^{page 592 note 1} ‘An account of the origin and progress of the British colonies in the Straits of Malacca’, Journal of the Indian Archipelago, ed.Logan, , III, 10, 1849, 600 Google Scholar.

^{page 592 note 2} The most complete accounts are to be found in: Wright, Arnold and Reid, Thomas, The Malay Peninsula, London, 1912 Google Scholar; and Clodd, H. P., Malaya's first British pioneer: the life of Francis Light, London, Luzac, 1948 Google Scholar, ch. iii, ‘Light on Junk Ceylon’, 24–42.

^{page 592 note 3} Gerini, G. E., ‘Historical retrospect of Junkceylon island’, Journal of the Siam Society, II, 2, 1905, 121–268 Google Scholar, ref. to p. 137, n. 2.

^{page 592 note 4} The passage quoted by Gerini, occurs in Phongsawadan Phraratchahatlelcha, Bangkok, 1952, IV, 143 Google Scholar (year c.s. 1138 = A.D. 1776). In this article reference is made to this work (PP) in preference to the original edition of the Ru'ang Phraratchaphongsawadan Krung Kao (Annals of Ayuthaya) printed by Bradley in Bangkok, 1863, because of the rarity of the latter. PP differs mainly in the orthography which has been adjusted therein to suit modern Bangkok tastes. It contains a supplement for the years 1790–1809 compiled by Prince Damrong Rajanubhab.

^{page 592 note 5} See below p. 595, n. 1.

^{page 592 note 6} The Thalang letters. A set of 59 MS. letters in Siamese, Marsden Collection, 12157A, Library of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. While this article was in the press, th writer received ‘Siamese documents concerning Captain Francis Light’ Tregonning, K.G. (ed.), Papers on Malayan history, Singapore, 1962, 1–9 Google Scholar, in which reference is made to several of the Thalang letters. Mr. Kachorn Sukhabanij suggests that the title ‘Phyaratchakapitan’ (see below, letter no. 30) was conferred on Light by King Taksin in 1778.

^{page 593 note 1} Thalang letters nos. 3, 10, 16, 20, 24, 26, 27, 32, 38–40, 49, and 14 undated, 25(?), 50(?).

^{page 593 note 2} Light to Lord Cornwallis, 18 June 1787, Council Minutes, 27 July 1787, India Office Library, Straits Settlements Consultations, II.

^{page 593 note 3} Light to Macpherson, 23 January 1786, postscript to letter from Governor-General to Secret Committee of the Court of Directors, 26 January 1786, India Office Library, Bengal Secret Letters, XXIV.

^{page 593 note 4} Report of Hon. E. Monckton to Presidency Council, Fort St. George, 12 October 1772, India Office Library, Factory Records, Sumatra, xv.

^{page 593 note 5} The Siamese chronicles record an expedition, presumably ledby the King, against the ruler of Nakhon Si Thammarat, who claimed jurisdiction over Thalang, in 1768–70. PP, IV, 16–22. Thalang may have been affected by the aftermath of this campaign.

^{page 593 note 6} Phongsawadan Mu'ang Thalang, ed. Rajanubhab, Prince Damrong, Prachum phongsawadan, II, Bangkok, 1914 Google Scholar. This was compiled locally in 1841. Gerini had access to a similar text which he prints and translates, op. cit., 238–47. The Damrong text is better and fuller.

^{page 594 note 1} e.g. letter from Light to Andrew Ross, Fort St. George, 18 March 1784, Straits Settlements Consultations, I. For French intrigues at this period see Hall, D. G. E., Michael Symes: Journal of his second embassy to the Court of Ava in 1802, London, 1955, introduction, pp. XXIX–XXGoogle Scholar.

^{page 594 note 2} Clodd, op. cit., 29.

^{page 594 note 3} An English translation of Koenig's Danish MS (British Museum) is given in Journal of the Straits Branch, Royal Asiatic Society, No. 26, 1894, 59–201, and No. 27, 1894, 57–133; quoted by Gerini, op. cit., 152–61.

