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JOURNAL, E,A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X.. 



April 29. — There came a certain manshouw with news 

 from His Majesty of Ceylon to the respective Governors of 

 Samanture and Coutijar, but the real intelligence was hidden 

 from us. The Commander brought ashore from the "Utrecht" 

 four lialve-cartouiven, with which the loopholes of our bat- 

 teries were strengthened. The yachts "Ryswyck" and the 

 " Nachtegael " sailed out again to cruise in front of the bay of 

 Trincomalee, so that all help from Jaffnapatnam should be 

 cut off from the enemy. 



April 30. — Our men were at work, and mounted ten brass 

 halve-cartouwen, four of 24 lb. and six of 18 lb., well supplied 

 with gunners, musketeers, ammunition, powder, and other 

 requisites for playing on the Fort. Being fully prepared for 

 defence (it was resolved) to attack the enemy next morning 

 (although the Fort could have been bombarded three days 

 ago with little firing), and to force them to surrender. The 

 " Klein Amsterdam " and " Oudewater " were to be keel- 

 hauled, as they leaked badly, and were not sea- worthy. 



May 1. — In the morning, an hour before day, all the 

 soldiers being landed, fully armed, the Commander himself 

 landed by a certain tancke. He drew up in battle array all 

 our soldiers there, under fire from the enemy's cannon 

 (but so that they could not be seen through the scrub 

 round the Fort) with the object that, if the besieged made a 

 sally or came to parley, they might assist those in the 

 batteries and trenches and be in readiness for any emergency. 

 Accompanied by the Fiscal Gerard Herbers and the Sea- 

 Captain Lourens Lourensz, he went to our trenches and 

 batteries to inspect some points which the gunners, by 

 continually firing, could breach to the best advantage. Having,, 

 therefore, found everything well arranged, it was deemed 

 expedient that the chief attack should be directed against 

 the northern bastion St. Jago ; but in the meantime they 

 were busy firing at the cannon on the bastion St. Cruz (which 

 extended somewhat westwards), so that the besieged might 

 not be able to use them, and their efforts might be rendered 

 fruitless. Having fired a broadside four or five times on the 



