Travels in India (Tavernier) 32.1.7

32.1.7

The Dutch General, recognising in these two, men of courage, promised them as a reward that if Negumbo were taken one of them would be made Governor of it. The place having been taken the General kept his promise to St. Amant, but the news of it having been sent to Batavia, a young man who had only recently arrived from Holland, and who was a relative of the General, was appointed Governor of Negumbo, to the prejudice of St. Amant, and came, bringing orders from the Council at Batavia to displace him. St. Amant, finding himself thus treated, deserted with fifteen or twenty soldiers, the majority of whom were French, and among them MM. Belloy, Des Marests, and Jean de Rose, and went over with them to the Portuguese army. This small number of brave men gave courage to the Portuguese, who advanced to the attack of Negumbo, from whence they had been driven, and took it at the second assault. At this time Dom Philippe de Mascarenhas was Governor of the island of Ceylon, and of all the places dependent on Portugal. He lived in the town of Colombo, and having received letters from Goa which informed him of the death of the Viceroy, with an invitation from the Council and all the nobility to take the vacant place, before leaving he desired to see St. Amant and those whom he had brought over in order to reward them.