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

More on M.L. Manich Jumsai
Add res~ by Sum.:! .l urnsai. I I Octobe r 2001
I will havL" Lime: only to tL'II yuu a few stories
nbout two or rlwee books in this exhibitiorL
The first concerns ·wh:u nmst be rhc mos1
exciting exhibit . ..:specially fo r us Thais: /\ham
Son C/u·istang l'htic ron. by Mgr. Gamault and
printed at S:mta Cmz Church. 111 Thonburr 1796.
durmg the rc1gn of Kmg Rama I. Rack in the
1970s. my father knew about thrs work fmm a
r..:: rercnce which he fouud in Doc·tw7tll/J
JiisJoriqul!s by Dcscou\'riCres, and s-tancd a
decade-long l:!nqu iry. First h!.! went to the
Mis-.ions Etrangel'es in Rt1c d~ Oat:. Paris. but
the archivist there told him thnt due 10 the French
R ..:volut i cm-lh~ tim~: coinciding with the hook's
pubilcarion- the Missions were ordered clust·tl
and were occupied by the revolutionary soldiers.
Sint:c all t::urn:spl>ndL·ncc \vith Siam had ce:~scd,
it was impossible for books to have arrived ot
the premises. or if they did they wou ld have
been lost.
l1 wns forlunaw that Mgr. Gumault who
printed the book kept a copy. it has his signature
On lhc C{)\'CL n 1al COjl}' W::t~ in }l j ~ hOUSe :H
Chamlulbuti whicb w a~ an important propagation
ce ntr~ of the Ca~1o l ic Church. When he.
died in I X I I his belongings. including the book.
\VCre scm to hts n.:lali vcs in Fmncc. Fo r a dc;:c:tde
my l1'l1her roamed che sLn.:e l~ of Pan!> visiling
his rriends who owned anliquarian bookshops.
to make enquiries. Fin:JII}' one oftl1em succeeded
in track ing dowo the book~ and my rather
prompt ly bought il. [ remcmbct· his dauou. II
was :m historic moment for him. lo the
inLroduction to lhc rcprinH:J edition which ht!
published in 19R4. he proudly wrmc: ··1 brought
the book back to Bangkok t>n the 24"' November
19s3··. In ~IC Tb(li part or the intnrducti- 1 688, he visited the RQyal
Priming H ous~. und wu~ anxiou~ co ha \'c a
:-.imilar press se1 up in rhe Siamese caphnl.
My father quotes Duvcrdier in REFRO,
volume 68 to sny thm the (j_rsl pnnlmg in Tha1
i:.harnctcrs wns acc(lmplished in I~ 19 by John
Leyden at Scrarnporc. a tmvn near C:tlcutta It
wns .;i catecbtsm origmally wrm..:n In Bunn..:sc
by Judson, a m1ss i on~ry in Btrm>a. llis w1fe.
who learnt Thai from prisoners brought from
Ayulthaya to Dun nu in l767.tr.mslatcJ the work
into Thai nnd asked the Baptists in Serampore
IU ma.k~..: the type fact.!. My rather does 001 have
this particular work. but he has Jamo' Lnw's A
Gr(Jmmar ld tiJt' Thse- Lau~:uage
pnntcd in Calcutta in I S2~. "-·fore missionary
book.> irr Thui nppcan:tl around I X:l3, b~t they
were printed in Singapore. II was nut unlll I~D6
that pnnting wiLh the That type f:lce began in
.!durnai oltiu: Siam .\'ode:~;: 89. 1 & 2 ( 200 1 )