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himself king of Ceylon, and a long and bloody war ensued, which ended in the defeat and death of Rajah Singha, at the advanced age of one hundred and twenty years, which event occurred in the year 1592.

The Portuguese now resolved upon subjugating Kandy, which had remained to this period an independent state, and sent a large force thither for that purpose, which was defeated, suffering great loss.

It was in the year 1602 that the Dutch first turned their attention towards Ceylon; their possessions in the East Indies were vast and lucrative, and this island would open a new gate to gain, could they obtain a footing; consequently, in furtherance of their design, Admiral Spillbergen was dispatched by the Prince of Orange and States General of Holland, with three men-of-war, fully armed and equipped, to open communication with the natives. The fleet anchored south of Batticalloa on the 29th of March in

that year, and the admiral immediately commenced a correspondence with the governor of Batticalloa, and finally despatched a messenger to the king of Kandy, Wimala Dharmaa, who received him with cordiality, and sent a letter to the admiral, written by himself, inviting the admiral to his kingdom. Accordingly, on the 6th of July following, Admiral Spillbergen, with his suite, set out for Kandy, and they were treated by the king with great attention and hospitality; every opportunity was afforded them to acquire information, and every public building opened to their inspection. The king appeared desirous to have the Dutch for allies, and offered every facility for carrying on trade between the two nations, endeavouring at the same time, with eager curiosity, to obtain insight into the laws, customs, and religion of Europe.

The admiral's mission proved a most successful one, as he obtained permission to build a fort on the seashore, and to carry on a free trade in cinnamon and pepper. Spillbergen

sailed from Batticalloa on the 2nd of September, and espying three Portuguese sail off the coast of Ceylon, he made for, engaged with, and finally captured these vessels, and sent them as presents to the king of Kandy.

In the following year Schalt De Weerd was sent by the Dutch to Ceylon, and was received by their new ally, Wimala Dharmaa, in the most amicable manner, and an ambassador from the king of Kandy accompanied De Weerd when he sailed for Achen. De Weerd, however, subsequently exasperated the king of Kandy by breaking the treaty of alliance, and releas ing four Portuguese vessels which had been recently captured by him. Wi. mala Dharmaa, upon the return of the Dutch squadron to the coast of Ceylon, remonstrated with the admiral upon this violation of the treaty and breach of faith; and the ambassador excited Wimala Dharmaa's suspicion, cautioning him against the treachery of his new allies. Shortly afterwards the admiral requested the king to visit him on board his ship; but this the monarch positively refused to do, fearing that he might be made prisoner, alleging, as his reason, that the queen was alone at Kandy, and that he must return to her. De Weerd continued to press his request with impertinent importunity, and con cluded by saying, that the king need be in no hurry to return to the lascivious queen, as doubtless she had found some one to supply the king's place before this time; adding, that if his request was not complied with, be would not attack Galle, according to the articles of the treaty. Wimala Dharmaa immediately ordered his attendants to seize De Weerd, saying, "Seize that foul-mouthed pig;" a skirmish then ensued between the Kandians and the Dutch, as the former essayed to carry their mo narch's orders into effect, and De Weerd and many of his attendants were killed. It is impossible to read of the conduct of Schalt De Weerd without loathing the character of the despicable, treacherous, coarse, Dutchman, who met the fate his insolence drew on his head; and although historians endeavour to palliate his conduct, by saying that he was heated with wine. In the estimation of all right-minded men this excuse, if a correct one, only heightens the folly of the Dutch, in sending an admiral, addicted to drunkenness, to negotiate and carry out a treaty with an ally. The following epigrammatic and terse

note was sent by the king of Kandy to the second officer in command of the squadron:

"He who drinks wine is worse than a sow. Buddha has executed justice. If you want peace, let there be peace -If war, then war."

It appears from history, that the Dutch allowed the death of De Weerd to pass unnoticed, as they did not declare war against Wimala Dharmaa, who died in 1604, and was succeeded by his brother Senerat, who married the widowed queen of Kandy.

