ï p ' passage t l i p f h 1 ]the ‘country, and its Deception at court.
As tlie ' gthèra‘1 was #y®Töè accompanied -Bjr a larsé es&rt'' it
w^neetessafy to" ijuiet’ttbje apprehensions, 'and remold the sil^-
pifiion^df the Candiaris on tEis headj, as ''they always had- Been
ex'trëtóely av e rs e to thë'; introduction of ~a military force %ito
their Country. „
-This object hiving Dedri èffeètèdr'aTiÖ'^tlM nleessary arrange^
iftents haviifg^taMeif place, th&.esabassy prepared *foi ifW ip a i-
tuafeV The p^erits"'destined’for the king of Candy had fdfsome
time been in readmes^ and -th e 'detachment from the garrison
of‘ Gblunib'OyT' which was tobacco mpany the ’gerterals ^ had' been
appointed. I t corisisted,of'the fig h t company, afld'four battalion
Companies óf his majesty’s 19th-foot, ^ v ^ bm p a n ie s0 of -the, 2d
battalion o f the' 6th regiment of cou&t sepoygj-- eoiupa^u^
»f**he Malay .regiment, a ' detachment from thè Bengal Artillery,
with-four siio-pounders and two howitzers, - and'.part the
Madras pioneer andllascar corps. :
March 10th. The tenth of March, 1800, being fixed upon
for ithe day of our departure, the general, his'staff, and suite?
with the above escort^ marched from jColumbo^to Palambahaf,
aboufciyimrqinites distant, " and situated on the right- banfev 'of
the Mutual n v e r Here we encamped in #Ome-?rice-fieJids adjoining.
; ' L Ï» ■,
® H th . - Remained in our encampment waiting for the presents/
which were still at' Cohimbo; -Qne Maclaren, a private jn the
IQith regiment, was drowned white bathing in the .river. Rain,'
thundeSg and lightning a t night. / Thermometer -at 79°. |
m m ï ^ ^ i n e d in the same place, the presents not being
yet'arrived, nor a sufficient number of cdolieis provided ;fp convey
/th e »hospital doolies and provisions for the detachment.
,4 !
Some of ^he^ti>ves^/]yho been, .appointed doqkj for. the
bbdy -jflfivfheo-man? y^e ;jl|*9^f the ;.pree|diWg day,/found it near
thb’ spxHjiwhere,hejp|ad-.sunk. , Slight rain.apd* thunder,at nigfiti
If^.bxMdrched <j$ght/^pile^jit^jGudavi^,• the ^oad
lyihg il^ngoifhe riv^r'r'in ^ f v e i ^ b-gjje^bJg^naaim'er. Here Wp
encountered a/^Cry strong'and narrowj;pass: on'-our^efti-lay * the
uhcommdblJo.sfeSp'.- banks ipfiyfhebriyqil^ oi^urigh#,.Was skirted
by hills^-coVcied ygifh^thidk^jjpngle; I apd rinjj-ffprit,,appeared a
kind !pf^%!t bre-astJwp'jsk-dwhjch^'liad ’been. thrown .up by the
Cinglesfe durihg their> rpbgllidn- agamstaqprsgby erdmtpirjin/1797.
Thigueiatrerichment,, if /held, Jay- -an enemyi^^spe§s,ed^ qi|j any de-
gre^of^ military skill, could ..not be forced without chnsideffiblp
difficulty, as; the, /approach^ to, Jt.Jisf'by a' deep’ hollow .fdefile,
lffiedv on leach ridfe with bushes,, where, f'fopps imsi|ht .easily be
statipped ’in ' such a- ihannei/as 4o annoy fh e , enemyl^e^pely. without
exposing themselves. ( We,had several.sepoys killed-and woundr
e d . here- a t different times before thef irebfilliobs, ^Cinglesecould
b e subdued. Alconsidgrable number of years <ago, ttfcdiP'utfcft had
about four hundred ofitheir t®b°Ps surrounded andicpfrcff near
this «pot. Our escefrt, encamped about .half, a anile ■ beyond the
pass, in; an open plainpineariy surrounded- by the . river;- -, which
winds - hem in a variety: of'direfctioiiS. The situation! oj/Cuda-
rilli'ris, delightfully‘ romantic*
!^ 4M i. H a ltd f’ this./ day. : From- Colombo; we learnt-fhat- the
51|f rpg-iment, from Madras-had arrived there and disembaiiced
iff. ordef to form p a r t.o f ' the garrison. Rain, fhfihder,; and
fighthmggat; night i u>;
,r 15th-. "Marched twelve miles to Gufcrawaddi, a Very pretty-
place, situated in a pleasant and' romanticfco.u'ntry, with several
1ngli and steep hills in the neighbourhood. An Extensive choul-
3 c 2