stand conversing with King Mongkut, who sat on the throne, not having to prostrate. Montigny noticed that King Mongkut looked like King
Louis IX and spoke English more fluently than his subjects. Montigny had been informed that Mongkut had learned English from American missionaries and also studied history of the European dynasties. Montigny thanked King Mongkut for such warm reception. Mongkut asked whether Montigny had brought a letter from the French Emperor with him. The Siamese had been expecting letters from the sovereigns of the incoming envoys. Montigny, who did not bring a letter from Napoleon III, replied that the French Emperor only wrote letters to nations that had already established relations with France and he was sure that if the Siamese king wrote a letter to the French Emperor, he would reply in kind. King Mongkut asked further why did France wait for Britain and the United States to conclude treaties with Siam in order for France to send a plenipotentiary to do the same. Montigny explained that France had sent Rear Admiral Laguerre as the French envoy to Siam but the war with Russia kept Laguerre from actually arriving in Siam. Montigny also pointed out that Gauthier the French Consul at Singapore had earlier notified Siam of imminent arrival of Laguerre in 1853. Mongkut mentioned that Sir John Bowring had earlier informed the Siamese government about appointment of Montigny as the French envoy to Siam. Montigny quickly asserted that France was a powerful nation, who did not require British approval nor British mediation in her venture with Siam. King Mongkut reportedly smiled at this patriotic reply of Montigny.
Montigny's grand audience with King Mongkut , original work by German painter
Franz Xaver Winterhalter in 1853 Montigny's grand audience with King Mongkut was scheduled by Siamese astrologers to be on 24 July 1856 at Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall, where Harry Parkes and Townsend Harris had been received. Montigny arranged that his procession took place in daylight, in contrast to the audiences of Parkes and Harris, which took place after sunset, in order for the Siamese to clearly observe the grandeur of French diplomatic mission. On July 23, Montigny unveiled the life-sized portraits of Emperor Napoleon and
Empress Eugénie, which were copies of the original work of the German painter
Franz Xaver Winterhalter, at Montigny's residence. Siamese ministers and officials came to see the portraits. Kalahom Chuang Bunnag asked Montigny in English language whether French women were as beautiful as Empress Eugénie, to which Montigny replied that most French women were beautiful but the Empress was the fairest of them. On the day of grand audience, on July 24, Siamese gilded royal barges flocked to Montigny's residence. The procession, which would transport Montigny from his residence to the Siamese royal palace, commenced at one o'clock in the afternoon. Portraits of the French Emperor and Empress were placed on the main barge, on a throne under a canopy with red roof and white curtains, rowed by sixty Siamese oarsmen. Montigny's barge, also rowed by sixty oarsmen, which he shared seats with Captain Collier, Godeaux and Father Larnaudie, followed the main barge that contained the portraits. Following Montigny's barge were the barge of Bishop Pallegoix and twenty other royal barges, all gilded and having the bows of Siamese mythological beasts. Montigny observed that the riparian procession extended beyond the horizon in the river. Montigny's riparian procession reached the royal palace on two o'clock, where the Siamese fired twenty-one salute cannon shots and fired additional seventeen shots to pay respect to Montigny. Siamese officials paraded the two portraits down from the royal barge into the palace, flanked at both sides by two columns of Siamese soldiers. Montigny disembarked from his barge and he was greeted by columns of four hundred Siamese soldiers. Montigny rode on a sedan chair carried on the shoulders of Siamese porters to enter the palace. Montigny observed multi-ethnic Siamese military forces, including Siamese, Lao, Khmer and Vietnamese. Montigny saw royal war elephants, some of them as high as fifteen feet. Montigny also noticed the female royal guards, who carried bayonets and sabers, whom Montigny called the "Amazones of the King". the French plenipotentiary to Siam had a grand audience with King
Mongkut on 24 July 1856 at Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall in
Grand PalaceMontigny's procession eventually reached Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall, where Pallegoix explained to Montigny that a
Mahaprasat was a grand Siamese royal pavilion for state ceremonies with four façades and a spire. Siamese officials brought the portraits of the French Emperor and Empress to place at both flanking sides of the royal throne. Montigny entered the Throne Hall, where Siamese princes, dignitaries, ministers and officials all dressed in white gowns with gold trims and prostrated on the floor with absolute silence and stillness like Egyptian Sphinxes. In the Throne Hall, the veil opened, revealing King Mongkut of Siam, who sat on the throne in his full enthronement attire adorned with gold and jewelry, wearing the
