While they were suffering without hope of relief Father Tachard landed at Mergui at the end of 1690 and before entering further into the country informed the Barcalon that he was the bearer of a letter from Louis XIV and that he had been entrusted with negociations for the renewal of the alliance between the two crowns; and that he could not, without compromising his position, ask for an audience without previous assurance of the nature of his reception. Two Siamese officials who had come from France went in advance to the Court where they made a great display of the magnificence of the French King and of the honours that had been conferred on them even after it was known that his forces had been obliged to evacuate the fortified posts of Mergui and Bangkok. The vanity of the Siamese was immensely tickled by the fact that a King, whose power had humbled the pride of Holland, the only country dreaded in the Indies, had sought alliance with them. The first result of this embassy was the restitution of the Seminary, which by the energy of the Bishop of Métellopolis was soon restored. An Armenian lent him a large sum which M. Deslandes, the head of the French trading station at Surat had the generosity to repay. The zeal of the missionaries had become more active under the stress of persecution and they did their utmost to minister to the needs of the sufferers. The prelate, frightened by the despair which had caused them to beg for death, offered to stand surety for them to the King. The respect inspired by his virtues granted his wish and on the faith of his promise, the others obtained their freedom. The Seminary was over-crowded with 113 people, who were destitute of both food and clothing. The prelate deprived himself of the necessaries of life so as to relieve their more pressing wants. No one knew how he managed to do what he did, but generosity is never exhausted by gifts. The King himself was astonished at his never-failing charity and wishing to help, contributed 500 crowns. It was by the bishop's exertions that many Christians condemned to slavery regained their liberty. Others held by officials as debt slaves could not satisfy the greed of their masters, and languished in chains until 1695. The persecution which had crowned so many martyrs had also been productive of many apostates. The Siamese cruel in the invention of tortures, are too cowardly and too weak to bear them; and their example is another proof that cruelty is a vice that accompanies a pusillanimous character. History records events only that we may profit by them and on reading the account of this revolution, it is important to disentangle causes.