No. 55.— 1904.] RAJA 8INHA II. AND THE DUTCH. 181 
them with the cinnamon and other merchandise which they 
so much desired, and for the sake of which they seemed 
willing to overlook insults and even personal violence. 
The Portuguese were not slow in following up their success, 
and not only drove the Sinhalese back from the lowlands, 
but practically hemmed in the Dutch in Galle, which, but for 
the arrival of reinforcements and the strengthening of the 
fortifications, might also have been retaken.^^ 
Meanwhile Raja Sinha in 1641 dispatched four ambassadors 
to the Governor-General at Batavia with a letter acknowledg- 
ing those sent to him during the previous eighteen months, 
and forwarding at the same time a lengthy document, in 
which he considered and answered seriatim the complaints of 
theDutch.^^ These ambassadors also had an interview with the 
Governor-General, who informed them that, in spite of the 
treatment the Dutch had received at the hands of the Sinhalese 
monarch, further reinforcements would be sent to Ceylon 
to assist him against the Portuguese.^^ Accordingly, by 
February 10, 1642, a fleet of twelve ships had assembled 
oflE Colombo ; but after hovering about for some time it 
abandoned the intended attack and left for Galle. 
Meanwhile Portugal, having thrown off the Spanish yoke 
in 1640 and proclaimed Dom JoSo IV, as king, had entered 
into a treaty with the Netherlands, whereby a ten years' 
truce was agreed to. For various reasons, however, this 
armistice was not proclaimed throughout the East Indies by 
the Dutch until October, 1642, and even then it was not 
observed faithfully by either side, so that conflicts continued 
to take place during the ensuing years, culminating in an 
attack upon Negombo by the Dutch under Frangois Caron 
in January, 1644, and its recapture by the Hollanders after 
a desperate resistance on the part of the Portuguese .^^ The 
latter then sent an embassy to the Sinhalese king, oflEering 
to enter into an offensive and defensive alliance with him 
against the Dutch, and protesting that they only desired 
to retain the territory which he and his predecessors 
had granted them. Raja Sinha kept their presents and 
