Ghap.XXXIX. A Defcriftion of CE YLQN. 757 
" your Excellency. No more for the 
" prefent ^ God proted your Excellen- 
** cy's Perfon. 
Raja Singa Rajou^ moft potent 
Emperor of Ceylon. 
This Letter being read in Council, it 
was refolv'd to give the AfTault the -jtb 
of May about 7 or 8 a Clock in the Morn- 
ing, and to make the fierceft Attack upon 
the Baftion of St. John •, which was put 
r/)f Dutch in execution accordingly, Maytin SboUes 
enter the Lieutenant of the Fufileers of Gale (now 
Captain in Gak) being the firft who with 
undaunted Courage mounted the Breach, 
and being bravely fcconded by his Men, 
they entred even into the City ; but be- 
ing furrounded on all fides by a great 
Are forced number of Portuguefes^ were forc'd to 
to retreat retreat to theBaftionof St. John, where 
to tho Ba- a(. lafj. they maintain'd their Poft, af- 
Tohn having three feveral times repuls'd the 
' Enemy, who endeavoured with all the 
Force they tould bring together to dif- 
lodg them from thence, ( our Men being 
conftantly ireliev'd with frefli Troops) 
till the Evening, when the Firing fome- 
what ceafing, they took that opportunity 
of entrenching themfelves withFafcines 
and Earth towards the fide of the City, 
being neverthelefs ftill expofed to the E- 
nemies Shot from the Water-Fort and 
the Baftions of St. Stephen and CoUras^ 
which coil us many a brave Soldier. 
In the beginning of the Afiault the 
DiJJavcs of Saffragamme and of the Four 
Corks came into the Trenches with the 
Ciyigalcfe Forces and foon after his Ma- 
jefty fent likewife the Dijfaves of Ou~ 
ve and Matule, the Adigar ylmracon, 
and Curupek Apohamy, at the head of a 
great number of Lafcaryns : but thefe 
brought along with them more Confufion 
than real Affiftance, the Cmgalefes be- 
ing always better at making a noife and 
plundering, than fighting. ^"^'"^ ' 
VVc had no fooner fixM our Guards 
upon the Baftion, but a Negro Slave * 
(call'd Caffcrs) brought us advice, that 
in the laft AfTaulc the Enemy had the 
Captain Major, the City Major, and a 
good number of their bell: Men wounded, 
and betwixt 40 and 50 kili'd. We ini- 
ployed the greateft part of the Night iii 
fortifying our felves with Palliradoes and 
Earth-works on the Ballion, in difco- 
vering the Mines, and planting feme 
Cannon ^ to facilitate which, it was or- 
der'd thata falfe Attack be made at two a, 
Clock in the Morning, and with break of 
day we faw the Prince's Standard difplay'd 
there in token of our Vidory which 
however we had purchafed at a dear rate, 
being even then much expos'd to the E- 
nemies Shot from three Baftions. Upon 
a general Mufter we found 290 Wounded, 
80 Sick, and 86 Kili'd ^ fo that we had 
in all not above 1287 E^^opeans left fit for 
Service. However John Maatz^uyhr a 
Lieutenant brought a Supply of 75 Men 
into our Camp, and 30 more from Candy ; 
befides thefe Lieutenant Didelof was polt- 
ed with 6(5 men ztMildgre^ and at Mon- 
tual 68. 
Among the Slain were the following sbin and 
Officers, whofe Names well deferve to be wounded in 
tranfmitted to Pofterity : Chriftopher Eg- thcAjfaulK 
ger, Jurian Gehel, James VWy^ James 
Scherf, Jurian Smith, Paul Afcno, War- 
naey vander Heyde. Among the Wound- 
ed, Major njan der Laan wounded by a 
Splinter on his Shoulder, and near the 
Ear ; Capt. Henry Gerard Glumngh mor- 
tally wounded in four l^lacesj James da 
With wounded with a ten Pounder in the 
Thigh, of which he died afterwards ; 
Martin Sholtes in the Arm ; John Cowpcr 
in both hands ; James Alenhierin the Leg ; 
PaulKctelaer in the Hand ; Jdm Bartels in 
the Belly ^ Herman VVynantz,, &c. 
CHAP. XXXIX. 
Our Cannon ufon the Baft ion of St. John turn'*d againjl the City. The Portu- 
gueies offer to capitulate. Articles for the Surrender of the Place. The R.iti- 
f cation. The Portuguefes march out of the Ctty. 
Our Can- '~T^ H E I otb 01 May havmg planted our 
mn ready] X Cannon upon the Baftion of St. John 
topl.^y againft the City, the General and Major 
Bailmof "^^^ ^'^^^ ^^"^^ Afernoon to 
5r.John. take a view of them. Soon after we faw 
the Enemy put out a white Flag, and 
Capt. Mamicl Cabreira de Pontes delivev'd 
the following Lines to Major -van der Laan i 
" Apt. Manuel Cabreira de Fontes, the 
" Bearer hereof, comes to delire a 
" Pafsport for three Perfons of Note to 
come 
