CEYLON BRANCH — -ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 117 



reporters complained in 1726 of a decline in the state of 

 their schools, which surprised the Colombo Consistory, as 

 care had been taken to employ efficient masters. In 1727 

 there were altogether 48 schools. An official letter dated 

 1735, says that a favourable report had been received, the 

 children improving, especially in religious instructions, be- 

 ing able to repeat promptly in Tamul not only the ordinary 

 prayers and three Catechisms, but also several Chapters in 

 Matthew's Gospel. In 1738, the Province Belligamo had 

 14 churches and schools, Wademoratje Temmoratje and 

 Patchelepally 12 churches and schools, the Wanny 4, Man- 

 totte and Manar 10, and the Islands 5. In 1758 parents did 

 not voluntarily send their children for instruction, which 

 was attributed to the Oeliam or compulsory labour system. 

 In 1760* schools were improved in comparison with the pre- 

 vious year. The worst attendance was found in the two 

 provinces Tenmoratje and Patchelepally. In the Trinco- 

 malie school (1759) some children had got by heart 20 chap- 

 ters in the New Testament, of 383 on the list, 143 boys 

 and 140 girls were present at the examination ; 50 Roman 

 Catholic children had staid away, which was a common 

 practice among them on such occasions. 



V. 



The Colombo Seminary and the Native Normal School. 



First then the Colombo or Cinghalese Seminary. This 

 was a pet institution both of the Government and the clergy. 

 No pains were spared to render it every way efficient and 

 flourishing, no letter was written to the home Government 

 and Church by the consistory but the Seminary occupied a 

 prominent place ; and most ardent was the hope that under 

 divine blessing it might prove a successful instrument in 

 propagating Christianity among the natives of Ceylon. Its 

 main and original object was to train and qualify young 

 men, both Cinghalese and Tamuls, for becoming native 

 preachers. But the extension and modification it underwent 

 will be noticed in the course of this account. It does not 

 appear, like the elementary schools, to have been entirely 

 under the Scholarchal commission, for previous to every 

 public examination a special committee was nominated by 

 the Governor, consisting only of clergymen, to investigate 

 and report to him the state of the Institution. Still the 

 Governor hardly ever failed to be present on such occasions 