^{page 594 note 4} Clodd, op. cit., 31.

^{page 594 note 5} Light was captured and held by the French off the coast of India in 1782, and Scott by the Dutch in 1784; see Clodd, op. cit., 33–5.

^{page 594 note 6} Gerini, op. cit., 159.

^{page 594 note 7} Pee Tukerat is mentioned by Thomas Forrest in A voyage from Calcutta to the Mergui Archipelago, London, 1792 Google Scholar, quoted by Gerini, op. cit., 159, also see below, p. 604. Phya Thammatrailok, see below, p. 602.

^{page 594 note 8} Gerini, op. cit., 159.

^{page 594 note 9} Phongsawadan Mu'ang Thalang, 57, translation by Gerini, op. cit., 239, and Forrest quoted by Gerini, 169.

^{page 595 note 1} James Scott to Lord George Macartney, 28 October 1785, Minutes of a Council at Fort William, 2 March 1786, Straits Settlements Consultations, II, fols. 1–29. Scott says that he attaches a translate [sic] but the matter and style of the alleged translation, which sets out detailed terms for establishing a settlement on Thalang, suggests rather a compilation by Scott. The letter itself has not been traced.

^{page 595 note 2} Gerini, op. cit., 182.

^{page 595 note 3} Phongsawadan Mu'ang Phatthalung, Prachum phongsawadan, xv, Bangkok, 1920, 19 Google Scholar. The marriage probably took place between 1754 and 1766.

^{page 595 note 4} Probably Captain John Buncle mentioned as an associate of Light and Scott in a letterfrom Light to Calcutta, 3 April 1780. Phya Surintharacha may be the Pee Siring of Forrest, see Gerini, op. cit., 170.

^{page 595 note 5} Jāturamat also jātceramat <jat(jāti) ‘kind, type’ + ?Che Amat or Che Rarnat?a Malayname.

^{page 595 note 6} ‘A kind of musket in great esteem among the Siamese ’, Pallegoix, S. J., Dictianarium linguae Thai, Paris, 1854, 263 Google Scholar. Sutan, also, may be a term of Malay origin. A variant of this type is used for sultan on the west coast of Sumatra, see below p. 612. The writer is indebted to his colleagues Mr. J. C. Bottoms and Mr. Kassim Ahmad for information on Malay terms in the letters.

^{page 596 note 1} If the undated events in the Thalang annals are set down in chronological order, which is not necessarily always the case, this invasion occurred between the governorship of At, a son of a former local chief, who ruled after the official from Bangkok had come to the island, and the arrival there of Phya Phimon; Phongsawadan Mu'ang Thalang, 57 (translation Gerini, op. cit., 239).

^{page 596 note 2} In Light to Cornwallis, 18 June 1787, Council Minutes, 27 July 1787, Straits Settlements Consultations, II.

^{page 597 note 1} Gerini, op. cit., 173.

^{page 597 note 2} Ibid. , 175.

^{page 597 note 3} Light to Cornwallis, in Council Minutes, 27 July 1787 (referring to 1785), Straits Settlements Consultations, II.

^{page 597 note 4} Scott to Macartney, 28 October 1785, Council Minutes, 2 March 1786, Straits Settlements Consultations, II.

^{page 597 note 5} Scott to Governor-General, 31 March 1786, Council Minutes, 2 May 1786, Straits Settlements Consultations, II, fols. 95–7.

^{page 597 note 6} Light to Governor-General, 3 April 1786, Council Minutes, 6 April 1786, Straits Settlements Consultations, II, fols. 83–5.

^{page 592 note 7} PP, IV, 235–70.

^{page 598 note 1} The Burmese title signifies ‘Minister of Customs’.

^{page 598 note 2} PP, IV, 265–6.

^{page 598 note 3} See genealogical table, on p. 614.

