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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XVIII. 
even dared to come and make a disturbance within the 
Candian gravets,^^^ which His Majesty must check as much as 
possible, and beware of their ambushes. His Excellency now 
expected the great reinforcement from Batavia every hour.^^^ 
On May 19 the Dutch Governor informed the King 
that Major Van der Laan had bombarded the fortress of 
Caliture fiercely, but that the enemy had greatly strengthened 
it, and had reinforced it from Colombo with four instantias 
(or companies) also that a report was current that Gaspar 
Figueira had fallen upon His Majesty's Dessaves unawares 
in Caticapale,^^^ but that the King had shortly afterwards 
defeated three or four instantias ^^^^ regarding which His 
Excellency awaited further tidings and certainty ; and as 
gieVeral Portuguese frigates had made their appearance near 
the bay of Galle, His Excellency had fitted out two yachts to 
follow them to Colombo, Jaffanapatnam, Man-Aar, Pambanan, 
or wherever they went.^^^ 
On July 9th Governor Van der Meyden informed the King 
of the victory gained by the Dutch in a fight off Galle with 
the Portuguese reinforcements, and how His Majesty's 
ambassadors themselves had witnessed it ; that the Hollanders 
had chased a frigate off the coast of Gundera^^e towards the 
shore, two ditto captured and brought into Galle bay by the 
yacht the Leeuw^ and had forced their General of Colombo, 
Antoni de Sousa Coutinho, to keep out and go round with his 
eight other frigates, whereby the Portuguese were severely 
shaken out of their self-confidence, the Dutch having besides 
taken many Portuguese and blacks prisoners though, 
according to the latest intelligence, the enemy in Colombo 
were still twelve or fifteen instantias strong ; but as soon as 
the great Dutch reinforcement, which was now at hand, should 
have landed, His Excellency did not doubt that, supported 
by His Majesty, they would be in a position to clear the Island 
of them entirely, and to place all the captured towns in His 
Majesty's hands. 
To which summary of the Dutch Governor's letter 
Valentyn appends the laconic remark : Great promises, but 