We find no further mention of the Dutch until the year 1612, when Marcellus De Boschouder arrived at Kandy, and entered into a new treaty with the Kandian sovereign, offensive and defensive; they were then granted the exclusive right of trading in Ceylon, and were allowed to commence building a fort at Cottiar. The Portuguese, already in possession of the island, viewed with jealous hostility the privileges granted to the Dutch; and immediately on the fort of Cottiar being commenced, despatched an army, consisting of more than 4,000 soldiers, composed of Portuguese, Cingalese, and Moormen, to attack the fort at Cottiar, which they took after a desperate resistance made by the Dutch, and butchered in the most barbarous manner the whole of the occupants, including women and children. This massacre of his new allies, by the Portuguese, so exasperated Senerat, that he sent an army of 5,000 men in pursuit, who fell in with the invaders before they reached their own territories, and vanquished them, making many prisoners, from whom they demanded heavy ransoms. The king of Kandy now resolved upon expelling the Portuguese from Ceylon, and commenced war in a vigorous style against them, successfully; and in 1614, we learn that an envoy from the viceroy of Goa proceeded to Kandy, and proposed a treaty of peace, which Senerat refused to accede to. From this date until 1635, we find the Kandians, assisted by the Dutch, at continued war with the Portuguese; the latter erecting forts at Trincomalee and Batticalloa, for the protection of the coast, but suffering constant and severe defeats; the Kandian army advancing as far as Colombo, in their attempts to ex

pel the Portuguese from Ceylon: and it was only after a protracted and desperate struggle that the Portuguese succeeded in retaining possession of the fort of Colombo.

In the year 1635 Senerat died, after a brilliant reign of thirty years, and succeeded by his eldest son, Rajah Singha II.

was

Wijaya Paalaa, the king's brother, claimed as his right, that Matele and the adjacent provinces should be formed into a separate kingdom, and he proclaimed their monarch; and endeavoured to enforce his demand by flying to arms, and calling in the aid of the Portuguese, who readily acceded to this request in the expectation that the commotion produced by civil war would aid their own designs. Historians differ materially as to the number of the invading army-Ribeiro and Botelho stating that it was composed of seven hundred Europeans, and twenty-eight thousand Indians; while Valentyn affirms that it consisted of two thousand three hundred Europeans and half-castes, with six thousand Caffres. But be the number what it might, it is certain that a large army, commanded by Don Diego de Melho, did penetrate into the interior, and, after ransacking Kandy, retired to Gannaruwa. Here Rajah Singha, the king of Kandy, surrounded them with his forces, putting all to death, either by the sword or barbarous modes of torture, and subsequently cut off their heads and piled them up in a pyramidical form, as a warning to all aggressors; and history asserts that only eight-and-thirty Europeans escaped this frightful slaughter.

In the year 1637, the Kandian mo. narch resolved upon calling in the aid of his Dutch allies to assist him in vanquishing the Portuguese, and driving them from Ceylon, and sent ambassadors to Batavia for that purpose, who were received with every mark of respect; and envoys from the Dutch were immediately dispatched to Kandy. A treaty was entered into, whereby the Dutch agreed to furnish troops to the Kandian monarch upon the stipulation that the whole expenses of the war, on land and at sea, were to be defrayed by Rajah Singha. This the king consented to readily, but insisted that all the forts built by the Portuguese, as they were taken, should

be placed in his hands. All being now satisfactorily arranged, the envoys returned, and Admiral Westerwold was sent in command of a force of six hundred men and several pieces of cannon, who immediately attacked Batticalloa, wresting it from the Portuguese; and the king of Kandy, as a token of gratitude, sent two ambassadors to Batavia with presents to the General and Council of the Indies. Trincomalee was taken from the Portuguese in 1639, and by the orders of Rajah Singha the fort was razed to the ground, and not one stone left standing on the other. The fort at Batticaloa had previously shared the same fate, so that the whole of the fortifications belonging to the Portuguese, on the eastern coast, were now destroyed.

In the year 1640, the war continued to rage with renewed vigour, success following the Kandian and Dutch troops. Negombo, a fortified town about eight leagues and a-half to the north, was taken by the Dutch after a faint resistance made by the Portuguese, as the spirits of the men were sinking under the continued prosperity that followed the Dutch arms. Immediately after taking Negombo, the Dutch marched to Point de Galle, and stormed the place, which was taken after a vigorous resistance had been made by the governor, Ferreiro de Bretto, who fought by the side of his men the whole night of the assault, and fell covered with wounds, and his life was only spared at the entreaty of his noble and heroic wife. This affords us an opportunity of relating an instance of the devotion and courage of woman, where her affections are called forth, and which is recorded by Ribei ro, who states, the governor of Point de Galle, Ferreiro de Bretto, was married to a woman who was passionately attached to him, and that on the night of the assault she remained at his side on the batteries, animating and cheering him by her presence and courage. At length, after receiving five wounds, a blow with a musket levelled him, and the soldier was about to dispatch him when his wife threw herself between them, calling upon him as a man and a Christian to spare her husband's life. Finding the soldier hesitate, she implored him to take her life first, and thus save her the anguish of seeing her beloved husband

