NO. 53.— 1902.] GALLB DUTCH RECORDS. 



263 



August 28, 1642 A.D. 



MS. page 4. 



Whereas we had seen from the letter of Dom Philip de 

 Mascarin, Governor-General of Columbo, handed us this 

 day, that if we were disposed to send him the Portuguese 

 prisoners who are here, he would send us back as many 

 of our men now prisoners with him, with the exception of 

 Ignatio Sarmento de Ravalte, whom we were free to detain 

 here until he should have paid his promised ransom, and 

 furthermore the letter carrier having informed us by word of 

 mouth that at Columbowere kept prisoners eight Dutchmen, 

 captured in the late combat near the river Gindure, the 

 Lord President has submitted to his Council the question 

 whether it would be advisable to abide by our last letter to 

 the said Governor-General and the promises therein made, 

 that if he would send us back the hostages and prisoners 

 taken in the combat near the river Alican, we should in our 

 turn send him these Portuguese, 



or whether we should detain here the same Portuguese 

 prisoners (seeing the latteriare of much higher rank than our 

 men at Columbo) against all our men, as afore-mentioned, 

 now prisoners at Columbo, and not liberate them until he 

 should have set our men at liberty. All which the Council 

 having duly considered, and having weighed the letter 

 received from Bacquelle by the ship " Waterhond," as also, 

 in order to abide by our former promise, as aforesaid, and 

 not to make any change therein, in which case the Portuguese 

 might look upon us as faithless breakers of contracts, 

 have unanimously approved and resolved to inform the said 

 Governor-General that as soon as he shall send hither the 

 hostages taken at Negumbo and the prisoners at Alican, we 

 shall forthwith set at liberty all the Portuguese prisoners 

 sent hither from Batavia, except Ignatio Sarmento (as he has 

 been repeatedly informed before this), and shall nowise give 

 up our prisoners first, for as the said Dom Philip cannot 

 but be aware that the surrender of prisoners has always 



