CEYLON BRANCH-— ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 149 



with pain that the chastening rod of the Lord is still on 

 many of our brethren in the faith, particularly in the Paliz, 

 where difficulties were not yet removed. Our aspirations 

 to the all sufficient God are, that He may look down from 

 heaven with the eye of compassion on that church, and others 

 who bear the same crosses — and behold the melancholy state 

 of the bride of his beloved Son, that she may be delivered 

 from all the oppression, contumacy and tyranny of her ene- 

 mies ; and that seeing her oppressors restrained she may ac- 

 knowledge the goodness of the Lord towards her, and glorify 

 his name with thanksgiving. 



As- a proof of our readiness to cultivate mutual brotherly 

 correspondence, we again submit to you with all respect, 

 the state of the churches and schools in this Island. 



The church of J affnapatam, with the congregation and 

 schools in that Province, is still, as last year, served by the 

 Rev. Johannes Buyning, Fibrandus Scoevola, Godfridus 

 Joh. Weyerman and Jan Bernard Noordbeek. The Dutch 

 congregation in that town consists at present of 205 mem- 

 bers, who live together in love and harmony, and the Dutch 

 youth are diligently taught in the schools there in reading, 

 writing, and the fundamentals of religion. In the Island 

 Maanar were found at the last visitation 24 members in the 

 Dutch congregation, who together with those at Trincomalie 

 and Batticaloa also live in peace and mutual love (though 

 the exact number of members in the two last mentioned 

 places this year has not come to our knowledge) and the 

 masters also in all the three places were diligent in teaching. 



With respect to native Christianity in J affnapatam, there 

 were found at the last visitation 183,116 baptized Christians, 

 who are of good report, although as yet but few in that 

 district have advanced to their profession of faith, towards 

 which the two Malabar proponents contribute little ; in con- 

 sequence of which the brethren at JaiFna have renewed 

 their complaints of these slothful servants, having repeatedly 

 exhorted them to more zeal and diligence. Respecting the 

 seminary there nothing is reported to us, in consequence of 

 the 6 scholars who were taught in it last year, having been, 

 by the order of our Governor, transferred since to the semi- 

 nary at this place, and being together with others under the 

 tuition of the Rev. P. Synjeu. Galle is served by the Mi- 

 nisters, Sextus Buma, J. W. Marinus, and Petrus Kalden, 

 under whose joint care and guidance the Dutch congregation 

 at Galle has increased to 114 and at Matura to 15. As to 

 the native churches and schools there, they were visited this 



