814 SIAM ships, she forged ahead, followed closely by the Comctc. As theyran past the Siamese squadron the French guns on deck with their melinite shells, and themachine guns aloftin the fighting tops,poured a withering fire into them, and the Inconstant attempted to ram the Siamese cruiser Coronation. It is to be feared that most of the work of defence, such as it was, was done by the European officers, rather than by the native Siamese sailors, of King Chululongkorn's navy. By 7 p.m. the unwelcome visitors had passed both forts and ships and were steaming on to the city, having inflicted considerably more damage than they had received. The Siamese casualties,as officially announcedby themselves, amounted to eight killed, forty-one wounded, and one missing, probably drowned. On the otherhand,only threeFrench sailors were killed and two wounded. Their dead were buried in the compound of the French legation, it being considered inadvisable to risk a public funeral in Bangkok. It was a noteworthy feat for two small wooden gunboats to have thus forced the defences oftheMenam. They wereexceedingly anxious to 'finish the job' by shelling the royal palace that very night. But this was prevented by M. Pavie. Next day, July 14th, the gunboats coolly'dressed ship'in honour of the anniversary of the fall of the Bastille,just as though nothinghad happened, whileexcitement reigned supremein andaround thecity. Indeed, when the Frenchmen steamed a few yards higher up tlae stream inorder to obtain a better anchorage, this was immediately construed by the onlookers into a menaceagainst the palace."

After the gunboats passed the bar, M. de Richelieu, who had been directing the fire of the forts,hurried up to Bangkok and asked the King to let him have the royal yacht, a large steamer armed with machine guns, with which he proposed to sink the intruders at their moorings in the darkness, by ramming them. But tlae King had lost all confidence in his Danish commodore, and henceforth abandoned all thought of resistance. Next day proclamations wereposted in the city informing the Siamese thatFrance andSiam were not at war, that the forcible entry of the river by the gunboats was due to a mistake as to his orders on the part of theFrench admiral, and that while negotiations were in progress the King would allow him to remain in the Menam. This explanationdid not, however, deceive the people or diminish the humiliation of the Government. Though AdmiralHumann had only 300 menon board the gunboats, everyone knew that he could if he wished destroy tlae palaceand seize the city.

The Siamese were glad enoughto sacrifice all the east bank of the Mekong and two of the southern provinces in order to save the rest of thekingdom. The French had seized the coast town of Chantabun and fortified it. They declared that it was only a temporary occupation,and that they held it as a security for the execution of the rest of the convention. They hold it still.