A Defcriftion (?/ CEYLON. 761 
Water- Fort, and the great Cannon dif- 
charg'd round the place as a Signal of our 
Vidory. Thus the City of Columbo^ not 
inferior in Strength to moft of Europe^ 
fell into the hands of our Nation, after 
llie had been 1 50 years in the Pofredidn 
of the Portuguefes. In acknowledgment 
of which a Thankfgiving Day was ap- cyj\y^, 
pointed the Sunday following, being the f^^Jf: 
14?^ of May^ which was celebrated ac- ' 
cordingly, and the Thankfgiving-Ser- a n^nkf- 
mon was preach'd by the Reverend Fran- givmg 
CVS Wyngarten in the Church of S. Franch^ Sermon^ 
fince cali'd the Town Church. 
An Account of the Siege of Co/«w^o taken fronfi their own Journalsj 
and ( for the publick Good ) communicated to the Author by 
Matth^m Van den ^roeky formerly a Member of the Council of 
the Indies, now Governor of the Eajl-India Company. Faiths 
fully tranflated from the Portuguefe, 
J true Account of the Siege of Columbo carried on by Raja Singa Kjng of 
Candy and the Hollanders, till the Surrender of that Fortrefs under Anthonio 
de Souza Coutinho, Captain General in the JJle of Ceylon. 
IN the Month of September i<?55. 
10 Dutch Ships came to an Anchor 
near Negumho^ two more being out 
at fome diftance at Sea, having landed 
1 1 Companies of Europeans of 80 Men 
each ; and being join'd by a good num- 
ber of Negroes, they march'd to the 
Pafs of Betal^ but by reafon of the vio- 
lent Rains were forced to return to Ne- 
gumbo. Mr. Gerard Huljl the Dutch Ge- 
neral having reimbark'd his Forces with 
fome others taken out of Negumbo, fail'd 
with the before-mentioned 12 Ships to 
Columbo^ where much about the fame time 
we had receiv'd a fupply of Provifions in 
three Galliots fent from Cochin by the 
brave and faithful Simon Gomes de Silva, 
Governor of that place. Our Governor 
Ccutmho took part of the Rice, in order 
to carry it to Caleture^ where they flood 
iin great need of it, but was prevented 
in his Defign by the fhallownefs of the 
River, The iid of Septemb. we receiv'd 
another Supply from Tutecoryn, confifting 
in 28 Sail under the Command of Nt- 
colas de Moura^ the Fleet being chiefly la- 
den on the account of private Merchants. 
The Enemy having left fix of their 
be/l Ships before Co/«wf'o, fail'd with the 
reft to Caleture \ whereupon our Gover- 
nor gave Orders to C^^t.CafparFtgueira 
de Serpe^ then encamp'd upon the Fron- 
tiers of the King of Candy-, to come to 
Columboj which he did accordingly Oifo- 
bfr 7. 
Without the City were at that time 
encamp'd the famous Difave Francifco 
Untunes towards Mature, and Alvares Ro- 
Vol. III. 
drigo Boralho fent out with three Compa- 
nies to get Intelligence of the Enemy, 
who from the ^■^d of September to the 
1 5^/; of OBobet laid before Caleture, and 
had raifed three Batteries againfi: it. 
Our Governor being fenfible of the 
Condition of the Plaice, feat thither a 
Convoy of Provifions commanded by 
Nicolas de Moura., under a good Guard 
of Europeans and Negroes^ landed by 
Manoel de Gil, DifTave of Negumbo, who 
has fo often fignalized himfelf in our 
King's Service in the Ifle of Ceylon. This 
brave Man attempting to pafs the River 
with 12 of his choiceft Men (the Boac 
holding no more) was fo warmly re- 
ceiv'd by fome of the Enemies Forces, 
that, after they had kill'd feveral of his 
Men with their Fire- Arras, he was forc'd 
to retire ^ the Commander in chief foi- 
low'd his Footfteps contrary to the Opi- 
nion of Capt. Domingo Coelho de Alia, 
who would fain have perfwaded him to 
advance as near as he could to Caleture, to 
incommode the Enemy in the Siege, 
Upon this occafion Alvares Rodrigo Boral- 
ho did confiderable Service, in fending 
Intelligence from time to time of what 
pafs'd, till at laft this whole Body 
came back to the City. 
It being then refolv'd to fuccour Cale- 
ture to the utmoft of our Power, and 
four Galliots being at the fame time ar- 
riv'd from the Viceroy of Goa, we made 
up a Body of 600 Portugueses, the Com- 
mand whereof was committed to Cafpar 
Figueira to attempt the Relief of the 
Place in con)unftion with fome Cingakfes^ 
F f f f f notwith" 
