No. 55.— 1904.] RAJA SINHA II. AND THE DUTCH. 
205 
Bintena. I; was greatly rejoiced that Your Honour being such a grave 
and prudent person and of such good understanding had arrived safely 
at that my fortress of Gale. In Your Honour's letter you refer to the 
reply to some five letters which JoaO Masuker wrote me, some of the 
past year and others of this present. After the late wars which took 
place in the Seven Corlas the said Joao Masuker sent me an ambas- 
sador, by name Louren^o Marchal, by whom he begged me for peace 
with pardon of past errors. On this account I sent my ambassadors to 
that my fortress of Gale that they might settle the terms of peace to 
which we swore at Baticalou. And after these had been settled there, 
there came two ambassadors of the Dutch nation, persons discreet and 
of authority, who in the name of the Prince of Orange and of the 
Company swore to them and ratified them in my royal presence in 
such a proper manner as they were ratified in Baticalou. And after 
they had been sworn to and ratified I sent my dissava to those my 
territories of Mature, who coming thither, there took place between 
him and the late Governor some differences, whence arose the occasion 
for his said letters not being answered. 
In the letter which I have received from Your Honour you beg me to 
appoint a dissava of the Dutch nation to govern the territories of 
Mature in my name. When the said ambassadors of the Dutch nation 
swore to the terms of peace in my royal presence they made the same 
request of me regarding the said dissava, with which I was much 
pleased, and gave them for reply that I should immediately order the 
olla to be sent to him to execute that office ; at the same time, how- 
ever, that he must reside at this my imperial court, in like manner as 
the rest of my dissavas do while serving me. To this the said 
ambassadors did not give me any further reply, except that they said 
that they would take with them a dissava to whom I was to order 
the said lands to be at once given over. And the said ambassadors 
having taken my dissava with that promise made (and after he had 
arrived there they did not give him possession of the territories, 
the differences which took place having meanwhile arisen), will you 
now send and ask me to give that dissava to one of the Dutch 
nation ? Does it seem to Your Honour that I shall grant such a 
request ? 
In the letters which the Governor Joao Masuker wrote to this court 
he always complained that my dissava was to blame for the said 
differences ; and my dissava in like manner complained, laying all the 
blame on the Hollanders. Now, in order to know for certain which of 
the parties is to blame, I send my ambassadors who were there to 
treat regarding the terms of peace and were present at the swearing 
of them in my royal presence, and together with them there go some 
nobles of my court to learn the real truth ; and if my dissava was to 
blame I shall withdraw him from the said office and shall send 
another in his place, and if blame does not attach to him he shall 
remain in the same office. 
