148 CEYLON BRANCH — ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



The following specimen of letters to the ecclesiastical 

 authorities in Holland is of an earlier date. 



To the Reverend Classis of Delft, 

 Delfland and Schieland, 

 Reverend godly and learned Sirs and 

 brethren in Christ, 



Your two letters have reached us this year via Batavia* 

 the first dated at Charlois the 16th October 1721 was re- 

 ceived in the month of March by way of Cochin, the second 

 written at Delf haven the 15th October 1722 was delivered 

 to us on the arrival of the last fleet, which are about to sail 

 to the Fatherland. From both these we perceive that our 

 communications of 7th November 1720 and 14th November 

 1721 had reached you, and that you have been pleased to re- 

 gard them as a proof of our fraternal correspondence, which s 

 while it gratifies us, calls for our most hearty thanks — as 

 also for the Synodal Acts which accompanied your letters, 

 and not less for the zealous and faithful exertions which you 

 have been pleased to evince in obtaining from the honble 

 Lords Majores some more clergymen for the service of the 

 India churches ; which has had the desired effect, their 

 Lordships having been pleased to grant a number of 7 or 8 5 

 of whom some have reached Batavia in safety. 



We have. Reverend Gentlemen, at present no reason to 

 complain of scarcity of labourers in this Island, yet since 

 by your faithful care and indefatigable zeal you have 

 brought it so far that a considerable number of ministers for 

 the service of Jesus Christ in the East are about to be sent^ 

 and besides you promised for the future to urge on the au- 

 thorities that more ministers and pastors be sent to our con- 

 gregations, we would by no means doubt that God's church 

 in this Island will enjoy the benefit thereof. The more so 

 as among the brethren in this Island there are some who 

 begin to labour under age and bodily infirmities, and in the 

 mean time the congregations, especially among the natives, 

 increase daily, which on the one hand is indeed most grati- 

 fying to us, but also on the other must necessarily contri- 

 bute to render the labour more burthensome. We had also 

 reason to rejoice and to thank Jehovah's name, when we 

 learned from your letters that He has blessed the church in 

 Netherland not only with peace and tranquillity, but also 

 with such desirable success the work of his servants, so that 

 truth is in every respect established and the kingdom of 

 Jesus Christ thereby extended : although we have heard 



