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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XVIIL 
capitulated on May During the progress of the siege the 
Uppermerchant Jacob van Compostel, who had gone on an 
embassy to Kandy, arrived from Batticaloa with a letter 
from the Kiog ; but as it was untranslated the Dutch could 
not understand its purport. Sr. van Compostel, however, 
reported that Raja Sinha had resolved to remain in the 
low country in the vicinity of Colombo, lest the inhabitants 
should assist the Portuguese to re-occupy Malvana and 
Manicawara," which they had abandoned. The King how- 
ever promised to send a mudaliyar with 4,000 men to assist the 
Dutch in the conquest of Trincomaleeand Jaffna. As a matter 
of fact, the Dutch had been in the fort of Trincomalee 
nearly two hours when two mudaliyars appeared with 3,000 
men, which makes one suspect that they had lain perdus 
until their allies had done all the fighting.''^ The mudaliyars 
also brought some letters from the King, but they seem to 
have been of no particular moment. The Sinhalese not 
being prepared to keep the fort without the assistance of the 
Hollanders, arrangements were made for leaving a Dutch 
garrison there on the same conditions as those made with 
regard to Batticaloa. The proposed attack on Jaffna was 
discussed, but seems to have been abandoned owing to the 
King's apparent disinclination to take part in it.^^ Thyssen 
having been appointed Governor of Batticaloa in place of 
Coster, and the Fiscal Gerard Herbers Commandant of 
Trincomalee, the fleet sailed on May 27 for Batticaloa,^^ there 
accompanying it three Sinhalese ambassadors bearing two 
letters from Raja Sinha, one in Tamil and the other in 
Portuguese, but substantially the same in purport, also some 
presents to the Council of India. The latter appear by this 
time to have formed a very decided opinion regarding the 
untrustworthiness of the King of Ceylon and his fellow- 
countrymen, and of the unreliability of the former's promises ; 
but after considering Raja Sinha's urgent request to send a 
force to attack Colombo, and hearing the opinions of his 
envoys and those of Caen and Coster, they resolved to put 
aside the claims of Amboina, Malacca, and Macao, and to 