butchered before her eyes, and threw herself on her knees, clinging to her prostrate husband. A Dutch officer, who was near, hastened to the group, desired the soldier to desist, raised the weeping lady, and had the gallant governor tended until his wounds were healed.

Admiral Koster, under whose command Galle had been taken, was now made governor of the place, and he immediately commenced building and repairing the fortifications; but finding the Portuguese were making prepara tions to retake Point de Galle, he deemed it necessary to call in the aid of the Kandian king, and proceeded to Kandy for that purpose. Rajah Singha received him with cold civility, and, although he promised to assist the Dutch admiral against the Portuguese, refrained from keeping his word, as he considered that were the Dutch to become masters of the south of the island he would only be exchanging his enemies. The king now appeared to have awakened to the line of policy which had induced the Dutch to give him the aid of their troops to expel the Portuguese from Kandy, which was, that they might eventually become the masters of the whole island, as every place which had been taken by the Dutch had a large garrison left there to guard and protect it from the natives as much as from the Portuguese. Admiral Koster vehemently pressed the king for his aid, which was at last peremptorily refused. The admiral then accused the king's ministers by name of interfering to prevent Rajah Singha keeping his treaty with the Dutch. High words ensued, and the admiral quitted the king's presence in great wrath, setting out immediately for Galle, which he was never destined to reach, as he was murdered on the road between Kandy and Batticalloa, it is said by the king's orders.

The Portuguese appear to have been imbued with their former valour, as they retook Negombo, and there were constant skirmishes all over the island between them and the Dutch. In the year 1644, the fortune of war again placed Negombo in the hands of the Dutch, and they forthwith fortified the town, throwing up earthen bastions at every corner of the fort, and on these were mounted several pieces of cannon. In 1646, a temporary

pacification was entered into between the Dutch and Portuguese, which continued until 1654, and during the intervening period a species of desultory war was carried on by Rajah Singha against the Dutch and Portuguese. The Dutch authorities at Negombo, in 1646, carried off some of the king of Kandy's tame elephants, and slew them for the sake of their tusks and molar teeth. This act of wanton aggression naturally excited the anger and aroused the vengeance of Rajah Singha, who without loss of time surrounded the Dutch troops, took their commander, Adrian van der Stell, prisoner, caused him to be strangled, then cut off his head, and sent it enclosed in a silken wrapper to his countrymen who were stationed on the sea coast, with a message to the effect that thus he punished murderers and robbers.

In the year 1655, hostilities again recommenced between the Dutch and Portuguese, and Caltura was taken by the former in the October of that year. During the month of December following, the Dutch took prisoner the Portuguese governor of Jaffnapatam, as he was on his road from Manar to Colombo, then the stronghold of the Portuguese. The Dutch now prosecuted the war against the Portuguese with renewed energy, and marching up to Colombo, laid siege to that city, blockading it both by sea and land ; and after severe loss on both sides, and an obstinate resistance on the part of the Portuguese for seven months, it was surrendered by capitulation, the Portuguese stipulating that they should be allowed to retire unimpeded to Jaffnapatam. The accounts given by Ribeiro of the sufferings of the Portuguese during this siege are frightful. Reduced to starvation, they swallowed the most loathsome matter, resorting to the most revolting expedients to sustain life-maternal love being engulphed in the pangs of hunger, and mothers cutting the throats of infants at their breast, devoured their offspring to sustain life. These accounts are too horrible to dwell upon, and we willingly let a veil fall. Not contented with the victory they had already obtained, the Dutch pursued the Portuguese to Jaffnapatam, thereby violating the articles of the capitulation; and, after a siege of four months, it was surrendered, and the inhabitants

made prisoners of war. The Portuguese historian vituperates most bitterly the indignities offered to his nation by the Dutch-houses pillaged, plantations destroyed, wives dishonoured, and daughters ravished, are amongst the crimes that he attributes to the Dutch conquerors.