Great Crown of Victory and holding the
Sword of Victory, under
tiered royal umbrella. Montigny was allowed to stand before the king, flanked at his both sides by Collier and Pallegoix. Montigny bowed deeply to King Mongkut three times and read his French letter addressing the Siamese king; Montigny then handed the English-translated version for Abbé Larnaudie to read to the king. King Mongkut expressed his joy to Montigny's arrival as the French plenipotentiary to conclude a treaty with Siam, saying that no French envoys had ever come to Siam since the reign of King
Narai and he had been waiting for one. Mongkut declared that he would appoint Siamese plenipotentiaries to negotiate the treaty with Montigny. Mongkut inspected the portrait of Emperor Napoleon III, saying that even though the French Emperor did not have a letter for him he still sent his portrait. The veil then closed, signifying the end of royal audience. All the Siamese subjects then arose from their prostrations. After the ceremony, Phrakhlang Kham Bunnag took Montigny on a tour to see Theravadin temples in Bangkok and to see royal white elephants. of King
Mongkut and Queen
Debsirindra, sent as a gift to President of the United States in 1856, now at
Smithsonian Institution On 29 July 1856, the Siamese female guards escorted the ladies of the mission including Madame de Montigny, Montigny's wife, her two daughters Nina and Blanche and her sister Madame Alliot, to have an audience with King Mongkut in the Inner Palace or women's quarters, where the king's consorts and female royals resided and any males were strictly forbidden to enter, except for the king. As the ladies entered the Inner Palace, they were greeted by King Mongkut and his consort the 22-year-old Queen
Debsirindra, both of whom shook hands with the ladies in Western-style and had conversations in English language. Mongkut led Madame Montigny, who took her two daughters in her hands, to tour the women's quarters. King Mongkut noticed that Nina, eldest daughter of Montigny, was a charismatic lady and entrusted her with a golden cigar box, asking Nina to deliver it to her father. After the event, the female guards returned the ladies of the mission to Montigny. Also on July 29, Montigny and his interpreter Abbé Larnaudie had an audience with Pinklao the Second King of Siam at the
Front Palace. The reception ceremony was similar to the one Montigny had experienced with the First King as Montigny was carried in a sedan chair by the Siamese porters to enter the Front Palace. Montigny noticed Vietnamese soldiers dressed in Western military costume. These were the Vietnamese Catholics from
An Giang who moved to settle in
Samsen in 1834 and entered the service under the Second King. Montigny related that Pinklao, who had allegedly adopted British customs, was even more well-disposed towards Westerners than his elder brother Mongkut.
Montigny asking Mongkut about Cambodia and Vietnam In his plan to approach the anti-Christian and anti-Western Vietnamese imperial court, Montigny would invoke support of both Britain and Siam in order to pressure the Vietnamese to the negotiation table. Montigny was to procure an introduction letter written by the Siamese king Mongkut, which would be delivered to
Huế in order to facilitate Montigny's arrival. Montigny would also tell the Vietnamese that Sir John Bowring the British envoy would also follow Montigny to arrive in Vietnam. Montigny had earlier asked Bishop Pallegoix to request, on Montigny's behalf, the Siamese king to write such letter. However, Pallegoix refused, saying that it would be inappropriate to ask King Mongkut to write to Vietnam because Siam and Vietnam had waged wars for more than ten years and had long ceased their relations. Montigny was dissatisfied with Pallegoix's refusal and took a negative view on the bishop. The Siamese, however, somehow knew, before Montigny's arrival in Siam, that the French diplomatic mission would also go to Cambodia. Chaophraya Nikonbodin the Prime Minister of Northern Siam then sent Khmer officials from Bangkok to inform King Ang Duong of Cambodia about Montigny's upcoming journey to Cambodia. Montigny and his two daughters requested an audience with King Mongkut specifically for the matters of Cambodia and Vietnam. Speaking to the king in English, Montigny asked Mongkut to have the Siamese government issue a letter to inform the Vietnamese court of imminent arrival of both Montigny and Sir John Bowring after Montigny's conclusion of the Siamese Treaty. Montigny also asserted that Mongkut's assisting Montigny would be the proof of Siam's sincerity in friendship with France. Mongkut refused, saying that, after the conclusion of the