^{page 598 note 4} Nos. 6, 11, 12, 17, 18, 21, 22, 28, 30, 31, 34, 35, 37, 43–7, 51, 55, and nos. 2, 7, 23 undated.

^{page 598 note 5} Probably a Southern Thai variant of Central Thai thaeng, see text, p. 616. This term is not a recognized weight or measure. It may mean a small cake of opium. Opium in bulk was broken down at Penang into cakes of approx. 3 lb. 51/2 oz.; Council Minutes, 6 November 1792, Straits Settlements Consultations, IV.

^{page 599 note 1} See genealogical table, on p. 614, Lady Čhan.

^{page 599 note 2} The Yokrabat, usually third in rank in the province, was an official specially appointed by the central government for control purposes; see Wales, H. G. Quaritch, Ancient Siamese government and administration, London, 1934 Google Scholar. The Yokrabat was occasionally, though not usually, a local man.

^{page 599 note 3} Takua Pa lies some 50 air miles north of Thalang. Pak Phra is between the two.

^{page 599 note 4} This official was possibly Phra Wichit the Deaf; Phongsawadan Mu'ang Thalang, 65; Gerini, op. cit., 242.

^{page 599 note 5} On the eight districts see Gerini, op. cit., 170, 186–92, 245.

^{page 599 note 6} This official may be the same man, raised in rank, as the Phya Surintharacha of letter no. 3 above, see below pp. 608–10.

^{page 600 note 1} Meaning Tranquebar which was a Danish settlement at that time.

^{page 600 note 2} Forwarded as a postscript to a letter from the Governor–General to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors, 26 January 1786, Bengal Secret Letters, xxiv. In this letter Light is spoken of highly.

^{page 601 note 1} Letter from Governor-General to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors, 26 January 1786, quoted by Clodd, op. cit., 39.

^{page 601 note 2} loc. cit.

^{page 601 note 3} Light to Governor–General, 12 September 1786, Council Minutes, 9 October 1786, Straits Settlements Consultations, n, fol. 131.

^{page 601 note 4} Light to Macpherson, 12 September 1786, Council Minutes, 13 December 1786, Straits Settlements Consultations, II, fol. 317. Light wrote, ‘Last year [1785] the preparations of the Burmans were so great that the King of Queda expected the total destruction of the Siamese’.

^{page 602 note 1} The Siamese chronicles give a detailed account of the Burmese invasion in the south and its aftermath; PP, IV, 262–72.

^{page 602 note 2} See above, p. 599.

^{page 602 note 3} Perhaps ‘in the forest’, see text, p. 617.

^{page 602 note 4} An official of this name or title was appointed at Pak Phra on the accession of King Tak Sin. He was killed during the Burmese attack; Phongsawadan Mu'ang Thalang. 59, see Gerini, op. cit., 241.

^{page 602 note 5} On 4 February 1786 according to Scott.

^{page 603 note 1} This passage may mean that Lindsay dealt with the wrong people or officials from the point of view of the writer. Letter no. 18 (see below, p. 604) refers to Lindsay providing rice for the widow. Alternatively, ‘Liki’ may represent another, unknown, ship's captain who was unfamiliar with Thalang and did not speak Thai.

^{page 603 note 2} ‘Notices of Pinang’, Journal of the Indian Archipelago, ed. Logan, , NS, II, 1858, 202 Google Scholar, quoting Light to Governor-General, 25 November 1786.

^{page 603 note 3} Ibid. , 203

^{page 604 note 1} See above, p. 597, n. 3.

^{page 604 note 2} Scott to Council, 31 March 1786, Council Minutes, 2 May 1786, Straits Settlements Consultations, II.

^{page 604 note 3} See genealogical table, on p. 614.

^{page 604 note 4} Possibly ‘profits’; see text, p. 617. The term is sometimes so used in Southern Thai.

^{page 605 note 1} Clodd, op. cit., 53, source not quoted.

^{page 605 note 2} Scott to Governor-General, Council Minutes, 9 October 1786, Straits Settlements Consultations, II, fols. 139–43.

