FORBIN, CLAUDE DE (1656-1733), French naval com mander, was born at Gardanne, Provence, on Aug. 6, 1656. He went to Siam in 1685 with the Chevalier de Chaumont, sent by Louis XIV. at the invitation of the King of Siam to introduce European civilization in that country. He remained as admiral and general-in-chief to the King of Siam until 1687. He was the colleague of Jean Bart in his irregular operations in the Channel, and distinguished himself at the battle of Lagos. From 1702 to 1710 he served in the French navy as chef d'escadre, and played a particularly brilliant part in the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1710 he retired to Saint-Marcel, near Marseilles, where he died on March 4, The latter part of his life was spent in writing his Memoires (173o).