The episode of the plague had rather a curious conclusion. When the
pestilence had spent its force, King Phra Chao Pravat Thong decided
that he would perform an “act of merit” in honour of Buddha for the
cessation of the epidemic. Since the religion of Buddha requires
great veneration for the life of animals one of the surest means
to merit is to grant freedom to animals that are in captivity.
Accordingly a levy was made upon every citizen to bring to the
palace ground a stated number of animals or birds during a fixed
period, and upon a given day these were all to be liberated at
the king’s command. To the surprise of the foreigners residing in
Bangkok, they in common with the citizens received a demand for a
gift of pigs and fowls and ducks in varying numbers and assortments.
The members of the Presbyterian Mission, assuming that this
liberating of the animals was a religious rite, declined to make
the requested present upon the ground that they could not “consent
in any way to have anything to do with the system of idolatry in
the land”; but, to avoid the appearance of offense, added that
if the gift were a mere matter of custom, they would offer the
required present as a compliment to the king. On the following day
they received word from the Pra Nai Wai, who had charge of the
levy, that the desired present had nothing to do with the religion
of the country but was merely intended as a token of congratulation
to the king on the occasion of the abatement of the pestilence. In
view of this explanation, Dr. House and Mr. Mattoon reconsidered
their decision; and accordingly the required donation was sent,
accompanied by a letter of congratulation with an expression of
thanks to God and of a Christian prayer for His Majesty’s welfare.
For three days the river was alive with craft bringing the gifts
to the landing at the king’s palace, where the donor was credited.
Then the gifts were taken to the depot where the aggregation
was being fed by proper officers till the day of liberation
arrived. It was estimated that more than two hundred pails of rice
were necessary each day for feed. Then on the great day a river
procession took place, a gala affair such as the Siamese frequently
held on festal occasions:
“The river at one time this morning, as far as eye could
see around the bend and to the palace, had a procession of
boats with banners, white and red, with music and beating of
cymbals, with cages of all colours and sizes and shapes—some
one, two or four stories high, some like beautiful pagodas,
some shaped like vases; some with flowers, some with banners
representing by picture the animals or birds contained in the
cages.”
All proceeded to the river landing at the palace, where the
captives were set free. It was estimated officially that nearly
one hundred thousand fowls and ducks, some five hundred pigs and
numerous boat-loads of live fish were included in the donations and
were set free.
The incident, however, did not end here. A like request had gone to
the French priests and the members of their parishes. At first the
Bishop gave permission for the making of the present to the king;
but later when it was rumoured that the king would liberate the
captives to “gain merit,” the bishop not only declined himself to
make the gift but withdrew his permission previously granted to his
people. This reversal caused great indignation among the officials
responsible for gathering the presents. After a conference in which
the bishop was informed, as the other foreigners had been, that the
gift was not regarded as a participation in a religious rite but
only as a customary token of congratulation, the bishop returned
to his original attitude, restored permission to his people and
offered a gift in his own behalf.
But thereupon a new turn in the affair developed; the eight French
priests conferred together and concluded that the explanation
was only a subterfuge, the real object of the gift being an act
of worship; and they decided not to participate for themselves,
notwithstanding the bishop’s permission. This course had the
disadvantage of placing them in the position of disrespect to the
government, since their superior had approved of the participation.
Accordingly the eight priests were admonished by the government
that if they refused to acquiesce in the royal request they must
leave the country. Remaining inexorable, the order was given for
their banishment, but the bishop was permitted to remain because he
had complied with the request. This decree remained in force until
revoked by King Mongkut in 1851.
Some months later the foreign residents of Bangkok were surprised
to read in an English paper of Singapore a statement that the
deported priests, on their passage through Singapore, had given;—a
version of the affair in which they appeared as heroes who had
chosen expulsion rather than participation in pagan rites while the
Protestant missionaries had purchased exemption by acquiescence.
Unfortunately this interpretation of the incident to the glory of
the eight priests placed their own bishop in an unfavourable light.