Memoir Of Hendrick Zwaardecroon, Commandeur Of Jaffnapatam Part 3

Gerrit van Hovingen, Lieutenant.

Johannes Huysman, Boekhouder.

Jan Baptist Verdonk, Vryburger.

Jan de Wit, Secretary.

As the Hon. the Government of India has been pleased to send to Ceylon by letter of May 3, 1695, a special Ordinance for the Orphan Chamber and its officials with regard to their salaries, I consider it necessary to remind you of it here and to recommend its strict observance, as well also of the resolution of March 20, 1696, whereby the Orphan Chamber is instructed that all such money as is placed under their administration which is derived from the estates of deceased persons who had invested money on interest with the Company, and whose heirs were not living in the same place, must be remitted to the Orphan Chamber at Batavia with the interest due within a month or six weeks.(41)

The Commissioners of Marriage Causes will also find their instructions in the Statutes of Batavia, mentioned above, which must be carefully observed. Nothing need be said with regard to this College, but that it consists of the following persons:--

Claas Isaacsz, Lieutenant, President.

Lucas Langer, Vryburger, Vice-President.

Joan Roos, Onderkoopman.

Jan van Bruggen, Secretary.[42]

The officers of the Burgery, [47] the Pennisten, [48] and the Ambachtsgezellen [49] will likewise find their instructions and regulations in the Statutes of Batavia, and apply them as far as applicable.[43]

The Superintendent of the Fire Brigade and the Wardens of the Town (Brand and Wyk Meesteren) have their orders and distribution of work publicly a.s.signed to them by the Regulation of November 8, 1691, upon which I need not remark anything, except that the following persons are the present members of this body:--

Jan van Croenevelt, Fiscaal, President.

Jan Baptist Verdonk, Vryburger, Vice-President.

Jan van der Bruggen, a.s.sistant.

Lucas de Langer, Vryburger.

Jacobus Aubert, Schoolmaster.

Jan de Wit, Secretary. [44]

The deacons, as caretakers of the poor, have been mentioned already under the heading of the Consistory. During the last five and half years they have spent Rds. 1,145.3.7 more than they received. As I apprehended this would cause inconvenience, I proposed in my letter of December 1, 1696, to Colombo that the Poor House should be endowed with the Sicos money for the year 1695, which otherwise would have been granted to the Seminary, which did not need it then, as it had received more than it required. Meantime orders were received from Batavia that the funds of the said Seminary should be transferred to the Company, so that the Sicos money could not be disposed of in that way. As the deficit is chiefly due to the purchase, alteration, and repairing of an orphanage and the maintenance of the children, as may be seen from the letters to Colombo of December 12 and 17, 1696, to which expenditure the Deaconate had not been subject before the year 1690, other means will have to be considered to increase its funds in order to prevent the Deaconate from getting into further arrears. It would be well therefore if Your Honours would carefully read the Instructions of His late Excellency van Mydregt of November 29, 1690, and ascertain whether alimentation given to the poor by the Deaconate has been well distributed and whether it really was of the nature of alms and alimentation as it should be. A report of the result of your inquiry should be sent to His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo. You might also state therein whether the orphanage has not been sufficiently enlarged yet, for it seems to me that the expenditure is too great for only 14 children, as there are at present. It might also be considered whether the Company could not find some source of income for the Deaconate in case this orphanage is not quite completed without further expenditure, and care must be taken that the deacons strictly observe the rules laid down for them in the Regulation of His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Ceylon of January 2, 1666. The present matron, Catharina Cornelisz, widow of the late Krankbezoeker Dupree, must be directed to follow the rules laid down for her by the Governor here on November 4, 1694, and approved in Colombo. That all the inferior colleges mentioned here successively have to be renewed yearly by the Political Council is such a well-known matter that I do not think it would escape your attention; but, as approbation from Colombo has to be obtained for the changes made they have to be considered early, so that the approbation may be received here in time. The usual date is June 23, the day of the conquest of this territory, but this date has been altered again to June 13, 1696, by His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo.[45]

