Stores sufficient jo Undergo Jâfl^egé>/': had steered 1:6 fall into tfiéb?
hapd’s. Miià thus ;t|oe atîêM;pts 6f
session of Ceylon were for 'this' “ti'rbe* frustrated / ‘!
‘ J The immense accédions'of territory which the, English have
acquired in the East Indies since the conclusion of the Ame-
rieffiïrivài “ Kàvg.-fèlidefed them greatly an 'oVer-naafcb ffbr any
biffer Europeàh jpôWèr in that cfûartef Hf the wbrld. On th'e
vast penrnStila o f .India, iif particular, ther^^fsCàrdëïy W 'power
either foreign “ or native thdt can.». Ôppb'sè^’fo thOrn any effectual
fèsrsTEBÉgE; ^ ana they are'left'“ at* leisure to 'culrivafC'^Sfene ‘im-
val uabl e . ' % M c h tli?s ricli'leodntry présents “w^thCth
Eail®er€i> ‘ The ïfp e f ‘obi'fâelé ’tôî'th’e ^ eiiterprises i t the „Wahl
oi «tarions,’ wllerfe' tpeir snips riiight lie' efiabîëd »âîrmir iimèS^ to
'baffle the violent storms incidental to that clihMtev'^ As 'fffib
whole of thaft|||çgê' tract which we ' possèsS atlohg. ’tlfe^Ct/ro^-
hlafidel effâst presents nothing but* open' rfiads, all ffêfrïels •arh
obliged, bh thfe approach of' the monsoons, to %tand out into
the ^ h ff sCa; •; and ‘ there are 3 many parts'/jbf the eoàSt .ttia!t
‘can ffpproàchcd during only a tew ffibntfts ‘of • the .yshiri
As thé harbdtir of Trirtéofhaiée, which Is equally Secure a t all
^ëâsdîisi v offered the Of obviating these disadvantages,
it ‘Was/evident ‘that, oh th e first fhptüre -%îth"5the DutÇhy'difr
eéüiîtfÿriién wOuld bttenipt to gain 'possession’ Of it. 1 Aceord-
in jy , the ‘junction of the ’DfftCb With, the Frèïîch RepriPiic
in the late war was ihe 'Signât for the commencement of bdr
“operafidhs ^ S n s t Tfteif cbldüiës iii tnè Ehst. A body S f
troops was in 1795 detachéd fôr the conquést of Ceylon ; and
thTs ‘ë n t^ j^ s e ? Was fffdwfted' with ffhecèss;,Vhftér h. course Of
military dpefatidiis which E shall détail When I come to describe
the several places where' they were carried on.,
A
*' Wê li5§tÖty>!;qf:l:'£Séyl^n /previous:' td'iits f falling into
d h r ^SfeéFéi&k1 - itóè mismanagement'.rüf ',Üné ’uPortugiièse* and
■ D u tS ; ahd^fhepvlimpol ï&iê, t endue't towards the n a tie s, dpcfd-
‘Vénffed reapihg^feMnb tbish vafeaple eofcny
i:Hfe Which iff? w'a&f/'.csrfcmteted rby natu re: tq<-afford.
Sd^èWtméö' and %hé ^^öaihrof. ityratmyjj -oóntènu^l-ly tstirred nq>
intêrnal'ëh’èhj;^ tp the poftni>uest\ "sjiije Jlux,ur^and the- re-
lax aÉ p ^w ^m ih ta iy di^aiplmef|na|yp them rffall % /p a V do the
first ^i3|eigu invader, T h e 'ppüdénf, and persevering» ^efforts by
v hit k'^CTii^d^utcn^TOphiuicd persjitsjpn' sfdined promise
grtafer and, tfijgpK duiation to nower. That
11 fiKtriotlgjfifc hovjevir, whiy:h^riisl1' giyem^yigoufrdo their1 operations
^^^^e^frédanrion' o f flfelisla.nd 1 rt he * *8 » :
tionalvifdybaifegês . whfehï mighh • haVe- fffeeh dèny^Ii1 frorn^ ffite
a c q u i^ # p ; for ithis* passion befflg^ ais, strong in -eacn'4lndivid%Sl
as in thó^nation at large,» eyëry%one wa^ïoM'éitp'ils^.-chily ’ fpr
1 his^'o%li priWafe, emolurpénV, ,and provided! »this was attained,
hd^gaye hims^ff -gkle tfoifple. tb prompte pulili^objeéts. Rapacious
„.exactions, 1he'#an.^b£ any,regular plan- of^pólicy', land
a totgl neglectjof militaf-y defence^ were 'Iffedoonséqdénclm o.f
■this»’sphit^ That fire of“ patriotism which Md. ohcei aniniatecl
,the Dutch ffn : Europe^,was completely extinguished ^(fi this
colony. During' the American1 »war,, the French and "Ènglirii
$iqetS.^ucfces&vèly occupied their 'harpburs, whM fffiier Dutch
seemed in resigned apathy to awaitriffeir fate from the “ fortunes
ofnthers; ■ •
These, errors, and this misconduct, "wlffoli ended in depriving '
its successive possessors of this ^ valuable« 'inland, Will, & is /tb
be hopèu|$?be avoided by our ^countrymen; and Vr©m my>»©wii
o'bservatiorij I can .confidently stilte^ that if the c a re o f it'b e