John Macgregor

Through the Buffer State John Macgregor

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1896. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... by the Siamese, along with everybody else on board the vessel. They afterwards raised the 'John Baptist Say ' (to give her full name), and we passed her further up the river, covered all over with mud, and looking very sorry for herself. But with this exception the Ocean-butterfly Fort does not appear to have done any great execution, for shortly afterwards some shots from the French gunboats caught hold of its corrugated-iron roofing, and tore it away in such a manner that it fell down on the men working the guns below, and killed several of them on the spot. So the Ocean-butterfly Fort was silenced, and the French gunboats proceeded up to Bangkok without any further molestation--and so did we on this more peaceful journey. An incident that caused quite a flutter in the newspapers took place at this time. One of the French meno'-war was said to have fired across the bows of H. M. S. 'Swift,' and to have ordered her out of the harbour. But what really occurred was that the French senior commander intimated to the British ship, for her own information, that he was going to open fire on the Fort if necessary. It appears true, however, that some French gunboat did fire across the bows of the 'Swift,' apparently by mistake. For after the French ships reached Bangkok, the captain of the gunboat in question said that in the dark he did not know he was firing across a British ship at all, and expressed his regret for the accident. This is what I was told in Bangkok itself from people who ought to know, and I believe it is the true version of the story. The event, however, took place quite shortly after another unfortunate accident had occurred in West Africa. It will be remembered that, on that occasion, a native war party under French officers opened fire by mi...