of August preceding in
the road of Siam, and cast anchor in three fathoms at high-water: but
next day, the water ebbing thirteen hours on end, she was left only in
seven feet, fortunately on soft mud, so that she received little injury.
When again afloat, she was removed to another anchorage, where there
were three fathoms at low-water, being four leagues from the bar. The
town lieth on the river, some thirty leagues from the sea. Sending news
of their arrival, the sabandar and the governor of _Mancock_,[380] a
place on the river, came back along with their messengers to receive the
letter from the king of England to their sovereign, but chiefly for the
sake of the expected presents. Captain Essington and Mr Lucas
accompanied them to the town, where they were presented to the king on
the 17th September, and received assurances of a free trade, the king
giving each of them a small golden cup, and some little article of
dress. The covetous _mandarins_, or officers of the crown, would have
counteracted the royal permission of free trade, by taking every thing
they pleased at prices of their own making, and paying when they
pleased, acting in short more corruptly than those in any other part of
India, though assuredly the rest are bad enough: but, on complaint being
made to the king, he gave orders not to molest the English in their
trade; after which all their goods were carried to a house assigned them
by the king, being the best brick house in Siam, and close to that of
the Hollanders. The time when our people were at Siam was the season of
the rains, when the whole country was covered with water.

[Footnote 380: Rather Bankok, near the mouth of the river Menan.--Astl.
I. 438. h.]

On the 26th October there arose such a storm of wind as had not been
remembered by the oldest of the natives, tearing up trees by the roots,
and occasioning extensive desolation. Among other things destroyed on
this occasion, the monument which had been erected by the reigning king,
in memory of his father, was overthrown. Our ship, the Globe, very
narrowly escaped, by the diligent care of Mr Skinner and Samuel Huyts,
and by means of dropping a third anchor, after she had drifted, with two
anchors, from six fathoms to four, she was at length brought up, when
only a mile from the land. On this occasion Mr Skinner was beaten from
the anchor-stock, and very strangely recovered. Five men were drowned,
one of whom was supposed to have been devour