550 
‘against an immense multitude col- 
lected by the second Adagaar, after 
they had expended their ammuni- 
tion, till they were relieved by a 
detachment of 50 Europeans and as 
many sepoys, whom [I sent under 
the command of captain Blackhall 
of the 51st to bring them down, in 
which he has succeeded without 
loss. Under the oppression of so 
dreadful a misfortune, it is satis- 
factory to me to state, that an opi- 
nion formed of a spirit of defection 
in his majesty’s Malay regiment is 
perfeéily unfounded. Some indivi- 
duals of that corps had, indeed, de- 
serted from Candi; but the great 
majority, including all officers of 
influence and respectability, were 
staunch to the end. Those who, 
after the English were separated 
from them, were forced into the 
Candian service, are certainly not 
blameable ; and of those, five have 
already escaped and arrived here, 
who say that all the others are rea- 
dy to follow their example. ‘The 
princes of that nation, who ave set- 
tled at Columbo, waited on me, as 
soon as the melancholy intelligence 
arrived, to assure me of their regret 
and indignation at hearing that any 
Malays had deserted, and of their 
invariable attachment to the British 
government. 
Deposition of the Lascoryn, arrived 
from Candi. 
Milihinage Joannes, of the re- 
formed religion, being duly sworn, 
deposeth, that, the 6th of last 
month, he was sent, along with 12 
other Lascoryns, by the town-major 
to Candi; that he passed at Ne- 
gumbo, where doolies were put un- 
der their charge; and that he ar- 
rived at Candi, after a route of 
about 12 days; and that the Las- 
coryns delivered up the doolies and 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1803. 
other stores which were under their 
charge, to the English gentlemen. 
After remaining there three days, 
they were ordered to return to Co- 
lumbo with 12 doolies, in 11 of 
which were sick Kuropeans, and one 
which contained baggage. These 
doolies, with 12 European soldiers 
as an escort, passed the river, and 
stopped upon the opposite side; 
that the same day he heard firing at 
Candi; that a great many Coolies, 
upon hearing the firing, attempted 
to pass the river, but were stopped 
by a Malay sentry. Several Candi- 
ans approached the place where the 
doolies and the sick were, and fired 
upon them, which were returned by 
the Europeans and 12 Malays, who 
were posted there. They fired till 
their ammunition was expended, 
when the Malays jumped into the 
river, and the European officer who 
commanded the detachment did the 
same. He does not know what be- 
came of all the European soldiers, of 
whom he only saw 3 cross the river, 
and 1 killed by the Candians. ‘That 
the lascars, who seryed the cannon 
at that post, threw the cannon into 
the river, and passed to Candi, and 
that he followed their example and 
escaped to Candi; that he does not 
know what became of the sick wha 
were in the doolies. He went first 
to the mandore, where he had been 
before ; but, finding many Candians 
there, he got into the palace, and 
remained in the court where the 
Malay soldiers were. The firing 
continued until two o’clock, when 
a white flag was hoisted from the 
palace, and the firing ceased. That 
major Davie, the captain of artil- 
lery, and an European Malay officer, 
who spoke Malay, and two or three 
Malay native officers, went to the 
Adagaar, and returned soon after 
with 
