The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

A~ll!:I\ICAN DIPLOMATS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 61
Hood replied that McCormick was a dishonest man, a drunk, and that
Virgin had "pledged his best exertions in having me removed from this
Consulate."76
Hood was soon as controversial as any of his predecessors. To the
surprise of all he consented to hear a libel charge the French Consul had
brought against Dan Beach Bradley, and even found against the venerable
American missionary.77 In another case Hood sent such a strong letter
to Mongkut complaining of dishonesty and injustice in Thai courts that
he was ordered by the Department of State to apologize.n Hood was
also the first consul to report the registering of Chinese proteges, 79 and
despite Department orders to stop the practice and Hood's promise that
"for the future 1 shall take no more, and when the papers of those I have
protected expire, I shall not renew them," the hundreds of names on the
list seemed to grow rather than decrease. so
In a less controversial field, Hood discussed the barriers to American
trade with Siam. Ships which had registered under foreign flags to escape
Confederate cruisers were now interested in returning to the American
flag, but trade was limited by the fact that most American ships were
too large to cross the bar at the mouth of the river leading to Bangkok
(there were only some 14 feet of water over the bar), and transhipping
goods was expensive.SJ
76) Bangka1lDespatches,August21,!866;January 17,1867;andJune4, 1867.
77) In the Bangkok Reco1·der Bradley had charged Aubaret, the French Consul,
with lese majesty. Most Americans, at least, thought the account was essentially
correct, but when Aubaret placed libel charges King Mongkut, perhaps
fearing the French more than the Americans, refused to let any Thai testify in
Bradley's behalf. For details of the "Au baret case" see BangkoT1 Despatches,
February 6, !867; Bradley's .Journal for the period; and Martin, "A History,"
p. 126 ff.
78) BangkoT1Despatches, March 15, 1867, and October 18, !867.
79) It was common practice of the treaty powers to extend their protection to
various non-Western minorities in $iam. 'Such proteges were practically
beyond the reach of Thai law, and gladly paid substantial fees for registration
under.a foreign flag. ·
80) Martin, "A History," p,p. 164-65; Bangkok Despatches, October 2, 1867.
81) Bangkok Despatches, March 12, 1866, and November 6, 1866.