The Sun.
London, England, 1804-04-18 00:00:00

WAR IN CEYLON.

Coots and tXTRACTS of such LETTERS and PAt'ERS as
• have been received troni the Hon. FREDERICK
Governor of 1-lis Majesty's Possessions in the Islandof
Ceylon ; relative-to the Causes and Circumstances which
gave rise to the Hostilities which have taken place between.
His Majesty 'a Government in that Country and the Kr G
of CANDY.

Extra& of a Letter from His Excellency Governor North,
to the Right Eton. Lord Hoirt, dated Colunibo, April 14,
iBc3.
The various events which have driven my Go-
vernment into a war wi'h Candy, have, as they.have
occurred,. been regularly reported to your Lord-

ship.
I take the liberty,' however, of laying before
yeti at present a detailed account of that affair from
its origin, together with a complete series of the
Documents relating to it.

To Robert Arbuthnot, Esq. Chief Secretary to Government.

SIR,
I had the honour of acquainting you, in a former
Dispatch, that I had spoken to a very confidential
MOorman in Putland, to procure me precise intelli:
gence ftom the frontiers of Candia, and as much as.
possible from the interior of that Country, through
the channel of his mercantile connexions in that
part of the Candian Distrias, where he
.coold pene.
trate under the disguise of trade : in compliance
with my request, he sent one on whose prudence he
could depend, who returned the day before last.—
He said, he would not be permitted to go far into
the first Country, but that he met two Wormer,
Merchants, his intimate acquaintance, who told
him that every person was adively engaged in pre-
paring f r hostile or defensive war ; that in the
first, second, and third Country, one man out of
every village, however small, and in proportion in
the more populous villages, were ordered to as-
semble at certain places of rendezvous, and put un-
der the orders of.Offieers, and every day were train-
ing in archery ; that every one got precise orders
to provide themselves with six bows and a propor-
tionate number of arrows; and that, in the other
Countries, similar preparations were also going for.
ward. He says, that the utmost secrecy is en-
joined every person, under pain of cutting t'ut their
tongues ; that those two Moormen took advantage
of an obscure night, and a very private place; to
give him this information, and said that every per-
lon was closely watched, even their own Subjeds.
I desired my friend to continue to procure every
intelligence possible of any appearance of the Can-
dians approaching, in any numbers, the British Set-
tlements.

I also told him, that it would be inexcusable in
him and both his brothers, if they did not ac-
quaint me, for the information of Government, of
any formidable assemblage of any armeri force threat.
ening this Country, as Government knew that they
could be very well informed, if they meant to be
loyal and faithful to Government, and that if they
gave this test of theit fidelity,_ Government would
have a just sense of their services, and distinguish
them on future occasions. He desired me to assure
His Excellency the Governor, that his br.:ther and
he thought themselves happy to be under the pro.
te.aion of His Excellency and the British Laws, and
that they wonhi never cost to give Efts Excellency.
every proof of it, and procure every information
possible, and communicate it to the from time to
time. He :described the Country to one as divided
into eight circles, known and distiniuished by the re-
speetive numbers, No. 8, being the central, that and
the Numbers 7 and 6 are the places where they have
concentrated all their principal force, and frnm
whence ()filets are continually passing to the exterior

circles.
It here be any other matters which His Excel_
iet•cy should wi.h I would do, I shall be happy to
execute his orders.

I have the Honour to he, &c.
(Signed) Lieut•. O'CoNNILL,
Putelang, June 15, iSoz. Commander,

To Robert Arbuthnot, Esq. Chief Secretary to Government.

sIR,
I have the honour to inform you, for his Excel-
lency the Governor's information, that I received,
through the channel I mentioned in a former Dis-
patch, news from the Candian frontiers (which are
all along lined with Malays and Candians, armed
with fire-arms and bows and arrows, &c.) that the.'
most alive preparations are making. for defensive,
if not offensive operations ; from all the roads lead.
ing into their country, they have made, to the right
and left, morrow roads or paths, in diagonal direc.
tions, so as to flank any troops that may enter their
Cnuntry, and have made pits and blinds to cover
themselves, and to annoy the invaders, and by means
of these cross roads, to secure a retreat, or rather a
facility of advancing, in proportion to the progress
of the, enemy ; they are manufaeluring powder,
guns,•ar►d other weapons in use among them.
I am confidently told that great quantities of
saltpetre are conveyed to them from Columba. -
`They have already committed hostilities on His
Majesty'rsunietts of Putland ; too bullocks and
buffaloes, which were sent there to bring Areka
nuts, &c. to Putland, are detained there ; fifty of
those bullocks belong to the Marcars, and the re.
maindpr to some of the other inhabitants.
I am told that there are several considerable di-
visiOns of them in different posts, ready to succour
each other ; the acctitihts I. have received say 8000
or goon men in each --divisiJn. I cannot yet find
that they intend making any incursions into the Bri-
tish Settlements. •
I have the Honour.to be, .&c.
. (Signed) OICONNF •
Putelang, lune 23, ►Boz.

To Robert Arbuthnot, Esq. Chief Secretary to Government

refi.ecte) seven leaguer; from Putelang, and 400 I,ul,
locks,inelnAing ioo bull,,elc,i already me; ‘tioned 2,c2
more are also detained farther in she ioterior of Can-
din, and that they were robbed of all the me ich,n-
dize they carried to Rodee in that Cotiotty, and
that one man of a neighbouring villak;e was mur-
acred by them, whose son (a little boy) came to.
complain to me of the , murder of his.fatim : they
say, that every road leading out of the Country is
serial), guarded by armed men : those men say,
that they have been very ill tteated and beat, and
that those who are detained are also very ill ued.
I have the Honour .to be, &c.
(Signed) , Lieut. O'CoNNELL.
Putelang lunc 26, 1802.

To Lieutenant Alorice O'Connell, Comandant at Putelang.

SIR,
I have forwarded to Point de Galle, your letter
of the 26th instant, to be laid before His Excellency
the Governor. _ _

The information you have .communicated, is no
doubt of a very important nature,:and, if properly
authenticated, will demand that His Excellency
should take vigorous measures to prevent any (eye,
titian of such outrages. I am direfled to request
that you will examine the persons who have given
you that information, in a particular and detailed
manner, and make them confirm what they li4tve as-
serted upon oath, that remonstrances may bl,....nnade'
to the Court of Candia upon the specific grounds of
complaint.
I have the Honour to be, &c.
(Signed) ROBERT ARBUTHNOT,
Columba, July 2, 1802. Chief Sec. to Government.

("I'c,: be continued).