This thesis was done with the purpose of illustrating the various forms of Thai trade activities during the period of the Ayuthia Kingdom up until the period in which Thailand expanded her contacts and relations with Western nations during the reign of King Mongkut. Thailand’s trade was originally monopolistic. The Royal Warehouse in charge of controlling goods as well as Thailand’s commercial regulations to prevent foreign traders and local merchants from carrying on trade directly without having first to pass through the Royal Warehouse. The Royal Warehouse, therefore, was in the position to purchase at a lower price and to sell at a higher price in order to increase its income. Furthermore, the Monarch also expedited junks to trade with other nations in order to further gain additional income for the Crown. Foreign traders were unsatisfied with the trading system of Thailand and in order to change this situation they tried to negotiate a commercial treaty with Thailand. Many countries in the Far East such as China and Japan were already forced to open their doors to trade with Western countries. To escape from such pressure, Thailand was willing to make trade agreements with other countries in the reign of King Mongkut. Although the form of trade was liberalized, the present methods for trading in certain types of goods such as rice are still similar to those monopolies in the past. Today, the government fixes the rice quota for export similarly to the control of rice expert in these periods. Even though economic and trade matters were important in those days, historical records and documents in the period of Ayuthia Kingdom and Early Ratanakosin epoch showed disinterest. The only documents now available are those written by foreign merchants or foreign residents in that period. This thesis attempts to collect all available sources of original copies of diaries, personal correspondence, Royal records and historical publications, in order to analyse and to establish the true facts regarding foreign trade of Thailand.
