been a man of courage, good sense, and discernment.
In the same year he exerted himself
with skill and success to relieve a famine with
which the country was afflicted. Afterwards he
suppressed a rebellion which broke out under a
Siamese prince, who had returned from the island
o f Ceylon ; apprehended the insurgent, and executed
him. He reduced to obedience the provinces
of Piseluk and Ligor, the governors of
which had, during the Burman invasion, declared
their independence.
The Burman King, in 1771, prepared an expedition
for the reconquest of Siam, which totally
failed, in consequence of a mutiny among
part of the troops which had been raised in the
conquered provinces of Martaban and Tavoy.
The reign of Phia-tak may be stated to have
commenced in the year 1769. The character of
activity, moderation, and good sense which distinguished
the'early, part of it, was changed in
his last years for caprice, superstition, and tyranny,
which led to a general belief that he was labouring
under insanity. This brought on a formidable
rebellion against his authority in the year
1782, headed by the great officer of state named
the Chakri, who was at the time in command
of an army in the kingdom of Kamboja. This
chief marched to the new capital, Bangkok, dethroned
the King, put him to death, and seized
upon the Government.* The first prince of the
present dynasty sat on the throne until the year
1809, when dying, he was succeeded by his
eldest son, the late King, on the 11th of September
of the same year. During this reign the
Burmans, in the year 178.5, and under the fifth
prmce of the race of Alompra, attempted the
conquest of Junk-Ceylon, of which they obtained
temporary possession, but were finally discomfited
and expelled.
In 1786 the King of Ava, in person, again attempted
the conquest of Siam, an army advancing
from each of the three ordinary principal
points of attack, Tavoy, Martaban, and Chiang-
mai. The King was at the head of that which
advanced from Martaban, and soon after entering
the hostile frontier, was encountered by a Siamese
army, lost his cannon, and was nearly taken prisoner.
From 1786 to 1793 the Burmans and
Siamese contended for the possession of the sea-
coast of Tennasserim, with considerable animation.
I t finally continued in the possession of
the former by a truce concluded between the
parties in the last-named year.
The manner of executing any person of the royal family
in Siam, for there is a repugnance to shed their blood in its
literal acceptation, is to beat them to death over the head
with a club of sandal wood, and then throwing the body into
a bag, to toss it, without funeral rites, into the Menam.
Phia-tak, although base-born, had the honour of suffering death
after this fashion.