182 
JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XVIIT. 
recommended them to regain possession of Negombo. This 
the Portuguese attempted to do ; but after a three months' 
siege they were again, at the end of July, defeated with great 
loss and obliged to return to Colombo.^^ 
Towards his Dutch allies the Sinhalese monarch continued 
o 
to observe an attitude of alternate contemptuous indifference 
and ill-disguised suspicion ; while his promises of material 
assistance remained' for the most part unfulfiUed.^^^ On 
March 23, 1644, the wily King wrote the following letter^^^ to 
Thyssen : — 
After Mampe Rala had gone as disava of Mature, several faults 
were committed by him, for which reason I removed him from the 
said disava,^^^ and placed in his stead Ecanaca Modliar, who had been 
disava of the Seven Corlas, and consequently I entertained him in the 
place that he had merited. When I had dispatched the said disava, 
I ordered that so long as he could maintain the lands of Mature, while 
residing outside, he should do so, and that whenever he could not do 
this he should betake himself with the black folk into that fortress of 
mine ; if he comes to take up his residence therein, will Your Honour 
be pleased to shelter him ?^^^ 
I had thought that this year it would have been possible for me to 
see Your Honour and to repay the gastos^^* that Your Honour had, on 
behalf of the Company, incurred in my service, with my blaqk folk who 
assisted in that fort of mine the whole time that it was besieged, but 
God has not so willed it ; wherefore send me the register thereof by 
Batticaloa that I may know what they amount to. Since that fort of 
mine Gale was besieged until Mampe Rala went thither, I several 
times sent from Batticaloa assistance of maintlmentos^^^ to that aforesaid 
fort of mine ; and send together with the other said register a register 
of what they have delivered to Your Honour, so that J may know what 
they have furnished to you. When some days' journey from Maricar- 
ware^^^ towards Cander,^^'^ I was told that the Hollanders had disem- 
barked in Caliture or in Alican, in one of these two places, and that 
they had fortified themselves there, which I do not believe ; but if it 
is true (except for carrying on trade and other business if they embark 
again), even though it were for my service or that it were found ex- 
pedient by your council or in order to do harm to our enemies, they 
are not to disembark in order to fortify in any district of this island 
of Cheylon without my license.^^^ 
I was also told that a black woman of this island of Cheylon had 
been married to a Hollander in that fort of mine of Gale.^^^ After 
the Portuguese established themselves in Colombo, whilst the natives 
of this island had no lawful and natural King who had the power to 
maintain and defend them, some of them wore baptized, fed, and 
