A chief, of Chinese descent, Pla-tah, alias, Phria-metah, in 1767, seized upon the throne, and proclaimed himself king. In the early part of his reign, he behaved with moderation, good sense, and discernment, and his courage was unquestionable. He reconquered Piseluk and Ligor, which had declared themselves independent, during the Burmese invasion: but in the last year of his reign, he ruled in so strange a manner, that it was generally believed he was insane. His tyrannical and capricious conduct, in 1782, was the cause of a formidable rebellion, under the chakri, so called, being the title of a great officer of state: it ended in the dethronement and death of the king, in the same year, at the present capital. The chakri reigned in his stead, until his death, in 1809. His eldest son then mounted the throne, but not without opposition, for there was a large party in favour of his nephew, the prince Chow Fa, (or Chaou Pha.) He commenced his reign by committing an act of great atrocity, ordering, within thirty-six hours after the death of his father, the execution of upward of a hundred persons, supposed to be inimical to his right to the throne, including his nephew. After the committal of this sanguinary act, he ruled with great moderation. Nothing of much importance occurred. Three abortive attempts at insurrection took place during his reign; one was by the Talapoys, occasioned by an attempt to force a large number of their order into the ranks of the army. The acquisition of the fertile and extensive province of Batalang, in Camboja, took place the same year he ascended the throne. The year following, their implacable enemy, the Burmese, captured the island Junti Ceylon, on the western coast of the Malay peninsula, which was shortly after recaptured by the Siamese, attended with scenes of great barbarity. Since the conquest of the Burman empire by the British, the Siamese have lost all dread of their ancient enemy. In July, 1824, the father of the present king died _very suddenly_, it was said of stranguary, but not without strong suspicions of his being poisoned; in fact, it is said, by every one, that this was the cause of his death. His eldest, but illegitimate son, Chromas Chit, ascended the throne the same day, without bloodshed, to the exclusion of the rightful heir, prince Chow-Pha-Yai, who immediately embraced the priesthood, in order to save his life, or his liberty, or because he would not do homage to a usurper. His younger brother _Chow-Phoi-Noi_,[A] otherwise _Mom-fa-Noi_, was the next legitimate heir to the throne. He lives at the Portuguese fort, on the right bank of the river, opposite to the palace, and is now about twenty-five years of age. [A] He speaks and writes the English language with considerable fluency, and his pronunciation is very correct.