Dr. House left Siam only twice during his twenty-nine years of
service. After a second period of seven-and-a-half years of labour,
he sailed for America on a furlough in February, 1864. Even then
the leave was taken not so much on his own account as because of
Mrs. House’s urgent need of recuperation. Since they left America,
both of Dr. House’s parents had died. He made the second journey
at his own expense. At this time the Civil War in America caused
the rates of exchange to be very high; to avoid this high rate,
Dr. House accepted a loan of one thousand dollars from the king’s
private treasury, giving only his personal note as security; and of
this sum the king authorised Dr. House to pay over to the widow of
Rev. Jesse Caswell, in America, five hundred dollars as a further
token of appreciation of his former tutor.
The journey home was made by way of the Red Sea, Palestine, Egypt,
Paris and England. Inclusive of the travel, their absence from
Siam covered two years and ten months. The return trip was made by
way of the Pacific, leaving San Francisco Sept. 9, 1866, thus for
the first time completing for these two the circumnavigation of the
globe. On the way out a stop was made at the Hawaiian Islands. The
travelers reached Hong Kong Nov. 4, and while waiting for a vessel
to continue their voyage they went up to Canton, where they were
most friendly received and hospitably entertained by the family of
Mr. S. E. Burrows, the head of a great commercial and shipping firm
of that place. The Burrows extended to Dr. and Mrs. House a free
passage in one of their own vessels which was sailing direct for
Bangkok, and there they arrived Dec. 16, 1866.
Again the returning missionaries received a warm welcome on the
part of their many native friends.
“We were warmly welcomed by the missionary circle and old
friends out of it, native and foreign. Wish you could have
seen the congratulatory presents our native friends and
neighbours brought to shew their gladness at our return.
“The king (being ill at the time) said ‘He was glad the old
missionaries had returned; he had been very sorry that Maw
House and Maw Mattoon were gone.’”
A few weeks later, when the king was able, he sent for Dr. House
and gave a private audience.
“On presenting myself at the palace gate when my name was
announced the king said (so I was told by some around him)
‘Dr. H. is not like other foreigners; let him come to me at
once.’ I was ushered into the royal palace ere he had left
the grand audience hall—his courtiers and pages waiting
upon him. I was received with the cordiality and familiarity
of an old acquaintance.
“He asked me how I came? Did Mrs. H. come with me; what
countries I had seen? Mentioning Egypt, he asked me if the
canal across the isthmus of Suez would succeed. Saying I had
now gone around the world, returning to Siam by crossing the
Pacific Ocean to China, he quickly interrupted, ‘Then you
lost a day!’ and explained to his attendants how it was....
“It was time for him now to make his evening visit to the
vast and lofty structure they were rearing for the funeral
solemnities of the late second king. Inviting me to follow,
he went down to his sedan and, preceded by soldiers and
followed by a crowd of attendants, was borne away. Following,
I found him seated in a temporary pavilion erected where he
could overlook the work. He soon called me to his side—I,
alone, of the hundreds around him, stood upright. He made
inquiries concerning Mrs. Caswell, and as he looked again
at her picture, turning to the princess royal acting as his
sword bearer, said, ‘This was the wife of the teacher that
I revered.’ It was gratifying and interesting to see these
pleasant memories of persons and events passed away eighteen
years before, stealing over him.
“Having intimated to the king my wish to take up my note for
one thousand dollars in his treasurer’s hands and saying
that I should, of course, expect to pay interest on the
balance of five hundred dollars—after deducting five hundred
dollars paid to Mrs. C. on his majesty’s behalf—in a few
days his majesty’s private treasurer paid me a visit, having
had the king’s instruction to receive from me simply five
hundred dollars, and to surrender to me the note on which was
endorsed these words in the king’s own handwriting:
“‘S. P. P. M. Mongkut, the King, does not wish to have
interest from the loan to his good friend Doctor Samuel R.
House—wishing but some useful books, etc., according to the
pleasure of said doctor, with stating of price of article.
This testimony given 1st January, 1867, the seventeenth year
of our reign.’”