No. 50.— 1899.] van eck's kandyan expedition. 37 



The above account from the Sinhalese agrees in the main so 

 closely with the Dutch manuscript account of the sufferings 

 of the Dutch army at Kandy from want of food and from 

 sickness, and with the massacre at Sitawaka (Letter G), that 

 I am inclined to think the former is a description of what 

 occurred in 1765 and not in 1763. If so, a modification of 

 the account in that history is necessary, where it leads us 

 to infer that Van Eck became Governor after that expedition 

 against Kandy, and that he again made war against the 

 Sinhalese king and devastated many districts in the 

 Kandyan provinces. 



It is probable from the internal evidence, especially Letter 

 L, that the author of the Journal was Van Angelbeek, the 

 Secretary of Van Eck. But whether he was the same as 

 J. G. Van Angelbeek, who was Governor at the time of the 

 cession of Colombo to the English in 1796, I have no means 

 of ascertaining.* 



The manuscript account ends with the tragic and sudden 

 death of Van Eck, and the political confusion which resulted. 

 From other sources we learn that this expedition after 

 " a protracted struggle terminated in 1766, under the 

 judicious management of M. Falck, "by a treaty, which 

 secured to the Dutch a considerable accession of territory, 

 and the adjustment of more favourable conditions for the 

 conduct of the Company's trade. "f 



Of Governor Van Eck very little more is known, except 

 that he built the Star Fort at Matara, 1763 A.D., which is still 

 in good preservation, with the date, coat of arms, and 

 inscription over the gateway. His tombstone is in the 

 Wolfendahl Church, Colombo.J 



The King of Kandy against whom the expedition was 

 directed was Kirti Sri Raja Sinha, 1748-1780 A.D.§ 



* Van Kampen (" G-eschiedenis der Nederlanders buiten Europa," deel 

 3, p. 192) refers to a diary of this expedition by Van Angelbeek ; but it 

 would seem to be a fuller one than that here translated. This Angelbeek 

 was the same who afterwards became G-overnor of Ceylon. — D. W. F. 



f Tennent, Ceylon, Vol. II., p. 61. [For the Treaty of Peace, see Appen- 

 dix C— B., Hon. Sec.'] 



I Mr. D. W. Ferguson reminds me of Van Kampen, loo. cit., p. 170 ff. : 

 Wolf, " Eeise nach Zeilan," zweiter theil, p. 63 ff. ; and Haafner in Ceylon 

 Lit. Reg., V., p. 84 ff., and Zap. Zeyl., p. 28. 



§ See Appendix A. — B., Hon. Sec. 



