No. 55.— 1904.] RAJA SINHA II. AND THE DUTCH. 1^9 
These terms having been settled, Paulus Pietersz and 128 
men were left to garrison Negombo, and on March 3 the 
fleet sailed for Galle. The Dutch ships reached Galle on 
March 8, Jan Thyssen arriving from the east coast the same 
day. On the 9th the troops were landed, and after a severe 
fight with a Portugnese force from Colombo and the 
opportune arrival of three more Dutch ships with 350 men 
on the 13th, the fortress of Galle was stormed and taken by 
the Hollanders, the Sinhalese, as usual, appearing on the scene 
after the fighting was over to share in the plunder.^^ 
This was the most important conquest that the Dutch had 
effected in Ceylon, and it is no wonder that the news was 
received in Batavia with joy, and celebrated by a discharge 
of cannon.^^ Commander Coster remained in Galle as Presi- 
dent, with a garrison of 196 Dutch soldiers under the 
command of Captain Walraven de St. Amand. Raja Sinha, 
however, still entertained suspicions of the good intentions 
of his European allies, the Portuguese probably doing their 
best to fan these suspicions. Accordingly, Coster, unable to 
obtain replies to several conciliatory letters addressed to 
the King, left Galle on July 4, with an escort for Kandy, where 
he arrived on the 15th, and had an interview with the King, an 
interchange of courtesies taking place. The same day there 
arrived from Batticaloa a Persian in charge of some dogs and 
falcons as a present to Raja Si^ha, together with a letter 
from Jan Thyssen to the King. On the 18th Coster was 
admitted to an audience with the King, and handed him a 
letter,^'' written in Portuguese, in which the fulfilment was 
requested of various provisions of the treaty of 1638, and a 
further request was made for certain gardens or villages 
near the fort of Galle for supplying rations to the garrison, 
it being added, "the rule of war permits us to enjoy the 
aforesaid privilege so far as our cannon-balls can reach." On 
the 24th Coster received a written reply^^ from the King, 
who reaffirmed his willingness to fulfil in due season 
the provisions of the treaty of Batticaloa, at the same time 
pointing out that in that treaty nothing had been said as to 
