Siamese Method - Publication

Publication

De la Loubère published his findings in his book A new historical relation of the kingdom of Siam (Du Royaume de Siam, 1693), under the chapter entitled The problem of the magical square according to the Indians. Although the method is generally qualified as "Siamese", which refers to de la Loubère's travel to the country of Siam, de la Loubère himself learnt it from a Frenchman named M.Vincent (a doctor, who had first travelled to Persia and then to Siam, and was returning to France with the de la Loubère embassy), who himself had learnt it in the city of Surat in India:

"Mr. Vincent, whom I have so often mentioned in my Relations, seeing me one day in the ship, during our return, studiously to range the Magical Squares after the method of Bachet, informed me that the Indians of Suratte ranged them with much more facility, and taught me their method for the unequal squares only, having, he said, forgot that of the equal" —Simon de la Loubère, A new historical relation of the kingdom of Siam.

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