The a.s.sessment of all measures and weights must likewise be renewed every year, in the presence of the Fiscaal and Commissioners; because the deceitful nature of these inhabitants is so great that they seem not to be able to help cheating each other. The proceeds of this marking, which usually amounts to Rds. 70 or 80, are for the largest part given to some deserving person as a subsistence. On my arrival here I found that it had been granted to the Vryburger Jurrian Verwyk, who is an old man and almost unable to serve as an a.s.sayer. The post has, however, been left to him, and his son-in-law Jan Fransz, also a Vryburger, has been appointed his a.s.sistant. The last time the proceeds amounted to 80 rds. 3 fannums, 8 tammeka.s.sen and 2 1/2 duyten, as may be seen from the report of the Commissioners bearing date December 13, 1696. This amount has been disposed of as follows:--

For the a.s.sizer Rds. 60.0.0.0 For the a.s.sistant to the a.s.sizer " 6.0.0.0 Balance to the Company's account " 14.3.8.2 1/2 ============ Total Rds. 80.3.8.2 1/2

It must be seen to that the a.s.sizer, having been sworn, observes his instructions as extracted from the Statutes of Batavia, as made applicable to the customs of this country by the Government here on March 3, 1666.

In compliance with orders from Batavia contained in the letter of June 24, 1696, sums on interest may not be deposited with the Company here, as may be seen also from a letter sent from here to Batavia on August 18 following, where it is stated that all money deposited thus must be refunded. This order has been carried out, and the only deposits retained are those of the Orphan Chamber, the Deaconate, the Seminary, and the Widows' fund, for which permission had been obtained by letter of December 15 of the same year. As the Seminary no longer possesses any fund of its own, no deposit on that account is now left with the Company. Your Honours must see that no other sums on interest are accepted in deposit, as this Commandement has more money than is necessary for its expenditure and even to a.s.sist other stations, such as Trincomalee, &c., for which yearly Rds. 16,000 to 18,000 are required, and this notwithstanding that Coromandel receives the proceeds from the sale of elephants here, while we receive only the money drafts.[46]

No money drafts are to be pa.s.sed here on behalf of private persons, whether Company's servants or otherwise, in any of the outstations, but in case any person wishes to remit money to Batavia, this may be done only after permission and consent obtained from His Excellency the Governor at Colombo. When this is obtained, the draft is prepared at Colombo and only signed here by the Treasurer on receipt of the amount. This is specially mentioned here in order that Your Honours may also remember in such cases the Instructions sent by the Honourable the Government of India in the letters of May 3, 1695, and June 3, 1696, in the former of which it is stated that no copper coin, and in the latter that PaG.o.das are to be received here on behalf of the Company for such drafts, each PaG.o.da being counted at Rds. 2 in Batavia.[47]

