History of the Kingdom of Siam and of the revolutions that have caused the overthrow of the empire, up to A.D. 1770

by F. H. Turpin

The governor feared that those who had given him shelter would not respect the rights of hospitality for long. He only begged a small force with which to go and retake the town that he had evacuated on the strength of a false report. He considered that the letter from the Burmese General had been sent by an advanced body of troops whom he would keep up even in time of peace. He then began to doubt whether the document had been genuine and suspected that it had been the work of some disaffected persons who had concocted it to give him a false alarm, and to make him take his departure. He was so convinced that his idea was correct that he persuaded himself that his subjects were his only enemies. Thus a victim of his blind faith he went to give himself up to a ruler whom he had offended.

This rumour was taken as credible by so many that the captains of the ships at Mergui, who had been alarmed by the first news of the Burmese advance, believed they were in perfect safety. Trade that had been interrupted for some time was renewed. The fugitives returned to their houses, and the town that had been deserted for eight days, resumed its normal aspect. The Christians had been very anxious to embark for the Coromandel coast and only one availed himself of the offer of a Portuguese captain who sailed on January 8th, 1765, but the rest very soon saw that they had been misled by a false sense of security.

On the 10th of January, a confused noise as of a shouting multitude was heard in the evening by the river side. The sounds gave rise to the idea that the enemy were approaching and that the first alarms had been only too well founded. In fact the enemy were only three or four leagues from the city and a pilot had seen ten of their ships. A short period of calm succeeded this alarm. The pilot on being questioned replied that he had seen nothing whereupon everybody returned home quietly.

The missionaries were in a calmer frame of mind, because they had seen that quiet reigned on board the ships anchored in midstream, and were sure that the noise that had been reported was only a product of panic stricken imagination. But at four o'clock in the morning fifty gun shots were heard which left no longer room for doubt that the Burmese had arrived.

The startled inhabitants perceived that death or speedy captivity would be their portion. The captains of the trading ships cut their cables at once, and fearing to fall into the power of a savage foe, allowed their ships to drift with the stream without heeding the danger of shipwreck to which the inequalities of the river bed rendered then liable.

The Christians who remembered the horrors of the late war shuddered with dread at the thoughts of these savage creatures steeped in the gore of old men and of children butchered on the still smoking bodies of their mothers. All fled to their boats and endeavoured to escape from certain death.

The Burmese made their attack and found no resistance. The love of life had driven away all thoughts of defence.

The pillars of fire that were rising on all sides made the inhabitants judge that their country was but a wood-pile being devoured by the flames. M. M. Andrien and Alari both came down to the church and were soon followed by a crowd of Christians. These two missionaries exhorted them to make a generous sacrifice of their lives and promised to set them an example of how to meet death. The fire which was devouring the neighbouring houses was about to attack the church. M. Alari thought of running away and begged the others to look to their safety. He took some money for his needs and buried the rest at the foot of a tree, in the hope of finding it again after the fire had burnt out. He saw that the enemies had gained possession of the gates. Then to save himself from the impending danger, he told a young servant who could speak Burmese to inform the soldiers at the gates that neither he nor his companions would offer any resistance. The Burman was satisfied with this message and with some money which was given to him he put down his spear, but he asked for and was given a shabby hat which had aroused his cupidity.

But the soldiers who came up shortly afterwards were not so moderate in their demands, for they pulled off all his clothes.

In vain they were informed that nakedness was shameful. He spoke to the Burmese but they would not listen to him. The same soldiers greedy for more valuable booty entered the house to seize what they could. They broke open the chest containing the sacred vessels which they defiled with their impious hands. The missionaries, robbed and almost naked were dragged to the harbour and put on board a ship. As the water was rough they were made to cross long stretch of ground covered with mud and they would have been buried in the mire if they had not been helped by two native servants who had still remained faithful.