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

AMERICAN DIPLOMATS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 105
optniOn of Siam, its government, and its people.247 In 1831, in one of
the earliest reports to deal with Siam, Shillaber, the American Consul in
Batavia, described the Thai as a "conceited and arrogant people" "who
.appear not to have the least idea of the value oftime."24 8 Townsend
Harris249 and subsequent America representatives were even more
outspoken in their views, while as a critic of Siam General Partridge was
in a class by himself. zs o
With Sickels American opinion of the Thai began to improve,2s1
although he could write about "The barbaric laws and customs of
this country" and despair (in discussing plans for Ki11g Chulalongkorn's
trip to the United States, which was subsequently cancelled) that,
"Nothing in Siam is certain until it has transpired."252 Child, like
Sickels, was generally sympathetic toward Siam,2 5 3 but still complained
of "the outlawry and demoralization prevailing here," and, in reporting
247) This phenomenon was by no means limited to Siam. With a few exceptions
nineteenth century American representatives were impartially derogatory
of Asians, Africans, and Latin Americans.
248) Martin, "A History," p. 7. See also the comments of Edmund Roberts in his
Embassy to the East em Courts, pp. 227-318.
249) The extreme virulence of some of Harris' opinions may in part be because he
was writing in his private journal, while the records of other diplomats come
mainly from the semi-public diplomatic files. Harris was frequently as
critical of the Japanese as he was of the Thai, although he has acquired a
somewhat spurious reputation as the first American who understood and
admired Japan and its people.
250) See for example Chandler's despatch of March 31, 1859 (on the other hand,
in a despatch of August 18, 1860, he wrote that, "The Siamese are the most
enterprising people of India," "India" being used in its nineteenth century
sense, which often included all of South and Southeast Asia); Hood's despatches
of October 21, 1866, March IS, 1867, and November 2~, !867; and
. Partridge's despatches of March 14, 1870, January 21, 1876, February 21,
18 76, February 29, 1876, June 8, 187 6, and June 24, 18 76.
2H) Cf. BangkokDespatches, March 12, 1877, where Sickels describes the Thai as
"ignorant and superstitious" but not "bigoted nor intolerant," and lists other
virtues as well.
252) Bang:kok Despatches, January 3, 1880, and December 19, 1879.
253) This was particularly true in his published work, The Pear.l of Asia (see note
171).