NO. 53. — 1902.] GALLE DUTCH RECORDS. 315 



Whether it were advisable ro give up the said fortress into 

 the hands of Raja Singa on the appearance of "the fleet there, 

 according to the wishes and instructions of the Lord Governor- 

 General and Council of India, or whether we should for some 

 time longer keep possession of the same, seeing thai the 

 1,000 bhars 1 of cinnamon which ihe aforesaid king had 

 promised us in lieu of it, had not been delivered as yet ; 



All which having been duly weighed by ihe said Council 

 and it having been considered 



that the Honourable Company had nothing but incon- 

 venience from the said place, without deriving the least 

 profit from the same ; 



also that their "Worships did not wish that on our part any 

 expenses should be incurred for necessary repairs of the same, 

 and that the king, too, shows himself unwilling to lay out 

 anything on it. in consequence of which the fortress will 

 finally fall into ruins of its own account : 

 furthermore that the said fortress had already been offered 

 to the king in the month of April of last year, which offer 

 had by him been accepted, so that if we should now make 

 any chauge in our given word and promise, the said king, 

 being in all things suspicious of us, would from this derive 

 a new pretext for dissatisfaction, which might cause still 

 further estrangement between him and us ■ 



It has been unanimously approved of and resolved — 



The more so as we hear that the said 



MS. page 74. 



king has collected there a certain quantity of goods and 

 merchandise against the arrival of the fleet before the said 

 fortress to be put on board the ships in payment for the said 

 cession, 



To give up to him, to dispose of as he shall please, the said ' 

 fortress, our garrison, guns, and ammunition having pre- 

 viously been removed from it. 



1 A Miaar or bahar of cinnamon, according- to YalentyH. weighed some- 

 times 480 and sometimes 7i4 lb. 



