Cross of the Royal Hanoverian Order of Gueíph, one of
his Britannic Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council,
a General of his Forces, Governor-General of the British
Possessions in India, and Commander-in-Chief of the
Troops o f his Majesty and the Honourable the East India
Company :
TO HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY THE EMPEROR OF ANAM,
KAMBOJA, AND LAOS, &c. &c. &c.
M a y i t p l e a s e y o u r I m p e r i a l M a j e s t y ,
The Most Noble the Governor-General of India has received
with deep concern the accounts of the death of your
Majesty’s illustrious father and predecessor, and sends his
Envoy into your presence to condole with you upon so
great a misfortune, and at the same time to congratulate
your Majesty on your accession to the throné of Anam.
The English are at peace and friendship with the nations
o f Europe and the E a s t; and Hindostán, which had not
for centuries known the blessings of repose, is in peace and
tranquillity. The authority and influence of the British
nation extends from Ceylon to the mountains which border
upon China, and from the country of the Burmans to that
o f the Persians.
My powerful and august Sovereign, at too great a distance
to govern these vast regions, has delegated to me his
authority, and I am, in consequence, charged with the government
of a country equal in extent to the greatest empires
o f the East. Anxious for the prosperity of the people
entrusted to my care, I solicit for them the friendship of
your Majesty and your people.
Both the Western and Eastern subjects of Great Britain
conduct a peaceful and beneficial commerce with the Persians,
the Arabians, the Turks, and the Subjects of the
Emperor of China. I entreat for them a renewal o f the
commerce which the English in ancient times conducted
with the subjects of your Majesty’s ancestors, upon such
terms and conditions as your Majesty is wont to grant to
the Chinese and other foreign nations.
Should it be agreeable to your Imperial pleasure, and
consonant to the laws of your empire, that your merchants
should, like the Chinese, the Siamese, the Persians, and
Arabians, visit our ports and harbours, they will receive
the most friendly welcome and protection.
The English desire neither lands, forts, nor factories
within your Majesty’s dominions, and they solely rely upon
your Majesty’s wisdom for that protection which will enable
them to conduct a trade beneficial to themselves and to
your Majesty’s subjects.
My Envoy, Mr. Crawfurd, will make himself acquainted
with your Majesty’s pleasure touching all these matters,
and, I trust, will be able to make such an arrangement with
your Majesty’s Council, as will lay the foundation of a lasting
friendship between the Cochin Chinese and English
nations. He has been chosen by me upon this occasion,
because he has represented me before at the Courts o f the
Princes to the Eastward, and has been long accustomed to
the manners and habits o f the people o f that quarter.
Whatever arrangements he may conclude with your Majesty’s
Government will be sanctioned by me.
He will present your Majesty, in token of my esteem and
respect, with certain gifts.
I have only farther to assure your Majesty o f my profound
respect and esteem.
V O L . I I .