# o f M a y ‘* e ; head ^ S S ©odloos Patbe, g |M
p r o v i n c e , ' w i t h ex.p'ressib&,of attachment an d ’ fidelity
to the C^verrioris.'person, 'and the 'crown W E n gM 'd . th i s ' c e rem o n yw a s also
performed by the chiefs o f the Palejiatoes, or ‘Southern f fir is io n / O n 'ih e '6th M a y
h.s E x ce llen c y set out on his return to Colutabo, 'much pleased with the populous
and cultivated appearance o f this ‘fine district,' and the -‘expressions ' o f attachment
|M|fe"by the actives.” .
T h e climate,' however, was now ■ beginning to operate p ow e r fu lly in 'fa v o u r o f
the Candi'ans. Colonel B a rbut,' the commandant o f Candy, 'Was in a short time
■ obliged b y . severe illness to reuirn - to Colombo, accompanied by Major Blair, and
several other oificers, who were -also -extremely indisposed w ith 'th e ju n g le fever,
- ° ngl _Barbut J ||S MaJ°r Blair, soon after'‘theih-rdburn -to- Colura-bo, fell victims -
to this fatal disease; T h e y -were/ officers ,-0f distinguished reputation and amiable
manners, and their -loss was 'sincerely lamented. Colofiel Ba rbut; as has already
been mentioned in the early -part o f this work, hadOcdniiihuted 'much to the improvemen
t' o f the northern parts of' ‘Ce y lon .
, ° ° - * e M a y ,'G en e ra l Mabdowal, beingtrfeeSverCd 1 »
left Columbo for Candy, where, -he arrived on the 25th. H e -remained here some
days, and again attempted to procure an interview with the late hin g ,-h u h 'W ith out
success. T h e General, however-j-had a conference with th e k id t a n j who "seerafed it®
h e actuated b y - th e greatest friendship fo r the English. Consideiihgitfariquillity xfor
the present se cu re fl/h e returned to Co'lnmbo, « k in g With him the r ick officers -and
,o f M SarnSOn' which now began ,0 suffer severely ®om the jungle fe v e r
and the dysentery. T h e General left Major D a v ie o f th e -M a la y corps in com-
with 200 o f the rigth regiment, 5 oo M a la y s / and few artillery h ie n rH :
° n the u oth o f June General Macdowal arrived at Colui'db'o, and on the - 4th
b f 't h e -sam elh on fh / the Adigar, who had so lately not only agreed to (he tr'uce'
Wrth the English , but been loud in his expressions to them comf
i t t e d an act o f perfidy, which unfortunately was as Successful as -it Was atrocious
T h e accounts g iven o f this transaction are necessarily confused,' and v ary in many
partmnlars. I t is therefore most proper 'to g iv e only the authenticated accounts o f
the official Qdcuments* - >• 4/ r r „ .
■Extract o f a Dispatch from Governor the Honourable Frederick North, to
the Right Honourable Lord Hobart, One o f His Majesty's Principal’Secretaries
o f .State, dated Columbo, Qth July 1803. ‘ '
1 3nclose: to y°u die .deposition o f a person, stating himself to be an eve 'Wit
ness o f one o f the most atrocious acts o f perfidy and cruelty e v e i committed
E v e ry particular, o f • the narration may -not be true, but it appears that Candv
was attacked, in the midst o f a truce, b y the first A d ig ^ / on the 23d (or I rather'believe
on the 24th; u lt im o ; that Major Davie , commanding the garrison there,' Cfipitu/ated
■ ©m the 'following da.y,.t; and that after; he left, the; fort, all the English soldiers who
accompanied ■ him were treacherously murdered in^cold > blood. \
I cannot believe that Major Davie would have j consented to evacuate, on - any
terms less favourable than those.,stated in. the deposition, v iz . o f being allowed to
proceed, with arms and ammunition, and without molestation, to Trincomalee, and
th a t' care should be taken . o f the sick whom he left behind; for the fort was
rendered, in- fheaSjpinioh d f most military men, tenable against any force that was lik e ly
tp .fee brought .against it, and large . supplies o f provisions had been sent thither, in
addition to those Which Lieutenant Colonel Barbut declared to be sufficient for six
monins consumption,' two months ago.
Lieutenant H u ssk is sonwa s. also on the- road from Trincomalee (as Major D a v ie
must. have ( known) with a hundred, doolies, under an escort o f one hundred and
fifty Malays ; and when I heard o f the breach o f .the truce, I ordered Lieutenant.
C’olionel Hunter ,tq,. proceed from Trincomalee with two hundred o f his Majesty's
lo th r.egi,fuent, and fifty Malays, to secure th e . evacuation which (had it been delayed
for a fortnight) wbuld have been safely effected.
B u t what I can still less account for is,, that Major Davie,, having obtained
such; terms, should have consented to lay down his arms ; when he must have felt
that the. person who insisted, on su ch infraction o f agreement, could have no other
design , but that of murdering him and his men ;. and when he must, in common;
wit]j,jd l the ajrmy, have M ow n , that a corps of, forty Europeans; in good health.
, c u k t lip ir . $ j y th iqu gh . any .army, o f Candians to
any i.parLpf; thq island.
Indeed Captain Madge, late commandant o f Fort Macdowal,. brought o ff his
men. in: circumstances o f as great difficulty; and a small detachment o f twenty-two-
invalid Malays ,-fourteen convalescents of the 19th regiment from Candy, and s ix ty
Se.apoys under Lieut. Nixon, Ensign Grant, and Ensign Smellie, defended themselves
in a miserable little fort o f Fascines at Dambadinia, for more than a week, against
an immense multitude collected b y the second Adigar, after they had expended their
ammunition, till they were relieved by a detachment o f fifty Europeans and as many
Seapciys, whom L sent under the command o f Captain Blacka ll o f the 5 1 st to bring
them dowry in which he has succeeded without loss.
1 Under the oppression of- so -dreadful a misfortune, it is satisfactory to me dp-
state, that an opinion formed o f a .spirit of- di c tion . in his Majesty’s Malay regiment
is pe r fe c tly unfounded, some, in d iv id u a l s ^ that corps had indeed deserted
from Candy;' but- the great majority,jincluding a l f officers o f influence and respectability,
were s tap nch to the e n d .T h o s e who, a f le / th e , English were separated
from them, were .forced into the G;aridian.. se rvice, a r g g a ^ g in ly not blamable j and:
o f those,., five have already escaped and arrived here,, who say that all the other s*
are reaijy ■ thriri ,*ejjaij|pJe. . % j
T h e ppnce^/'pf that nation, who. are;settled at Columbo, waited on. me, as so o a
as. the melancholy intelligence arrived, to assure me o f their, regret, and. indignation