Siamese–Vietnamese War, Siam and Vietnam had not restore relations. Siam saw no benefits of restoring relations with Vietnam and Siam had also been avoiding to initiate because it would be perceived by Vietnam as Siam's yielding and deploring. Montigny, who knew next to nothing about Siam–Cambodia–Vietnam regional histories, pointed out to Mongkut that in the West, even when nations were in bitter wars and fought relentlessly, they still maintained diplomatic relations. Montigny took the Crimean War as an example, when Russia fought Britain and France but still maintained relations, having Russian ambassadors in both London and Paris. Montigny then informed Mongkut about his mission in Cambodia. The King of Cambodia had earlier (in 1853) sent gifts including cardamoms, gambodge, etc. to the French government but the Cambodian gifts were lost on the journey (The Cambodian gifts had reached and had been stored in
Toulon, where the French government did not care to receive.) so Montigny asked for permission of the Siamese king for him to travel to Cambodia to achieve his mission to explain to the Cambodian king about the gifts. Montigny also asked Mongkut to write a letter to inform the Cambodian king about Montigny's imminent arrival in
Kampot. Montigny acknowledged that King of Cambodia was a vassal of Siam but somehow thought that the King of Cambodia could independently pursue relations with France without Siam's approval. Montigny asked Mongkut whether there were any
Khmer language interpreters for him. Mongkut replied that there was a French missionary 'Reverend Doctor Miche' the Bishop of Dansara, who knew both Khmer and Vietnamese languages and could certainly be the interpreter for Montigny. Mongkut told Montigny that Bishop Miche used to spent some time in Bangkok (during Pallegoix's leave to France in 1855) and had once visited the king but Mongkut had to speak with Miche through an interpreter because the bishop did not speak English nor Siamese. Upon hearing that King Ang Duong had earlier pursued relations with France, without Siamese approval, Mongkut speculated that it was Bishop Miche who persuaded Ang Duong to do such thing. Montigny then asked Mongkut about journey from Kampot to Ang Duong's residence at Oudong. Mongkut told Montigny that the journey from Kampot to Oudong was an arduous one, taking four to five days, having to transverse through thick forests and, during this rainy season, the path would be flooded and muddy. Mongkut suggested that Montigny should try sailing French corvettes to enter from
Mekong Delta at Bassac (
Sóc Trăng) and Preah Trapeang (
Trà Vinh), which had been under Vietnamese control, to take a more-comfortable riparian journey upstream to
Phnom Penh, where Montigny would continue to Oudong. Mongkut told Montigny that he should contact Vietnamese authorities in An Giang and
Hà Tiên for permission to sail through
Southern Vietnam and this would be Montigny's preliminary survey of Vietnamese reaction to Montigny's mission. Montigny and his daughter Nina disagreed with Mongkut's plan, saying that they were unsure about Vietnam's possible hostilities. Mongkut told Montigny that he had already notified King of Cambodia about upcoming journey of Montigny to Cambodia and the King of Cambodia might send delegates to receive Montigny at Kampot. Montigny asked further whether he could have the Cambodian king write an introduction letter for Montigny to Vietnam. Mongkut replied that he did not know about Cambodia's relations with Vietnam as Cambodia had been paying tributes to both Siam and Vietnam. However, Mongkut strongly asserted that the incumbent king of Cambodia, Harireak Reamea Ang Duong, had closer ties to Siam than to Vietnam; Mongkut also asserted that Siam only allowed Cambodia to pay tributes to Vietnam because the Cambodia was close in proximity to Vietnam and it would keep Cambodia in peace and happiness, not suffering from Vietnamese invasions. In his speech, Mongkut demonstrated to Montigny the French envoy that Siam had been the suzerain of Cambodia. Montigny correctly speculated that Siam was tenacious on holding Cambodia as its vassal state. Montigny did not give up as he presented his draft letter to King Mongkut to write to Vietnam, promising procurement of a
minting machine for Siam in exchange, to which Mongkut replied with strong words such as "
There is no willing of Siamese government to have communication with the government of Anam or Cochin China who are our opposed enemy. We are happy without intercourse with the country.", "
The Cochin Chinese nation is our enemy with whom we do not wish to have connection in Friendship again for we are enjoyment of good and better happiness than when we had been connected in friendship with that country." During Montigny's stay in Bangkok, Prince Wongsa also took the three Cambodian princes
Ang Voddey,
Sisowath and
Sivotha, sons of Ang Duong, to meet Montigny in an audience.
