254 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). 



[Vol. XX. 



and send it to Ceilao, divided amongst the ships that had 

 to leave in January, or that he should buy a junk for that 

 purpose: 



* * * * * * * 



Dec. VIII., Chap, xxxii. 



jfc % i{C % % , sjc % . "T ,; 



At the same time 1 Diogo de Mello Coutinho went to 



take over the captaincy of Columbo and Ceilao 2 



1 The end of August 1570. 



2 Cf. supra, p. 240, note 2 , and p. 253. note 3 . From a royal letter of 

 10 March 1598, printed in Arch. Port.-Or. iii., it would seem that during 

 the captaincy of Diogo de Mello (1570-2) Dharmapala had poison given 

 to him (by whom is not said) ; and fear of a repetition of this led him 

 thereafter to bear in silence the insults and outrages of successive 

 captains of Columbo 



