NO. 41. — 1890.] REBELIOX DE CEYLAN 



527 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Constantino de Sa arrives a second time as 

 Governor of Ceylan. He erects the Fortress 

 or Triquilimale, and with great prudence and 



GOOD GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHES PEACE. 



Great were the rejoicings in the Island of Geylan, which 

 celebrated the return of its Governor and Captain-General. 

 Constantino de Sa y Norofia, a second time to the government 

 of the Island. He was received with acclamation by both 

 Portuguese and Zing alas, who had gone even so far as to 

 petition his Majesty for his restoration, as the unanimous 

 wish of the people. 



Grateful for the good wishes unto himself, Constantino 

 continued to govern them with his usual courtesy and disin- 

 terestedness ; but found the Island in an uncertain state of 

 neither open hostility nor settled peace, because the punish- 

 ments and imprisonments inflicted by his predecessor had 

 exasperated the Zing alas, and made them long for a change : 

 on the other hand, according to the instructions the Count- 

 Admiral had given him, he had orders to follow up closely 

 the conquest of Gandia, and to erect a fortress in the Baia 

 de Iqs arcos at Triquilimale. 



These being such opposite undertakings, and the carrying 

 out of them requiring both time and consideration, the 

 difficulties placed in the way of the first almost preventing 

 the execution of the other, and besides the necessary provi- 

 sions being wanting, he informed the Count-Admiral of all 

 the obstacles in the way, together with the opinions and 

 recommendations of the oldest and most experienced Captains 

 serving under him, whereby they finally decided that the 

 erection of a fort at Triquilimale would afford great advan- 

 tages to whatever enterprise they might undertake against 

 Gandia. Because to declare war first against that prince 

 would compel him openly to oppose our designs, which 



