Chap. XXXII. A Defcriftion of CEYLON. 735 
A Mooriili the rate of 24 Larym the Ammenam the 
A^"^'!- Ai ''"^ deliver'd at the 
vicean- ' ^^^^ ' *^ Larym. Five more Ships ar- 
i.riiwg the rived at the fame time laden with Rice. 
condition The Lift day of this month, finding 
G^Ic. thaj; tile Enemy work'd againft us near 
the Gate of Rajuha., Lieutenant Alcnhier 
was fent with 6 Firelocks to fecure their 
Workmen but thefe faved themfelves 
by an early Flight, and our People re- 
turnM without receiving any Damage. 
About the fame time Letters were brought 
/ by the Yacht the Jrnmiuyden^ dated the 
,^.ufsiYom ij fehruary. on the Coaft of Coyo- 
niandel^ others bemg alio e.x:pected, 
dated the i ith^ with the Yacht the Cci/;/^, 
not arriv'd as yet, having aboard 100 
Loads of Rice of Bengale^ a good Quan- 
tity of Gunpowder and 60 Soldiers : The 
other VefTels Cargo confifted in 18877 
Pound-weight of Gunpowder, 2781 Bul- 
lets of divers Sizes, viz.. 231 of 24 
Pounds, 750 of 18, 1 800 of 12, 1500 
Stone-Bullets, and icooo Pound Weight 
of Lead, befides fome other Merchandi- 
zes, and \6 Loads of Rice, amounting 
to the Value of 6098 Guilders, on ac- 
count of thofe of Ceylon only. At the 
fame time the Rabbit fail'd out of the 
Road, being order'd to cruife on the 
South Point of Negumbo^ and to be re- 
lieved every eight Days by another Ship. 
I'he Gmc- Pretty late in the Evening, three De- 
^entl7'wHb P^*"'^^ ivom the Emperor prefcnted the 
In Elk by General with an Elk, which his Majefty 
the EmpC' himfelf had hunted the fame Morning in 
an adjacent Wood, which was received 
with great Reverence by his Excellen- 
The General and Mr. van der Meyden^^^":-^ ■ 
hearing the Beat of Drum in the new Re- ^^^l^SJ 
doubt, near the Gate of Rajuha, they 
went thither m Perfon ; and in their way 
met with 17 Lafcaryns^ and i Aratches^. 
who being polted in an Outwork near the 
faid Gate, had quitted the fame ; they 
being order'd to be fecured in the Head 
Quarter, they went forward, and found 
that the Alarm had been occafion'd by 
the coming over of the Lafcaryns^ whom 
they millook for E.nemies. They report- 
ed that the City was provided with Pro- 
vifions till A£iy, their Allowance, viz.. 
2 5 Mididos to a Head, being given them 
for the Month of A^yH : They added, 
that it was whifper'd about, that the Go- ^iJ^ ^„ ac- 
vernor had embark'd all his Moveables, count of the 
Mony and Jewels in a Boat, and fent them condition 
in the Night-time to Manaar which 
News was very unpleafing to us, becaufe 
they had efcaped the Sight of our Ships. 
The5f/:?, qth, 8rfc and ptfe of M.trch, 
we advanced bravely towards the Gate of 
Rajuha : two Portuguefs Deferters, with 
fome Lafcaryns v/tW armed, being exami- 
ned apart, depofed, that the City could 
not hold out longer than towards the end 
of May^ the Remnants of the Rice be- 
ing very ftony and unclean, nay wet and 
corrupted. Hereupon the General or- 
dered that a Battery of two Gunsfiiould 
be ereded oppofite to the utmoft Point of 
the Baftion of St. Jo/j^, the better to bat ^ 
ter and lay level the Flank of that of St, 
Stephens^ and under favour thereof to o- 
pen again theTrench leading to our Mine.j 
and fo v^orking along the Wall, to take 
Poft upon the Counterfcarp. 
CHAP. XXXII. 
Ma^y Defertsrs give account of the Conditim of Columbo. Ysbrand Gotskens 
fent Envoy to the Emperor, His Letter to the Generdy And. that of the Bs'- 
fieged to the Emperor. 
A Bout that time divers Lafcaryn De- 
ferters, and among them a Portu- 
£uefe, made heavy Complaints that they 
were forced to feed upon corrupted Rice '. 
The laft told us, that there were no 
more than 40 left of our Prifoners, and 
thatfuch of our Officers as were not flain 
in the Affault, died afterwards of their 
Wounds, except a Serjeant. He alfo 
difcover'd to us, that the Befieged had 
carried all their Guns from the Baftions 
of S. Stephen^ S. Philip and Clergos into 
their Outwork, before the Gate of RajubaT, 
in order to difcfaarge the fame the next 
following Night upon our Pioneers. 
Paul MenOj who was then upon the 
Guard there, was thereupon orderM to 
let the Labourers ceafe, till they had 
fpent their Powder and Ball in vain, and 
then to let them return to their Work. 
In elFeft, they (hot very furioufly the 
next Night both with their Cannon and 
Firelocks upon our Works and by 
break of Day the General went on Horfe- 
back to Milagre^ to view the Works of 
the Dijfavcs on that .(ide, which he found 
to 
