[Indochina].—Handwritten Franco-Siamese diplomatic dossier. - Lot 285

Lot 285
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[Indochina].—Handwritten Franco-Siamese diplomatic dossier. - Lot 285
[Indochina].—Handwritten Franco-Siamese diplomatic dossier. Bangkok, October 1890. 38 pages, 4° format (34 pages in French, 4 pages in Siamese), written in black ink; the first two sections (plus the text in Siamese) are signed by Camille Hardouin, with his official circular seal reading “French Chargé d’Affaires in Bangkok” (1 sheet is very brittle with marginal losses). Manuscript written just three years before the Franco-Siamese War of 1893. This document offers a behind-the-scenes look at the great power rivalry between France and England for control of the Indochinese Peninsula and commercial access to southern China. This file includes official correspondence and legal documents: 1. A protest by Hardouin addressed to Prince Devawongse, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Siam. In it, France challenges the judgments handed down by the Royal Commissioner (Prince Savatdi Sophon) concerning local Christians. Hardouin demands strict application of the privilege of extraterritoriality on behalf of a missionary convicted by a Siamese court. The Siamese version, on consular letterhead and calligraphically transcribed by court scribes, attests that this file was officially delivered by hand to the Siamese authorities. - 2. “Geopolitical Report” written under the pseudonym “An Old Resident of Siam.” In it, the author denounces the hypocrisy of France and England, which are secretly planning “the dismemberment of Siam” under the guise of a civilizing mission.- 3. Scientific and Archaeological Argument: To counter European colonial claims on Laos and Chiang Mai, the author demonstrates the millennia-old historical unity of the Thai people. The text cites the famous archaeological stele at Sukhothai (from King Ramkhamhaeng, 1292) to legally prove the prior existence of Siamese sovereignty over the eastern bank of the Mekong River. The text concludes with a stirring tribute to Siamese patriotism and Buddhism, asserting that, in terms of philosophy, “there is nothing superior in either Asia or Europe.”
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