hopdly1’df %1*; the' valhsffife 'ptoductieas tofteih^vMattd’;- and
stiarcMy1: any thing waSleft fotetheKing; arid his< suSjectSvfbut
quiedt^ fo' assist them iri*!&yaiho||dthemselves t ofathMr ;a®quisi*
^onsv*:;'But if was ridt to be^ expected that • advantagescob*
Gained iff such a- manner could be permanent. Such harsh
and ^e|radii% * terms naturally shocked' and exasperated ;the
aT.^nd-iaris/ :a.nd fostered: ■ in. theiry breasts the roqted and
hteeterater*hatret to their " |?b6y eagerly hatched at
^Very bb^asieiJ fb' efede or infeirige the terms» of,, the treaty;;
=and. tlu^Duteh soon found- that, in their sariguine hopes of satiating1
their 'dvaride, ; they had OYer-reaehed 'titaoriselv^c and ra-
hher diiriimshed than 'increased the httteob»h&fi$gfhey had former*
% flerifed-ftom the interior of the island.' «Nettdftd even.dheir
-tranquillity at all Secured by this .treaty; : the. Candiafis- frer-
•queritly ■ attempted by force of arms to procure 'Tbettete iterms,
althbugh the Dutch' constantly; succeeded; iri repulsing- them ;
-not, however, without much bloodshed on bgthiside^... -About
*t^nty- yeafs^ago the Dutch again penetrated into thehKingV
but wer%attacked by the natives -with sfemuch spirit, that
the pjeserit geribral de TVTeuron, then aJccdonel' in the .'Dutch deth
•-viee, narrowly escaped being cut off with aj large detachment near
Sittivaeca, and, by accidentally taking a different road from that
which the Candians’-expected .he would, hpsgot^safe-to Gohrnibo.»
Both parties at last -became wearied out, with these ^constant,
ineffectual struggles ; and hostilities, as well ,as all other, inter--
course, were dBccmtiauedteas-- if by mutual' .consenta Bte
-Dutch were chiefly anxious-to prevent vdmy. ƒconnection .being
formed between tlie natives and foreigners; - pid thee King ;of
Candy was resolved to -prevent »any intercourse . befcweerif,iiis
.subjects and a nation, -which. h£ iforind * ready <cmheyer;ph odea-.
4
"sstbh tq deprive, .him-of^his rights-in q£deahte*rgfatjfy, ‘iheir own
.avaj’ioer/ A »few #ticle§ 'no great value/« sqoh; as.,,betel leaf,
-arek^i, andi obfeo^Hhuts, Ismnggled'thy the natives
mOwn »'t@Othdj Dutch:^py©,y|®®^ hht^hlteeypractic&s,t if
^scovered.,; f were '-sevqijt^ punished;- by the King,
hy Snobi wa&itW situdtiQ^Jfi ^fhiph affair^! stood between. Jthe
Dutch anditlae native ;Ceylpnete,y tow&rdshtbe commencement
o f the'1 -late favar. I t was now hhQttfe ione% hundred and £(Jrtfy
■yea* -since' th e' .P<3*flugHMe had ;feeerif finallyo expeJigdi and
nte .other «European power' had since,, that, time beeif hibld *to
aequk® d-ipermanent .footing on the, inland. I t isq*j&®t howevm'
tof bl) suppSsed, while the »attention ’ of all the £riati°®§ o f
Europe, was so- qagerly turned toTtards>;.thc commerce oft .the
East, /a n d ; .while . they ! ijnahitained: so . many violent contest^
»arnwg themselves, that so valuable an acquisitions ^hCeylon
ieould • have, «scaped btheir notice.^. Su^|?‘however was .thejidifr
ffcnlty’of approaching that island, eyeepthn q j^ery^few ppintis
hnd ■ such was the strength o f the Dutch, < rind, tlie weakness ojf
.most chltferjaiations in that ,quarter: Qfyjkp -globe', flratyve^y
-few attempts were made 'to .wrest .fit from thenb fliooh after
the expulsion of the Portuguese, the French^/Jeemed inclined
/to ' dispute # h e possession of Qeylom /They appearedh'pff’ ithe
dslandi with, a large fleet, entered into a treaty/wdih the native
prince,: and' avowed the.ir determination to, drjyefQni,’thp’Dutch.
All« these threatening!jlriQVements ; however^ pirdef ii^.'hothing^: j
an_ enterprise 'planned without t w i s d g m c j . ^ a s - f w i ’thquf
s p i r ith ^ d imaginaryhobstacles prevented cfhe Frehch ficm eyeq
attempting to gam a tbbting: on the island.
An a ttem p t,of th e , English, ifow.ards_, the conclusionybf; the
American w a r^ was likely to fproye'imore. formidable »{to' the
H