No. ^0.-1899.] van eck's kandyan expedition. 51 



Letter B. 



Extract from a letter from * a certain Principal Servant of the 



Honourable Company, written from Colombo to Mature, 

 under date April 6, 1 765. 



Notwithstanding that Colonel Feber's Company has been recom- 

 mended to take over the command in Kandia from the Commandant 

 Mr. Rein, while His Honour should come to serve here, in order to 

 take over for a time the chief administration of this Island, together 

 with the Commandant at Jaffanapatam, Mr. Mooyaart,f yet the above- 

 named Colonel arrived here this afternoon, but what .the reason of 

 this may be I cannot yet know, perhaps later on. 



Letter C. 



Extract from a letter dated April 10, 1765, from and to as above. 



I wrote to you in my previous letter that the reason was unknown 

 to me why Colonel Feber, upon the letter of the Political Council 

 here, which he had received at Catagampelle (a field station between 

 Gonewille and Wisenawe), did not betake himself to Candia. But 

 as I am now informed of it, I may mention here that as he had 

 withdrawn all the field-posts behind him, to wit, from Candia up 

 to Wisenawe, and had already advanced to Catagampelle, he found it 

 impossible at once to enter again into possession of the places which the 

 enemy had at once occupied, and to force a march to Candia, and the 

 more so on account of the approaching rainy season, and the great want 

 of the necessary coolies and provisions. For these reasons his departure 

 was postponed till the time and the means should permit. Thus for 

 the present the passage and communication have been cut off and 

 rendered impossible, so that one may truly pity our people in Candia, 

 the more so as I hear that sickness is raging there to a very great 

 extent, and His Honour, Mr. Rein, is lying very ill, and also Mr. Stork, 

 who at the time of the departure of the Colonel was beyond hope of 

 recovery.^ 



* Lacuna in the manuscript. — A. E. B. 



f Regarding Anthony Mooyaart see Lit. Reg. II., 63 ff.; V., 91 n., 92 n.— 

 D. W. F. 



J The withdrawal from the stations is so stupid and senseless that I do 

 not know how it can be justified. One may say it was wise not to keep 

 them in the rainy season, and there was no means of procuring provisions 

 and means of living. But why then was Candia not abandoned and the 

 men brought away, since by withdrawing the posts they stand always in 

 the greatest danger of being massacred by the Sinhalese (may G-od preserve 

 them), when time and means permit our people in Candia to be killed. — 

 Marginal note. 



