36 



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



GOVERNOR VAN ECK'S EXPEDITION AGAINST 

 THE KING OF KANDY, 1765. 



Translated from the Dutch by A. E. Buultjens, B.A. Cantab. 



Introduction. 



The Dutch manuscript, relating to Van Eck's expedition 

 against Kandy, was purchased by me in Holland, 



Baron van Eck was the Dutch Governor of Ceylon, 1762- 

 1765 A.D. 



The route he took was viol Negombo and Kurunegala, not 

 the usual road via Balana (near the Kadugannawa pass), by 

 which the Portuguese invaded the Kandyan Provinces. 



This expedition in 1765 was, I believe, the only one against 

 Kandy undertaken during Van Eck's regime, and if so Sir 

 Emerson Tennent has antedated it, when he states (Vol. II., 

 p. 61) : " The Dutch, by an exertion of unwonted vigour, 

 conducted an army to Kandy, 1763 A.D,, which they held 

 for some months."* 



In the Sinhalese History of Ceylon, by Mudaliyar Simon 

 de Silva, published by the Public Instruction Department, 

 an expedition is mentioned (p. 131) which took Kandy in 

 1763 A.D. That account states that the Sinhalese prevented 

 provisions from being taken from the maritime provinces to 

 the Dutch army in Kandy, which thus suffered from famine 

 and sickness. After remaining in Kandy for nine months 

 the Dutch General considered it prudent to save the rest of 

 the army by flight to Colombo. During the retreat the 

 stragglers, weary and faint, were cut off by the Sinhalese, 

 who fell upon them at Sitawaka and slew 400 of them. The 

 rest of the Dutch after suffering great hardship at last reached 

 Colombo.f 



* Sir E. Tennent may have copied the date 1 763 from Pridham (Vol. I., 

 p. 134), Forbes (Vol. II., p. 240), or Marshall (p. 59). Percival gives it as 

 1764. The Mahdwansa, Eschelckron, Bertolaca, Haaf uer, fix no year. — B., 

 Hon. Sec. 



f Mudaliyar Simon de Silva's History of Ceylon, p. 131. — A. E. B. 

 [Mudaliyar S. de Silva states that his book was written some twelve years 

 ago, though published only recently ; that the authorities for this period 

 which he followed were Pridham, Knighton, Marshall, and the Mahdwansa ; 

 that he also quoted from a Sinhalese poem (since lost) called Lansi-hatana, 

 the contents of which he has forgotten ; further that he cannot remember 

 where he got the number " 400 " in connection with the alleged slaughter 

 at Sitawaka. He probably took over the figures from Percival or 

 Marshall, both of whom give it.— B.. Hon. Sec.] 