It is at all times fearful to contemplate the horrors of war, and its attendant misery to individuals, even of the victorious nation, but how much greater to meditate on the sufferings of those attached to the conquered country? But in no history do we find greater atrocities recorded than those laid to the charge of the Dutch after the surrender of Jaffnapatam, in 1658, and which terminated Portuguese dominion in Ceylon; but our own sentiments cannot better be expressed than in Fox's favourite maxim, "Iniquissimam pacem justissimo bello antefero."

We conclude the account of the Portuguese rule in the island, by quoting the following from Percival's “Ceylon :”—

"The improvements made in the cultivation of Ceylon by the Portuguese were by no means considerable-that people, when they first took possession of it, were rather warriors than merchants. Their continual wars with the natives contributed to keep up the same spirit; and their principal attention seems to have been directed to the fortification of a few stations on the coast, and the erection of some military posts to awe the natives. But the Portuguese appear never to have properly discovered the advantages to be derived from this island, either in a commercial or military point of view. Their dominion extended all around it, and no station could be pointed out more commodious for a depot, either of merchandise or military stores. These advantages were overlooked by the court of Lisbon; and those individuals who were sent to the command at Ceylon, were more anxious to gratify their pride by conquest, and their avarice by extortion, than to pursue a plan of permanent advantage either to the mother country or to the colony. The Portuguese, therefore, by their own misconduct, were deprived of this valuable island before they were aware of the benefits to be derived from it."

Although we do not coincide completely with the view taken by this excellent writer, still it is self-evident

was

that the Portuguese paid but little
attention to the cultivation of this pro-
lific spot of earth, and we do not find
amongst Portuguese records any state-
ment of the proceeds of any pearl
fishery; so that we may conclude that
comparatively little attention
paid to the commercial or agricultural
capabilities of Ceylon. However, it
must be borne in mind that the Por-
tuguese had to contend against innu-
merable difficulties, being not only at
war with the natives, whom they never
entirely conquered, but continually
harassed by skirmishes and war with
their European enemies, the Dutch.

The following is a list of Portuguese governors and commanders in Ceylon, as given by Ribeiro:-Pedro Lopez de Souza, Jerome de Azevado, Francois de Menezes, Manuel Mascarenhas, Homen, Nunho, Alvares Perreira, Constandin de Sà y Noronha, G. d'Albuquerque, D. George d'Almeida, Diego de Mello, Antoine Mascarenhas, Philippe Mascarenhas, Francois de Mello de Castro, Antoine de Souza, Continho, under whom Colombo was lost. At Jaffnapatam and Manaar there were also Antoine d'Amarel y Menezes, the last of their captaingenerals.

HORACE BOOK II., ODE 19.

TO BACCHUS.

Far amid rugged rocks, as Bacchus sung
(Posterity believe it), ranged around
I saw the Nymphs and Satyrs as they hung
In listening rapture on the thrilling sound!
Hurra-hip, hip, hurra! My spirits bound
With the full tide of pleasure's wild career,
That o'er informs my soul-thou God renown'd
For the wreath'd madness of thy dreadful spear,
Spare me-hurra-I rave-I tremble with strange fear.
Thine ever-raging maids 'tis mine to chant,
The purple fountain, and the milky stream,
And teach the echoing numbers to descant

On trees whose caves with honied treasures teem;
And the new lustre thou hast taught to gleam,
From starry orbs, whose glowing constellation
Crowns the blest Ariadne, swells my theme;
And the dark fate that smote the royal Thracian,
And Pentheus' ruined halls, a direful desolation.

Ocean and river, Ind's barbaric waters,

Thou rulest. On the lonely heights, where bathed
In rosy bliss, behold the mystic daughters

Gathering the fearful tresses thou hast wreathed

With knotted snakes, and bearing all unscath'd

The writhing terrors. With a lion form

Thy fang hath smote Earth's monster-sons, who breathed
Defiance to high Heaven, and 'mid the storm

Hurl'd their gigantic chief back on the rebel swarm.

To war's rude scenes unused, thy gentle fame
Haunted the mazy dance and sportive glee;
Yet 'mid the battle's deadliest strife the same,
In peace or war, an equal deity.

Graced with thy golden horn far glittering, see
Hell's three-tongued monster crouched before its ray—
The fawning guardian of mortality.

Slow shook his cumbrous tail, nor dared to stay

Thy steps, but licked the feet that sought the realm of day.

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