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the Siamese people, is the king Mongkut, who came
to the throne in A. D. 1851* Before he had become
king, he passed twenty-six years as a monk. The
effect of this monastic life was beneficial to him and
made him an able and enlightened sovereign. It is
during his reign that Siam * passed from the middle
ages to modern times/ As a monk he had founded a
new sect. He was eager to study other religions with
an open mind. He was proficient in mathematics and
wrote several books on history and another on
grammar. He ordered the Siamese Annals to be
edited. He consolidated the position of Siani by
making treaties with the great European powers. He
abolished slavery, gambling and using of spirits and
opium.
V—CHULALONGKORN,
( l868---ig I! A. D. )
The great king Mongkut was succeded by his son
Chulalongkorn (**CiHafahk&ra) in A. D, 1868. In
that very year he 'decreed that no Siamese could be
born a slave/
He published the whole of the Tripitaka in Sia-
mese character and had the copies distributed to vari-
ous scholars in the world. R. Chalmers describes the
king of Siam * Edition of the P&h Tripitaka in J. R.
A. S. ( Jan. 1898 ). He opened many new schools
and benevolent institutions with the help of his brother
Prince Damrong.