Conclusion of Franco–Siamese Montigny Treaty On 29 July 1856, King Mongkut appointed five Siamese plenipotentiaries to conclude a new treaty with Montigny; • Prince Kromma Luang
Wongsathirat Sanit, younger half-brother of King Mongkut • Somdet Chaophraya Phichaiyat That Bunnag, also known as Somdet Chaophraya Ong Noi •
Chaophraya Si Suriyawong Chuang Bunnag, also known as the
Kalahom •
Chaophraya Rawiwong Kham Bunnag, known as
Phrakhlang the Minister of Foreign Affair • Chaophraya Yommarat Nuch, the Head of
Nakhonban Police The negotiation commenced on July 30 at
Thonburi Palace, which was the residence of Prince Kromma Luang Wongsa. Montigny presented Walewski's treaty draft, which composed of twenty-two articles, to the Siamese commissioners. Montigny had learned from the accounts of Bowring Mission of 1855 that Somdet Ong Noi, who had been controlling Siam's trade duties, opposed the British notion of 'free trade' and any changes on the duties but Bowring managed to reduce Siam's import duties to three percent. Montigny noted that Somdet Ong Noi totally gave up his efforts to retain the old system and took virtually no parts in the negotiations. Only three commissioners; the Prince Wongsa, Kalahom Chuang Bunnag and Phrakhlang Kham Bunnag were active. Montigny observed that Chuang Bunnag, as the leader of the faction demanding to open the country to Western trades, held immense powers and even held sway over the king himself. Unlike the preceeding British and American envoys, Montigny the French envoy did not rush the Siamese commissioners to conclude treaty, for Montigny understood that slowness was the way of the Orient. Montigny contemplated that, if France were to bring Siam, Laos and Cambodia under French protectorate, France should have a clear policy, not to be hindered by the British. The negotiations, however, proceeded quickly as most of the treaty terms were exactly the same as the treaties Siam had concluded with Britain. Montigny essentially capitalized on the works of British envoys Bowring and Parkes in Siam. There were also new clauses introduced from the Sino–French
Treaty of Whampoa (1844), which were not present in the
Bowring Treaty; • The French in Siam needed to hire some Siamese as interpreters and boat-rowers. However, ordinary Siamese
Phrai commoners had been subjected to periodic corvée service to the government. Article 6 of this treaty then stipulated that any Siamese in French employment in Siam were exempted from such corvée obligations. • Montigny proposed that French biologists and naturalists should be allowed to explore out of Siam's designated area around Bangkok to explore the inner hinterlands of Siam, Laos and Cambodia, which was granted in Article 7. • Montigny took Article 29 of the Whampoa Treaty, which stated that if a French ship was pillaged in Chinese waters, the Chinese authorities were bound to strive their best to arrest the perpetrator and retrieve the stolen properties or else responsible Chinese officials would be punished, to add to include any French subjects being robbed on land. Montigny cited the example of a British merchant named Hubertson, who had been robbed in China in 1845 and the Chinese authorities did not compensate for his losses. Article 10 stipulated that if any French subjects were robbed both on land and sea in Siamese territories, the Siamese government would be obliged to arrest the perpetrator and retrieve properties. However, failure to do such thing did not oblige the responsible Siamese to compensate nor to be punished. • Siam had checked British naval threat to Bangkok in Article 7 of Bowring Treaty, which stipulated that any British warships could only anchor at Paknam Samut Prakarm and could not go upstream to Bangkok without prior permission. If British warships were allowed upstream, they could not go beyond Pong Patchamit. Montigny asserted that French navy signified honor and prowess of the French nation and the passage of French navy should be unrestricted anywhere in the world. The Siamese commissioners bargained to allow only two French warships to go to Bangkok at one time, which Montigny rejected, allowing no restrictions of French navy. The result was a discrepancy between French and Thai language versions of the treaty, in which the French version stated that any French warships were allowed unrestricted access to Bangkok, while the Thai version stated that French warships were allowed to Bangkok only