No. 55.— 1904.] RAJA SINHA II. AND THE DUTCH. 23»i 
of the former and discharge of the latter.^^^ On May 6 His 
Majesty wrote the following letter : — 
^[15.] 
[I] Raja Singa Raju, Most Exalted Monarch, G-reatest and Most 
Potent Emperor of this my famed Empire of Ceilao, &c., to 
Adriaen Yan der Meiden, Governor of my Imperial Fortress 
of Gale, who is present at the siege of the city of 
Columbo, send much greeting. 
The letter that Your Honour sent to this imperial court, written on 
Wednesday, the 3rd of May, was delivered on Thursday, the 4th of the 
said month. It treated of the sorrow that you felt regarding the 
letter that had been sent back to you. From among all foreign 
nations my imperial person chose that of my Hollanders for the 
increase of my imperial fame, estate, and the good of my crown and 
Empire, and also further for all things that might concern my 
imperial service, and likewise because of their being a faithful and 
trusty nation : for these aforesaid reasons I love and esteem them 
more than my lawful vassals ; and if there be any fault in them my 
imperial person regrets it much, by reason of the strangers who are 
in this my Empire and outside of it who may say that, there being 
other nations, I went and chose that of the Hollanders, who are now 
acting contrariwise. For these aforesaid reasons, whatever fault, 
negligence, error, or laxity there may be in them, on account of 
the pain and sorrow that I shall suffer therefrom, I take the 
opportunity to reprehend them and to correct them in all things. 
Wherefore if Your Honours will give fulfilment without any failure 
to all things touching my imperial state,^^^ my imperial person will 
rejoice greatly ; because my dear and beloved Director-General in the 
short time that he was in this my Empire was giving fulfilment to 
them all without any failure ; but as God took him to himself so 
soon he had no opportunity left of receiving from my imperial hands 
magnificent and hazardous enterprises which my imperial person was 
desirous of intrusting to him ; and if the said Director-General allowed 
the manner and good customs in which I ought to be served, what 
trouble is it to Your Honours to imitate him ? 
Your Honour also referred in yours to the fact of being ready 
to attack and make an assault upon the city of Columbo, at which my 
imperial person was much pleased, because of the strength of the 
enemy's becoming daily weaker and of this being a good opportunity, 
and moreover because the ships cannot remain longer at that bar, 
all which I hold for the said reason to be very wise ; but for another 
cause I regret it on account of my indispositions not giving me the 
opportunity of being present at that time and seeing that fight, and if 
there shall be any disorder, either in retiring or in attacking, to be able 
in my imperial person to hasten to them and give them courage with my 
imperial army in order that we may take that city of Columbo by 
