Author Description

HENRY BURNEY A Political Biography By D. G. E. HALL. London, Oxford University Press, 1974. ISBN # 0197135838. Hardcover with dustjacket. 330 PAGES. Henry Burney played so important a part in the East India Company’s relations with Siam and Burma in the 1820s and ‘30s that a biography of him is long overdue. Siam he influenced to take a tentative, yet decisive, step towards a policy of cooperation with the West which proved to be a turning point in its history. Burney went to Burma after that country had suffered the appalling shock of its defeat by the armies of British India, and there he sought with some success to build up satisfactory relations between his government and the Court of Ava. Burney’s writings about both countries are of the utmost value to the historian, providing much material not to be found in indigenous sources. They are, moreover, delightfu8l personal records. With an excellent knowledge of both languages, Burney was able to carry on conversations with everyone from the king downwards and to indulge his curiosity into every aspect of his life. And it is clear from his journals and despatches that he charmed all who came into contact with him. Even those with whom Burney clashed, such as the Chao Phraya Phrakhlang at Bangkok and King Tharrawaddy at Ava, developed a genuine regard for him. Hardcover.