The golden PaG.o.da is a coin which was never or seldom known to be forged, at least so long as the King of Golconda or the King of the Carnatic was sovereign in Coromandel. But the present war, which has raged for the last ten years in that country, seems to have taken away to some extent the fear of evil and the disgrace which follows it, and to have given opportunity to some to employ cunning in the pursuit of gain. It has thus happened that on the coast beyond Porto Novo, in the domain of these lords of the woods (Boschheeren) or Paligares, PaG.o.das have been made which, although not forged, are yet inferior in quality; while the King of Sinsi Rama Ragie is so much occupied with the present war against the Mogul, that he has no time to pay attention to the doings of these Paligares. According to a statement made by His Excellency the Governor Laurens Pyl and the Council of Negapatam in their letter of November 4, 1695, five different kinds of such inferior PaG.o.das have been received, valued at 7 3/8, 7 1/8, 7 5/8, 7 7/8, and 8 3/4 of unwrought gold. A notice was published therefore on November 18, following, to warn the people against the acceptance of such PaG.o.das, and prohibiting their introduction into this country. When the Company's Treasury was verified by a Committee, 1,042 of these PaG.o.das were found. Intimation was sent to Colombo on December 31, 1695. The Treasurer informed me when I was in Colombo that he had sent them to Trincomalee, and as no complaints have been received, it seems that the Sinhalese in that quarter did not know how to distinguish them from the current PaG.o.das. As I heard that the inferior PaG.o.das had been already introduced here, while it was impossible to get rid of them, as many of the people of Jaffnapatam and the merchants made a profit on them by obtaining them at a lower rate in Coromandel and pa.s.sing them here to ignorant people at the full value, a banker from Negapatam able to distinguish the good from the inferior coins has been asked to test all PaG.o.das, so that the Company may not suffer a loss. But in spite of this I receive daily complaints from Company's servants, including soldiers and sailors, that they always have to suffer loss on the PaG.o.das received from the Company in payment of their wages, when they present them at the bazaar; while the chetties and bankers will never give them 24 fanums for a PaG.o.da. This matter looks very suspicious, and may have an evil influence on the Company's servants, because it is possible that the chetties have agreed among themselves never to pay the full value for PaG.o.das, whether they are good or bad. It is also possible that the Company's cashier or banker is in collusion with the chetties, or perhaps there is some reason for this which I am not able to make out. However this may be, Your Honours must try to obtain as much information as possible on this subject and report on it to His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo. All inferior PaG.o.das found in the Company's Treasury will have to be made good by the cashier at Coromandel, as it was his business to see that none were accepted. With a view to prevent discontent among the Company's servants the tax collectors must be made to pay only in copper and silver coin for the poll tax and land rent, and out of this the soldiers, sailors, and the lower grades of officials must be paid, as I had already arranged before I left. I think that they can easily do this, as they have to collect the amount in small instalments from all cla.s.ses of persons. The poor people do not pay in PaG.o.das, and the collectors might make a profit by changing the small coin for PaG.o.das, and this order will be a safeguard against loss both to the Company and its servants. It would be well if Your Honours could find a means of preventing the PaG.o.das being introduced and to discard those that are in circulation already, which I have so far not been able to do. Perhaps on some occasion you might find a suitable means.[48]

The demands received here from out-stations in this Commandement must be met as far as possible, because it is a rule with the Company that one district must accommodate another, which, I suppose, will be the practice everywhere. Since His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo have authorized Your Honours in their letter of June 13,1696, to draw directly from Coromandel the goods required from those places for the use of this Commandement, Your Honours must avail yourselves of this kind permission, which is in agreement with the intention of the late Commissioner van Mydregt, who did not wish that the order should pa.s.s through various hands. Care must be taken to send the orders in due time, so that the supplies may not run out of stock when required for the garrisons. The articles ordered from Jaffnapatam for Manaar must be sent only in instalments, and no articles must be sent but those that are really required, as instructed; because it has occurred more than once that goods were ordered which remained in the warehouses, because they could not be sold, and which, when going bad, had to be returned here and sold by public auction, to the prejudice of the Company. To give an idea of the small sale in Manaar, I will just state here that last year various provisions and other articles from the Company's warehouses were sent to the amount of Fl. 1,261.16.6--cost price--which were sold there at Fl. 2,037, so that only a profit of Fl. 775.3.10 was made, which did not include any merchandise, but only articles for consumption and use.[49]

The Company's chaloups [50] and other vessels kept here for the service of the Company are the following:--

The chaloup "Kennemerland."

Do. "'t Wapen van Friesland."

Do. "Jaffnapatam."

The small chaloup "Manaar."

Do. "Hammenhiel."

Do. "Het Vissertje."

The ponton "De Hoop."

Do. "De Last Drager."

Do. "De Os."

Further, 14 tonys [51] and manschouwers, [52] viz.:--

4 tonys for service in the Fort.

1 tony in Isle de Vacoa.

1 do. in the islands "De Twee Gebroeders."

1 do. at Point Pedro.

1 do. at Kayts for the Waterfort.

