man selected on this occasion is reported to have been one of the most eminent of his class. When the vessel which conveyed the ambassy reached the coasts of France there was a terrible storm, and the magician was requested to use his superhuman power that they might arrive safely on land. And he is said to have subdued the winds and the waves, so that the vessel reached its destined port in safety; then inquiry was made of him as to the influences which had enabled him to still the adverse elements; he said it was because he was empowered to unite the influences of the French with those of the Siamese that the storm abated, and the vessel arrived unharmed. I will read from the document the statement which the ambassador made on returning to the Siamese Court:—
"They were admitted to the presence of the King, and the King ordered a company of 500 French soldiers, all good marksmen, to be drawn up in two ranks, facing each other, 250 on each side. They were commanded to fire. They fired, and each soldier lodged his ball in the musket barrel of the soldier opposite. The King asked the Siamese ambassador if there were any sharp-shooters as good in Siam; and the ambassador replied that the King of Siam did not esteem this kind of skill as worth much in war. The King of France was displeased, and asked what kind of skill the King of Siam did esteem, and what kind of soldiers he did appreciate? The ambassador replied, "The King admires soldiers who are well skilled in the magical arts; and such as, if good marksmen like your Majesty's soldiers here, should fire at them the bullets would not touch their bodies. His Majesty the King of Siam has soldiers who can go unseen into the midst of the battle, and cut off the heads of the officers and men in the enemy's ranks, and return unmolested. He has others who can stand under the weapons of the enemy to be shot at or pierced with swords and spears, and yet not receive the least wound or injury. Soldiers skilled in this kind of art he values very highly, but he keeps them for his special use in his own country." When the French King heard this he was unwilling to have the trial made; but the ambassador said, "You need not fear: they have an art by which they can ward off your bullets." They were ordered to come forth, and they came. The French soldiers all fired several rounds, some at a distance, some near, but the powder would not ignite, and the guns made no report. The magician desired the French soldiers not to be discouraged: "They shall fire and the guns shall go off." They fired — all the balls fell to the ground before they reached the Siamese soldiers, of whom not one was struck."
Such was the first state of relations between Siam and France; and I have no doubt that the European credulity was almost as great as the Siamese. But Siam has long been an object of interest to Europeans. There is an account of a conversation between Mr. Boswell and Dr. Johnson, in which the latter declared that the Siamese might have sent missions
