Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 17.djvu/847

 TREATY WITH SIAM. DECEMBER 17 - 31, 1867. 807 Mpdifedim, cpncluded December H-, 1867, to Treaty between the United Dec. 17-81, 1867. States and beam, of May 29, 1856. Rattfied August 11, 1868. J7 N0. 72. UNITED Srarns CONsULa·rn, Letteroftlm Bnnoxox, Dec. 31, 1867. U““°‘l S*“°’ To Hon. F. W. Snwann, E§“““l B’·“g' Assistant Secretary of State, Washington, D. C. Sm,-—I have the honor to inform the Department that I have re- Cl*¤“8°l¤ **1** ceived a letter from his Excellency Chaw Phaya Praklang, Minister of €{§;;’Q;°gg;°éd Foreign Affairs, informing me that the Royal Counsellors for the Kingdom gg I of Siam desire to change article first of the Treaty Regulations, and that the change shall go into effect on January 1st, 1868. The article alluded to is as follows, viz.:- “ Every shipmaster upon anchoring his vessel at Paknam will deliver into the custody of the Custom-house officers, all his guns and ammunition, and a custom-house officer will then be appointed to the vessel and will proceed in her to Bangkok." The article as changed will require that the powder alone be left at Paknam, but that the guns be allowed to remain in the vessel. I have given my assent to the change and all the other Consuls have done the same. The change is a very advantageous one to shipmasters,as in [the] shipping and reshipping of their guns, some of which were heavy, was attended with much delay and expense; whereas they generally have but a few pounds of powder on board which can be boxed up and put ashore in a very short time. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, J. M. HOOD ZZ BC Oonsul. Cuaw Pnara Pxaxnane, Minister of Foreign Afairs of the Ungdom of Siam, to MR. J. M. Hoon, U SC Consul, Saying,—That the Sénabodee of the Kingdom of Siam have considered this matter, and have come to the conclusion that, as they saw that Siam was near the water and that trading ships could ascend to the city, for this reason they asked a clause in the treaties, that all guns and powder should be landed at Paknam before the ship would ascend the river. The Ministers Plenipotentiary also were of the same opinion, and yielded this point to the Siamese in the Treaties. When a vessel came in and the Chaw Pausknan at Paknam received the guns and powder off the vessel, that [they] found it very difficult to take care of the powder and were afraid of an explosion, and for this reason they did not receive the powder from the vessel but simply the guns. But now a long time since the Senabodee are of the opinion that the taking off of the guns at Paknam is a source of trouble to the vessels, for they took off guns belonging to many persons and when the vessels come [came] down again it was often after night, and when the Captains went for their guns the wrong ones were frequently taken, and when the vessel coming afterwards