AFFAIRS IN SIAM.
pro THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.").
Sin,—The correspondence in your columns of late referring to British political and commercial affairs in Siam, while most interesting and true, unfortunately does not clearly point out the cause of the undoubted decadence of our pres- tige in that country. Since -1894 there has been only one British Minister-Resident appointed to the Court of Siam, though there have been five Charges d'Affaires, three of whom were drawn from the local Consular service, in which they held the rank of Consul or Vice-Consul. Since December, 1899, therefore, till the aimointment of Mr. Tower to the Legation last month, our prestige, though fortunately not our commerce, has been in the hands of men utterly with- out any diplomatic training or standing, who have had to compete against the trained diplomatists of Russia, Germany, and France. The expected has happened in the enormous diminished British influence which exists at the present moment, and it is only due to the initiativs, of the merchants themselves, and not to any help that they get from their representatives, that British trade has not been ousted more than it has been by the Germans, Danes, and Italians. It is a" recognised fact in Bangkok that though there exists both a Legation and Consulate, the staff of the latter consider themselves . as all belonging to the higher Service, and take little or no interest in British commeice or trade, considering them beneath their notice. The annual Consular Report' is written by one of the juniors, from material chiefly supplied by the Siamese Government. It is of no real value, contains few, if any, practical sug- gestions.(especially as compared- with the AmeriCan. Consul- General's elaborate Report), and is never referred to locally. The fact is that the Consulate is, for the most part, unaware of the merchants' wants and difficulties, and lives in a world of ideas and dignity altogether of its own creation. It is utterly out of touch and sympathy with the 'commercial man, who has learnt from long and bitter experience not to rely upon the Legation or Consulate for any practical help. When even a Vice,Consul may become at any moment Chargé d'Affaires for six months at a time, how can he be expected to take any interest in trade, or anything less than long despatches to the Foreign Office on subjects- of which he has little knowledge and less influence! Until the Consulate under- stand that their business is primarily to look after the interests of British subjects, and to keep in -touch with them, so long will the present unsatisfactory state of things exist, and grow worse,—if that is possible. Diplomacy ought to -be in the hands of properly trained men of the Diplomatic Service if we wish our interests to be respected by the Siamese Govern- ment and our wants attended to. Otherwise we must be content to rank even below the smallest of European nations at the Siamese Court. That English is the second official
language is not due to local influence, but to the fact that it is the language of the Far East generally, and as necessary as French is on the Continent. That our trade does still flourish is due to the unaided energy of the British merchant, though the only regular vessels on the Bangkok-Singapore line which fly the British flag are three Chinese-owned ones. German interests are carefully fostered by the German repre- sentative, who does not disdain to make himself personally acquainted with the wants and difficulties of his countrymen, and ably and energetically to support them as occasion requires. When our interests are represented solely by diplomatists, and our Consulate recognises that commercial knowledge and duties are not beneath their dignity, then, and then only, shall we begin to regain that position which for years past has been gradually slipping away from us.—I am,
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