Three manschouwers for the three largest chaloups, one manschouwer for the ponton "De Hoop," one manschouwer for the ferry at Colombogamme, one manschouwer for the ferry between the island Leiden and the fort Kayts or Hammenhiel.

The chaloups "Kennemerland" and "Friesland" are used mostly for the pa.s.sage between Coromandel and Jaffnapatam, and to and fro between Jaffnapatam and Manaar, because they sink too deep to pa.s.s the river of Manaar to be used on the west coast of Ceylon between Colombo and Manaar. They are therefore employed during the northern monsoon to fetch from Manaar such articles as have been brought there from Colombo for this Commandement, and also to transport such things as are to be sent from here to Colombo and Manaar, &c. They also serve during the southern monsoon to bring here from Negapatam nely, cotton goods, coast iron, &c., and they take back palmyra wood, laths, jagerbollen, [53] coral stone, also palmyra wood for Trincomalee, and corsingos, oil, cayro, [54] &c. The sloop "Jaffnapatam" has been built more for convenience, and conveys usually important advices and money, as also the Company's servants. As this vessel can be made to navigate the Manaar river, it is also used as a cruiser at the pearl banks, during the pearl fishery. It is employed between Colombo, Manaar, Jaffnapatam, Negapatam, and Trincomalee, wherever required. The small sloops "Manaar" and "De Visser," which are so small that they might sooner be called boats than sloops, are on account of their small size usually employed between Manaar and Jaffnapatam, and also for inland navigation between the Pa.s.ses and Kayts for the transport of soldiers, money, dye-roots from The Islands, timber from the borders of the Wanni, horses from The Islands; while they are also useful for the conveyance of urgent advices and may be used also during the pearl fishery. The sloop "Hammenhiel," being still smaller than the two former, is only used for convenience of the garrison at Kayts, the fort being surrounded by water. This and a tony are used to bring the people across, and also to fetch drinking water and fuel from the "Barren Island." The three pontons are very useful here, as they have daily to bring fuel and lime for this Castle, and they are also used for the unloading of the sloops at Kayts, where they bring charcoal and caddegans, [55] and fetch lunt from the Pa.s.ses, and palmyra wood from the inner harbours for this place as well as for Manaar and Colombo. They also bring coral stone from Kayts, and have to transport the nely and other provisions to the redoubts on the borders of the Wanni, so that they need never be unemployed if there is only a sufficient number of carreas or fishermen for the crew. At present there are 72 carreas who have to perform oely service on board of these vessels or on the four tonies mentioned above. (50)

In order that these vessels may be preserved for many years, it is necessary that they be keelhauled at least twice a year, and rubbed with lime and margosa oil to prevent worms from attacking them, which may be easily done by taking them all in turn. It must also be remembered to apply to His Excellency the Governor and the Council for a sufficient quant.i.ty of pitch, tar, sail cloth, paint, and linseed oil, because I have no doubt that it will be an advantage to the Company if the said vessels are kept constantly in repair. As stated under the heading of the felling of timber, no suitable wood is found in the Wanni for the parts of the vessels that remain under water, and therefore no less than 150 or 200 kiate or angely boards of 2 1/2, 2, and 1 1/2 inches thickness are required yearly here for this purpose. His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo have promised to send this yearly, in answer to the request from Jaffnapatam of February 17, 1692, and since this timber has to be obtained from Mallabaar I will see whether I cannot send it directly by a private vessel in case it cannot be obtained from Colombo. Application must be made for Dutch sailors from Colombo to man the said sloops, which are at present partly manned by natives for want of Europeans. According to the latest regulation, 95 sailors are allowed for this Commandement, while at present we have not even half that number, as only 46 are employed, which causes much inconvenience in the service.