with prior permission. The Siamese commissioners accepted all the twenty-two articles of the treaty draft on 8 August 1856. On August 9, the Siamese commissioners added two articles, including stipulation that the treaty was to be made in French and Siamese languages, to the treaty, bringing the total number of articles to twenty-four. The commissioners proposed to make an English-language version of the treaty because the Siamese did not know French, which Montigny refused. As King Mongkut had sternly refused to write a letter to Vietnam, Montigny ended up writing the introduction letter by himself. Montigny assigned his letter to Captain Le Lieur, who departed with the
Catinat from Siam on August 12 to bring the letter to Huế. Montigny chose the signing date of the treaty to be on August 15th, which was the Feast Day of Emperor
Napoleon I, who was born on August 15th. The signing took place at the Thonburi Palace on 15 August 1856, during which the Siamese at Wichaiprasit Fort fired twenty-one salute cannon shots to celebrate, which was reciprocated by similar twenty-one cannon shots from the French warship
Marceau nearby. The terms of this Franco–Siamese Treaty were similar to the earlier treaties Siam had concluded with Britain and the United States; • Establishment of French consulate in Bangkok and French
extraterritorial jurisdiction over French subjects in Siam, in which French subjects accused of offenses would be judged by the French Consul according to French law rather than native Siamese law and judiciary. • Stipulation of a general low three-percent rate of import duty on Siam, while the export duties were stipulated individually for each commodities. • Permission of French subjects to reside and buy lands in Siam in the designated area further than four kilometers from Bangkok but not further than the distance of twenty-four-hour boat journey from Bangkok. • Freedom of
Christian proselytization in Siam, abolishing the Siamese ban on evangelization on native people, which had been in place since 1731. After the signing of the treaty, the Siamese held a banquet for Montigny at his residence, during which the five Siamese commissioners dined with Montigny, Collier, Godeaux, Bishop Pallegoix, Larnaudie and the rest of the French missionaries. Montigny received a reproach from French Foreign Ministry for his delay in his diplomatic mission to Siam and Vietnam. King Mongkut also wrote a letter to notify King Ang Duong of imminent journey of Montigny to Cambodia, also sending a copy of the Franco–Siamese Montigny Treaty to Ang Duong;
Journey of Montigny to Ayutthaya and Lopburi After conclusion of the Franco–Siamese Treaty, King Mongkut contemplated sending Siamese diplomatic mission to France in the same manner as in the seventeenth century, also considering sending mission to Britain. Charles Hillier the British Consul in Bangkok became alarmed at the news of prospective Siamese mission to France and abruptly went to see Mongkut, asking the Siamese king about the details of the mission; when would the mission depart, who would be the Siamese envoy, whether the mission would go to Britain or France first. Mongkut was angered by Hillier's discourteous visit and retired into his quarters without giving any answers to the British Consul. On 20 August 1856, Ernest-Napoléon Godeaux presented French imperial gifts to Mongkut at Sutthaisawan Throne Hall. The gifts included a bronze six-inch caliber cannon, four horse wagons, chandeliers, a folding screen depicting a map of Paris, a folding screen depicting French soldier costume, a chess folding screen, a chessboard, a stereoscope, a colt pistol and a
singing bird box. Montigny himself gifted a horse to the Siamese king. Montigny found that the French gifts were inferior to those given to the Siamese king by the British on two occasions. On the same day, Mongkut invited Montigny and his family to go on a tour inside of the Siamese royal palace. Next day, on August 21, Mongkut discussed his plan of sending Siamese diplomatic mission to France, saying that
Kosa Pan the Siamese envoy to France in 1686 was his ancestor. Mongkut asked Montigny how would the French escort the Siamese envoy to France. Montigny was shocked as he had not been briefed nor prepared for this question. Montigny could only offer warship
Catinat to bring the Siamese envoys to France, proposing that the
Catinat would deliver the Siamese to
Suez, where the Egyptian Pasha would transport them to
