In 1850 the United States sent Honourable James Ballestier, with a
small suite including Rev. William Dean, a former missionary, as
his secretary, to seek a more generous commercial treaty with Siam.
After three months of bickering with officials he was constrained
to withdraw from the fruitless effort. The king refused to give
a personal audience to the envoy, whereas the envoy refused to
deliver the letter from the President to any but the king. This
point of etiquette was of vital importance. By refusing to give
audience to the representative of another nation, the oriental
monarch was signifying that he did not regard the other nation on
an equality with Siam. It will be recalled that Commodore Perry,
in seeking a treaty with Japan, met this same presumption. Even as
late as 1868 China would not admit the equality of other nations
by allowing their envoys to personal interview with the emperor.
Acknowledging himself vanquished in this point of procedure, Mr.
Ballestier withdrew.
Scarcely had the Americans departed when news was received that a
British squadron was on its way, bringing an embassy to request
a new treaty. The belligerent character of Great Britain at that
time was known in Siam, so that this report sent a tremor of fear
through the body politic. With a large suite and a great display
of naval force the British envoy Sir James Brookes met no greater
success than the American. He left in high indignation at the
treatment accorded him, threatening vengeance for the discourtesy
shown to Her Majesty’s communication. Upon his withdrawal the
fear which preceded his arrival increased to a panic among the
officials, who were terrified at the prospects of war as a result
of the king’s stubborn adherence to custom.
Hand-in-hand with the crisis in the international relations the
affairs of the missions were fast drifting towards probable
extinction. As the intercourse between the Siamese and Sir
James Brookes became strained, the Siamese began to cut off
communications with the foreign residents. This was only the shadow
of what was to come. As soon as the British fleet left, a sudden
wave of arrests gathered in all who were employed as teachers at
the missions. Upon inquiry as to the reason, the missionaries were
informed that the teachers were to be punished for breaking the
law in teaching the sacred language Pali to foreigners. The only
plausible ground for this charge was that the Baptist press had,
at the request of a high official, undertaken to print the laws of
Siam which were in that language. Next the house servants withdrew
from the homes of the foreigners.
Another mark of increased hostility was in connection with
negotiations for a piece of land for the Presbyterian Mission.
Attempts had been made several times, but the transaction had been
adroitly blocked. Since permission must be obtained for tenure of
land by foreigners, applications were met with procrastination
which meant denial, or alternative locations were offered which
were totally unfit for the needs. Just before the arrival of the
two embassies, a friendly Siamese was found who was willing to
lease a desirable piece of land; official permission was secured,
the money paid over and the Mattoon family had actually caused
their floating house to be towed to the new location preliminary
to the erection of a building. Just at this juncture occurred
the abortive negotiations for a revision of treaties. Without
explanation or warning, a peremptory order came from a higher
official, revoking the permit and requiring the missionary to
return to the old location.
Under these circumstances Dr. House wrote home (Sept., 1850):
“It becomes a serious question what, as a mission, is our
duty—it now being settled that no change for the better is
to be hoped for. Three and-a-half years we have been seeking
for a place where we could locate our mission, and in our
own way aid in bringing this heathen people to Christ. But
a separate home among them has been denied and we baffled
in every attempt to secure premises on which we might build
houses, gather a school and lay foundations for those that
come after us. Thus far we have had no local habitation or
name of our own—being merged in other societies, living by
suffrance on their premises.... And now our teachers are
taken from us; no one daring (with imprisonment hanging over
them) to become teacher of the proscribed foreigner.”
The status of the mission was deemed so critical that Dr. House
was authorised to report the situation to the mission office in
New York and to ask permission for the missionaries to quit Siam
as the last resort and to attach themselves to missions in other
lands. The reply, received nine months later, gave full authority
to the missionaries in the matter, and provisionally assigned Dr.
House as assistant to Dr. Happer in China. This assignment had
been suggested by Dr. House in his letter to the Board because Dr.
Happer, knowing of the crisis in Siam, had written him to come to
China, adding that he “always thought Siam an unpromising field;
and that after the Board gets out of it they might as well keep
clear of it.” While waiting for the desired authority to quit the
field the missionaries kept an eye open for a favourable chance to
get away in safety, deeming themselves warranted in escaping with
their lives in any vessel that could be found to take them away.
Thus did the Mission come very close to an untimely end.