NO. 53.-1902.] GALLB DUTCH RECORDS. 267 



[ ] to-day via Battecaloa ; and as the Lord [ ] 



Gardenys urgently recommended to despatch the said 

 fluytschip to B [ ] as soon as possible. 



Whether it were advisable, seeing that probably eight or 

 [ ] days will elapse before the said fluytschip [ 

 the yachts " Lief de " and " Lecq" [ ] be so soon unloaded 



and ready to sail ; after [ ] with the before- 



mentioned Portuguese prisoners ; [ ] to send once 



more a letter to the Governor of Columbo, offering the 

 giving up of the prisoners, in order to give him full measure, 

 and lest in future he should say that on our side we had left 

 anything unfulfilled; and in case the said Governor should not 

 be disposed to fall in with our proposal, to let the said yacht 

 come back here forthwith, and to send the said Portuguese 

 to Batavia in the fluytschip before-mentioned. All which 

 having been fully weighed by the Council, and it having 

 been considered that Their Honours had written to us that 

 we should pay the Portuguese in the same coin in which 

 they are paying us; that in every possible way the said 

 Portuguese prisoners are exceedingly hurtful to us, for not 

 only are eight soldiers continually 



MS. page 8. 



by day and by night wanted in order to guard them, whereas 

 the said soldiers could be with great advantage used for 

 other services ; but the said prisoners, moreover, plot all sorts 

 of evil they can possibly devise, they being the sole cause 

 that three of our soldiers have in villainous wise passed over 

 to the enemy ; 



it has been resolved and approved to let the yachts u Lief de " 

 and " Lecq " make the said voyage, and if they should return 

 without having reached their aim, to send the said Portuguese 

 prisoners in the fluytschip before-mentioned to Batavia ; 

 and as there is no one of any rank on board the 

 yachts who can understand and speak the Portuguese 

 language, the Coopman Gerrit Moutmaker (who hereby is 



