The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-09-12
SIAM.


Christian Science Monitor: The king
dom of Siam, the latest of the worlds
nations to enter tine war on the side Of
the allies, is country Of no small size
and no small importance. 1t has an
area four times as great as England,
with which it has been intimately con-
nected for so long. and it is land Of
many possibilities. Yet it is only at the
beginning of things, and, as far as ef-
fective help to the allied cause is con-.
cerned, too much is not to be expected
from a country whose total annual rev
enue does not amount to more than
100000 pounds; whose standing army
is not more than 10000, and whose navy
is one of the smallest in the world
The adhesion Of Siam, however to the
allied cause is most important, perhaps
from a political point of view. 1t is ore
Of the few ancient and Independent
Kingdoms surviving in the East, and
especially during the past half CEN
tury, it has been remarkable for its en-.
lightenment The modern history of the
country dates from the time that it
emerged definitely as a separate king
dom about the middle Of the thirteenth
century Kublai Kahn it was, who,
about that time. put the finishing
touches, as it were, upon the Siamese
as a people. For some time before his
invasion of Southern China, there had
been going on in Siam a fusion of races.
The Lao-Tai from the north had been
steadily filtering southwards, and, al.
most from the first, they had begun to
impose their characteristics on the peo-
pies into whose lands they had made
| incursion. Kublai Khans invasion OF
Southern China, however opened the
/ floodgates. The Lao.Tai. expelled from
/ their own territory, overran the south
ern progress, moved their capital from
| Sukhotai to Nakhon Dawan, thence tC
( Kampeng Pet, and thence again to Su
varnabhumi, near the present Kanburi
At Sukhotai, an inscription datinl
from about 1884, states that the dom
inions of King Rama Kamheng extend
ed across the country from Mekong {,
Pachaburi, and thence down the Gul
Of Ligore. The first king Of unite,
siam, however. was Uthong, who cam
to the throne in the middle Of the -four
teenth century. and built him a city OF
the site of the ancient Sano. one Of tn
cities Of old Siam. King Uthongs swa,
extended over the whole of the Malacci
I napfngftla nd ha .
Javan annals, extended his influenc
across the waters to Java.
Such was very much the positio
when Siam first came in direct col
, tact with Europe. as II did. through III
Portuguese, in the early days Of III
f., sixteenth century This was in Isl
after the conquest Of Malacca by q
, albuquerque, and the intimacy wit
Portugal lasted over a century. As the
did wherever they went. the Portuguese
impressed themselves on the imagini
tion Of the people Of Saim. and even y,
one may hear talk amongst the nativ,
= Of the greatness OF the Portuguese
They We're followed. a hundred yeai
later by the Dutch and the English. an
= the early relations with England seei
\ to have been specially cordial Thel
was. for instance. a friendly inte
. change OF letters between James an
!. the King Of Siam. and when Britt.
. merchants visited the country tn,
/. were Hospitality received and accord,
privileges. Then. In 1894 by treaty Wi
the Dutch. British interests became pa
amount in the Malay peninsula and
N Siam. and two years later Captain BJ
o ney signed the first treaty OF frien
j ship and commerce between Englal