f 
222 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XVIII, 
of Your Honour with all dispatch, for this reason this is not longer. 
Our Lord, &c. From this imperial court and city of Candia on the 
16th of August, 1655. 
Raja Singa Raju, Most Potent ^ Emperor of CeilaS. 
A few weeks after the above letter was written General 
Geraard Hulft arrived^^^ at Galle from Batavia with a fleet 
of some twenty ships carrying a large body of troops and 
war materials. Kalutara was soon afterwards besieged, and 
capitulated on October 15.^^^ Information of this victory 
was immediately communicated to Raja Sinha.^^^ The 
Dutch troops then marched on Colombo, defeating the Portu- 
guese forces sent to oppose them,^^^ and on October 19 or 20 
they arrived before the city. Simultaneously there appeared 
from the royal court and from the Dissave of Saffragam three 
apahamis^ three haraties (arachchis), and a body of lascarynSy 
bringing with them a letter from the Dutch Resident in 
Candy, Joris Hervendonk,^^^ stating that His Majesty had 
given command to make known to His Excellency his pro- 
tracted and continued fever, but that he hoped to arrive in 
Colombo shortly with his nobles. Whereupon on the 20th 
a note was dispatched to the King with the intelligence of 
the Dutch victory over their enemies.^^^ 
On October 21 the siege of Colombo was begun,^^^ 
the 22nd the Dissave of Saff ragam appeared, on behalf of the 
King, with offers of help. Two days later, " towards evening, 
His Excellency received through the king's letter carriers 
a very elegant missive sprinkled with odoriferous spicery, 
and besides his signature there was portrayed on each side 
a female figure with folded hands looking upwards,^^^ this 
being in answer to the foregoing, written by Governor 
Adriaan van der Meyden from Bentotte.^^^ It was under- 
stood that the King was somewhat displeased that the letter 
sent to him by the Governor was not (which happened 
through hastiness) as usual wrapped in white linen, and that 
his titles were not written out in full. There was, however, 
very great joy in the court at the arrival of the Dutch fleet. 
