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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XXI. 



was no hospital worth speaking of, and the soldiers were 

 dying of hunger and privation. The loyal Sinhalese had been 

 ill requited by the loss of almost all their possessions, while 

 the refugees who were compelled by necessity to join the 

 Portuguese ranks were received with open arms : wealth and 

 rank and lands were conferred on them, and they were 

 placed in positions of command over the rest.* " And the 

 ultimate reason I assert," concludes the writer, " is, that we 

 Portuguese are evil Christians, with little fear of God." 



Under such circumstances it is not surprising that the king 

 should express his great dissatisfaction at the results of an 

 undertaking which he had so much at heart ; he bitterly com- 

 plained that his army was reduced to a broken-down rabble of 

 four hundred men, whose invasions of the enemy's country had 

 degenerated into insignificant raids ; his dominions were de- 

 populated and the lands left uncultivated, so that the produce 

 therefrom was insufficient for the maintenance of the war. And 

 yet a more favourable opportunity for concluding the work of 

 conquest could hardly be expected : peace had been made with 

 the Hollanders, and the Sinhalese were reputed to be entirely 

 disorganized, without a king and without leaders. Repeated 

 orders were issued for repairing the fortifications of Galle, in 

 view of possible hostilities in the near future with the Hollan-: 

 ders ; and it was also suggested that a dockyard and arsenal 

 should be constructed there for the convenience of ships sailing 

 to the southern seas. Another scheme which the king was 

 greatly interested in was the settlement in the districts of 

 Ghilawand Negombo of a colony of the brave and loyal Chris- 

 tian fishermen from the coast of the fishery, removing them 

 from the jurisdiction of the Naik of Madura ; they were to be 

 provided with allotments of land which they could cultivate 

 when not engaged in their usual pursuits, and a special ouvidor 

 was to be appointed to administer justice and to settle disputes 

 among them. It was expected that such a colony would help 

 in the regular exploitation of the pearl fishery, which had 

 yielded no revenue for six years owing to the disturbances pre- 

 vailing there, the chief being the quarrel between the Jesuits, 



* Clearly a reference to Simao Correa. 



