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Introduction.
In giving a translation of the MS. printed under the auspices of the Committee of the Vajirañāṇa National Library dealing with the history of Siam, or rather Ayuddhya, from Chulasakaraj 686–966 (1304–1604), designated by the title of "Phra Rajaphongsavadan Krung Kao Chabab Hluang Prasöt," it may not be out of place to state briefly what are the indigenous sources of Siamese history as now existing.
In the reign of the King Phra Buddha Yot Fa, in the year 1795, a history of Siam was compiled from old sources, the authorship of which is ascribed to Krom Mün Mahisvarindrāmes. On this was based the history written in 1840, in the reign of Phra Nang Klao, by Prince Vasukri, known afterwards as Somdet Phra Paramanujit, and under the auspices of King Mongkut this latter version was printed in the printing office of Dr. Bradley in 1865. This history contains the history of Siam from the establishment of Ayuddhya as the Capital to its destruction by the Burmans in 1767, to which was added as an appendix the history of Khun Hluang Tak and of the first years of the reign of the founder of the present dynasty Phra Buddha Yot Fa.
We read in the Chinese Repository, vol. 2. (1833–1834), page 478:—
"Klin, a young native who was formerly employed as Siamese compositor in the printing office at Singapore, has been for sometime past engaged in preparing types from such materials as that country affords, and he is now making preparations to print the Siamese history in 25 volumes. The amount of each volume will be the contents of one of the Siamese black books which are formed of thick paper folded backwards and forwards into from 30 to 35 folds."
In the same magazine, vol. 5 (1836–1837) up to vol. 7 (1838–1839), a translation of the Siamese history was printed, commencing A. D. 1357 up to 1639. This translation was made by the Rev. Dr. J. Taylor Jones, and its very literalness leaves no doubt about its genuineness. This translation does only to a certain extent agree with the two versions mentioned, and it might therefore be well to refer to the fact that in the Bangkok Calendar for 1860
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