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 passage 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 I have heard, however, that this veto has been withdrawn, and that vessels with this grain will soon arrive here.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 quantity 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 quantity 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 quantity 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 assist 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 quantities 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 quantities 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.