The man behind the treaty
In Thai history, Bowring is the title of the 1855 treaty that is the major landmark in Siam’s transition to the modern world. Bowring is also less well known as the author of a bulky book about Mongkut’s Siam (the reign of King Rama IV). But John Bowring himself is like a character in a drama who is there because the plot requires him, but who never takes shape as a person.