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A34454 A true description of the mighty kingdoms of Japan and Siam written originally in Dutch by Francis Caron and Joost Schorten ; and novv rendred into English by Capt. Roger Manley.; Benschrijvinghe van het machtigh coninckrijcke Japan. English Caron, François, 1600-1673.; Schouten, Joost.; Manley, Roger, Sir, 1626?-1688. 1663 (1663) Wing C607; ESTC R22918 62,553 163

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gilded Cabinets and Tents each in their Barges apart lastly the Gentry Courtiers Guards and other Attendants follovv the vvhole amounting to five or six and tvventy thousand persons The River is bordered on both sides vvith Boats and an infinite number of People vvho reverence and adore their King in his passage vvith bended heads and folded hands The Dominion and Revenue of the Crovvn is great amounting yearly to many Millions arising out of in-land Commodities as Rice Sappang Tin Lead Salt-peter as also the profits of the Sand and Mountain Gold which are only sold by the Kings Factors to forraign Merchants He hath also his Customs for outlandish Wares his Tributes and Presents from Subject-Princes and Governours of Cities and Provinces who know how much they must contribute as also the profits of his Traffick with Chormandel and China add to these the inland trade carried on by his Factours in the City Iudica or elsewhere and his Majesty of Siam will be found to be one of the richest Princes of India There are several Officers appointed for the receipt of incomes who must account every year and that exactly Most of these monies are expended in building and repairing of Temples in rewarding of merits and defraying the publick charges of the Kingdom the residue being brought into the Treasury which is esteemed rich and great The Laws and Customes of Siam are strange though orderly in the succession of their Princes when the King dies it is not his Son but his Brother who is Heir to the Crown but in case he have no Brother then indeed his Son steps in by course whose Brothers do succeed successively lastly all the Sons of the eldest Brother who hath reigned follow by turns the Daughters being wholly excluded any pretence to the Government But this order is not alwaies observed the Scepter being sometimes usurped by him of the family who is most powerful and most gracious with the people which is the present Kings case who having raised himself before his turn caused all his Competitors and their Adherents to be slain to the end he might peaceably enjoy what he had unjustly got and leave the Crown to his Brother or Children after him The ordinary Justice both Criminal and Civil is administred through the Kingdom according to their ancient Customes and Laws by Officers purposely appointed But in the City of Judica they have besides the ordinary Courts of Judicature a Colledge of twelve Councellours with one principal President which doth definitively decide all Appeals and other businesses whether Criminal or Civil It is indeed permitted though with extraordinary expence and cost to appeal to the King and his Council who ordinarily confirm and cause the former sentence to be put in execution In this and lesser Courts all Civil disputes are brought in by Lawyers and the cause being pleaded and witnesses examined on both sides before the Commissioners the Secretary makes an extract of the whole which being writ in a Book it is signed by both Plantiff and Defendant or others deputed by them that done the Book is sealed up and kept by the Judge till next Sessions at which time it is again opened in the presence of both parties and their debates heard noted and sealed as before So that the Lawyers by their several exceptions demurs and practices do very often delay and keepe up the parties for many years until at length after much sollicitings and expence the cause is anew opened and examined and finally adjudged and ended by a full Colledge But in Criminal matters as injuries robberies murther treason or the like the guilty or suspected person is apprehended imprisoned and examined if he deny the fault against witnesses or great presumptions he is forced by torture to confession all which being noted in a Book and presented to the Judges they immediatly proceed to Sentence and Execution except in Capitall crimes such being reserved for the Kings pleasure who either pardons banishes or causes the condemned person to be put to death according to the sentence Offences are ordinarily punished as they are more or less heynous with cashiering banishments into Desarts slavery confiscations mutilation of hand or foot burning in oyl quartering and other severe executions Where the case is doubtfull no witnesses appearing nor no strong presumptions against the accused so that the Judge knows not how or what to do he then permits both parties to try it out by common purgation either by ducking under water holding their hands in boyling oyl to go bare-foot upon hot coales or to eat a mess of charmed rice this conjured mess being made up into balls is given them by the Priest with much ceremony and he that can swallow it without casting it up again and behaves himself in this and the other trials with most courage is esteemed most innocent and acquitted whilest the other whether accusor or accused is most severely punished according to the nature of the crime The Kings power and military force by water and land consists most of his own Vassals and Natives he hath indeed some few Strangers as Moors Malayers and some five hundred Iapanners the most esteemed for their courage and fidelity although the Prince now reigning drove them out of his Country but they are now crept in again so that most of his forces are Siammers who must serve without pay and be alwaies in a readiness the hundredth fiftieth twentieth tenth or fifth man being levied according to the Kings pleasure and occasions Besides these the Grandees have ordinarily some hundreds of men in their service who wait upon them in the field so that his Majesty can raise an Army when he thinks good of two or three thousand men with two or three hundred Elephants Victuals Ammunition and other warlike Instruments for all this his Armies seldom exceed one hundred thousand men and not ordinarily forty or fifty thousand as his affairs require either for offensive or defensive His foot are in reasonable good order though merely armed with Bows and Arrows Shields Swords Pikes and a few Guns the horse are not better though generally armed with Swords Shields Bows and Lances Most of their force consists in some hundreds of tramed Elephants each of them furnished vvith three armed men and they have a good quantity of Cannons but do not well know how to use them At sea his Majesty hath several Gallies and Frigots vvell provided vvith great Guns though the Seamen and Mariners are but pitiful The Pravvs vvherevvith the Siammers can stoutly scuffle are vvithout number but ill ordered and armed and yet sufficient to deal vvith their neighbouring enemies as unskilful as they are though far short of our Europian Vessels and Mariners either to fight or sail These Mariners especially vvhen their Princes have been brave have conquered many of the neighbouring Kingdoms and Provinces but being all human things they have their vicissitudes these victories did but follovv the fortune of their favorites There