from his amjpjtioas .dçsigm.. With his usual dissimulation He professed on
every pupi^ccasion the greatest friendshipito. our- governnjiêrit ^”"hut as our
alliance with themonaVch gave him just grounds to,’suppose tAhis ambitious
attempTS^wbul^'be resisted, it was-to‘be'expected that he wouMf%se every
ipeans in his- power to dissolve the connection. As his contrpul at the "court
of-Candy was unbounded,- every thing-,done there contrary'to our interests
Vas to be attributed to him, For'the feeblfe monarch durst in mb instance dis-
putehis -pleasure.. •
T h e c i r cum s ta n c e s w h ic h l ë d m o rè in h u e d ia te ly . to h o s t ilité s are d e s c r ib e d
in th e f o llo w in g o f f ic ia l d o c u m e n t e .^
Extract of a Letter from: IBs Excellency Gfaetmr Efprtjiÿ io,fhe RightLied faf-
■ . able Lord Hobart.
j -Cpiunatei, if, p8og.-,
^ The various events whicjh have driven my government" into’ a war 'wlth’ GVdy^ have
as they have bccàrred,;heen\regùlàrly''l:cp<}rted'' tfe yôtfr Lordship,
^stëvéH^-l^SI-bé f^ïyoufsat pieseSt; at deiafled'account ofc that affair frOmatyoiSI
gin, together, with a complete series ,®f .the documents xelftii»,to;i4i i
To Robert Arbufmot, Esq.' Ghiif'Séirëtdrypo GovernniêÈt. ■
«Sljj.—Thâd théTiôn'our1 ôf acquainting yoU'difS former dispatch, that I had sp&I^n
to'a veiy'conficlen&al Moorman - Fn Pùtelàng (Putâlém) to procure me precise intêliigen'eè
ircim thelboRtt^s-^f ■ Gandy; and as much,as pqssihl^from the-mterior qf that ïeuwtey,
.through ther channel oi his mercantile connections in that part of the 'Candian distridtk
where he'could penetrate under the disguise of tradel'in cblBpIiaifcf fhe
«S ipp ^ wBc^*pfuaeifeë^i could depend, who returned die
Keviotlldlnot bepermitted $o< go faiyintq the first country; but that? ,he .metftwo? Moormen
- merchants, -his intimate acjjjjajntance, wha^ldhim that every pérsgn
gagedin preparing for hostile or^defensive war; that id Ihe fifstj- second,'®dlthird
out of1CTKÿ^ï^èiJifadwev,ér;s^lî,. and fft prtÇùirion' ih'fheVore
-pbpnlousïvîllàges.were ordered to assemble at certain places of rendezvous; anèput .midm
tijgTord^-jOf officers,’apd^yery day were training ip aççhery; that eveaÆqégot precise,
^rderâ ta provide theinselves with six bows and A propOrtionate-numfer of arrows ■
apH that, ip tKë défier Anmtries,
that the every pefscmf moder, paikidf »ffittiiig out Vthair.
:tongues.; that those two Moorm.en took advantage.of an obscure jnigbt tpid. a very private
place' to give him this information, and said, that, every person .was closely watched;ei*Jn
'their own subjects; loesired my fttènd to ùfatufàië't&fflfaSiè eVëfy idtélfi^gnee possible
of any appearance of the Candians approaching, in any numbers, thé British settlements.
