Page 145 - Dutch Asiatic Shipping Volume 1

Ceylon
By presenting the organization of the rendez-vous as more reliable than the uncertain cargoes and departures from the outer factories, the Hoge Regering in Batavia had for some time won the day with the Heren Zeventien. Occassionally the question would appear on the Zeventien s agenda, but for the time being it was not followed up. Any sailings to or from Asia without calling at the capital remained exceptions, mostly in connection with war or military operations. Thus the's HERTOGENBOSCH (5283) was sent back from Negombo with intelligence on the conflict with the Portuguese in Ceylon. In 1661 a strong fleet (0943-0946) was sent out to Rijklof van Goens in Ceylon to enable him to drive the Portuguese from their most important settlement in Malabar, Cochin, before the imminent ratification of the peace treaty with Portugal. Subsequently V an Goens was able in 1663 to send home the MEYBOOM (5509) from that city with the triumphant news that he had succeeded.52 In 1664 and '65 a number of smaller ships were sent not only to Batavia but also to several other factories to carry news of the strained relations between the Republic and England, and of the subsequent outbreak of war.5 3
The conquest of Ceylon created a new situation. The VOC had driven the Portuguese from the island successively between 1638-1644 and between 1655-1658 and secured the- reby a number of important ports - Negombo, Galle, Colombo and Jaffna - with the surrounding countryside. Since then authority over the coastal regions was further exten- ded in minor wars with the ruler of Kandi, Radja Singha, who resided in the interior. In the eighteenth century authority over the island was again considerably extended by gover- nor Iman Willem Falck (1765-1785). The outcome of the struggle with the Portuguese was most important because the Company thus laid its hands on the cinnamon regions and so acquired a virtual monopoly on this product.
At first 'Punto Gale' (Galle), conquered in 1640, was the seat of Governor and Council of Ceylon, but after the successful siege of Colombo (1656) this city became residence of the Company government. This area was divided into a number of commands, one of which was Galle; later a commander and council resided there under the authority of the governor at Colombo.5 4 In the direct shipping link with Europe, established after 1664, Galle was the usual port of departure of the homeward ships and port of arrival of ships from the Republic. The bay of Galle is generally described as a satisfactory and safe mooring for large ships, but it had some disadvantages as well. In a strong southeasterly from the open sea the water in the bay was rough and hollow and masters had to increase the moorings of their ships. For this reason foreign ships were forbidden to lie in the bay when the homeward fleet was there at anchor: with their poorer rigging and smaller anchors such ships were more liable to drag their anchors and so damage the East India- men.5 5 Not that there can have been much space for ships of other nations: the bay had room for three of four large ships only, insufficient for instance for the fleet of seven ships
52ARA,VOC,OBP1663,f.1154;VanGeer,DeopkomstvanhetNederlandschGezagoverCeylon, Bijlagen p. 8; Roelofsz, De vestiging der Nederlanders ter kuste Malabar, 241-242.
53 See the KEMPHAAN (1017), the EEKHOORN (1025), the GEKROONDE HARING (1030) and the MEERKAT (1036). VOC 438, Letter from Heren 17 to Zacharias Wagenaar, and Council, Cape of Good Hope, 14.8,1664; id., from Heren 17 to G.G. and Council at Batavia, 8.10.1664 and to the Commandeur of the Cape, 30.1.1665.
54OntheadministrationseeArasaratnam,DutchpowerinCeylon,120-144.
55 P.AnthoniszandR.G.Anthonisz(eds.),MemoirofHendrickBecker, 18.OnGallesee Philippus
Baldaeus, A true and exact description of the great island of Ceylon,127;Valentijn, Oud en nieuw Oost-Indien, V , 22-23.