234 
JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XVIII. 
force of arms, for which purpose, with the favour and help of God, 
by some means or other I must go this coming Sunday further 
towards that my camp ; and if in the meantime it appear well 
to Your Honour and meet with your approval as right that you can 
await my imperial arrival, you may do so ; but if nevertheless you 
meet with a good opportunity of being able to attack the said city with 
safety and without risk of our honour and fame, it will be very well 
done, for I am confident in Grod that we shall obtain a good victory 
over those our enemies. 
Your Honour also says in the last clause of your [letter] that they of 
the city of Columbo released eight prisoners of my Hollanders, who had 
escaped of the seventy-four, which were in exchange for eight Portu- 
guese who were captured in Caliture,^^^ and that to one or two had been 
given certain instructions. I was very glad that Your Honour informed 
me of the above, in order that no occasion might be given to any 
outsiders to say that my Hollanders were treating without my imperial 
leave on certain matters with my enemies. At the same time I shall 
be glad to know what was done with the rest of the Hollanders who were 
left : if they died from their neglecting to give them food, or from the 
little care that they took of them in their sufferings ; and likewise 
what instructions they were that Your Honour gave to the two Portu- 
guese whom together with the others jon sent back into the said city. 
As regards the latter, if there should be anything secret, in whatever 
way shall suit you best Your Honour can send advice to this imperial 
<;ourt as seems well to you. 
After the death of my Director-General I ordered that no salute should 
be beaten in this my camp ; but as I am about to march*f urther 
forward nearer to the enemy, it is proper that they should continue 
beating all the instruments by the way, and when my imperial person 
arrives there it will be necessary to give the customary salutes ; 
for this reason I make this announcement to Your Honour. At present 
nothing further suggests itself. Our Lord, &c. From this great camp 
and court of Raganvata, on the 6th of May, in the year 1656. 
Raja Singa Raju, Most Potent ^ Emperor of Ceilao. 
Indorsement (in Dutch): — Original missive in Portuguese, dato 6th 
May, written by the King of Candia to Governor Adriaen van der 
Meyden. 
On the reading of this letter the Dutch council of war 
resolved to make an assault on Colombo next morning. 
This was accordingly done, and the bastion of S. Joa5 was 
captured and occupied, though the victory was dearly pur- 
chased.^^^ Cannon having been placed on the captured bastion 
and levelled upon the city, the position of the Portuguese 