The fortifications of the Castle have now for a few years been complete, except the moat, which is being dug and has advanced to the peculiar stratum of rocks which is found only in this country. All matters relating to this subject are to be found in the Compendiums for 1693, 1694, and 1695. Supposing that the moat could be dug to the proper depth without danger to the fort, it could not be done in less than a few years, and it cannot very well be accomplished with the services of the ordinary oeliaars, so that other means will have to be considered. If, on the other hand, the moat cannot be deepened without danger to the foundations of the fort, as stated in the Compendium for 1694, it is apparent that the project ought to be abandoned. In that case the fort must be secured in some other way. The most natural means which suggests itself is to raise the wall on all sides except on the river side by 6 or 8 feet, but this is not quite possible, because the foundation under the curtains of the fortification, the faces of the bastion, and the flanks have been built too narrow, so that only a parapet of about 11 feet is left, which is already too small, while if the parapet were extended inward there would not be sufficient s.p.a.ce for the canons and the military. The best plan would therefore be to cut away the hills that are found between the Castle and the town. The earth might be thrown into the tank found eastward of the Castle, while part of it might be utilized to fill up another tank in the town behind the orphanage. This was the plan of His Excellency van Mydregt, although it was never put down in writing. Meantime care must be taken that the slaves and other native servants of persons residing in the Castle do not through laziness throw the dirt which they are supposed to carry away from the fort on the opposite bank of the moat, and thus raise a s.p.a.ce which the Company would much rather lower, and gradually and imperceptibly prepare a suitable place for the battery of an enemy. I have had notices put up against this practice, under date July 18, 1695, and these must be maintained and the offenders prosecuted. Considering the situation of the Castle and the present appearance of the moat, I think that the latter is already sufficiently deep if always four or five feet water be kept in it. In order to do this two banks would have to be built, as the moat has communication in two places with the river, while the river also touches the fort at two points. This being done I think the moat could be kept full of water by two or three water mills driven by wind and pumps, especially during the south-west monsoon or the dry season, when an attack would be most likely to occur, and there is always plenty of wind to keep these mills going both by night and day. A sluice would be required in the middle of these banks so that the water may be let out whenever it became offensive by the river running dry, to be filled again when the water rose. It would have to be first ascertained whether the banks could really be built in such a way that they would entirely stop the water in the moat, because they would have to be built on one side against the foundations of the fort, which I have been told consist of large irregular rocks. An experiment could be made with a small mill of the kind used in Holland in the ditches along bleaching fields. They are quite inexpensive and easily erected and not difficult to repair, as they turn on a dovetail. The late Commandeur Anthony Paviljoen also appears to have thought of this plan even before this Castle was built, when the Portuguese fort was occupied by the Company, as may be seen from his instructions of December 19, 1665. [56] This would, in my opinion, be the course to follow during the south-west monsoon, while during the north-east monsoon there is usually so much rain that neither the salt river nor the water mills would be required, while moreover during that time there is little danger of an attack. These three plans being adopted, the banks of the moat could be protected by a wall of coral stone to prevent the earth being washed away by the water, as the present rocky bed of the moat is sufficiently strong to serve as a foundation for it. The moat has already been dug to its proper breadth, which is 10 roods.

In my opinion there are two other defects in this Castle: the one is as regards the embrazures, the other is in the new horse stable and carpenters' yard, which are on the south side just outside the opposite bank of the moat. I think these ought to be altered, for the reasons stated in our letter to Colombo of November 30, 1695. I was however opposed by the Constable-Major Toorse in his letter of December 16 next, and his proposal was approved in Batavia by letter of July 3 following. This work will therefore have to remain as it is, although it appears that we did not explain ourselves sufficiently; because Their Excellencies seem to think that this yard and stable were within the knowledge of His Excellency van Mydregt. It is true that the plan for them was submitted to His Excellency, as may be seen from the point submitted by the late Mr. Blom on February 17, 1692, and April 29, 1691, but no answer was ever received with regard to this matter, on account of the death of His Excellency van Mydregt, [57] and I have an idea that they were not at all according to his wish. However, the yard and stable will have to remain, and with regard to the embrazures the directions of the Constable-Major must be followed.

