Chap. IIT.] WAR WITH KAXDY. 85 



Jaffna on the north, and Batticaloa and Cottiar on the a.d. 

 eastern coa&t. The king in person led an army to hay ■^^^''^• 

 siecje to Colombo, and advanced to Hanf^welle within 

 eighteen miles of the Fort ; but he was driven back by the 

 garrison, who recovered from his discomfited followers 

 a number of the ajuns and muskets which liad belomjed to 

 the ill-fated force of Major Davie. Equally foiled at all 

 other points, the king went up into his mountain fast- 

 nesses, leaving the Enghsh in the low country so ex- 

 hausted by the campaign that the last available soldiers 

 ^vere withdrawn fi-om Colombo and the duty of the 

 garrison entrusted to pensioners and invalids.^ 



Mr. North applied to the Governor-General of India 

 for at least 3000 troops ^, to enable him to take ven- 

 geance on the Kandyans ; but the renewal of hostihties 

 between England and France in 1803 rendered it impos- 

 sible to send such reinforcements to Ceylon as woidd 

 have enabled the Governor to take effectual measm^es 

 for the recapture of Kandy^; — and for the two following 

 years he was forced to confine his operations to the 

 chastisement of the Singhalese districts which had 



^ CoKDiNEE, vol. ii. ch. iii. p. 236. his perilous coiu-se, brought off his 



2 Mr. North to the Marquis of ' men to Trincomalie on the 20th 

 Welltcslet, 29th July, 1804 ( Wei- , October, 1804, with only the loss of 

 Icslfy 3ISS.f p. 204). I 10 British soldiers, and 6 woimded. 



3 One efibrt was contemplated in This heroic adventure came oppor- 

 1804 for an assault upon Kandy by tmiely to retrieve the character of 

 a simiiltaneous advance of British the British army from the disgrace 

 troops from six difiereut points of into which it had sunk in the mmds 

 the coast, all concentrating at the of the Kandyans. Forbes was in- 

 capital. Orders were issued to some fonued by one of the chiefs who had 

 of the intended commanders, but on harassed Captain Johnston's retreat, 

 fiu'ther inquiry the attempt was that an impression left on the natives 

 found impracticable, and abandoned, was that he " must have been in 

 Amongst others. Captain Johnston alliance with supernatural powers, as 

 had been directed to march from his judgment and energy, superior 

 Batticaloa, and make his appearance as they were, were insufficient to ac- 

 at Kandy on a given day — and this count for his escape through one con- 

 order, by some strange accident, it loas tinued ambush." — Forbes's Eleven 

 omitted to counter mancl. Captain Years in Ceylon, yol. i. p. 41. Cap- 

 Johnston, in consequence, advanced tain .Johnston has left an account of 

 with about 300 men, of whom 82 were his Expedition to Kandij, London, 

 Europeans, on the 20th September — j 1810, which is one of the most 

 fought his way to Kandy, which he , thrilling military naiTatives on re- 

 occupied for three days, and retracing 1 cord. 



G 3 



