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JOURNAL, R.A..S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XI. 



At the commencement of 1687 a falcon was sent to the 

 King, which caused a great interchange of compliments, the 

 courtiers writing of it to the Basnaike of Colombo as a 

 magnificent present ; and in May we had at last the long-wished- 

 for pleasure of the release of the [Dutch] prisoners, amongst 

 them being Lieutenant Moliere and Ensign Steenbeek, 

 besides eleven Toepasses and some natives. 



Meanwhile Governor Pyl, without informing the Court of 

 it, had gone to Nagapatnam to confer with His Honour the 

 Commissary Hendrik Adriaen van Rheede, who had 

 arrived there from the Ganges : this caused great suspicion 

 and uneasiness. 



The feeling was so strong that a trustworthy person 

 named Mattamagoddy Chitty was sent from Candia to 

 Jaffanapatnam to the Governor, with orders not to return 

 without him, while the chief Adigaar at the Court also 

 besought him to return to Colombo as soon as possible, 

 the state of affairs rendering his presence there highly 

 desirable. This induced the Governor to hasten his 

 departure, the more so as tidings also came from Candia 

 that some forces were stationed at the frontiers to defend 

 the country against foreign powers. This seemed to be mere 

 speculation, and the meaning of it could not easily be 

 gathered. 



During the presence of the Governor Pyl at Nagapatnam, 

 he handed to His Honour the Commissary some considera- 

 tions concerning the treaty of peace with the Candian court. 



His Honour promised to communicate his opinions to him 

 later, which were received at Colombo on June 18. His 

 Honour, treating of the Company's interest in Ceilon, 

 remarked : — 



That the monopoly of the cinnamon demanded their first 

 attention, but that the experience of many years proved that 

 the Singalese policy was opposed to this monoply of ours, and 

 that they were determined to possess themselves of Ceilon 

 and to drive away all the Europeans, or at least force them 

 to be dependent upon their pleasure. 