If it be recommended that the deepening of the moat is possible without danger to the fort, and if the plan of the water mills and banks be not approved, so that a dry moat would have to suffice, I think the outer wall might be completed and the ground between the rocks be sown with a certain kind of thorn called in Mallabaar Oldeaalwelam and in Dutch Hane sporen (c.o.c.k spurs), on account of their resemblance to such spurs in shape and stiffness. This would form a covering of natural caltrops, because these thorns are so sharp that they will penetrate even the soles of shoes, which, besides, all soldiers in this country do not wear. Another advantage in these thorns is that they do not easily take fire and do not grow higher than 2 or 2 1/2 feet above the ground, while the plants grow in quite a tangled ma.s.s. I thought it might be of some use to mention this here.

The present bridge of the fort is built of palmyra wood, as I found on my arrival from Batavia; but as the stone pillars have already been erected for the construction of a drawbridge, this work must be completed as soon as the timber that I ordered from the Wanni for this purpose arrives. In the carpenters' yard some timber will be found that was prepared three years ago for the frame of this drawbridge, which, perhaps, could yet be utilized if it has been well preserved. This work will have to be hurried on, for the present bridge is dangerous for anything heavy to pa.s.s over it, such as elephants, &c. It will also be much better to have a drawbridge for the fortification. The bridge must be built as broad as the s.p.a.ce between the pillars and the opposite catches will permit, and it must have a strong wooden railing on either side, which may be preserved for many years by the application of pitch and tar, while iron is soon wasted in this country unless one always has a large quant.i.ty of paint and linseed oil. Yet, an iron railing is more ornamental, so I leave this matter to Your Honours.[51]

The fortress Hammenhiel is in good condition, but the sand bank upon which it is built has been undermined by the last storm in the beginning of December during the north-east monsoon. The damage must be remedied with stones. In this fortress a reservoir paved with Dutch bricks has been built to collect and preserve the rain water, but it has been built so high that it reaches above the parapets and may thus be easily ruined by an enemy, as I have pointed out in my letter to Colombo of September 8, 1694. As this is a new work it will have to remain as present, until such time as alterations can be made. The ramparts of this fortress, which are hollow, have been roofed with beams, over which a floor of stone and chunam has been laid, with a view to the s.p.a.ce below being utilized for the storing of provisions and ammunition. This is a mistake, as the beams are liable to decay and the floor has to support the weight of the canon, so that there would be danger in turning the guns round for fear of the floor breaking down. So far back as the time of Commandeur Blom a beginning was made to replace this roof by an entire stone vault, which is an important work. The gate of the fortress, which is still covered with beams, must also be vaulted.[52]

Ponneryn and the pa.s.ses Pyl, Elephant, and Buschutter only require a stone water tank, but they must not be as high as that of Hammenhiel. Dutch bricks were applied for from Jaffnapatam on February 17, 1692, and His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo promised to send them here as soon as they should arrive from the Fatherland, so that Your Honours must wait for these. Ponneryn is not so much in want of a reservoir, as it has a well with fairly good drink water.[53]

The work that demands the chief attention in Manaar is the deepening of the moat, as the fortifications, dwelling houses, and stores are completed. But since this work has to be chiefly carried out by the Company's slaves, it will take some time to complete it. There are also several elevations near the fort which will have to be reduced, so that they may not at any time become a source of danger. During my circuit on two or three occasions the Opperhoofd and the Council at Manaar applied for lime to be sent from here, as no more coral stone for the burning of lime was to be found there. This takes away the Company's sloops from their usual employment, and the officials have been informed that they must get the lime made from the pearl sh.e.l.ls which are found in abundance in the bay of Condaatje as remains of the fishery. It makes very good lime, and the forests in the neighbourhood provide the fuel, and the lime can then be brought to Manaar in pontons and tonys. Information on this subject may be found in the correspondence between this station and Jaffnapatam. Care must be taken that the lime of the pearl sh.e.l.ls is used for nothing but the little work that has yet to be done in the fort, such as the pavements for the canons and the floors of the galleries in the dwelling houses. The Opperhoofd and other officers who up to now have been living outside the fort must now move into it, as there are many reasons why it is undesirable that they should reside outside--a practice, besides, which is against the Company's rules with regard to military stations in India. (54)

