No. 39—1889.] account of ceylon. 



293 



seven hundred men ; that this was the troop which had always 

 waged war against the King of Candia ; and that it had 

 been ordered to prevent our passing the river. Our General 

 at once ordered the officers to quietly tell their soldiers to 

 well provide themselves with ammunition, to take up 

 position in five troops, each six companies strong, in echelon, 

 and to be very careful with our two field-guns ; then to say 

 prayers, and in the name of God await the enemy. After 

 this was done, thirty men were ordered to advance half a 

 mile, and to report at once if they found the enemy. A 

 quarter of an hour had hardly passed when it was reported 

 that the enemy was advancing. We looked forward to the 

 fight with delight, as we were three thousand men, and the 

 enemy only seven hundred, and ignorant of the arrival of »a 

 fleet from Batavia, sixteen sail strong, with two thousand 

 three hundred men. We closed round them very soon, and 

 killed about five hundred ; so that not more than two hundred 

 got back to Columbo, and of them half died, because they 

 were almost all wounded. Thereupon we marched towards 

 Golumbo. 



The town is prettily situated in the plain, and is quite 

 open towards the sea." Big ships cannot enter the harbour, 

 but must anchor at a distance of half an hour. To the right 

 is a great battery near the river called S. Croix, and on this, 

 when we came, were sixteen bronze guns, which commanded 

 the sea and the harbour. Near the beach to the right before 

 one reaches the town was the Elephant Gate, opposite which 

 stood the Viceroy's house. Along the beach it is surrounded 

 by low walls, and there is a small battery of the name of 

 S. Vincenz ;| not far away was a small water-gate, and close 

 by the bastion Allegresse. Still further along the beach was 



* For a comparison of Saar's description of the fort of Colombo with 

 that given by Ribeiro, see C. B. R. A. S. Journal, No. 42, vol. XII., 1891, 

 p. 75 et seq. Saar's account of the siege should also be compared with 

 Ribeiro's and the narratives in Baldasus. 



f 8. Vincent (Dutch ed.). 



