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SIAM. 267
teenth century, Rajah Hapi, or the black king, subdued
the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Tenasserim,
and several other states ; but these conquests were not
long retained, owing to the civil wars which ensued.
Chaw Naraya, who ascended the throne in 1657, dis-
satisfied, as it would seem, with the conduct of his
own priests, gave great encouragement to both Chris-
tians and Mohammedans to settle in his kingdom. It
was in his reign that a series of romantic adventures
placed an Ionian Greek at the head of the administration
of an Indo-Chinese kingdom.
Constantine Phalcon, a native of Cephalonia of a
noble Venetian family, but reduced to poverty, being
compelled to seek his fortune in foreign lands, came to
England in the year 1660, where his talents soon recommended
him to employment. He was sent out to
India, whence, having entered the service of a respectable
merchant of the name of White, he passed into
Siam. He gradually acquired property sufficient to
freight some ships, but disasters attended his course,
and he was at length wrecked on the coast of Malabar,
and lost every thing except about 2,000 crowns. Here,
however, by one of those strange turns of fortune which
sometimes make history read like fiction, he fell in with
a fellow-sufferer, who proved to be no less important
a personage than an ambassador from the king of Siam
to the shah of Persia. Phalcon, being able to speak
Siamese, offered his services to convey back the envoy
to Siam, which were gladly accepted ; and the grateful
noble recommended him so warmly to his master, that
sion to besiege Odiaa" (Yuthia or Yoodra) ; "but leaving his life
in the siege, his successor demolished the town, and obtained the
white elephant. Since then, Siam hath revenged herself upon
Pegu."