[2] The first known Briton recorded to have set foot in the area that is now modern Thailand was Ralph Fitch who arrived in Chiang Mai (referred to as Lamahey in his account) in 1586.

[3] Fitch described the city as: "a very faire and great towne, with faire houses of stone, well peopled, the streets are very large", he then added that: "The women be much fairer then those of Pegu" He continued: "Hither to Lamahey come many marchants out of China, and bring great store of muske, golde, silver, and many other things", "They have such plenty that they will not milke the buffaloes, as they doe in all other places.

[9] Because of the constant conflicts, the low profits yielded and mismanagement, the factory was forced to close in 1623, despite the pleas of the Siamese King for the Company to continue its activities.

[14] After insulting the host and the royal favourite; Constantine Phaulkon (a former cabin boy of a Company ship now first minister of Siam), they were shunned by the King and his court.

In this position White became responsible for the handling of Siamese trade and defence in the Indian Ocean, as well as having authority over the city of Mergui and Tenasserim.

In his capacity as Shahbandar, White declared war on Golkonda in 1685, and began seizing merchant ships in the Bay of Bengal for private gain.

As a result of his actions, Golkonda held the English Company to blame for these losses, due to the fact that the ships were led by Englishmen.

When these complaints reached Ayutthaya, the King ordered a full investigation of White's activities, however because of his connection to Phaulkon all the charges were soon cleared.

In 1686 a ship named 'Tiaga Raja', belonging to several Indian merchants residing in Madras, was seized by White and brought back to Mergui.

Subsequently, when White seized another ship belonging to an Armenian merchant residing in Madras, Yale declared war on Siam.

The Company in London persuaded King James II to issue a royal proclamation, prohibiting any Englishmen to serve on foreign ships.

Thailand resisted landings on its territory for about 5 to 8 hours; it then signed a ceasefire and a Treaty of Friendship with Japan, later declaring war on the UK and the USA.