CEYLON BRANCH- — ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 9 



*' of Interpreters, and two or three visits in the years, our other 

 " duties not allowing us to make them more frequent, we can- 

 " not expect much joyous fruit. " Besides the forenoon Dutch 

 Service at Galle, instruction was given on Sunday mornings at 

 10 o'clock to the Singhalese by means of an Interpreter, and 

 in the afternoon at 4 to the Malabars in like manner. There was 

 also a Thursday afternoon public Catechizing for European chil- 

 dren. At Jaffna Mr. Baldeus began this year to translate the 

 Psalms of David into Tan:il with the view of introducing public 

 singing into the native congregations ; several sermons also were 

 translated by him into Tamil, but he was much impeded in 

 the prosecution of this work by the great want of able native as- 

 sistants. A letter by Baldeus and others dated Jaffna October 

 1662 says. " The state of our Church is pleasing, we see with 

 " joy its progress and results, but not without great labour 

 *' and trouble. A fortnight ago the Lord's Supper was admi- 

 " nistered in the country to 28 native blacks, and not Mistisen 

 " (this was the designation of the Portuguese mixed descendants) 

 " and out of the vast body of those who are professing Chris- 

 *' tians, a greaier accession of Church Members may still be 

 "expected. In the Fort we have at present but 92 members 

 "for the greater port of our Garrison has joined the expedition 

 u at Cochin. We have on Sundays preaching thrice, catechizing 

 u once, and a catechizing on Thursdays. There are in the coun- 

 " try 39 Churches, which are also schools of instruction to 

 " 12, COO children, who by the grace of God are improving. 

 " In all these places sermons are read in Tamil on the Sab- 

 " bath days, to which the people resort in great numbers. One 

 " of our ministers is always out in the country. May God 

 " bless the work to his glory, to the accession of souls, and 

 " to our salvation. " There were at this time 4 clergymen sta- 

 tioned at Colombo. They complained to the classes of the great 

 scarcity of Dutch Elementary School-books, catechisms and sta- 

 tionery, stating that as the children of the Dutch colonists were 



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