is unquestionably of. :muchsuperior ii^portapçe,!
ofLi>a§G®u-p4i .©if itfcic^ppltent harbour. ;
As ; tbe fBiilfeh dominions! in .Ç&yloa, skif|^ the cq^ S r
round, in a .eifelejnffiy description of t,hCm musé follow tfie same
di^tipiJsHtEÎBt shalh therefore, set put .from, the place wbero I
first fefw&dj, and dead, ;mp(#|aid®rs: completely round^-the island
m the ^meufeodrsej. in, which I. travelled, ifc, and, endeavour tp
-eommunicate to them those impressions, and; observations ydiicli,
Ofourr©d||fcohto.e th#;!sByera|hipiac®§ I visited-
m I t was at, Xnincomalee:I first touched .the shore,of*^ey lp n . I
baye already mentioned, the motives g which, mast have, induced.
0®r*T government, to» attempt to. wrest this, dmpftttant, ^ f t e u r
from fibb.; iDutch. General Stewart was,-in 1795 ;*sent - for thjji
putposS>ffrôm; Madras. The foroa under,him,.
72d and 77th regiments, the -flank ■ C o m p a n i e s th e . 7?k>t and,
'72KJ, ,-tsgmfraffcafions. .43f{cSep©ys*.. accompanied =hy -detaehnajËhfc
artjlfoipptnd pioneers. || The-v essqlsrponyey iing this fefficeM-can|e
anchor to the south-east ,©f .the, fort. Hejqjjjiffihfa‘Dioffaedp
frigate was unfortunately lost by.:striking on a sunk .Hr$gk,
The general found it . mo&t expedient tp. land th e I troops -a;t
alteut- theudistanee of; two- mites, from the forfetto yrhich^hp
afterwards -laid; regular siegâÿ - Thé dirnarte, the .ihafcm'O’ ^ 't h e
ground, and the situation o f ithe ifiart’/i^asiefed? much
and some doss • to ©nr-troops. r SeweraliKbotht j ^ f e ^ i ;am^
were killed by the fire from it- During the, .nfege«' a, sally Kwas
made by a party of Malays in, the Dutch .semees; v :®^®g^t^ep,
a t first for some o f our artillery -Lascars, they, made, thefr.
without opposition, into- one of: the batteries,. spiked, the.,:.gunfe
and.kiHed some of. our artillery-rinen,. before theywerp repulsed
and driven- back ’into the fort. After"avsië'ge ,öf .three, weeMff
a breach wasdah, lasvl?fa^eeted|b‘aJnd fehe^^Efiglish wferes-{preparing
te'^stoTm-t when the’ Dutch-; governor ’ thought’ itforiipxé’ pdiident
to tru st '-hiS imifety 4o ^th7ê’4itei^®'’*4!^|l5' ai capitulatiob" than the
arms fcfipl^ïSs^eópsiThblthbhglifJtheyfikléret} gireSöysuperior,-; in
ntöhberJtoethe', féröpla'dfeing agaidst, tfesmvi t
fbffihe 4öw®ai f ITrin'Goinaleg: lies in latitude ;8° SO'.ji-it runs in
a -hOrth-eastzddirtection.; along* one branch !,0’f the ; bay. The
country around1 .‘it*-is mountainous and woodytfdt^fe #0jbiunonl-
tivated and; rather barren, and thfe ‘ ^hotó'i' ap^earanêër-,.W’ilji|
The't woo'ds, - whieb; are very thick, ; contain« abujadqnce-.of wild
beasts of -various descriptions ; particularly wildl-bogs«, 4buffaloesi
and' dèphamfs./ ;The ’latter, often come >down Ito jjblie .lakes in
tliè neighbourhood of the.- fort to -drink and bathe:1,3they; haye
been frequehtif^shot within a mile of the town, .p;
• Trincorrialee from- fits situation and, construction»is, naturally
strong. I t occupies More ground than {folumbo,Ybut} contains
a-much smaller number, o f (bouses, and. those* inferior . in dsize
and appearance to what are to- be met, with in^se'yfral towns
on the south-west cqa^fi. viTbefe!|irGumferö^e^| Trincomalee,
withintthe walls, d sf abpufuthree ..miles: within this space is, also
■included;{a hifi or: rising point, .immediately,; over }the and
fd^ferediwiths-ia -great quantity of thick,^gungl(e' in ; »which wild
deer add other' game. findjvsbelter. This, rising ground is very
liftteriifoabited,E«most -pf -the,houses being clbsedto the landing
plaqey vwhicb.li^j|%th& l o w e s t ^ ^ r l h s pf
the,..,fbrt -yiere.«much Encumbered ygith^^podytih ^iklain: these:
few years. 4|
. T h e ; fort i%lst)6caig, and,.CjOmmands tfip principal bays?- and in
particulars the flifrance ip lo r^ ^ .-g i^ jd f^ ^ b q u r, pr ,inner .bay,
K