No. 38.— 1889.] THE DUTCH IN CEYLON, 1602-1757. 87 



The Courtiers made a further proposition, namely, that if 

 the Company were granted a monopoly of the arecanuts, they 

 would allow the King to transport his nuts (amounting to 

 about 3,000 amunams) from his villages by vessels from 

 Putulang ; also that His Majesty should be allowed to ship 

 yearly on his own account about 400 or 500 packages of 

 cinnamon to the Nettherlands in the Company's vessels, and 

 receive other goods in return. 



They were told that this could not quite be allowed, but 

 that it would be better for His Majesty to deliver the 

 arecanuts to them, and receive payment on the coast ; also 

 for His Majesty to use our ships, or for money to be paid to 

 His Majesty's servants, thereby preventing the sale of the 

 nuts at a lower price, to the manifest prejudice of the Com- 

 pany ; and that it would also be more advantageous for His 

 Majesty to dispose of his cinnamon to us at a certain valuation, 

 "in payment of which he could either choose Netherlands or 

 Indian goods, and thus save the expenses and risks of the sea. 



This answer seemed to satisfy the Ambassadors. 



It now became evident that the Courtiers had far more 

 "influence with the young King than they had had with the 

 late one : and the most powerful party being against the 

 Company everything took a different turn, so that the 

 permission of the King (given by ola) for peeling the 

 cinnamon could not be depended upon ; because by all 

 appearances the King and his courtiers would not be satisfied 

 until the ports of Calpetty, Batticaloa, and Coetjaar were 

 opened to all Indians as in the year 1664. 



This became more evident when in May of the same 

 year, 1688, the Chief Secretary of State came down quite 

 unexpectedly by water, accompanied by a large suite, in 

 unusual state, and after the usual superstitious ceremonies, 

 delivered a message to the effect that the young King was 

 about to be elevated to the rank and title of Emperor. This 

 caused instant rejoicings on the part of the Company, and 

 three volleys of musketry and thirty-one discharges of cannon 

 were fired as a token of satisfaction. 