^{page 605 note 3} Governor-General's statement, Council Minutes, 13 December 1786, Straits Settlements Consultations, II, fols. 343–6.

^{page 606 note 1} Light to Macpherson, Council Minutes, 9 October 1786, Straits Settlements Consultations, II fols. 129–39

^{page 606 note 2} Light to Macpherson, 5 October 1786, Council Minutes, 13 December 1786, Straits Settlements Consultations, II, fols. 181a–89.

^{page 606 note 3} Kyd, ‘Memoir of Prince of Wales Island’, Council Minutes, 14 September 1787, Straits Settlements Consultations, II.

^{page 606 note 4} Light to Cornwallis, 18 June 1787, Council Minutes, 27 July 1787. This is the most complete of the contemporary descriptions of Thalang. The so-called ‘usurper’ was, of course, King Rama I whose ninth lineal descendant sits on the throne in Bangkok in 1963.

^{page 606 note 5} Light to Andrew Ross, Fort St. George, 18 March 1784, Straits Settlements Consultations, I.

^{page 607 note 1} This was Captain Thomas Wilson who is recorded at this time as master of the Minerva snow and other small trading vessels plying between Penang and Thalang, in shipping reports which appear as appendixes to Light's letters to the Governor–General.

^{page 607 note 2} See above, p. 604.

^{page 608 note 1} A conventional expression.

^{page 608 note 2} For Čhao Khun Manda ? The use of the term does not necessarily imply that the writer was a son of Lady Čhan but he seems to have been on good terms with the family.

^{page 608 note 3} 21 dated letters: nos. 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 13, 15, 19, 29, 33, 36, 41, 42, 48, 52–54, 56⤓59.

^{page 608 note 4} Further evidence for the reorganization is provided by letters nos. 9 and 54 (1790) which refer to the appointment of a new official in charge at Takua Thung Bang Khli at a date which must have been after the Burmese invasion of 1786. In letter no. 34 (1787) the governor of Phatthalung wrote that he had been recently appointed to the post.

^{page 609 note 1} PP, IV, 271–2.

^{page 609 note 2} Phongsawadan Mu'ang Thalang, 58; Gerini, op. cit., 240. He was already Yokrabat in November 1785 (letter no. 51). A son of Lady Čhan, လhui, did however become Yokrabat but there is no mention of him as governor in the annals.

^{page 609 note 3} Thukkharat: dukkharāṣḍdara, a curious term. This official was normally junior to the Yokrabat; Bee Phongsawadan Mu'ang Phatthalung, 47. Palat: deputy.

^{page 610 note 1} Amoraphan, Prince Somnot, Ru'ang tang Čkao Phraya nai Krung Batanakosin, Bangkok, 1918, 2, 25Google Scholar. Čhao Phya Surintharacha's son Ru'k wrote the Thalang annals referred to in this article, in 1841. Another son succeeded his father as superintendent-general according to Gerini, op. cit., 191.

^{page 610 note 2} Phongsawadan Mu'ang Thalang, 60–1, and Gerini, 188–9.

^{page 610 note 3} PP, IV, 352–3.

^{page 610 note 4} The chronicle date is one day later; PP, IV, 333.

^{page 611 note 1} The ruler of Tavoy was shortly to repudiate this renewed allegiance to Bangkok.

^{page 611 note 2} Cartload; a weight, 3, 375 lb. avoir, according to Maccauly, Thomas, The Indian trader's complete guide, Calcutta, 1816 Google Scholar.

^{page 611 note 3} Text defaced from this point.

^{page 611 note 4} Light to Cornwallis, 26 September 1792, Council Minutes, 9 November 1792, Straits Settlements Consultations, v. The minutes contain a rough translation of the letter, fols. 118–23. The date is given correctly as 25 June. It was understood by the translator that a ship at Tavoy would come under Light's command, not that he would receive ships as prizes.

^{page 611 note 5} PP, IV, 347–8.

^{page 612 note 1} op. cit., 49.

