Chap. II.] 



DUTCH CONQUESTS. 



43 



of Portugal, and by Balda3iis, who at a later period 

 served as a chaplain to the forces of Holland ^ ; but httle 

 interest comparatively attaches to the narrative of the 

 strategy of the two European rivals, except so far as it 

 involves the fortunes, or developes the character, of the 

 Singhalese. 



In 1638 the fort of Batticaloa was taken by Westerwold 

 from the Portuguese after a very brief resistance, and a 

 fresh treaty with the Emperor of Kandy was forthwith 

 concluded under its walls, by which the contracting parties 

 bound themselves to carry on the war, the Dutch finding 

 ammunition and forces, the emperor defraying all other 

 charges, and both sharing the spoil.^ 



In 1639 Trincomahe was occupied and garrisoned by 

 the Dutch, but they afterwards retired from the city. In 

 1640 they were equally successful at Negombo, Matura, 

 and Galle ^ ; and Colombo, which was invested by the 

 army of Eaja Singha, might have been captured with 

 facility, but the Kandyan sovereign, apparently alarmed 

 by the rising power of the Dutch, not only permitted the 

 fortress to be retained by the Portuguese, but afforded 

 them the opportunity of recapturing Negombo^ in 1640. 



This pohcy paralysed the proceedings of the Dutch ; 

 further operations were suspended ; and at length, on the 



A.n. 

 1638. 



^ Ribeyi'o Landed in Ceylon in 1G40 

 in the suite of the Count d'Aveiras, 

 and remained till the capture of (Co- 

 lombo in 1058. Jialdajus arrived in 

 1656, and remained till 1665. Ya- 

 LENTYN, ch. xvii. p. 413. Another 

 writer who was present at tlie final 

 struggle between the Dutch and Por- 

 tuguese, JoiiAN Jacob Saars, has 

 given, in his Ost-ImUanische Fimf- 

 zelin Jahruje Kric(fs-dk'nst, or Fifteen 

 Years' 3Iilitanj Service, hetween'\(j^ 

 and 1659, Nui-emburg, 1662, an ac- 

 count of the campaign in wliich Co- 

 lombo was captured, p. 122 — 128. 



^ See a copy of the treaty in Bal- 

 D^rs, ch. xxii. p. 641. 



' Galle was reduced by Commo- 

 dore Koster, wlio acted as envoy to 

 the Coiu-t of Kandv. But the Dutch 



were singularly unfortimate in the 

 selection of agents on tliese occa- 

 sions. Koster, a rude sailor, insulted 

 Raja Singha II., as De "NVeert had 

 previously outraged Wimala Dhanna ; 

 he was dismissed without the usual 

 diplomatic courtesies, and murdered 

 on his return to Batticaloa. — liAL- 

 D.EUS, ch. xlii. p, 710} Valexiyx, 

 ch. xii. p. 143. 



+ KiBEYKO, pt. ii. ch. viii. p. 102. 

 The expressions of Yalentyn are 

 ver^' cm'ious on the point of the du- 

 plicity of Baja Singha: — " toen al 

 cousidcrerende dat 't beter was van 

 twee natien gecaresseerd, als van een 

 stoute wydberoemde overheerd te 

 werden, liet by de Poilugeesen weer 

 adem scheppen." — Ch. xii. p. 143. 



A.n. 

 IGu'J. 



