Chap.XXXlII. A Defcripion of CEYLON. 
739 
TwD Let- 
ters fent 
into Co- 
lumbo. 
" that ever he had in his Life, defiring 
" therefore, that his Excellency might 
" fuperfede thefe Excofes, That what 
" his Excellency had alledged in his be- 
" half, concerning the miflake in com- 
manding his Forces ad ^fi^<?wcor/e, as it 
" was intended for his Majcfly's Service, 
" fo it was very acceptable to him, and 
needed no farther Excufe •, as was like- 
" wife the Punilhment inflifted upon the 
" Author of the Letter writ from Paf- 
" dun-Cork.^ to deter others from the like 
" Undertakings. Concerning the Trea- 
" ty made with Mi'- lVcJlaniold^ his Ma- 
jelly declar'd, he would keep the fame 
inviolably, notwitliRanding that feve- 
ral Generals of the Indies., and Dutch 
Governours of the ifle in Ccylony had 
done many things which had given oc- 
'■^ cahon to no fmall Diflurbances : but 
^' that as he call'd God to witnefs of his 
Innocence, fo he was extremely glad 
to have met with a Perfon of Honour 
" in his Excellency's Perfon, who having 
done already conOderable Services to 
his Crov/n, he intended to enter with 
him into a ftrid Confederacy, which 
fhould ftand firm as long as the Sun 
and Moon fnould furnifh the World 
" with Light. 
It was therefore that his Majefly was 
" very defirous to know his Excellency's 
" Intentions, whether, after the taking 
'•' of (::o/ii;?.'t/o,they fnould attack the King- 
dom of Jafnapatnain or the Ille of 
A'lanaar., and whether it were not con- 
venient to fend fome of his Forces 
under certain Difjaves thither imme- 
diately : That he had received two 
Letters from the before-mentioned 
Places, which fhould be communicated 
to his Excellency. FlisMajelty alfo de- 
" dared, that either next Sunday or 
Thurfday ( v/hich of thefe two his 
Excellency Ihould pitch upon) he would 
expect him at Court, and that he would 
" fend fome of his Courtiers to condud 
him thither. 
At th : 'ame time certain Deputies from 
his r\Iai.eiLy brought along with them two 
Letters pen'd by Mr. Hulfi our General, 
in anfwer to thofe fent from Columho to 
the Emperor, and difpatch'd to his Ma- 
jefty i which being well approv'd of by 
him, and figned by his Excellency in his 
Majefty's Name, were carried the next 
day into the City. 
Soon after news was brought from 
Montual.. that ^ooPortuguefes , command- 
ed by lour Officers, had been feen near 
the Sea-fhore on the other fide of the 
Riverj, but hitherto had not made the 
Vol. IIL 
u 
leafl: attempt of pafiing the fame. Abun- 
dance of the Inhabitants of the Inland 
Countries, who perhaps had never had a 
fight of a Man of War, or any welldifci- 
plin'd Forces, flock'd thither (with his 
Majefty's Permiffion) to fee them. A- 
bout the fame time we received a Rein- 
forcement of 50 men from Pmtegak., be- 
ing all they could fpare. 
The before-mentioned Letters fent in 
his Majefty's Name, and carried by fome 
of his Aratches and Lafcaryns into Colum- 
ho^ were at firft received with a general 
Salute of the Cannon and Small Arms ; 
but being open'd, the Inhabitants fifHci- 
ently teftify'd their Refentment, telling 
the MelTengers, that in cafe their Condi- 
tion was not fo defperate, they would 
play them another Game before they re- 
turn'd ^ of which ufage the Mellengers 
defired the General to make his Com- 
plaint to the Emperor. 
The fame day arofe a violent Tempeft, 
with Rain, Thunder and Lightning, 
which kill'd one of our Sentinels, and 
ftruck three Mufquets, in the Church of 
Quia de Lobo., all to pieces. The Empe- 
ror was fo complaifant, as to enquire the 
next day by one of his Meflengers, whe- 
ther we had fufFer'd any damage in our 
Tents or Works, and was anfwer'd, that 
God had preferv'd us from all the Dan- 
ger. The fame day, being the 251/^ of 
Aiarch^ two Europeans came over to us 5, 
one of them, a Native of ^War/t/Yia, was 
over- taken by the way, and received 9 
Wounds, fo that he narrowly eicap'd to 
our Works, but died the next Morning. 
The i6tb a Serjeant, a Mifiice., came 
over to us, and reported, that two more 
of the fame Company watched only an 
Opportunity to defert : That they had 
already diftributed to each Soldier his 
Quota of Provilions, a Ptjrra of Rice 
per diem., for the Month of April : That 
they were much afflicted with the Drop- 
fy and the Beribery^ a Swelling in the 
Knees, which takes away theufe of their 
Legs. 
Soon after Commodore Rootkam fent in 
three Fifhermen taken by our Boats within 
Mufquet-lhot of the VV'ater-Fort. The 
Seamen had 50 Crowns given them (the 
ufual Reward for every Tony or Filher- 
boat) and 25 more as an Encouragement, 
thefe Fifliermen being the chief Perfons 
who fupply'd the City with Provilions, 
Orders were alfo fent to the Commodore, 
not to expofe his Seamen without an ab- 
folute neceflity. 
Some of our heft Workmen were alfo 
confulted about the ereding another Bat- 
C c c c c 1 tery 
Balddcm. 
A Supply, 
0/50 mat 
comes to 
the Dutch 
Camp. 
Horn thefi 
Letters ' 
rt-rre re- 
ceiv'd 
there. 
A violent 
tanpefu 
Some F'l- 
fjjcrmen 
taken. 
I 