^{page 612 note 2} See Wilkinson, R. J., Malay-English dictionary, 1932, 135Google Scholar; Marsden, W., A dictionary of the Malay language, 1812, 323Google Scholar.

^{page 612 note 3} A consignment of 2, 200 muskets sent to Bangkok from Trengganu in 1770 is mentioned in Phongsawadan Krung Thonburi, Prachum phongsawadan, LXV, Bangkok, 1937, 33 Google Scholar.

^{page 612 note 4} Forrest quotes tin on board at Junk Ceylon at 12–13 $ Sp. per picul (1784). Light's price works out at 17 $ Sp. per picul of 133 lb. (1787). Scott (1785) claimed to be able to buy at 8 1/2 but this low price was used when calculating the potential profitability of the island and enabled him to quote a high total figure. Even the Dutch were paying something over 10 $ Sp. per picul in Perak (Glass to Governor-General, 29 April 1787, Straits Settlements Consultations, n). Taking a mean figure of 13, the price of tin was 48 $ Sp. per phara. The Thalang bahar (Siamese: phara) varies but approx. 485 lb. avoir, ia given by Milburn, W., Oriental commerce, London, 1825, 320 Google Scholar.

^{page 613 note 1} A quantity or weight for the pip is not known.

^{page 613 note 2} Phmgsawadan Mu'ang Phatthalung, 20.

^{page 613 note 3} See Forrest's remarks, above, p. 597.

^{page 615 note 1} In the late eighteenth century orthography was still unfixed. Variants from the modern convention are noted here only in cases of lexical confusion or of special interest. The writer, while accepting full responsibility for.errors and inadequacies in the readings and translation, wishes to express his thanks to Mme Chaluay Vudha for her valuable assistance in these matters and to Dr. Vichintana (Chantavibulya) Panupong for information on southern dialect.

^{page 615 note 2} For

^{page 615 note 3} Southern Thai; cf. Central Thai: .

^{page 615 note 4} For ; the form also occurs in line 4.

^{page 615 note 5} The combination of archaic and modern forms is interesting.

^{page 615 note 6} For .

^{page 615 note 7} For .

^{page 615 note 8} for ( for with implication of /ņ/ for /y/, a Southern Thai feature.

^{page 616 note 1} S Thai, cf. CT

^{page 616 note 2} For

^{page 616 note 3} For

^{page 616 note 4} for , see p. 615, n. 8; four examples in this letter.

^{page 616 note 5} A ST variant.

^{page 616 note 6} (For ) this spelling has the implication of glottal closure with vowel shortening, a ST feature in this environment.

^{page 616 note 7} A ST variant; Pallegoix has : ‘pastillus’, op. cit., 806. See p. 598, n.

^{page 616 note 8} For .

^{page 616 note 9} For In certain letters there is some free variation in the use of and in relation to function.

^{page 616 note 10} For

^{page 616 note 11} For

^{page 616 note 12} For

^{page 617 note 1} For ? But see above p. 602, n. 3.

^{page 617 note 2} ST for CT

^{page 617 note 3} For . for : three examples in this letter; also for in letters 12 and 18.

^{page 617 note 4} For .

^{page 617 note 5} For .

^{page 617 note 6} For .

^{page 618 note 1} For .

^{page 618 note 2} The use of for is of interest.

^{page 618 note 3} For .

^{page 618 note 4} Note provincial usage. The orthography represents ST pronunciation.

^{page 618 note 5} For ; note implication of trisyllabic pronunciation, a ST feature.

^{page 618 note 6} For . ST pronunciation is trisyllabic; see no. 45, line 1.

^{page 618 note 7} For .

^{page 619 note 1} For .

^{page 619 note 2} For .

^{page 619 note 3} For .

^{page 619 note 4} For .

^{page 619 note 5} For .

^{page 619 note 6} For modern .

^{page 619 note 7} For .

^{page 619 note 8} For .

^{page 619 note 9} (: text defaced.