182 
Malays of Ceylon. 
and it was in consequence soon reduced to ashes. The Dutch 
inhabitants, and all those who were coneerned in the massacre, 
fled precipitately into the interior of the island. Several of the 
' perpetrators of the crime \vere afterwards taken, and suffered 
for their treachery. 
In the same year, an unfortunate affair took place at Am- 
boyna, where the Malays murdered lieutenant M‘Crae, of the 
company’s service, who happened to be quartered there ; and 
several more of the English officers would have shared his fate, 
had they not been rescued by the troops. I will not take upon 
me to say how far the Dutch were implicated in the crime ; but 
from their usual policy, and their conduct on other occasions, 
it was strongly suspected that they had instigated the Malays 
to perpetrate this savage act. 
By such arts as I have described, the Dutch succeeded in 
inspiring the Malays with the most rooted aversion to our 
countrymen ; and there was no piece of atrocity which they 
were not ready to commit on our troops. Several of the Ma- 
lays have since told me, that on our taking possession of Ceylon, 
their minds had been exasperated to such a degree by misre- 
presentation, and an assurance of the Dutch that the English 
would give them no quarter, as to determine them to do us 
all the mischief in their power. The cowardly and base con- 
duct of the Dutch, however, both in yielding wnthout resistance 
to our troops, and in abandoning the Malays, who fought their 
battles, to their fate, has completely alienated the Malays from 
their former masters. They now look upon the Dutch with 
contempt, and call to mind their former tyrannical behaviour; 
wdiile the brave and open conduct of the English has gone far 
to do away their former prejudices against us. After the cap- 
