10 ceylon Branch— royal Asiatic sb'ciWS> 



springing up the demand of school materials was on the increase. 

 The classis replied that they had presented the application to 

 the Representatives of the East India Company, who said, that 

 tbey were always in the habit of sending school materials to* 

 gether with their other stores, but that they were not just then 

 prepared to supply Ceylon immediately. 



I mentioned in my introductory paper on the Ecclesiastical 

 establishment of the Dutch in Ceylon, that either ©n the arri- 

 val of a minister in the Colony, or on his removal from one sta- 

 tion to another he was always furnished with a letter of re- 

 commendation from the Consistory he left to the Consistory he 

 Was to join: copies of many such letters are preserved; the quo- 

 tation of one from Colombo to Jaffna dated 1668, which is one 

 of the shortest may serve as a specimen. " Herewith goes over 

 * e to you the Rev. Servateus Clavius, a man who to us and 

 " to our meeting has appeared in every respect to be gifted 

 " with peculiarly sound judgment and learning, and who, we 

 '■' trust will be to God's Church of great edification and oc- 

 " casion to you Reverend brethren much delight and satisfae- 

 " tion, and prove very profitable for the increase of the tender 

 " Christianity in these regions. We do not doubt but that he 

 " will be embraced and received by you in brotherly love and 

 " perfect good will. We have furnished him with the usual 

 " necessary elucidation and explanations. We request most 

 u friendly that all good Ecclesiastical correspondence and mutual 

 *' fraternal acquaintance between him, yourselves and us may 

 M be renewed, augmented and strenuously maintained, towards 

 " which we willingly offer all that lies in our power ; praying* 

 " in the meantime, that the Great Shepherd of His Sheep may 

 " grant His presence among his told in this Island, and bless it 

 " by the services of its Overseers, and preserve it from all in- 

 ct jury and oppression. " 



As the clergy who were sent from Holland or Batavia ge- 

 nerally arrived first at Colombo, it fell mostly to the lot ©f 