I also told him, that it would be inexcusable in him and' both his brothers, i f they
did not acquaint me, for the information o f government, o f any formidablte(assemblage
o f an armed-fbrhe threateniijgAhwcoundy, as government knew that theyi could be very
well informed,' i f they meant to be,loyal and faithful!,; to .government, and that i f they
Ijavèsjthiswïest >&r (beumMepty, government1 wcfSlo'haveSat ju s t £ense ot their services,
gndidisMfgursh themion 'future occaSituïs. H e d'esirèd mé tb assure his Ë x ce llen c y the
governor, that liis 'brothers'-a'üdNhevtöbtfght* themseJVes happy.’ to.be under'the protection
o f. ms Excellerfoy! alnd ÉHei British la\y^ anfd>that'they Wóuldvneyei cease to give his
jÈfv dél]qöf® èyer$§ prbof-of trt^andrpro'öüre cvery*<mldr>m’kt'fo'rfipossi,b'lefl^ild-s(qmmunicate
it to me fromStiime tpitifrfèj': H e .desoribetlbthe-.Gduntry to me as-divided • into eight cir-
‘ cl'-s, khSwüTan'd dfttingujsbem'ft^TfHé respective numbers. iNumberseigth being the
central, that and thei number s-.seveniand six’ ir e fcW jjtacfs where they have concentrated
<altl'xil?W'princi^Sff®'ce, -andifrorri whence orders are continually passing re?thp.,exterior
ISHRran If ihS®J|^aT|y other matters vjljipK his ’E x c e llen c y snoilld1 wish*1! would do, I
Wairhe^happy fotexèputéhis ~ J \ 4 I havé, the hbpour tcrbe,1 & c .
pj^signe’d) i” ,y v'« vi".. «rLi,eutCnUritv0i@ONNjElEjl|it1
t,func^gi-V0 Q2s ’’ . 5 1 ' x r - vGommander.
* T q Mbm<Mr;b,uthnot, Esq. Ghief Secretary to'Goikrnmenf. -
'thé Bónöffi^to’-'infófnï Bxrd&H^fi£y ^thè govern or’s. information',
,ffiat 'I'T^eiwu Chahnelil- men tion‘ed! HH ’ét -fornfter 'di^pè&lr/.ndws :frörii- the
’GaddiMiiifrc&ïüérs- (which aTe' all' lilorfgliBed‘with Malays and Gandians," arpied with firearms
amlili s ab'd ^rrow s"?kc ) 'that the most adttv'c preparations aic making for deiêiiJ,
sivef i f f of offuisiv&’opefatforisl Frónf'all*thé rö'ad# ladinginro'fïróiri'^ountTy'théy''have
‘right .nidleït” narrow Toad^fe,'p^te,' ‘5h diagonal directions,; "sq.as to flank
-feSops ‘tfiaVèiay’ bntef •their;’Gd|mtry^and havé madé pAsèaïRlv bhSds''’{q.covêi; them-
sqlvf v^and to'annoy the ïwv «ders^and by ipeans of ®ès^.erosts roadsftto secure a retreat,
or rather d facility Bfan-vailcïing; JA propo'ö.i’onJ'dlthe pfögfess-ohfneP^ncrny^wHey are
manufactuijrig' poWdfe^ibafls, guns, and the other weapons in’useS'among, them. lam
dojifidoiit^toild,: that'great quahtïties-óf* saltpetre‘are conveyed; kOtfiémifKim' Columbo;
TheyhiyeSalready committed hostilities-'cfefiMsiMhjestyis-d^fectSjof Putiaiid (Putalomjq
iwb-uJröcks’and.bufla]®èS;ïwhich were-Sent thére,tó\bring areka nuts, &c. to, Rutland,
ate detained there; fiffy ofsthosebulloókS'Aïel^ig tö the Marears, and the remainder to
same of^ffi-bkhar^Bihabitants; Ï am töl8 "thafthere are.seyemh'considoFabl'e'divisions of
them. injdiflèï^diü^Stss ready to BUccoórceaC»Other,; 'the accounts I ha'vé received say,
8boöi»r;i)oao .mèaïn each‘division; I cannot yet find that they ’inteSud making any in^
cursioiisintQ the BiMInisettlomehts. ■",
S^yLhave the«htmountobe, 8 k é ,.\f
1 ”• .{Sighedte - -Lieutenant O’-Gonneel. .
‘ Putelang', June 23, ï 8oay'' rf'
-- fT o Robert Arbuthnot, E s q .f ih ie f Secretary to Government.
Sir—I have the honour to acquaint for the information*óf, his Excellency, that in