Provisions and ammunition of war are matters of foremost consideration if we desire to have our minds at ease with regard to these stations, for the one is necessary for the maintenance of the garrison and the officials, while the other is the instrument of defence. These two things ought at all times to be well provided. His late Excellency van Mydregt for this reason very wisely ordered that every station should be stocked with provisions for two years, as may be seen in the letter sent from Negapatam bearing date March 17, 1688. This is with regard to the Castle, but as regards the outstations it will be sufficient if they are provided with rice for six or eight months. On account of the great expense the Castle has not of late been provided for two years, but this will soon be changed now that the pa.s.sage to Trincomalee and Batticaloa has been opened, even if the scarcity in Coromandel should continue, or if the Theuver should still persist in his prohibition of the importation of nely from Tondy. I have heard, however, that this veto has been withdrawn, and that vessels with this grain will soon arrive here. If this rumour be true and if a good deal of rice is sent here from Cotjaar, Tammelegan, and Batticaloa, a large quant.i.ty of it might be purchased on behalf of the Company with authority of His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo, which might be obtained by means of our sloops. Perhaps also the people of Jaffnapatam who come here with their grain may be prevailed upon to deliver it to the Company at 50 per cent. or so less, as may be agreed upon. This they owe to their lawful lords, since the Company has to spend so much in governing and protecting them. Sanction to this measure was granted by His Excellency van Mydregt in his letter from Negapatam to Jaffnapatam of June 12, 1688, which may be looked up. If a calculation be made of the quant.i.ty of provisions required for two years, I think it would be found that it is no less than 300 lasts of rice a year. This includes provisions for the garrison and those who would have to come into the fort in case of a siege, so that 600 lasts would be required for two years, a last being equal to 3,000 lb. or 75 Ceylon parras, thus in all 45,000 parras. At the rate of one parra per month for each person, 1,875 people could be maintained for two years with this store of rice. This would be about the number of people the Company would have to provide for in case of necessity, considering that there are according to the latest regulations 600 Company's servants, while there are according to the latest enumeration 1,212 women, children, and slaves in the town, making a total of 1,812 persons who have to be fed; so that the above calculation is fairly correct. Sometimes also Manaar will have to be provided, because Mantotte does not yield a sufficient quant.i.ty of nely to supply that fort for two years. This must also be included in the calculation, and if Your Honours are well provided in this manner you will be in a position to a.s.sist some of the married soldiers, the orphanage, and the poor house with rice from the Company's stores in times of scarcity, and will be able to prevent the sale in rice being monopolized again. It was the intention of His Excellency van Mydregt that at such times the Company's stores should be opened and the rice sold below the bazaar price. Care must be taken that this favour is not abused, because it has happened that some of the Company's servants sent natives on their behalf, who then sold the rice in small quant.i.ties at the market price. This was mentioned in our letter to Colombo of October 1 and December 12, 1695. The Company can hardly have too much rice in store, for it can always be disposed of with profit when necessary, and therefore I think 600 lasts need not be the limit, so long as there is a sufficient number of vessels available to bring it. But as rice alone will not suffice, other things, such as salt, pepper, bacon, meat, &c., must also be considered. Salt may be obtained in sufficient quant.i.ties in this Commandement, but pepper has to be obtained from Colombo, and therefore this spice must never be sold or issued from the store houses until the new supply arrives, keeping always 3,000 or 4,000 lb. in store. Bacon and meat also have to be obtained from Colombo, and His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo were kind enough to send us on my verbal request ten kegs of each from Galle last August by the ship "Nederland." But I find that it has become stale already, and it must be changed for new as soon as possible, with authority of His Excellency and the Council, in order that it may not go further bad. In compliance with the orders of His Excellency van Mydregt in his letter of November 23, 1687, the old meat and bacon must