Alexandria, where any French warships in the
Mediterranean would take them. Commodore Jules Collier, the naval commander of Montigny's warships, went to explore
Ayutthaya on August 23, where he met Phra Samutmuni the
Theravadin Buddhist abbot of Wat Mondop Temple in Ayutthaya and then Collier returned to Bangkok. Having received the reproach on his delay, Montigny was keen on leaving Siam for Cambodia and Vietnam as soon as possible, with Collier setting departure date to September 10th. Later, Montigny concluded that the Siamese intentionally delayed his departure in order for them to plan with Phraya Aphaiphubet Nong the Siam-appointed governor of
Battambang about how to deal with Montigny's venture in Cambodia. On August 28, King Mongkut asked Montigny to visit Ayutthaya, which was about seventy kilometers upstream north of Bangkok, urging Montigny to meet Phra Samutmuni the Buddhist monk who had traveled to Singapore and Ceylon. Killing time until his departure, Montigny took his family on an excursion to the former royal capital of Siam. and his family went on an excursion to visit
Ayutthaya and
Lopburi, visiting
King Narai's Palace and former residence of
Constantine Phaulkon. Montigny, along with his family, Godeaux and Abbé Larnaudie, departed from Bangkok on August 30 on a small Siam-owned steamship, going upstream, reaching Ayutthaya on the same day. Montigny was informed that Ayutthaya had the population of 30,000, most of the inhabitants were Siamese or Chinese. Chaophraya Maha Siritham the governor of Ayutthaya (called Chao P'aya Kromma P'ahou by Montigny) and Phra Samutmuni came to greet Montigny. The Siamese took Montigny and his retinue to explore the ruins of Ayutthaya, visiting
Wat Phukhaothong Temple and the elephant
khedda, circumventing the city moat. On September 3, Maha Siritham the governor of Ayutthaya sent his son to bring Montigny's retinue to ride on elephant backs to visit
Lopburi, which was about fifty kilometers to the northeast of Ayutthaya, visiting
King Narai's Palace and former residence of
Constantine Phaulkon. Montigny and his family stayed in Lopburi for three days and returned to Ayutthaya on September 6. Next day, on September, Montigny and his family attended a
Catholic mass conducted by Larnaudie, who had been the abbot of
Saint Joseph Church in Ayutthaya. Montigny wrote a letter to report to Mongkut about his travel to Ayutthaya and Lopburi. In this letter, Montigny addressed Mongkut as "King of Siam, Sovereign of Laos, Suzerain of Cambodia, etc" (
French: S. M. le roi de Siam, souverain du Laos, suzerain du Cambodge, etc). Montigny and his family returned to Bangkok on the same day on September 7. When Montigny returned to Bangkok on September 7, he found that the Siamese had not finished preparing the royal letter and gifts for Emperor Napoleon III. As the departure was scheduled to be on September 10, Commodore Collier threatened that if Montigny did not depart on that day he was obliged to bring the
Capricieuse to join Captain Le Lieur in Vietnam or join Rear Admiral Guérin in
Macau. Montigny could do nothing but to plead Collier to stay. Montigny was thus stalled in Siam and did not manage to depart on September 10. On September 11, King Mongkut announced the Siamese gifts for the French Emperor and held another banquet for Montigny. To demonstrate his desire to leave Siam, Montigny and his family left the banquet early. Next day, on September 12, Montigny the French plenipotentiary appointed António Frederico Moor the Portuguese Consul in Bangkok, who had been in Siam for twelve years, as the acting French Consul in Siam. Even though France and Portugal used to compete for jurisdiction over Catholic Mission in the Far East, they cooperated as fellow Catholic nations. Montigny explained that there had been an agreement, in which French Consul would be responsible for Portuguese subjects and Portuguese Consul would be responsible for French subjects where either France or Portugal did not have representatives. Montigny's appointment of António Frederico Moor as acting French Consul in Bangkok displeased the Siamese, who had been expecting France to send a dignitary as Consul to Siam, like the British had done. France, however, was short of diplomatic personnel in the Far East and Montigny himself was soon to return to his consular position in Shanghai. The Siamese saw Moor's appointment as France not caring about Siam.
