No. 35.— 1887.] 



NOTES ON CEYLON. 



165 



stands the powder mill, beside the dwelling of the Master 

 Gunner. This is then in brief [the plan] of Colombo. 51 * 



There now remains to say how the Portuguese lost this 

 city, and the whole island. Disunion and self-conceit were 

 the cause of the departure of the Portuguese. When the 

 Hollanders came to Ceylon with their fleet, the Portuguese 

 could easily have prevented their landing, but thinking 

 too little of their foe they considered that an indignity, for 

 they believed that they could easily drive them back with 

 sticks. Therefore the Portuguese Governor of Colombo gave as 

 answer to those who brought him the tidings that the Hollan- 

 ders were engaged in landing, that the fowls should be allowed 

 to come on land, that he had powder and lead to shoot them 

 with. But after the Hollanders had taken several forts or 

 paggers, 52 they saw well that it was no cockfight ; but that 

 about 4,000 of the enemy, black as well as white, were 

 marching on Colombo, against whom they sent out 700 

 Portuguese to bar their passage at a river between Gaalen 

 and Colombo. But when the 30 men who formed the 

 vanguard had passed over that river, and whilst they were 

 occupied in cooking their rice, as they, to wit, the Hollanders,, 

 had eaten nothing the previous day, they became aware of 

 the Portuguese ; but not knowing how strong they were, as 

 it was late in the evening, and also quite dark (the body of 

 the Hollanders camp was on the other side of the river), never- 

 theless these courageous Hollanders fell upon the Portuguese? 

 who also not knowing whether the whole camp of the 

 Hollanders had passed over the river or not, and being also 

 but 30 men strong, who were the avantgarde, the Portuguese 

 took to flight. On hearing this news the rest of the 

 Hollanders crossed the river with all speed, each as best 

 he could. Here an officer, who was in the service of the 

 Portuguese, but was a Netherlander by birth, ran over to the 



* To the writers quoted in Note 51, infra, should be added Christopher 

 Schweitzer, who served in Ceylon from November, 1676, to January, 1682.— 

 B., Hon. Sec. 