be returned to Colombo, and a new supply sent here every three or four years, the stale meat being supplied in Colombo to some of the Company's vessels. But considering that His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo are not always in a position to supply Jaffnapatam with a sufficient quant.i.ty of meat and bacon, as there are so many other stations in Ceylon to be provided for, it would be well to keep in mind the advice of the late Mr. Paviljoen that in emergencies 1,000 or 1,200 cattle could be captured and kept within the fort, where they could be made to graze on the large plain, while as much straw from the nely would have to be collected as could be got together to feed these animals as long as possible. This small loss the inhabitants would have to bear, as the Company has to protect them and their lands, and if we are victorious a recompense could be made afterwards. I would also advise that as much carrawaat [58] as could be found in the quarters of the Carreas, Palwelys, [59] and other fishermen should be brought into the fort; because this dried fish makes a very good and durable provision, except for the smell. The provision of arrack must also not be forgotten, because used moderately this drink does as much good to our people as it does harm when taken in large quant.i.ties. As I have heard so many complaints about the arrack here, as well as in Trincomalee, at the pearl fishery, at Coromandel, &c., it is apparent that the Company is not properly served in this respect. On this account also some arrack was returned from Negapatam and the Bay of Condaatje. Henceforth no arrack must be accepted which has not been tested by experts, neither for storing in the warehouses nor for sending to the different stations, because at present I cannot say whether it is adulterated by the people who deliver it to the Company or by those who receive it in the stores, or even by those who transport it in the sloops. With regard to the munitions of war, I think nothing need be stated here, but that there is a sufficient stock of it, because by the last stock taking on August 31, 1696, it appears that there is a sufficient store of canons, gun-carriages, gunpowder, round and long grenades, instruments for storming, filled fire bombs, caseshot-bags, martavandes for the keeping of gunpowder, and everything that pertains to the artillery. The a.r.s.enal is likewise sufficiently provided with guns, muskets, bullets, native side muskets, &c. I would only recommend that Your Honours would continue to have ramrods made for all the musket barrels which are still lying there, suitable timber for which may be found in the Wanni. It is from there also that the boards are obtained for gun-carriages. And as I found that some had not been completed, I think this work ought to be continued, so that they may be ready when wanted. No doubt His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo will be willing to send a sufficient quant.i.ty of pitch and tar for the preservation both of the sloops and the gun-carriages, which otherwise will soon decay during the heavy rains which we have here in India. Although the a.r.s.enal is at present well provided with guns and muskets, it is possible that half of them may be found unfit for use. I have therefore given orders to examine them all carefully, so that those that are unfit may be sent to Colombo and from there to the Fatherland, and new ones returned. Water and fuel are also two of the most important things to think of for the defence of a fortress, and I had therefore a large room built behind the smith's shop where fuel could be stored away. This room must be stocked and closed, and no fuel issued from it to any one. Those who receive firewood from the Company may be supplied from that which is daily brought from the forest. With regard to the water which is found within this Castle, it is drinkable in cases of emergency, especially in some of the wells found there.[55]

The military and garrison would be sufficiently strong if the full number of Europeans allowed for this Commandement by the latest Batavian regulation of December 29, 1692, could be obtained, which could not be considered too strong for a Commandement numbering 608 men in all, including those for commercial, civil, judicial, ecclesiastical, naval, and military services. At present we have only the following number of persons in the Company's service, who have to be cla.s.sified, as they are of different colour and descent, viz.:--

Europeans. Mestises. Toepa.s.ses. Total.

In the Castle 287 56 7 350 In Manaar 52 2 9 63 In Hammenhiel 21 4 1 26 In Ponneryn 1 1 21 23 In the redoubts the "Pyl," "Beschutter,"

and "Elephant" 11 3 45 59 For various services, also in the Island, for surveying, wood felling, &c. 13 10 2 25 === === === === Total 385 76 85 546