Siamese proposals to Montigny about Phú Quốc Commodore Jules Collier set the new departure date to be on September 21 and continued to pressure Montigny about the delay of his departure from Siam. Collier argued that they had earlier scheduled to reach
Danang on September 21, to which Montigny denied. Montigny deplored King Mongkut to hasten the procedures, to which the Prince
Kromma Luang Wongsa replied that the Siamese could not finish before September 19. Prince Wongsathirat Sanit asked Collier to take nine Khmer men, who were said to have accompanied the Cambodian princes to Siam, on board the
Capricieuse to return them to Cambodia. During the last week of Montigny's stay in Bangkok, Chaophraya Si Suriyawong Chuang Bunnag requested a confidential meeting with Montigny. In the meeting, Chuang Bunnag the
Kalahom rolled out a map depicting the coasts of
Gulf of Siam, Cambodia and Southern Vietnam. Chuang Bunnag pointed to the
Phú Quốc Island on the map, which faces the Cambodian seaport town of
Kampot, which was called Koh Dot Island by the Siamese. Chuang Bunnag told Montigny that the Phú Quốc or Koh Dot Island had beautiful pristine beaches with freshwater sources and arable land for cultivation. Chuang Bunnag had earlier visited the island himself when he led the Siamese navy to attack
Hà Tiên during the Siamese–Vietnamese War in 1842. Chuang Bunnag proposed that France should take control of this island as the island situated perfectly on the trade route between China and India, its location very strategic. Chuang Bunnag suggested that France could make Phú Quốc into the French commercial entrepôt of the Far East. Listening to the Siamese
Kalahom flattering on the Phú Quốc Island, Montigny assumed that France conquering Phú Quốc was the desire of the Siamese king Mongkut, who had told Montigny several times that he wished France to be a neighbor of Siam. Montigny replied to this bizarre Siamese proposal that he had not been empowered to receive any territorial concessions and could only relay to the French imperial government. Montigny asked Chuang Bunnag whether the Phú Quốc or Koh Dot Island belonged to Siam. Bunnag denied, saying that the island did not belong to Siam as it used to belong to Cambodia but the Vietnamese had taken possession of it. Montigny laughed at Bunnag's answer, asking why should the Siamese give an island that was not theirs to France. Montigny suggested that if Siam was so eager to have France as its neighbor, Siam should give one of its own islands to France. Chuang Bunnag briskly replied that if Siam had any islands so strategic as Koh Dot it would give to France but there were no other islands as valuable as Phú Quốc. Next day, Prince Wongsa and Phrakhlang Kham Bunnag also talked to Montigny about France taking control of Phú Quốc. It is not known why the Siamese wanted France to take control of Phú Quốc. Perhaps the Siamese intended to test whether France had territorial ambitions or Siam simply utilized France to reduce the influences of Vietnam in the region.
Departing Ceremonies with King
Mongkut, published on ''
L'Illustration in 1857As Montigny bid farewell to the Siamese ministers, the grand ceremony of King Mongkut entrusting his letter to Montigny took place on 19 September 1856, The royal letter was written in Siamese language in Siamese alphabets engraved on a gold plate, accompanied by an English translation written by King Mongkut himself and another English letter written by Pinklao the Second King. The same riparian royal barges procession came to receive Montigny from his residence, who took the royal barge to the palace, where Montigny rode the sedan chair carried on shoulders of Siamese porters to enter. Montigny entered the Sutthaisawan Throne Hall. King Mongkut sat on the throne with Siamese dignitaries and officials prostrating on the floor. Mongkut took Montigny to Sihabanchon'' windowed balcony overlooking the courtyard. Mongkut then presented Siamese gifts for the French Emperor to Montigny including the golden royal letter enclosed in a gold-enameled case, a
daguerreotype of Mongkut and his queen Debsirindra (taken by Larnaudie, who had also been a photographer), two rings for Emperor Napoleon and Empress Eugénie each, six golden inkwells and nibs, golden betel bowl set and pipe, a Siamese sword with golden hilt, a golden scissor and a Malay
kris as Siamese officials knelt down to receive each of them. The Second King also sent gifts to the French Emperor. Montigny had requested exotic animals from Siam to display in France, to which Mongkut granted a male and a female elephants, a tapir, a gaur, a serow, a gibbon, a peacock, etc. These animals, however, could not be immediately transported to France and had to wait for another French ship to arrive to fetch them. Montigny also had Chaophraya Si Suriyawong Chuang Bunnag the
Kalahom Siamese Minister of War write a letter to the French Minister of War
Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Philibert Vaillant. == French Bombardment of Danang (1856) ==