406 Journal of the Embassy 
the natives present were universally anointed, overcame the ef- 
fects of all these precautions, and almost stifled the European 
gentlemen who were allowed to remain at one end of the hall 
where the general’s guard was stationed. During the audience, 
the rain poured down in torrents without intermission ; and con- 
tinued to do so until the general was on his march back to 
the camp, where he arrived about five in the morning, quite 
exhausted with fatigue. 
After this audience, some days were permitted to elapse be- 
fore another could be obtained ; as it is a standing maxim 
with the Candians never to hurry forward affairs, or to betray 
any symptom of anxiety for their being brought to a conclu- 
sion. I am convinced that their adherenee to this principle 
on the present occasion cost them no small share of unea- 
siness ; as their suspicions of us were too violent to allow 
their minds to enjoy any rest while we continued in their 
country. 
At the seeond audience the general introduced the business 
of the embassy, and made those demands which he was autho- 
rised to do on behalf of Great Britain. Concerning the na- 
ture of those demands, and the answers returned to them, I 
do not consider myself at liberty to give any statement, as 
they were matters of private negociation. One circumstance 
however was publicly talked of as having been laid before his 
Candian majesty by the general on this occasion. It was a 
request made on the part of our government, that that prince 
would allow a road to be made, and a communication to be 
opened, from Trincomalee to Colombo, through his territories, 
a little to the north of Candy. This would have been a mat- 
ter of vast convenience and importance to our government, as 
