Fortunately the voyage of twenty-four days was not all like this,
and after the storm had abated there was much to make the days
interesting. At length came the first sight of Siam:
“Friday, March 19. The first sight of Siam. Thy people, O
Siam, shall be my people; _but_ my God shall be their God.
Here would I die and here would I be buried.... Henceforth
I would live for Thee, my God. Thou art a kind Master; and
oh, Thou hast bought me, every power and faculty; Thou hast
bought me by Thy precious blood. Let me henceforth shrink
from nothing—but sin and remissness in Thy blessed service.
With the beginning of my missionary life I give myself anew,
tremblingly but trustingly to do Thy will O God, my Creator,
Guide and Redeemer.”
The following day, Saturday, March 20, 1847, Dr. House landed in
Bangkok. The arrival of the new missionary party met with a most
cordial welcome by the small group of fellow Americans already
engaged in the work. At that time Siam was occupied by two American
missions, besides French Catholic missions. The American Board
was then represented by Rev. Jesse Caswell and Rev. Asa Hemmenway
with their wives; while the Baptist Board was represented by the
following men and their wives: Revs. J. T. Jones, Josiah Goddard,
and E. N. Jenks, and Mr. J. H. Chandler, a lay missionary.
“Early on the morning of the 20th of March, just eight months
to a day from the time of our leaving New York, we found
ourselves at the bar which obstructs the entrance of the
great river of Siam.... I was despatched with the captain in
a swift, but alas open, boat that I might, if the ship was
unable to get over the bar, make arrangements with friends to
send down for Mr. and Mrs. Mattoon. After a rather broiling
row of some twenty miles along a river far more beautiful
than I had been led to suppose, arrived at the outskirts
of this truly great city about sundown. We had still some
three miles or more before we reached the residence of the
missionaries of the A. B. C. F. M., and it was then dark. Was
most kindly welcomed by Mr. Caswell and Mr. Hemmenway, the
only missionaries of that Board now left; and glad indeed
they appeared to see me.”
On Monday the ship came up to the city and by that time plans had
been made to house the newly arrived missionaries in two of the
vacant houses in the mission compound where they had been welcomed.
The relations between the three sets of missionaries were most
cordial. So far as economy of effort made it wise they co-operated
in their undertakings. It was the dispensary of the A. B. C. F. M.
that Dr. House re-opened. The tracts used by the three missions
were printed by the press of the Baptist mission. Members of each
of the missions took turns at the tract house maintained in the
bazaar. Although the Presbyterians had previously been engaged in
work in Bangkok they held no property there; and for the present
it was neither advisable nor possible for the newcomers to obtain
a location for themselves. It was arranged that they should live
in the A. B. C. F. M. compound until there was time to obtain a
desirable site.
The compound contained several houses built after the native
style; set high upon posts, with an open space beneath, a verandah
on all sides, no windows but openings for air. In one of these
houses Dr. House lived for the first two years, having a servant
to take care of the house but taking his meals with the Mattoon
family. This arrangement entered upon temporarily continued by
force of circumstances for three years until the return of Rev.
D. B. Bradley, M.D., with another physician, when a readjustment
of housing was necessary. Thereupon Dr. House moved to one of
the “floating houses” moored in front of the compound, and this
continued to be his abode for more than a year until a permanent
site was secured for the mission.
The members of the three missions held a common service of worship
each Sunday morning and afternoon. At the morning service the
sermon was in Chinese or Siamese, while the afternoon service was
wholly in English. It is interesting to learn that an “original”
sermon was unusual, the preacher of the day commonly reading a
published sermon of some well-known divine. On Wednesdays there was
an informal conference for all workers and servants. On Saturday
evenings there was a prayer meeting for the missionaries only.
Later a “monthly concert of prayer for missions” was established.
When the number of Chinese increased a separate service was held
for them, and likewise a Sunday school for the Siamese pupils of
the day school.
Occasionally there would be in attendance on worship some officers
from any English vessel in port and then in turn one of the
missionaries would visit the vessel and conduct a preaching service
for the crew. After the treaty of Great Britain, in 1855, the
number of English families increased very rapidly, and while at
first many of these attended the services at the mission, their
number soon warranted the erection of a chapel for their own use.