A Defer iption 0/ C E Y L O 
765 
The Gail- rienc'd Officers in the whole I lie, and 250 
ion was choice Men, throush the mifmanagement 
Prifnn at°^ ^^^^ who prefer'd their own Intereft 
Gale, before that of his Majelly. 
The i^th of October the Enemy march- 
ing diredtly to Columho^ polled themfelves 
in fight of the City near S. Sebajlian^ 
r/je Dutch where Anthonio de Souz.a Coutinho the 
Smbr Governor, together with Frar.cifco 
' de Melo de Cajlro^ order'd immediately 
fome Works to be call up to hinder their 
approach : But the 1 8ffc they were fo vi- 
goroufly attack'd in thefe Intrenchments, 
that they had enough to do to efcape to the 
City, and to cut down the Bridges behind 
them. 
We then apply'd our felves to the 
ftrengthening of our Batteries, whilft the 
Enemy kill'd all they met with without 
the City, and immediately fell to the 
raifing of their Batteries, which was no 
difficult task for them to do, being back'd 
by an Army of 20 or 30000 Men under 
Raja Singa King of Candy, and furnilh'd 
by him with Pioneers and other Necefra" 
vies in abundance. 
Our Governor and Francifco de Melo de 
Caftro did leave no Stone unturn'd for 
the defence of the City ; they vifited 
the Magazines and Armories, and fur- 
nifii'd with Arms all fuch as were capa- 
ble of bearing them, not excepting even 
the old Men and School-boys. The Polls 
on the Baftions were affign'd to the fol- 
i/;t'/k^e>vzZ lowing Commanders on the Baftion of 
r^"n-Vl' S. Jofcw, /^i?«oe/ Comi? i/c ^^cw i on that 
onlbe Ba- ^- Sehafiian, Francifco Gorian de Fialho ; 
fims. on that of Madre de Deos, John de Pavia 
de Quintal j on that of S. Conception^ Do- 
rningos Peixoto on that of S. Hieronymo^ 
^Iphonfo Carvatho de Souz^a ; on that of 
S./inthonio^ Aianoel Carvalho da Maya j on 
that of S. Jacob, Manoel Nunes \ on that 
of S. Aujlin, Luys de Paiva Quintal \ on 
diat of ^. Laurence^ Anthonio de Silva; 
on El'iat of S.Cm, Cafpar d'Aranja Pereira ; 
on that of S. Francifco Xaverio, Manoel 
Caldeira de Brito ; and on that of Gal- 
mca, Dominges Pires % who all gave fuffi- 
cient Proofs of their Bravery in their 
refpedive Polls during the Siege, as did 
likewife Father Vamian Vicira a Jefuit, 
cfpecially in the Attack upon the Garden 
of Antonio de Mota, and fome Houfes 
ftanding upon an Eminency at S. Thomas, 
in which tho they were repulfed the firfl 
time, yet the next day our Forces com- 
manded by Alvaro Rodrigo and Manoel 
Caldeira, being feconded by fome Com- 
panies polled on the other fide of the 
Ditch, made themfelves Mailers of it, 
being of no fmall Conveniency to us, 
Vol, III. 
to hinder the approach of the Enemy. 
Notwithilanding this the Enemy ad- 
vanced apace under favour of their Ar- 
tillery, of which they brought great, 
ftore daily from their Ships. And on 
our fide we found t!ie Baftion of S. John 
mofl expos'd, we Ibengthned the fame 
with Malls, Earth and Fafcines ; we 
made alfo a cover'd way from the Wall 
to the brink of the Ditch, the fame was 
done near the Baftions of S. Sebafiian and 
Rajuha ; both Clergy-men and Lay-men 
without diftindtion of Perfons imploying 
themfelves in this Work, and furnifhing 
Materials for fo ufeful a Work, efpecially 
Cafpar Figueira de Serpe, who having gieaC 
ftore of Baskets, Spades, and other fuch 
like Inftrnments, facrificed them all for 
the publick Service. 
The 10th of O&ober the Enemy began 
tofaluteus with 12 great pieces of Can- 
non from three Batteries, njiz.. 3 from 
that of S. Thomas, 5 from that at Agua 
de Luphe, and 4 from that of S. Sebafiian, 
from whence they fent 8co Bullets, j8, 
20, 24 and 28 Pounders, in one day into 
the City. But tho the Enemies BuHet^ 
did confiderable Execution, fome of the 
King's unfaithful Servants did more mif- 
chief by introducing adulterated Coin, 
and engrofljng the Provilions under pre- 
tence of the King's Service for their 
own lucres fake. 
There were at that time not above 
1 300 Souls, young and old, Europeans and 
Indians, viz.. 500 that receiv'd Pay, and a- 
mong them, fome married, fome unmar- 
ried, fome Children and Topaffes; 300 
married People who ferv'd without Pay, 
400 Lafcaryns, and about 60 Labourers 5 
the whole number of the Europeans not 
amounting to above 500 Men. The Go- 
vernor with the Confent of the whole 
City, pitch'd upon Anthonio d'Abreu an 
Inhabitant of Negapatnam, to be fent to 
Goa, to give an account to the Viceroy 
of the City. He was favourably receiv'd 
by the Viceroy, who told him that he 
had already fent a Squadron under Ma- 
noel de Magalhah Coutinho, to carry a 
Supply of • Provilions and Men thither, 
brought together for that purpofe by 
Anthonio Amiral de Menefes at Manaar. 
But this Convoy came no further than 
the Cape Comoryn, and could not make 
the Cape, tho fome were of opinion it 
was rather for want of Will *, fo he 
return'd to Columbo, where the Vice- 
roy being dead in the mean while, 
the whole face of Affairs was changed, 
and Columbo loft for want of timely Sup- 
ply, 
Ffff^2 The 
The Enemy 
play from 
their Bat- 
teries^ 
Number cf 
People in 
the Cith 
Amh. d' 
Abreu fent 
to Goa, to 
give an ac" 
count of the 
Condition 
of Colum" 
bo. 
