28 
History of Ceylon 
placed in a very critical situation; they had soon afterwards a 
detachment of 900 men cut off, ^and even the fortress of Co- 
liimbo be"gan to be threatened. The internal dissensions among 
the Candian princes, however, enabled them once more to re- 
trieve their declinihg affairs ; a violent contest having broken 
out between the Princes of Palagam and Batacolo, which ended 
in the death of the latter and the entire subjugation of his 
''dominions. 
In 1615 Boschover, the Dutch ambassador at Ceylon, went 
to India, and fromthence to Europe, to procure assistance for 
the expulsion of the Portuguese. From Holland he was sent 
to Denmark, where he succeeded in engaging the Danes to 
assist with a fleet in the enterprise. He died on his return to 
Ceylon in 1618. In 1620 a Danish fleet arrived at Batacolo; 
but the King of Candy, finding that the ambassador in whom 
he chiefly confided was dead, and taking offence at some con- 
duct of these new comers, refused to enter into any league 
with them, or even to permit them to land. The Danes in 
consequence were obliged to abandon the enterprise, and to set 
sail on their return to Europe. Being in want of refresh- 
ments, they put into Tranquebar on the Coromandel coast ; 
and this circumstance gave rise to the first settlement of the 
Danish colony which has continued there ever since. 
The Portuguese, being considerably reinforced determined to 
secure their dominions in Ceylon in the most effectual manner, 
by entirely excluding all European nations from the island. 
With this view they began to build a fort on a neck of land 
jutting into the bay of Trincomalee, taking advantage of a fa- 
mous pagoda which stood there: this fort is now called Fort 
Ostehburg. In order to carry it on without interruption, they 
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