230 JOURNAL, R.A.S. ^CEYLON). [VOL. XVIII. 
nobles from this imperial court to make known to Your Honour my 
arrival at the camp of Reygamwatte, and at the same time to inquire 
after your good health ; which nobles I have also charged (seeing that 
I had not replied to several letters sent by Your Honour to this 
imperial court) to request Your Honour to send hither a person of 
authority and standing, that I may give him my verbal reply to the 
said letters ; and as it was night when my imperial person came into the 
camp of Reygamwatte, I gave orders early in the morning for the 
army to encamp, when also the letters herewith sent were brought to 
me, one being from the General and the other from the citizens of 
Golumbo, from which Your Honour will be able to understand 
what the contents are. 
In the court and camp at Reygam watte, the 17th of March, A°. 
1656. 
(Signed) Raja Singa Rajou, Most Potent Emperor of Ceylon. 
The two letters^^^ referred to, one from Antonio de Sousa 
Ooutinho and the other from the leading citizens of Colombo, 
appealed to Raja Sinha to break off from his new friends the 
Dutch, and help the Portuguese, the ancient friends of 
the Sinhalese kings, to drive away their foes, — a vain 
?ippeal ! 
On March 23 Ysbrand Godsken returned, bringing a 
verbal reply from Raja Sinha to five letters that Hulft 
had addressed to His Majesty. The chief points in this 
answer^^^ were that the King approved of the cruel treatment 
by the Dutch of the unfortunate natives whom the Portuguese 
had driven out of Colombo ; that he begged Hulft to be more 
careful of himself ; that he highly appreciated his letters ; 
that he adhered to the Westerwold treaty in face of past dis- 
agreements, and asked Hulft to strengthen the friendship ; 
he desired information regarding the intentions of the 
Dutch as to JaflEnapatam and Mannar,, and he would be 
pleased to grant an interview to Hulft on the following 
Sunday or Thursday. At the same time the King sent back 
to Hulft, with his approval, two letters that the General had 
written in reply to some sent by the Portuguese to His 
Majesty. These Hulft signed in Raja Sinha's name and sent 
into the city. 
